Gu Family Book: Episode 24 (Final)
by girlfriday
Uh… so THAT happened. There are words. They’re forming slowly because I have a melty puddle where my brain used to be. It’s finale time for Gu Family Book, and I’ll tell you one thing: It ain’t boring! Ha. Hahahaha. Heh. Heh. Heh… *cries*
The finale brought in 19.5%, which left it just shy of ever breaking that elusive 20% barrier. I feel that it’s fair, because the show left ME just shy of sane, so quid pro quo. Tit for tat, and all that jazz.
FINAL EPISODE RECAP
We backtrack a little to Kang-chi’s visit to Lee Soon-shin, where he says it’s time they take out Jo Gwan-woong. Or eons ago, but who’s counting? Lee Soon-shin says he’ll trust Kang-chi but in exchange he has to make a promise not to take any lives by his hand, in the name of revenge. Kang-chi promises.
After rescuing Yeo-wool from the Piñata of Doom, Kang-chi tells her to rest, but she says she wants to be there for the epic moment when Jo Gwan-woong finally gets his due. Well you can’t blame a girl for wanting front-row seats to that showdown. *grabs popcorn*
Now back to the confrontation with Jo Gwan-woong, where our good guys line up like sitting ducks for Jo Gwan-woong’s gun-toting minion to take his best shot. He lights the fuse, and Yeo-wool is the first to turn around and see him. Crap.
She sees that he’s aiming for Kang-chi (which confuses me since I thought we were going after Lee Soon-shin to pin the murder on Kang-chi, but whatever it hardly matters at this point) and jumps in the way.
She takes the shot in the shoulder. Everyone freezes, and Jo Gwan-woong scowls at the shot wasted on the wrong target.
She falls into Kang-chi’s arms and gasps, “Don’t go anywhere! Don’t disappear!” A tear falls, and then she closes her eyes.
Kang-chi’s eyes light up green with rage, and he storms over to Minion like the Terminator, not caring that the guy is fumbling to reload his gun. He’s not fast enough anyway, and Kang-chi yanks the gun out of his hands and starts punching him in the face over and over and over again.
Kang-chi strangles him as he bleeds, growling that a useless human like him needs to die. Whoa. So quick to forget our promises, Gumiho Baby.
Lee Soon-shin calls out to him to remind him that it’s an irreversible path once you spill blood, but he argues back that this one can die and it would be better for everyone.
He’s about to go over the edge when suddenly Yeo-wool calls out to him, and it works like an instant de-hulking pill. He runs over to tend to her like he wasn’t just about to kill someone two seconds ago.
The boys get ready to move her, when Jo Gwan-woong suddenly declares that no one can leave. Oh, you’re still planning to attack? Then why were you just standing around watching the show with the rest of us instead of attacking when you had a diversion?
So then we’re back to square one, with swords raised on both sides. Jo Gwan-woong orders them all killed, which is when Lee Soon-shin finally steps up to say that he can’t abide any more of his villainy, and calls in the troops.
Suddenly the place floods with his soldiers, and Lee Soon-shin arrests Jo Gwan-woong for framing innocent people as traitors, selling state secrets, and attempting to murder him. Uh, if he could just be arrested for these crimes, then why have we let him run around for twenty-four episodes?
The Japanese emissaries skedaddle post-haste, and Jo Gwan-woong is left to defend himself. Even though his guards have the slowest reflexes known to man, they use gas bombs to slip away. We don’t even get to see the chase, so I’m assuming that means he got away.
Next thing we know, Soo-ryun and Chung-jo are getting word that Yeo-wool is on her deathbed, and we see Master Dam sitting by her side as Teacher Gong says there isn’t much time left.
A flashback to Little Yeo-wool brings us to that day when she first asked Dad to teach her sword-fighting. He asks why, and she says that someone got hurt because of her, and all she could do was stand by and cry.
Little Yeo-wool: “If I don’t want anyone to be hurt because of me anymore, then I have to become stronger.” Aw. She learned to fight because of Kang-chi. Dad heaves another long sigh and stalks out.
Kang-chi is at So-jung’s house, asking for some way to save Yeo-wool. So-jung sighs that it happened after all, and that there’s nothing Kang-chi can do when a human meets her fate.
He doesn’t much like that answer, and insists, “There must be something I can do! Yeo-wool will die!” But So-jung says that’s how Fate works, and all he can do is accept it. He says that the best he can do is to go be by Yeo-wool’s side till the end.
When Kang-chi returns to the school, he finds out that Master Dam and Gon have gone after Jo Gwan-woong.
The hunting party scatters through the woods, and Jo Gwan-woong starts to show signs of a cracked noggin—when a guard asks for their next move, he mutters at him to ask Minion because he’ll know what to do. The same sidekick who got hauled off by Lee Soon-shin’s men?
It doesn’t take long for Master Dam to close in on Jo Gwan-woong’s location, and a fight breaks out. Even when he’s down to a few last guards, he manages to slip away… only to run right into Kang-chi.
Jo Gwan-woong orders his men to kill him, and Kang-chi just lets his green eyes glow and tells them they can live if they drop their swords and walk away. They choose life. It’s pretty funny to watch Jo Gwan-woong get ditched so quickly.
Even after all that, he’s still posturing and screaming that Kang-chi will die, and Kang-chi just super-speeds over to him and claws at his arm. They don’t show much, but he reacts like Kang-chi just cut his hand off. Or is that just wishful thinking?
Kang-chi looms over him: “Does it hurt? This is nothing compared to the pain you’ve caused us.”
We hear through gisaeng exposition that Jo Gwan-woong got hauled off to Lee Soon-shin, hog-tied and short of one hand. But… I wanted to SEE that. In all its bloody and ridiculous glory. What the hell?
Now that Jo Gwan-woong is powerless, Chung-jo can no longer be pushed around by the other girls, and they back out of her way.
Yeo-wool opens her eyes and finds Kang-chi holding her hand. She sits up and asks after Dad, worried and sorry for what she’s putting him through. Kang-chi holds her and says she should just hurry up and get better then. She looks up at him and says she has three wishes. Aw man, is she really gonna die?
That night the family gathers for dinner by candlelight, as we hear Kang-chi tell Master Dam that Yeo-wool’s first wish is to eat with everyone. I like that wish. They laugh and joke good-naturedly, though Master Dam is just sitting stoically, trying not to look at Yeo-wool.
They laugh about how Yeo-wool was taller than Gon until they were eleven, and how he still doesn’t eat carrots like a little kid. Kang-chi outs Tae-seo for picking carrots out of his food too. I’m taking that as a sign that they’re meant to be.
Yeo-wool starts to struggle against the pain, and both Kang-chi and Dad notice blood dropping on the floor. Kang-chi gently suggests they go back to her room now, but she wants to stay just a little longer. Oof, that one thing gets to me—her wanting to stay at the dinner table just another minute.
Dad finally turns to her and says she should go rest now. She starts to cry as she tells him: “I’m sorry, Father. I’m sorry, Father.” He just wraps her tiny hand in his, and says with tears streaming down his face: “You are my greatest happiness, Yeo-wool-ah.”
Once Dad cries, the floodgates open, and everyone starts to cry. He asks Kang-chi to take care of her, which is a bittersweet way to finally get that approval from Dad.
He carries her down the hall, and she asks for her second wish—to go on a walk with him. He takes her to the river where they sit for a while, and she asks something she’s always been curious about: “Why are you afraid of spiders?” Kang-chi: “Because they have too many legs.” It’s true! They have too many. What do they need all those legs for anyway?
He asks if she remembers what he said to her back then—to be his wife. “If I ask you the same thing now, what will you say?” She wonders when he remembered, and why he didn’t say anything about it till now.
He says the second he knew her name, he remembered, “But you had already begun to mean something to me.” He asks again:
Kang-chi: Will you marry me?
Yeo-wool: Even though I can’t cook?
Kang-chi: Will you marry me?
Yeo-wool: And my sewing is terrible?
Kang-chi: Will you marry me?
He starts to cry, and she wipes away his tears. “Don’t cry, Kang-chi-ya. I don’t want to be a sad memory for you. I want to be a happy one. I want to be laughter to you, not tears. When you remember me, I want you to be happy. That is my third wish.”
He takes her hand and makes her promise: “Let’s meet again. Let’s meet again. I’ll wait for you.” She nods.
Kang-chi: “I love you.” Yeo-wool: “I love you.”
As they kiss one last time, blue lights come floating in around them. Kang-chi thinks in voiceover: “When we meet again, I’ll recognize you first. When we meet again, I’ll love you first.”
And then her hand drops away from his, and she falls onto his shoulder. He calls her name, but there’s no answer.
He holds her close as he breaks down in tears, and then he narrates: “And like that, the sound of her breath stopped. And in that moment, my time stopped.”
Time stops for everyone as they mourn Yeo-wool’s passing, and then when we find Kang-chi sitting in her room, staring at the flower he gave her, now wilted.
Tae-seo finds him there, still numb and not knowing what to do. He asks if Tae-seo thinks Yeo-wool might still be alive and happy if it weren’t for him, and Tae-seo says that if he had to choose between living a hundred years or only living a hundred days but with the person he loves, he’d choose the hundred days.
Tae-seo: “Yeo-wool was happier than anyone because of you.”
Tae-seo leads him out, and that’s when we see that Kang-chi has a bag packed. Everyone is outside waiting to say goodbye, and he bows to Master Dam to thank him for everything.
Master Dam asks if he’s going to find the Gu Family Book, but Kang-chi says no—he’s going to spend some more time living as he is, waiting until he re-meets the person he wants to grow old with.
Teacher Gong gives him medicine and takes a ring off his finger and places it on Kang-chi’s hand, saying that it’s a sign that he is his disciple. Aw. Dad hugs him goodbye, and then Master Dam presents him with Yeo-wool’s sword, telling him it’s his to keep safe now.
He bows one last time, and takes his leave.
Gon, who’s been conspicuously absent from the proceedings, steps out to watch him go. He says to himself in a quiet voice, “Go well, Choi Kang-chi.”
Kang-chi doesn’t turn around, but he knows Gon is there. He just raises Yeo-wool’s sword above his head as he thinks: “Be well, friend.” Okay, that was kind of badass.
Chung-jo gets a package—it’s the shirt she made for Kang-chi, returned to her. She wistfully recites a proverb that means that first love makes a person grow, while last love completes them, and then sets out towards the prison with a purposeful look in her eye.
She bribes a guard to get inside, and walks right into Jo Gwan-woong’s cell. He does in fact have a stump for a hand. And the reason we were deprived of that violence is…?
She says she came here to pour him a drink, and tells him it’s time for him to die now. He takes the gesture as a sign of mercy, given the punishment he’s about to face, but she just steels her gaze and says that she just wanted to cut off his breath by her own hand, that’s all.
He takes a drink, and asks for another, as he calls his life un-fun and muses that he wasn’t greedy—he just wanted to feel alive. Her expression doesn’t change as he starts to cough up blood, and then she leaves him there to die alone. Farewell, Stumpy. It wasn’t nearly painful enough a death for you, but we’ll take what we can get.
Kang-chi runs into Lee Soon-shin on his way out, and says he doesn’t really know where he’s headed. Lee Soon-shin tells him there’s no real answer to being human, save for trying, every day. He tells Kang-chi, “Of all the people I have met in my life, you are the warmest, kindest person.”
Kang-chi promises to come running if he ever signals for help, and asks if he really thinks that the Gu Family Book exists. Lee Soon-shin says that if he believes in becoming human, then it must exist.
Kang-chi smiles and continues on his path.
And then in Yeo-wool’s room, the blue lights return and bring her flower back to life.
Fade out, and then when we fade back in, it’s 422 years later in present-day Seoul. Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. WHAT. Suddenly he’s Hong-Giljimae?
In a fancy modern apartment are very familiar old relics: Gon’s sword, Teacher Gong-dal’s medicine jar, Yeo-wool’s sword, her purple flower. We only see a man from behind as he showers and gets dressed, and then a close-up of the ring on his finger, and a familiar red shirt hanging in the closet.
As he flips through a magazine we see that Teacher Gong-dal has been reincarnated as a doctor of eastern medicine, and then he gets a call from Yoo Yeon-seok, which is Tae-seo’s actor’s real name. This is getting too meta for my liking. So this is Tae-seo’s soul reincarnated, and he shouts at his friend to hurry up and get to the party.
Kang-chi looks out his window and narrates: “The 5221st crescent moon I’m meeting alone.” And down below in the street, a familiar voice cries out, “Excuse me!” as she runs through the streets.
Kang-chi finally turns his face to the camera as his butler calls to him, and it’s Servant Choi. What, you made your dad a butler? WTF, Kang-chi-ya? And even Ok-man is a valet downstairs.
As he drives through the city, we get glimpses of modern life (and a little moment where he smiles up at the statue of Lee Soon-shin, ha). Kang-chi narrates: “The world changed so quickly, and the way that people live has changed so drastically.”
At an intersection, a woman runs past his car in a blur, and it makes him do a double take. But the light changes and he keeps driving ahead. As he arrives to meet his friends, suddenly he hears a woman crying for someone to save her.
He sighs and pretends not to hear it, but she screams again, and he can’t ignore it. The woman screaming turns out to be Yeo-wool’s teacher, reincarnated, and she’s currently about to get her purse taken from Ma Bong-chul, who’s still a loan shark gangster even in this life.
Kang-chi shows up to save the day, only to beam when he sees Bong-chul and Teacher. “Are you taking money from people even here?” Ha. He counts to three just like the old days, and flashes his pretty green eyes at him before he beats them to a pulp.
He’s just about to have his hero moment, when a familiar voice calls out behind him to freeze. Everyone else takes off running, and Kang-chi puts his hands up with a sigh, saying it’s all a misunderstanding.
But when he whirls around, he stops cold. It’s Yeo-wool, inching closer to him with her gun raised. Is she a cop? Seems fitting.
She comes closer and tells him to freeze, which he’s already doing because his mind is blown, and he finally manages to say, “Yeo-wool-ah…”
She looks back at him quizzically: “How do you know my name?” Huh, so she’s the only one who has the same name?
She asks if he knows her, and we hear Kang-chi’s voiceover again that when they meet again, he’ll recognize her first and love her first.
He finally answers cryptically with tears brimming in his eyes, “I might know you, and I might not.” And then he looks past her to find a peach blossom tree and a crescent moon hanging up above. He finishes in voiceover: “And my time that had stopped… began to flow once again.”
End credits… and then an epilogue.
Kang-chi’s doorbell rings and he’s shocked to find Gon at his door, bearing a national security ID tag. The man behind him takes off his sunglasses… and it’s Lee Soon-shin.
COMMENTS
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
Is this writer on crack? The thing is, I totally see what she was trying to do, and it’s even theoretically the kind of ending I would love for a hero’s journey. Really really, promise promise. But dude, you can’t just slap that ending on without doing the legwork to make it organic, lived-in, and earned… hell, even remotely sensical. There’s a finesse to the execution! You can’t just decide your hero’s gonna be Iljimae and then shove us into the future. That’s messed up. I feel manipulated out of tears, and worse, cheated out of the hero’s journey that would have brought us here in a satisfying manner.
You know, I actually watched this series much like Jeon Woo-chi–with low expectations for a cute, fun hero story, delivered with cheeky laughs. It was never going to be epically amazing, but I wasn’t going to hold it to that when it was trying to be lighter fare. But this—trying to turn Kang-chi into one of those iconic in-every-generation heroes in the eleventh hour—was done so poorly. I may even have cringed less if they didn’t decide that he had to be Bruce Wayne, or that everyone from 422 years ago just happened to be reincarnated in the same lifetime. (Or was this the seventeenth Tae-seo he’s been buddies with? Who knows?) Just because you have a supernatural world doesn’t mean you get to do ALL supernatural things all willy-nilly. There are rules. What you sacrifice for that fancy surprise twist ending is that you went there on your own and left us all behind.
Kang-chi could’ve been that kind of hero… if that was what you were building towards for the past twenty-three episodes. But it wasn’t. And I know because I was there for all of it. We started in a good place, with an epic backstory and a great beginning for a hero. We set up a fantastic character who stood up for the weak and used his strength for the greater good. But then we let that sit there for the love story to take center stage. Living, loving, and dying was what he desperately wanted, and he fought for his human side to win out. So we wanted that for him. Because he told us so. We spent the rest of the episodes wondering if Kang-chi would ever get to the goddamn book and become human, and then gave up hope that this show would complete anything other than the romance. Because we spent SO MUCH time on the romance. And it was sweet, and cute, and all it needed was a pretty pink bow happy ending to satisfy us. That’s it.
Instead we got a death to wring tears out of us, and then a left-turn fast-forward so sharp that my whiplash is having whiplash babies. And the crux of it, really, is that it gained nothing in doing so. All we did was come back around to the romance. I suppose if you’re in it for a sequel, that’s another story, but then I hate people who shunt an ending in service of a sequel even more. Basically, if your endgame was this all along, then you should’ve done a better job shaping Kang-chi into a hero of the people. A champion. Someone who, I dunno, sacrifices becoming human to save the world? For instance?
And this is all before even getting to the fact that they pulled the reincarnated soulmance ending, which drives me crazy. The straight version: Kang-chi is still Kang-chi, but Yeo-wool is reincarnated, and he’s going to love her all over again. The fanwank version: Yeo-wool is also still Yeo-wool, because she still has the same name while no one else does, and her purple flower power gives her the right to do this. I dunno, I’m making it up. The point is, this kind of soul-in-new-body ending always leaves me with that niggling feeling that something’s not right. Because it’s not the same. Because she died, and he didn’t, and there wasn’t even any time travel for anyone who wasn’t us, and because then the healthier thing to do would be to move on with your life and date Catwoman or something. I get that pining for 5221 moons is, well, moony, but I thought the entire setup of the parents’ doomed tragedy of a romance was that the kids were going to get it right. And they did everything right every step of the way, only to get rewarded with a 422-year engagement.
I was all ready to put this show to bed with satisfactory B-marks, because it was fun and chipper, and a cool twist on gumiho lore. Though it didn’t explore the full extent of the beast/man divide, I thought that it had interesting ideas at the center and that we were just going to wrap up our narrative neatly. Even the sadder version that ends at the fadeout with Kang-chi walking down the dirt road—that would’ve been better. Less than stellar, but it would’ve been an organic ending. I might’ve even liked it. I’d still be upset at Yeo-wool having to die (because that’s just plain mean, is what) but I could be okay with Kang-chi setting out to live his life as half-human half-beast without her, and learning to accept himself as he is.
But so much of the emotional payoff I wanted was never delivered. And a finale that did that would’ve been enough for me to overlook the obvious flaws, like stretching story for 16 episodes into 24, or the unfortunate inverse stakes for Wol-ryung (epic, tragic, life-and-death) and Kang-chi (heartfelt, but juvenile, and not nearly as earth-shattering by a long shot). We were even shafted on the villain’s big comeuppance, which I know was not cut for censorship, (Remember when Wol-ryung yanked the still-beating heart out of a man and liked it?) not to mention that the drama’s over-reliance on Lee Soon-shin to come and save the day steals our hero’s thunder. I had fun with this show, even if it was never on a deep emotional level, but these last two episodes really took the wind out of my sails. It was such an interesting universe, rich with potential. To sacrifice closure in that world, for this… what a damn shame.
RELATED POSTS
- Gu Family Book: Episode 23
- Gu Family Book: Episode 22
- Gu Family Book: Episode 21
- Gu Family Book: Episode 20
- Gu Family Book: Episode 19
- Gu Family Book: Episode 18
- Gu Family Book: Episode 17
- Gu Family Book: Episode 16
- Gu Family Book: Episode 15
- Gu Family Book: Episode 14
- Gu Family Book: Episode 13
- Gu Family Book: Episode 12
- Gu Family Book: Episode 11
- Gu Family Book: Episode 10
- Gu Family Book: Episode 9
- Gu Family Book: Episode 8
- Gu Family Book: Episode 7
- Gu Family Book: Episode 6
- Gu Family Book: Episode 5
- Gu Family Book: Episode 4
- Gu Family Book: Episode 3
- Gu Family Book: Episode 2
- Gu Family Book: Episode 1
Tags: featured, Gu Family Book, Lee Seung-gi, Suzy
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151 Blacksiopao
June 26, 2013 at 1:18 AM
My reaction at the end is as follows:
1st: WTH! After 10 seconds of brief realization, 2nd: WTFFFFFFFFFF!
IMHO, the ending is not really that as bad as 'Big' (which I think the the most horrible ending of a story EVER).
I mean, if the intention of the ep 24 ending was because there's another season, then it's fine... because the writers are trying hard to emulate a US season ender.
Was there an announcement of another season to justify all the WTFery?!
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 6:18 AM
LOL I totally agree with EVERYTHING you just said.
I think Snow Queens' ending is just as bad as big...I watched it with my girl and i wanted to kill myself for wasting days of my life watching something that ends so.....ugh there isn't even a word to explain it.
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152 Noelle
June 26, 2013 at 1:23 AM
WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THAT? Was the writer hoping for some kind of sequel? I DON'T UNDERSTAND!
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153 Julia the Berkshire Beanie
June 26, 2013 at 1:27 AM
You know when you are over tired and you hit that sweet spot where everything is funny and you laugh until your sides ache as you and your fellow exhausted friends spew out strange, creative ideas?
I bet the same thing happens to writers under deadline with pressure to come up with a fresh approach to end their drama.
In that sleep deprived, pressure induced state, some times brilliant ideas come, but some times when you wake the next day, everything you came up with is useless. But you package it up, because the deadline is here, the last mile of the marathon has been run, and you are just glad the whole thing is over.
This is my only explanation for bad KDrama endings from good writers that had us watching for 16 or more episodes.
Well, at least GFB's ending will be one of the more memorable of the year ...
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MEalways
June 26, 2013 at 3:06 AM
Hahaha... this got me to the previous comment: 'Anthony would be dissapointed', if the same Anthony were the one we think from 'King of Drama'.
Interesting note:
Look at Candece (link here on dramabeans). She/he has an insightful perspective upon this ending. And I can really understand her/his point of view. To embrace humanity, that's the whole moral of the story. Although............
Well... at least no more Gu Book for sure.
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154 dizzyMongoose
June 26, 2013 at 1:27 AM
Yep. Did not see that one coming. o_O
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155 mary
June 26, 2013 at 1:32 AM
The best thing about the modern day part is Gon finally has non-awful hair. :)
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156 k-soup
June 26, 2013 at 1:32 AM
Am I expecting a part 2???? O_O
Part 2 in a drama is hard to get but the ending seems absurd. I want more!
P.S Can the writer have another drama for Seo hwa and Wool Ryung?
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Noona
June 28, 2013 at 6:11 AM
NO, heaven forbid.
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157 Izzy G
June 26, 2013 at 1:49 AM
We sooo need a season 2, the way it ended, it was almost like the wtiter set up for it!
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158 Harumanis
June 26, 2013 at 2:05 AM
After i watched it, i felt like i just had opened an HORCRUX!!!
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159 Dani
June 26, 2013 at 2:08 AM
I actually called the zoom-into-our-times thing, I was like "I totally see where they're going with this, he's giving up searching for the book, and live until our freaking time, and then he'll magically meet Yeowool again!" I was calling it for the whole episode and VOILA it happened xDD
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160 Mini Roo
June 26, 2013 at 2:10 AM
I was totally expecting a reincarnation ending, because the only way I would be even a little satisfied with this drama overall was if one of the main lovebirds died.
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161 onigiri
June 26, 2013 at 2:28 AM
Thanks for the recap.
So disappointed. Where is the Gu family book? I want to see the book!!! Given this is the name of the drama after all!
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162 Miky
June 26, 2013 at 2:52 AM
Just sad because the writer ruined such a beaufiul story,for me it was and i was so invested in it(never again i'll do that,get my lesson show)...we had the tragic story from the parents and we hoped for a better story from our couple that actually did everything right but the told us that when FATE says no it's no...GW was more lucky than our dear hero,he even decided when he died...
Our dear hero got nothing in the end for all his pain and loosing all his dear ones throw the show,he wasn't rewarded at all,he lived his immortal life just like he told Wol Ryong he didn't want,immortal,alone,without the loved ones,in the forest forever single and that's what he got..an immortal life in a cage like apartament filled with glamourous things that move the eyes when he never loved money ,forever seeing his loved one dye and without real friends because of what he was(so getting to always leave to not be descoverd)...I belived this saw was all about hope,trust,it's good to be different sometimes(KC and YW taking the sword and not the niddle),fate CAN be changed and it's up to you to do that but no,we got a sad ending for an awesome hero..i still don't know what the message of this show was but something good sure isint so she coudl cut the crap about all those morals if she wanted to give this crap...And maybe i could acccept with time that joke of reincarnation(in the end it's not YW that we knew)what was the damn porpuse of the last seconds with GON and LSS at his door,it was like in the MARVEL world to say STAY TUNE...that it's more aweful than the ending...this writer is truly an evil women for what she did to this great show and awesome characters
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163 biankoy
June 26, 2013 at 3:01 AM
it is really a drama-ception. whatthefuckery does not even begin yo describe what the hell that ending was but kudos for FINA-fucking-LLY gorgeous shot of Sung Joon. thank ye dramagods
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164 Wendy
June 26, 2013 at 3:05 AM
Why.. Just why would YW jump in front of KC and take a bullet for someone who CAN'T DIE.
I don't buy that it was an instinctive move or whatever! Isn't KC supposed to have superhuman reflexes anyway? How can he be slower than YW in realising that he was going to be shot!?
Just... What?
And of course this is just the tip of the iceberg.. Of complaints I have for this drama. It's so... I can't even.
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crazyahjummafan
June 26, 2013 at 3:46 AM
I too wondererd the same thing. So not in line with YW's character. Even if she did it instinctively. It's noble idiosy again which is so not YW. And I actually expected KC to dart forward speedily to disarm the minion. He could have, why didn't the writers use his divine powers to the full? They also should have allowed him to continue to cure the same people with his blood. Then KC would realise that if he was a human, he wouldn't be able to protect YW so easily, or anyone else for that matter. And then, we would see his conflict - to be a human and be helpless, like WR was helpless in saving SH, until he changed his form; or be human, live till old age with YW, provided that neither she nor him dies early and be unable to help her or any of his loved ones in times of trouble. That for me would be a worthwhile conflict. And whatever his decision, YW would accept it and still love him.
In fact, if you want to write about true love, try this line - KC still looks young and handsome, but YW ages slowly but surely. But KC still loves her just as much!
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Gidget
June 26, 2013 at 10:20 AM
Exactly!
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Vickie
June 26, 2013 at 4:45 PM
LOL! I was like oh no she's going to jump in and save him. Well I guess she really wants to protect him. BUT did the writer forget that KC can't die? Why would the writer want to do that? Seriously why why?
I guess the monk's words are really true then. URGH. If I wasn't pessimistic about YW's death in episode 4, I wouldn't watch until the end... I thought that their love would eventually conquer that damn fate. In the end, FATE CAN NEVER BE CHANGED.
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165 kangdam
June 26, 2013 at 3:08 AM
I hate
I really hate to end like this
crush the struggle of love from episode 3 to episode 23
destroying the beautiful story kang chi and yeo wool
if there is no season 2, I would hate this movie
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166 seunggioppa-17
June 26, 2013 at 3:12 AM
I can understand why you all think that it was a really bad ending and it was.. it was so disappointing! :(
But what the writers were trying to show was that Kang Chi didnt need to be a human to be with the woman he loves he just needed to wait for her to come back again so he waited all those 422 years to be with again and begin a new life with her. I just think that we should be grateful that it was a happy ending, they were able to find their way back to eachother. And although Yeo Wool did die she was reincarnated and able to start a new life and fate with Kang Chi. We should all be happy about that.
Although i do say all this i can understand that because we all have high expectations for a Kdrama sometimes we get disappointed but thats life. We deal with it and get over it. Well anyways thank you dramabeans for all the recaps for Gu Family Book and i hope to be reading all your new recaps when Lee Seung Gi Oppa is in another drama. Thanks for all your hard work. We love you :) From everyone here in Ireland x
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167 Kim Fieka
June 26, 2013 at 3:13 AM
I know I've already commented somewhere on page 2, but is it just me, who haven't watched the actual show yet, or the only charater who remain dead is Chung Jo?
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kumi
June 26, 2013 at 9:12 AM
Maybe this time she reincarnated as a blue bird.
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Wendy
June 27, 2013 at 7:45 AM
LOL
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Rovi
June 27, 2013 at 10:08 AM
That's what her name really means, Blue (for the cheong) Bird (for the jo).
And I know this is the last, but I remember "Cheongjo" being Mishil's nickname during the time she and Lord Sadaham were still young and innocent lovers.
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168 Divine
June 26, 2013 at 3:14 AM
Whatever!
What I like is that it has the potential for a sequel. Yippie! I've been super invested in KC/YW romance.
What I didnt like about the ending is that why would they be all reincarnated at the same time, at the same place, connected with the same people! Ugh! I would have accepted it whole-heartedly if only KC and YW met that day or in that lifetime.
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kumi
June 26, 2013 at 8:43 AM
Why not? The ways of karma are inscrutable.
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169 Mimi
June 26, 2013 at 3:35 AM
Folks...the title is called Kangchi the begining. I am sure they will have a follow up drama. This might just set up for what might be coming.
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 6:55 AM
AMEN TO THAT. Why else would the call it the beginning, and end it with such rampant whatthefu**ery unless they were planning to make a second season?
good call Mimi.
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170 melley19
June 26, 2013 at 3:39 AM
Thanks for recapping the whole episodes, for your patience and hardwork!
I would say this drama is radical! I enjoyed it alot. Korean dramas simply blow your mind off! You think you know it all type of ending is not the bait they will clamor on it. you just think you know but they are the only one who knew it. Hahaha! I like how they deviate to what is typical. Writer of GFB is brave enough to drastically or some draggingly pull the ending the way viewers will burst into madness. I say madness coz reading some folk on their comments prove me their madness. Somehow i am aware of my madness too. :) When I read other blogs about GFB, it made me smile when they notice it too. Beautiful soundtracks. Cinematography is great. Short live misunderstandings have been resolved, Chung Jo is not the typical 3rd party female character, I really like her! Revenge in more natural way of portraying it. The essence is there. Kang Chi's character really immersed in the drama. Lee Seung Gi deserves an award! Seriously! Liters of tears per episode is a no joke! :)
That seemingly losing track at the end might be true due to lack of time management as for some episodes. True when others will point out that some episode are really lacking. I also agree that they put the camera to Kang Chi and Yeo Wol's love story that it makes other episodes tight. Killing Yeo Wol's character is not a big deal for me. I like how it ended, not exactly what i think of, but I am fully aware how korean writers make an open ended finales. I would be upset too see them typically portraying "and they live happily ever after" thing. As for me it leaves viewers to think. To create their own ending so that the story will be buried in our hearts everytime we remember Kang Chi. Simply to tease our minds
It is satisfying and gratifying to watch till the end. I won't argue to those felt cheated on this drama coz simply you put the whole series in a box. It should be like this and like that ending will lead to frustration. Jumping to modern times maybe exaggerated or to some pointless, but writers have their own creative ways of putting all the pieces in. They won't be bother whether you like it or not. It's their call anyway. Remember, Gu Family Book is not a historical plot, it is fantasy. They just used historical setting but none in the history of Korea that you could really identify this storyline. Simply fantasy which will end to a fantasy.
I believe most viewers really want to fill-in their egos on how it should end. anyways, how it will be ended, surely viewers will have their piece of criticism. + or -
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sadako92
August 23, 2013 at 3:12 AM
You said it all so well. Thank you!:)
Yes. The writer knows exactly what she's doing. And it's great that she doesn't care what the whimsical viewers will think.
There was something very ironic and mischievous in this end and I loved it. I just regret the fact that Kang Chi ended up as a rich guy (like all the drama heroes), he was much more touching and sexier as a poor guy.
Anyway, this ending proves that the drama revolved solely around Kang Chi himself and I'm glad about it. Lee Seung Gi was so outstanding in the part. A pure joy to watch. Very moving, very real... and very hot. The other actors were good for the most part (Suzy is not on par with Lee Seung Gi but did ok in the second half) but just seemed to complement him. Even Choi Jin Hyuk who was a good surprise just appeared as some spice that you put on a good dish. Lee Seung Gi was the real thing.
I love the fantasy genre and I absolutely loved the mood of this drama. They did so much better than most of what Korean cinema has ever tried to do with the genre.
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171 Ann
June 26, 2013 at 3:44 AM
The epilogue at the door is what threw me the most. Notice she was not wearing a uniform, she was all MIB-ish. So were the other two. Are they working together? And isn't there an agreement with the admiral that if he ever needed help, KC would help him? And KC has to be well known to be so wealthy, I would think, which may mean something. I also want to freeze on the badge. It would be better if someone who reads Korean does the same, but I know the badge sent entirely IN Korean.
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Gidget
June 26, 2013 at 10:29 AM
Ha! Korean MIB tracking gumiho 'aliens'. LOL.
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172 coby
June 26, 2013 at 3:48 AM
Thanks for the recap!
I'm sad on how this drama ended. Its so nice to see 'present day' Lee Seunggi. The bubble bath reminds me of K2H! I can't believe that this drama made a cry and at the end say 'what the?!'I need closure. I can accept reincarnation but to have the same fate because of the damn moon crescent and cherry tree combo made me roll my eyes.
sigh..big sigh..
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173 Lolxoxol
June 26, 2013 at 4:01 AM
One word: UGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I am sorry to KC&YW fans, but I really dislike the chemistry between them. I ...I... -___- after KC & YW kissed in the woods, the drama kinda went down hill for me until wol ryung & seo hwa came back and disappeared again. I think if there was less of KC&YW cute scenes, they couldve done so much with the plot and going deeper into it.
Sighs. Ep 24 was the worse episode ever!! I felt like the writer gave up and made KC&YWs relationship kinda shitty. It has always been like YW getting kidnapped and KC saving her. And him telling her not to follow him blah blah etgh. and the 3 wishes?! Omgg IDK what GFB has turned into.
Only reason why i kept up with the GFB was because all of the characters. They started off so strong and fell apart. The whole entire time, I felt like Gfb was two dramas. One: focusing on all characters and actually being a historical drama and the other, two lovebirds dressed in historical clothes flirting back and forth.
Idk, i know im being critical and i had hogh expectations!!! But for those who want to watch GFB, if youre into romance, watch GFB. GFB isnt exactly for those like me who look for action like Queen Seondeok.
Oh yeah btw I am so pissed off that admiral used up all of tae seos dads money for a ship and at thr end THERE WAS NO WAR. Wtfffffff. I think i wouldve liked GFB better if they started a war and suzy died in the war.
Ok done ranting my thoughts are so disorganized now.
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174 panda
June 26, 2013 at 4:05 AM
Such a disappointing final episode. Even though ep. 23 had already lowered my expectations for the endgame, I was still hoping it'd be good..
But thanks for the recap, girlfriday!
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175 Steph
June 26, 2013 at 4:08 AM
Sigh, what's with shows these days? Like they took someone else's idea and gave it to an amateur to write it. Shows with so much potential and almost as much disappointment. Not that it's lacking payoffs but it's just so badly handled.
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176 Swttaro
June 26, 2013 at 4:17 AM
I feel like saying WTH JUST HAPPENED?! Did GFB get a new haircut or something? Because I do not recognize this drama anymore. Drama started really realllly goooood and ended awfully.
There are so many things I dislike and what happened to Chung jos character? Did Tae seo get the 100 year inn back? Where was YW's dad's last farewell? All of the equiment Admiral built was for nothing? The japanese fled so quickly!?
I think GFB was waaaay too influenced by fans. The writer spent too much time on kangchi & yeowools loveline and he/she didnt move the story faster and couldnt think of ideas to develop the story & characters...
GU FAMILY BOOK HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL AND NOW IT IS ALL RUINED AND LAME LIKE OTHER KDRAMAS! I WILL NEVER WATCH KDRAMAS EVER AGAIN!!! Tooooo much disappointments. Im sorry -.-
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177 Peridot
June 26, 2013 at 4:47 AM
Amen girlfriday! You eloquently put into words many of my own feelings. I think that the ending threw aside everything that many of us were hoping for and everything that could have been. What was the whole purpose of Kangchi's journey? I always imagined that he would give up his quest to become fully human because he would discover that he was already fully human inside. If they had decided to go the route of the Book quest at the end, then I guess I would have been fine as well. At the beginning of the show, we saw that Kangchi was always willing to fight for those weaker than him. It would have been nice if he realized that helping others was a part of his life's purpose. As I saw the ending I thought to myself, "So now what? Kangchi is Bruce Wayne?" What has Kangchi been doing in the intervening years between JGW's defeat and his reunion with the reincarnated Yeowool? Has he just been existing on a day by day (etc.) basis without really living? What was the purpose of the twenty four episodes (or twenty three, if we count from when Kangchi's story actually begins)?
If it was necessary for the show to be twenty four episodes, then those episodes could have explored so many things, events, and questions. Instead we were given fluffy romance, needless fanservice, and a crazy, one- dimensional villain who ridiculously lived through all those episodes. The siblings were reduced to nothing pretty much after the destruction of their family and loss of their wealth. At least Chungjo was the one to kill Mr. Evil, even if the actual death didn't occur the way I imagined. The writing was so poor and the directing made everything seem stilted. I often likened the way scenes played out to stop-motion animation. While I love stop-motion animation, I do not think it is suited to live-action dramas! There was hardly a single scene that flowed naturally and smoothly.
I know that this post is getting long, but please bear with me. And I welcome your feedback :)
This show had the potential to be great, or at least very good. When Lee Soonshin talked about the three things that a man needs to feel complete or happy (true friendship, true love, something to die for--I think those were the three; I apologize if I am wrong), I thought that Kangchi would discover that he already possessed the first two in friendship with Taeseo(and those in the academy) and his love for Yeowool, and that he might even discover that his country was worth fighting for (and would end up doing his own to stop the Japanese threat). I also hoped that the siblings would be given their fare share of development. Regarding Wollyung, while his story was mostly satisfying, I was left with a lingering bitter taste in my mouth. Something was wrong. I didn't like that he left Kangchi behind.
Regarding the reincarnations....I think it was awful that Kangchi's father (Mr. Choi) became his butler. But I guess the show was channeling Batman in that way. It also bothered me that the lives the characters were currently living mirrored the lives they lead in the main story. This made me wonder if in the world of the drama souls have no freedom to grow and evolve, and if the characters are just meant to live similar lives throughout the centuries. Are souls doomed then to make the same mistakes? I hated the ending. For some reason, I thought it could have been added as a funny joke at the end of the credits. In other words, the show should have had its 'true ending' (i.e. one that felt organic and logical) and then this could have been added as the following: "Funny PostScript: what if Kangchi had lived through the centuries?" Or "Funny Postcript: Modern-day Gumiho." In other words, this ending was utter c#@&* and we were not meant to take it seriously. It was just added after the actual ending as a last minute of bonding and as light-hearted moment for the cast members. Wishful thinking, I know!
*Sigh* What else can I say?
I am still hopeful that more fantasy saegeuks will be planned in the future. I am a lover of both fantasy and saegeuks and I am hoping that if such another drama is made, it will be done right. I loved Arang and the Magistrate. Even if it did lose some of its steam, I felt that the world was fully developed and that the writer knew where the story was going.
P.s. Do you think that JGW (our Mr. Evil) was also reincarnated? If so, what do you think he would be in his current life?
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 6:10 AM
"P.s. Do you think that JGW (our Mr. Evil) was also reincarnated? If so, what do you think he would be in his current life?"
OK, i read this and i had to laugh...If continued the story in the future...he'd probably be some company CEO or Corrupt government official that's made his fortune/success by extorting, framing, killing...ect.
He'd probably use the thugs gang to do his dirty work just like in his previous life.
Lee Soon Shin would be the CIA/FBI agent assigned to take him down...
Suzy would get assigned to the case as a good cop... The thug probably gets caught and tells the cops about how they were beat up by a monster looking guy. that's why Gon and LSS showed up at his house to investigate him...blah blah blah...
Something like that. They probably won't plan for a second season....but DAMN i wish they did...The base is there...
UNFORTUNATELY, the story would repeat itself similarly to how it happened in the past, just in a different time.
Writer-nim...you have disappointed me (and a couple other thousand people)... are you at least going to TRY to redeem yourself? We'll see.
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kyl
June 26, 2013 at 6:16 AM
I guess I'm in the minority when I say that I don't mind the ending, because sadly, I've stopped caring if Yeo-wool lives or dies. I don't even care if Kang-chi wants to become human or not. I didn't really care about anyone, not even the parents as we approach the end because I believe that the writer is a sadist. Why else would Gumiho Baby be abandoned by everyone he cared about?
To me, the closure to Wol-ryung's character feels right somehow, yet I felt that he could have stayed behind for a while to guide his son or something before going off to die at least. I felt that he was so consumed by his love for Seo-hwa that he didn't care about anything else. And that's sad. Because it seems like he didn't even care for his own son and friend (the monk). After all that grief that he caused, perhaps he thought it was appropriate for him to disappear, but....sigh. Poor Kang-chi. Alone from the start till the end.
I was hoping that the writing and directing would get better after cringing at some glitches as early as episode 7, but alas my hope remained as hope. Perhaps I was expecting too much, and perhaps that was my mistake in the first place. I started this drama with a lot of expectations and coming off it feeling glad that it's all over. I do find that the last 10 mins of modern Seoul interesting and opened up a lot of possibilities because I've already given up on the sageuk storyline, so it doesn't bother me as much. But that's just me.
I think that Wol-ryung's story was more epic while Kang-chi's fell victim to cute romance, so it's no surprise that many were drawn to Wol-ryung's story than Kang-chi's because the stakes were higher and it was frankly what I wanted Kang-chi's story to be, more or less. Seo-hwa's character was more layered and realistic than Yeo-wool, because as much as I love YW the character, I wish she was more hesitant and scared of Kang-chi the beast in the beginning even if she was a female fighter. A lot of people hate Seo-hwa in the beginning for abandoning her husband who happened to be a heart-ripping gumiho, but let's face it: any sane person would run at the sight of a killing monster even when he happened to be your husband you barely knew. Then again, in this show, being a gumiho just means that you have pretty green eyes and new hairdo, which does not equate to scary. Where was the public reaction - fear, resentment, and ostracization?
Then again, it was my mistake for expecting this show to go dark when all it did was fluffy romance and half-baked plots and endless rescuing.
Sorry, this post is getting long. My frustration naturally elevates when one thing leads to another. About your question, maybe JGW would be a corrupted Prime Minister who forms an ally with NK to attack Seoul. Or because there is something called karma, he becomes a handless, homeless beggar in the streets..
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kyl
June 26, 2013 at 6:22 AM
And forgive me for my poor grammar. It's always nice to read comments from another's perspective :)
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 6:57 AM
Nobody here is a professional writer. Except Girlfriday ;)
So don't worry about grammar or typos.
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Peridot
June 26, 2013 at 8:09 AM
You write very well, so no apologies needed. I'm often insecure about my writing but sometimes I have so many thoughts flowing through my mind that I just have to get them out somehow.
You make many good points. This show could have been darker, but it never really went beyond being fluffy. I agree with your comment about the gumiho makeup. For the last couple of weeks the transformation was pretty much given up due, I'm sure, to the constraints of time. I was probably one of the few who didn't like Daddy's Gu's look when he was demonic. I thought that the writers were simply trying to make him sexy. I mean, did he really have time to style his hair that way? And one covered eye, really? I would have liked for him to look more feral. We have frightening, supernatural creatures here--the creative team could have explored the possibilities. But no, they had to be beautiful and sexy...oh, well.
My final question was posed as a joke but I like the hypothetical future that you and Hyung each suggested for Mr. Evil.
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 26, 2013 at 6:12 PM
Wow, totally agree with everything you said.
I didn't much like Seo Hwa in the first 2 episodes. She seemed so naive (about falling in love with a gumiho and all.) But her love story resonates so much with me because like all good love stories, there were other issues other than the love story. Kinda like Romeo and Juliet.
I understand that Yeo Wool had to accept Kang Chi for what he was and to always be there for him...but still, there was this sense there of so much wandering into the wrong plot areas. I didn't mind the 24 episodes but those episodes could've been so much more if we had even seen why villain was the way he was. Heck if we had seen a little of villain's life before he betrayed his friend. Because in some weird way, the villain became a main character. And if he's gonna be a main character, we need to have seen some serious motivation onscreen in the early chapters. I so wish we had seen another gumiho doing the indifference-to-humans stuff. I mean glut the 24 episodes with STUFF. Even if it didn't work, at least it wouldn't be fluff.
You wrote: "It also bothered me that the lives the characters were currently living mirrored the lives they lead in the main story"
YES!!! I thought about that as well. I thought..well, shouldn't they have made street thug a shyster lawyer then? If he's evolved in his thieving ways. (I was angry at lawyers when I was watching.) Then it occurred to me, "But shouldn't he have been affected by his friendship with Kang-chi? Shouldn't he be a cop who protects innocents?
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178 Jyyjc
June 26, 2013 at 4:55 AM
As soon as I finished reading the recaps and then started reading your comment, "WTF" was exactly what I was thinking.
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179 Ace
June 26, 2013 at 5:03 AM
Hahaha. From the start, the writer was the problem for me. Oh, okay. The parent gumihos too. Just didn't feel their "romance". Anyway, the writer could've at least made her vilain comic-funny like in Man of Honor which was sort of watchable even if there was zero chemistry between the leads. I didn't like Baker King too and Powerful Opponents/Rivals (what a waste of Chae Rim, Lee Jong-hyuk (!!!), and even Lee Jin-wook). I don't know how she managed to make Dalja's Spring good but sucked after that drama.
I'm not that opposed to average acting - as long as I don't dislike the actors. Or average directing - as long as the writing was good. But this ending sucked. For a 24-episode drama, the writer could've at least given the viewers who loyally watched from episode 1 a happy ending that made sense or could've ended it with Kang-chi leaving after Yeo-wool's death sad that might've been. But noooo! She didn't end it there and gave that time jump and reincarnated most of the characters. Even if I was only reading the recaps, I was speechless while reading that part. What more if I'd continue watching this?
I feel sad for Lee Seung-gi. Because of the weak writing, his acting imo wasn't as good like in his previous roles. Sung Joon was a waste. Suzy I liked because I liked her character the most. Pissed that she had to die and get reincarnated that way.
Thanks GF for sticking to the drama and continued the wonderful recaps. It was one drama where the recaps were really much better than the drama.
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180 Purplay
June 26, 2013 at 5:05 AM
When YW says she cant cook good rice and cant sew well.. And Kang Chi still continue to say that he will mary her... Ahhh... I cry like a river... So sad.. Poor YW all she wanted is to meet her soulmate but end up dyung.. I can't !!!!
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181 sara
June 26, 2013 at 5:19 AM
Um, maybe he hangs out with Merlin while waiting for Arthur to get reincarnated? Haha.
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182 Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 6:00 AM
OK.....
I tortured myself and saw the episode twice (i know...big mistake....i'm a dude and even I couldn't stop the tears from coming out...if that makes me a pu***, so be it. I cried like a child in MGIAG as well.).....And after the second time through i reached 2 explanations for what IMO is one of the crappiest endings i've ever seen (short of Snow Queen). [Even Arang had a better ending than this show]
1) The writer ended the story with YW dying and Kang Chi spending the following 400+ years alone until YW and the rest of the gang reincarnated. Ever seen the end of a play? How after the last scene of the play all the actors come out and take their bow and everyone claps? Well, that's what the epilogue looked like to me. YW dies, KC alone, end of story. And then the writer decided "we'll let's have everyone come back for the last 10 minutes because we have NO IDEA how to fill in that remaining time". Epic fail.
OR
2) They're setting up the base for a second season. I posted yesterday that the show schedules are packed for the next 6-7 months. But a second season wouldn't be out of the picture during the next year.
After all, shows like Vampire Prosecutor took 1 year between seasons.
I hope there is a second season. From all the posts on this site i've read so far, and on other sites...98% of people are SUPREMELY UNHAPPY with this ending. Especially because it does LSG and Suzy NO JUSTICE.
LSG is an incredibly talented actor, and Suzy is up and coming. I enjoyed watching her get better throughout the series.
And this ending KILLED all that progress.
The writer was supremely sloppy. I'm not sure how the reception to the ending was in Korea, but if it is anything like what i'm seeing here...well...let's just say that writer probably won't be getting too many projects in the near future....
ALSO...it did no justice to Shin Woo Cheol...who directed Gentleman's Dignity and Secret Garden (one of my personal favorites).
Season 2 so that you can redeem yourself? Yes please.
Hyung over and out.
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Gufanatic
June 26, 2013 at 7:10 AM
Hyung dude, I like your comments, especially on LSG being an incredibly talented actor. I fully agree with you!
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 8:33 AM
Thanks Gufanatic! Yea I'll watch anything with LSG in it. I find that he's very expressive. He really wears his emotions on his sleeve in every role. Well done.
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183 anonim
June 26, 2013 at 6:05 AM
only this time I see Korean dramas are very affected by the ratings and opinions of the fans. drama that originally only 16 episodes to 24. so the story is a bit less attractive. unlike the first Korean drama like my name kim sam soon, the ratings reached 50% but still 16 episodes, paris love in the ratings 40%.
the reason why I mention that.
1. episode 1 and 2 are presented interesting stories that left a deep impression to the audience. and the number of requests for the role of his parents penoonton kangchi dihudapkan back. especially wolryong gu character.
2.episode to 3 stories kanchi start the beginning. to peak kangchi the beginning episode is episode 7-9 when, where his adoptive father has died and he turns into a gumiho. and for the next episode of the story is not very interesting and less developed, it can be seen with the decline in the rating. moreover scene yeol kangchi and not very influential. ceritanyanya if imposed, will the drama ratings gradually declined. overhauled so the same scenario director, director and writer in order to raise the rating again. and character gu wolryong and seohwa revived. it's because of the very high expectations of the audience for the story episodes 1 and 2.
3. romantic scenes that viewers demand yeol and kangchi reproduced. especially the kissing scenes. and finally there is the kiss scene in episode 17 and others. masarakat kissing scene korean sangaat wait. the chemistry between players accounted kiss. really weird
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184 claud
June 26, 2013 at 6:08 AM
Heck I love the actors specially Lee Seung Gi and the Finale didn't take anything from me! Loved it I wanted some sort of happy ending and I got open ending that is great for me as for the work of the actors I think they did really a great job!! Yes the story could have more suspense and yes it could have less cliché but I am not complaining I loved it. With Dramas one has to take it as it comes so I was definitely satisfied about the ending!
I liked it that they went to the future I guess they could have walked us through it instead of jumping immediately on it. But overall the ending was good for me.
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 6:13 AM
Clau...i wish i was that positive.
Keep posting positive comments like that and hopefully they'll break through my black cloud of disappointment in this finale.
I gues that because of the cast, and the director, people had high expectations, and for the most part they weren't met.
At least they didn't kill yeo wool off completely. There's my silver lining. but still...
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185 Kay
June 26, 2013 at 6:35 AM
Boy am I glad I dropped this drama at ep 11.
I had a nagging feeling it wouldn't turn out to be as good as people were making it out to be (that and Suzy's static expressions drove me insane).....sucks the ending was so terrible
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186 sizzlepink
June 26, 2013 at 6:39 AM
Ever since Yeowol really died, I knew he's gonna live like thousands of years into the future and meet her again in modern day life. So I wasn't really surprised when that happened. Kind of expecting it. However, I'm not really happy with the fact that everybody else also got reincarnated and he's also meeting Yeowol again under the peach blossom crescent moon thing. It feels like history is repeating itself, which is bad isn't it, considering that the present Yeowol will have the same fate again with Kangchi and die.... again?
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187 sweetspring
June 26, 2013 at 6:40 AM
i was just waiting for the monk to pop up again & burst them bubbles...
also Seung Gi's face is mad small in the 2013 version of Kang Chi, the whole hair thing really makes a difference. Seung Gi yah, next drama you better be oozing sexy confidence in ALL the episodes!!!
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188 Love drama
June 26, 2013 at 7:05 AM
I love this drama. If it sad the end but most in my memory. If it really melon that i never image it. I cry so much at yw last conversation with kc. My heart really break. But i'm not kid. I'm adult. I used to meet sad drama so i'm no serious all guy. This drama really warm heartbreak but i hope more drama similar fantastic too. Clap to witter , director, all carts. Special seunggi and suzy. i never regret it but i miss you. I want talk i also hate it and love it. Really k- drama steal my heart. Scene of drama still in brain. Thank you for recap. Gu family book
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189 diamond
June 26, 2013 at 7:09 AM
it actually did end in taste drama land is the best!!!!=D
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190 Jezabel
June 26, 2013 at 7:25 AM
Girlfriday, I couldn't agree with you more! This show's ending was a WTF on so many levels that my mind is still swirling around the (absence of a)concept after having seen it...
I usually don't rant and this is my second time writing on your site, though I do come often to read your reviews. I am so flabbergasted though, that I feel the need to express my opinion!
So, as you've mentioned before, this here is fantasy and, above everything else, it is a tv series that does not objectively depict human-life experiences or characters, BUT one still has to adhere to some semblance of logic or, at the very least, to a train of thoughts, arguments and explanations as to WHY things happen in a certain way! Therefore, I too wonder whether the scriptwriter was on crack or if he/she is suffering of double-personality syndrome...
First of all, it started being quacked when human-mom decides to sacrifice herself in order to regain gumiho-daddy's prior heavenliness/purity/whatever as an immortal creature. The idea itself is all swell and dandy, but when papa decides to take mommy inside the cave with him and hibernate, my professional side as a doctor springs out warning me: "Won't she decompose now that she's a corpse? And you, gumiho-daddy, since you're back to your original immortal self and will most probably live for another 1000 years, what are you doing lying next to her? Taking a nap until you open your eyes to find her skeleton is all that's left? Or are the small little blue lights supposed to mummify her in some perpetual state of unmarred youth in which she doesn't disintegrate next to you before you decide to take some tea with your monk friend?!"
Ok, so I somehow find some arguments as to that and move on, but then the second strange, illogical thing happens:
Kang Chi saves Yeo Wool and decides that after everything she's gone through he might as well take her with him to defend the admiral...Sure, why not?! I mean you've seen for yourself that it's worse not staying next to her, protecting her than leaving her, BUT after so many previous times when you've left her home or outside fighting range, didn't it occur to you that NOW (with a prophecy of her imminent death ringing the doorbell) might also be the case to take her home and put her under lock and key?!?!?!
Seems not, so there she is taking a bullet meant for...?! I'm still unsure about this part. Was the bullet meant for the admiral or for Kang Chi or for her to begin with or was the musket such a prototype in that day and age that it just so happens (fate, of course) to nick her! Ah, well, you could always say she jumped in front of it to save him, so who am I to spoil that old clichee...
Oh, but here comes the best of fantasy galore: the heroine dies and Kang Chi, who THROUGH THE ENTIRE SERIES was portrayed as willing to do anything to regain his humanity goes off on a scouting trip, forever the immortal, without so much as a small depressive streak (again, my professional side). WHAT?! I mean, yeah sure, now that you don't have the woman you love next to you being human might not mean much, but still...You want to convince me that in 2013 you're a happy dandy fellow instead of a tortured hero who just strolls around the park saving women's purses while awaiting some miracle to happen?!?!?! Oh, and of course it does, and we see her reincarnated ( which, btw, is one of the most f*cked up things, because plausible and satisfying reincarnations stories take time and a lot of explanations to make sense, but here, 2 minutes will do for this one...)!
Ah, and let's not forget, even her reincarnation will eventually die and since the Gu family book has yet to be found Kang Chi will probably never have the chance to be simply human so, yeah, he'll shag this second Yeo Wool till she's 70 or so and than bury her and wait another 5 centuries for intergalactic Yeo Wool to be reincarnated once more...or some such thing...
Good work, mister/miss scriptwriter for conjuring up one of the most messed up-illogical-farfetched-WTH-mindbogling endings I've seen in a while!
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Peridot
June 26, 2013 at 8:26 AM
Your comment had me rolling. I especially loved the part about the "intergalactic Yeo Wool"!
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Jezabel
June 26, 2013 at 8:48 AM
Glad you liked it, Peridot! At least we can have a laugh off the nonsensical aspects of it all if nothing else...:)
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Peridot
June 26, 2013 at 10:34 AM
That's true :)
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 9:04 AM
"he’ll shag this second Yeo Wool till she’s 70 or so and than bury her and wait another 5 centuries for intergalactic Yeo Wool to be reincarnated once more…or some such thing…"
LOL omg. i'm crying tears of laughter right now. Uber funny.
I think i prefer the idea you presented Jezabel better than the current writer's debacle of an ending. That was so hilarious. Definitely would have killed the tension from Yeo Wools death.
EPIC. I've been reading recaps here for a long time but i only started posting comments about a week ago...and this was one of the funniest comments ive read.
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Jezabel
June 26, 2013 at 10:59 AM
Thanks, Hyung! *blushes over your compliment hahaha
Regarding ending preferences, I would have rather seen something tragic or at least funny and absurd rather than simply absurd, which the real ending clearly is...but, alas, we have to make do with hypothetical crazy alternatives like dozens of Yeo Wool's just waiting to be born to shake Kang Chi's world...:D
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191 kpshyazn
June 26, 2013 at 7:30 AM
so... honestly... is it worth watching the last 2 episodes? After the closure behind the story of the parents, I kinda lost interest.
Episode 1 and 2 will forever be the best for me... those two episodes were just WOW for me.
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192 Keke
June 26, 2013 at 7:38 AM
I totally dislike the parents' story, started enjoying the drama only from episode three. I am with the minority who loved the ending. It was unexpected and just to see Kang Chi and Gon in modern wear, it is so satisfying !
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193 jaglaine
June 26, 2013 at 7:52 AM
Did anyone ever notice how the director always stretched moments to the point that the impact was lost. Instead, they became annoying, to the point that even the actors looked so stressed. Lee seung ki looked like hadn't had a good night's sleep in 2 weeks. His skin was the worst I've seen it yet. This is all the fault of that no good writer and director!!! What have you fucking people done?!? Did you think you people were artistic?!? I only stuck to it because of the actors and because I had already emotionally invested in it for the first half of the drama. To the director...please go back to directing school. Please get some honest feedback about your directing so that YOU WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AGAIN!!!
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194 samlee
June 26, 2013 at 7:54 AM
gaaaahhhh,,.!!! was i waiting for this.!!
brain drain .!! totally...
yeo wool shot, she died then how cum the gumiho baby survived.!!
irritating, then 422 years loope?
kang chi still the same.! its started off so promisingly and towards the end this.. please.!! this could've been more promising!!! i loved this drama i dint want the end to be this.!! yeo wool's death did gave me a mental trauma bt waeeeeee show waeee..!!! still cant hate it.. since i loved it from the begining.!! aughh.!!
could've been better,.. this was more heartbreaking than the story of his parents wol ryung and seo hwa.!! still not fair to our leads.!! :(
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195 Kiongna
June 26, 2013 at 8:20 AM
it needed another 3 to 5 episodes more to reach that future ending... suddenly zappppp - was quite ridiculous
It's like all along writer wanted that ending but forgot drama was only to be 24 episodes, she like read the contract wrong lol
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196 kumi
June 26, 2013 at 8:39 AM
I was drinking my beat juice, when Jo started expectorating blood. Yuck! The Big Bad got me even while he was dying. :(
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197 jam
June 26, 2013 at 8:43 AM
Omy! I really nid to watch ds.. But i'm not yet watching episode 21..22.. 23..24!!!
Hooioh.. Bz bz!!! I cried.. Really! wer cn I watch dem! Qrrrrr.
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198 divyrus
June 26, 2013 at 8:57 AM
I was like gf last night. Brain became a puddle.
Cursed, laughed and face palmed lots of times.
Goodbye show, I am not gonna revisit you again.
The download that is half way there, that's gonna stop.
And the downloaded episodes, I may or may not shift+delete.
You disappoint me show. Totally.
One thing I really liked, it made Suzy a better actress. She was awesome in the role and I was with her every step of the way.
And the parents epic love story.
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 9:06 AM
"One thing I really liked, it made Suzy a better actress. She was awesome in the role and I was with her every step of the way.
And the parents epic love story."
Totally agree Divyrus. I enjoyed watching her develop better acting as the series progressed.
She'll never be a superstar actress because her personality hinders her ability, but she'll make a decent actress with a pretty face for all gentlemen to appreciate. :) nothing wrong with that.
Suzy, fighting!
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klio
June 26, 2013 at 9:12 AM
I don`t know how was Suzy before this drama( never watched Big or Dream High) but if this drama made her a better actress i don`t even wanna know how bad she was in her previous projects, because she was atrocious in this one! Weakest link by far!
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skelly
June 26, 2013 at 11:16 AM
But klio, she's improving! Really! And she's just as cute as a basketful of kittens!
Sarcasm off, I totally agree. I thought she was a ball-and-chain on the whole story, because she could do nothing but cute and mild surprise. So her cute and fluffy filled the entire middle of the series, while the tragic beginning and ends stayed the same. End result? GF has whiplash babies.
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Hyung
June 26, 2013 at 12:17 PM
I agree with you both partially. Yes, Suzy is NOT an actress. She's a singer.
The only reason she's acceptable in this show is because she's beautiful. Hands down.
She was mediocre in Dream High, and mediocre in Big at best.
However, I follow up on her progress as an actress cause...you know...i'm a guy, and she's...ya know... a cute girl. Does this make me more than slightly biased? Absolutely.
Although her acting in this show is nothing out of the ordinary (for a singer), I think that for the second half of the show she was coming into herself a little bit.
She doesn't have outstanding potential for acting, and this is only her second MAJOR role. Also, it was an awkward transition from two modern dramas to a Sageuk/fantasy drama, and on top of that she's supposed to play a badass warrior girl in love with a half gumiho guy?
I think she did pretty well all things considered. Again, am I biased? Totally. But I also keep in mind that's shes sorrounded by amazing actors and actresses that are SUPPOSED to eclipse her. Just look at LSG, LYB, Sung Joon, CJH. I rated her performance based on her improvement, and on the fact that as a singer with a bit of a shy personality, her potential isn't as high as others. All in all, it could have been worse.
WOAH, I just noticed this email is long.
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Kay
June 26, 2013 at 1:25 PM
Agreed.
Honestly thought she was slightly (emphasize that) better in Dream High cause her stoic facial expressions actually made sense. Here all I got was "Suzy" in costume - not a women in the Joseon era....she's not even THAT gorgeous that they casted her simply based on looks....must be all that popularity.
On a side note, anyone watching Ok Jung Lives in Love, note the massive improvement in Kim Tae Hee's acting...took her a longgg time to finally be called a decent actress and not just a pretty face. Take note Suzy.
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199 CaroleMcDonnell
June 26, 2013 at 9:14 AM
Thanks for recapping this through all the episodes.
I'll admit I slapped my forehead about three times watching this finale. Once really bad; it hurt. I kinda raised an eyebrow when Yeo Wool seemingly came back from the near-dead to forbid Kang Chi from killing Deputy Seo. And I --heaven help my hardened soul-- kinda giggled at the final death of Yeo Wool. I don't know. Maybe I didn't like feeling manipulated by the first near-death (or was that the second or the third?)
But what was weird was that I found myself feeling so sad about Big Bad's demise. Yep, so why was I so near to crying for him and so cold to the other death scene?
Then the whiplashing fast-forward. Okay, at first I thought it was a commercial break. But then...nope! And then I thought, "This is Kang Chi's taste? Gigolo flashy outfits?" Then I thought.."Why yes! A gumiho would end up using his money to become a CEO..perhaps..but would Kang Chi do it?
Then I thought, why didn't some other folks pop up in this reincarnated time? Of course I didn't want them all to return to the same era...but wouldn't it have been nice to see Governess married to Gon in this era? And where is Exposition Monk? Did he reach enlightenment and not need to be reincarnated anymore?
A good drama. Not super-great but it'll always be a favorite.
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kumi
June 26, 2013 at 10:07 AM
I think that after observing the mess of the whole story, the monk decided not to take birth here anymore and went for liberation.;)
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 26, 2013 at 5:58 PM
LOL!
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Peridot
June 26, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Hi Carole, I was waiting for your comments on the final episode. Like you, I also include in my posts my inner thoughts ("And then I thought") when watching certain scenes of a drama:) You and I were probably among the few who were consistently hoping for more development in the construction of the villain. And you're right, there was something about his death scene. I did not know how to take his final words but there was something about that scene (again, credits go the the actor) that was moving. What did you think about his explanation that he wasn't greedy, but that he did everything in order to feel more alive? It could have had more meaning if we had been given insight into his inner self. I wonder if the writer was listening to viewer comments and decided to tack something onto the villain with regard to his motivations. "And where is Exposition Monk? Did he reach enlightenment and not need to be reincarnated anymore?" That line was brilliant :)
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 26, 2013 at 5:43 PM
Yes, yes, I wasn't sure if that was the truth of his soul coming from his mouth. If it was the way he was or the way he thought he was. Big difference there. If he really was "bored" and feeling "unalive" then why choose evil? It reminded me of the 13 Assassins. I was like...really? Folks who grow up poor don't use cruelty to feel alive. And wasn't he supposedly (in some press materials) a poor guy originally?)
But if he was really telling his heart and felt the emptiness for some weird reason, then I'm at a loss. Were we supposed to feel sorry for him and his wounded soul? Or to feel a kind of loathing scornful pity at his patheticness?
I definitely felt the writer did that little bit of confession because she realized folks were thinking he was too one-note. I could be wrong but....
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Peridot
June 27, 2013 at 5:27 AM
Yes, I agree with you. It's a shame that a character who was present in every episode was never developed. I hope that if the actor ever plays another villain in the future it will be a complex villain.
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200 Sussie
June 26, 2013 at 9:19 AM
Well... and that way... Ms. Writer ruined it all!!! WHAT WAS THAT? Did she drink something similar to KC (Ep 18)?? Did she was drugged out of his mind? Did she lose her common sense? ... Sorry, I don´t want to be mean (and sorry if there is some people who is satisfied with this, I respect that, each person has his own point of view and expectations). Regarding me, I don´t get it... why did she create such an ending... I´m not happy AT ALL. For the contrary, I feel cheated.
When I give a score to a show (drama/ movie) or a book, 50% of that score is influenced by the ending. Gu family book was a 8/10 for me until ep 22 (I wasn´t so excited watching it but it was entertaining… comedy/romance/swordfights). But the last two episodes dropped my score to 6/10 (it will be a 5/10 but since I love so much the actors and they don´t have fault in this…).
If you ask me if I would watch this again… mmm… no, I won´t. Also, after watching what this writer did to this drama and her previous one, I definitely won´t watch again one where she is involved (the only way I would is if Hyun bin, lee min Ho or Ha Ji-won are part of the cast,… and only for support to them… but I hope they won´t choose one with this writer!)
You know what I will do after this… I will watch again king2hearts… to remind me how great LSG is when they let him with a good script!
I feel so sad… really… it is my second time this year that I feel disappointed with a show that I was anxious to watch. First, Level 7 CS with Joo Won… and now GFB with LSG! I know, it is not totally the same… I recognized that at least GFB was doing ok until ep22, but LCS7, I just couldn´t complete it.
And that is why I don´t usually watch airing dramas T_T I have to remind that!! Currently I am watching “I hear your voice”, I hope that the third time will be the one I get a satisfying ending.
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Sussie
June 26, 2013 at 9:25 AM
LOL. I was going to write only a few words about this, but I got eager to express my thoughts. :P
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Sussie
June 26, 2013 at 10:13 AM
You know, if Ms. Writter so wanted to kill YW, maybe I would have been sort of satisfied with the ending if: she died and after her death, KC starts his quest to find the Guminho Book. And once he found it, he grows into a truthful 100% human committed to save people in need. PERIOD.
I really don´t like the idea of a reincarnation, she is definitely not the same person. For example, in Inuyasha (an anime that I think this writer was copying in some way, but certainly unwell done, because Inuyasha is a great classic drama) he fall in love of the two versions… and he was aware that the two girls where TOTALLY DIFFERENT… that is why he had hard times in accept Kagome´s love, bc she was so different from his original love, the deceased Kikyo (Kagome was the reincarnation of his deceased love).
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