Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 20 (Final)
by girlfriday
On the one hand, the finale of Hyde, Jekyll, Me finally gives me what I’ve been wanting from the show. On the other, I’ve been waiting for nineteen episodes for this stuff to happen, which kind of takes the punch out of getting what I want. It’s time to face the music and decide once and for all: Is it Robin? Is it Seo-jin? Because there’s no such thing as a love triangle in a happily ever after.
SONG OF THE DAY
Coffee Boy – “나를 사랑하자” (Let’s Love Me) [ Download ]
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FINAL EPISODE RECAP
So here we are, against all reason, at Hana and Robin’s wedding. I wish I could tell you that lightning strikes, or that Seo-jin wakes up and asks what the hell they’re doing with his body, or that Secretary Kwon stops the ceremony to ask if everyone is high. But to my dismay, none of this happens.
Friends cheer them on as if this is all perfectly normal, and Robin and Hana exchange rings and share a kiss.
They cuddle in bed while watching the prerecorded congratulations from their wedding guests, and both of them wonder who invited Detective Na. Secretary Kwon can’t even congratulate them without turning into a blubbery mess.
When Hana cuddles closer, Robin throws a blanket over them and they laugh and squeal under the covers.
Later that night, Hana poses for a portrait holding her wedding bouquet, and Robin begins to sketch. But he keeps faltering and hesitating; something is clearly wrong, but he tries to play it off like it’s nothing.
He heads over to his desk and takes out a small sketchpad to try and recreate one of the webtoon sketches he’d recently drawn. But he can’t, and the pencil goes limp in his hand as he realizes that he can’t draw anymore.
Hana sees the pencil fall out of his hand and understands what’s going on, and does her best to hide her reaction. She comes up with an excuse to postpone the portrait, and complains that she’s hungry.
Robin walks over to her and just stares at her for a long beat, then says the one thing that she’s been dreading: “I think my time is up.” He says that he has to go, and Hana can barely ask, “Now?”
She says that he hasn’t even eaten yet, and clings desperately to this idea that he should eat before he goes, and tries to move past him into the kitchen. He pulls her into his arms from behind and just holds on.
Hana’s voice shakes as she begs, “Just one more day. Stay just one more day.” She turns around to face him, and he does his damnedest to hide his tears behind a smile for her sake. She cries that they haven’t even eaten, and he hasn’t finished her portrait.
Robin admits that he can’t—he can’t draw anymore, and he knows it without a doubt now that his time is up.
They begin the round of phone calls, from Dr. Kang to Secretary Kwon. Woo-jung comes by to say her final goodbye, and then Robin and Hana head home, where Secretary Kwon grabs him in a tearful hug. He cries that he always liked Robin, and asks him to forget anything that might’ve hurt his feelings.
Even Chairman Dad is here, and he just silently puts a hand on Robin’s shoulder. It’s not much, but it’s the first nice thing Dad’s ever done. Dr. Kang tells Robin to take his time, and he takes Hana into the room to be alone.
He regrets that he can’t say goodbye to Seo-jin, but Hana takes out her phone because she’s already prepared with a message from Seo-jin. Robin watches the last video message from Seo-jin with a sad little smile, and Seo-jin says that he’s thought about this moment for a really long time.
At first, all he ever wanted was for Robin to go away. Then eventually he realized he’d want to tell Robin that he saved him. But now, the thing he wants to say is: “Thank goodness you were here.”
Robin smiles a little wider, then taps the screen to record a reply. He says that he had prepared all sorts of things to tell Seo-jin, but now all he can think to say is one simple thing: “Let’s not see each other again. Don’t come looking for me again, Gu Seo-jin.”
Heh, I kind of like that their goodbyes to each other aren’t sappy. He pulls Hana in for a hug, and she says in her wobbly, tear-filled voice that she loves him. He presses a kiss to her forehead and tells her that he’ll do all the loving—she just needs to be happy, even if he’s not around.
She nods her agreement silently, and he gives her one last gentle kiss.
Hana comes out of the room crying, and Dr. Kang heads inside. Robin slides his wedding ring off and grips it tightly in his palm, and shuts his eyes as Dr. Kang leads him back through his memories until they get all the way back to the beginning.
When he opens his eyes again, it’s morning, and Dr. Kang and Secretary Kwon are hovering nearby, anxious and hesitant. They ask if it’s Seo-jin, and hold their breaths as Seo-jin focuses his eyes and confirms that it’s him.
Secretary Kwon comes out to deliver the news: It’s done, and the one who woke up was Seo-jin. Chairman Dad beams, and Hana’s face falls. It’s really over, and Robin is really gone. Secretary Kwon asks if she wants to see Seo-jin, but she makes her excuses and leaves, knowing that she can’t face him yet.
Seo-jin looks down at the wedding band clutched in his hand and just takes it in silently. Hana goes back to the officetel she had shared with Robin, and Seo-jin walks through his house and sits in Robin’s room—they’re both mourning him in the same way, feeling suddenly so alone.
Seo-jin spends the night watching every video message that Robin ever left him, from the kind ones to the angry ones, and can’t stop himself from shedding tears.
In the morning, he knocks on Hana’s door and tells her that he won’t stop until she opens up. She hasn’t moved all night from her position on the floor, but after a while of incessant knocking, she can’t avoid Seo-jin any longer and answers the door.
She comes out instead of letting him in, and he sighs in relief that she’s alive. She remembers saying the exact same thing to Robin once when he was hiding from her, but brushes the memory away.
Seo-jin takes her by the wrist to lead her outside, but she stops him. She doesn’t want his comfort, but he reminds her that Robin told her to be happy. He admits that he hasn’t let go of Robin either, and asks if they can’t remember him together, since they’re both unable to let go or move on.
That speaks to her, so she takes Seo-jin to the street with all the murals, and pauses sadly in front of each one. Seo-jin watches her carefully and then noticeably pauses at the same poem that made Robin linger, narrowing his eyes as if remembering something.
Hana is floored when she thinks she sees Robin scribbling on the wall, and turns him around to face her. It’s Seo-jin, of course, and she hangs her head. He asks if it’s difficult for her to look at him, which is a dumb question, really.
But he tells her to think of Robin when she looks at him, wanting to comfort her in any way that he can. He admits that he doesn’t know how to give comfort—he just knows that he wants her to cry less and be less sad. Could you be any sweeter? Gah.
She tells him not to comfort her because she doesn’t deserve it. She confesses that she hoped Robin wouldn’t disappear, even while hoping for Seo-jin to be healthy and whole. She knows how contradictory it is, how crazy she sounds wanting things that can’t exist together. She tells him frankly that she hoped they could be one person—a man with Seo-jin’s qualities and Robin’s qualities, whom she could love freely.
But she knows now that the two aren’t one, and doesn’t want to keep looking for Robin in Seo-jin. She leaves him there, and as he turns back to the wall, he has a flash of memory and sees Robin writing their names.
At night he wanders to the bridge, just missing Hana as she leaves it. There are no fireworks tonight and the water is still, and nothing happens, but Seo-jin suddenly just starts to cry.
He wipes away a tear as he answers a call from Dr. Kang, who gets worried at the sound of his voice. He admits that he’s randomly crying and doesn’t know why—he’s not upset and he doesn’t remember anything new, and wonders if there’s something wrong with him.
Dr. Kang tells him to get checked out at the hospital just in case, but explains that it’s going to be like this as he remembers more of Robin’s memories and his emotions. Seo-jin is surprised at that, since he thought it was just going to be more memories that he gained, not actual feelings.
He looks up at the sky from the bridge, and he sees flashes from the night that Robin was here: fireworks, Hana running to him in tears, Robin breaking down in her arms. He sends Secretary Kwon to make sure that Hana got home safely, and that her friends will check on her.
Hana watches the video from her radio birthday surprise and pauses on what she thinks is Robin gazing at her lovingly, though we know that it was Seo-jin. She tells Jin-ju that she’ll never forget what Robin said to her that day, before leaving for the radio station—that he often thinks that he’s dreaming until he sees Hana and is reminded that it’s not a dream after all.
She says that that day feels like a dream—the look in his eyes as he gazed at her, how happy she felt, without any worry about when that happiness would go away. Jin-ju agrees that Robin doesn’t look worried in that moment either, calling that the face of a man who’s just looking at the woman he loves.
Jin-ju gets another call from Secretary Kwon and tells Hana that Seo-jin is relentless about making sure that she’s okay. She asks Hana where this leaves things with Seo-jin, and Hana admits that she’s comforted by him, but that’s all the more reason to stay away. She feels bad enough that he was wiling to be sick for the rest of his life for her; seeking comfort in him would be too selfish.
Cousin Seung-yeon gets ousted from his position as acting president, and in no time, Seo-jin is getting dressed in a suit to go back to work. He’s facing the press for his official reinstatement today, and Secretary Kwon is extra nervous.
He spills water on Seo-jin and cringes, waiting for the blowback, but it never comes. Seo-jin just answers nonchalantly, “You’re the one who needs to stay calm, hyung.” Say what? Secretary Kwon does a double take and stammers, “Did you just call me hyung?”
Seo-jin thinks he heard wrong, which means it must’ve been involuntary. This is going to be fun.
They head out to the car, and Seo-jin opens the driver-side door, surprising the chauffeur and himself. They stand there awkwardly, as he wonders why he came to the wrong door. It’s a tiny thing, but he’s increasingly weirded out by his own behavior.
His speech to the press is a hit, but Secretary Kwon has his own silent freakout when Seo-jin quotes a line from Robin’s speech, the day he had to pose as Seo-jin to attend the board meeting.
It all goes swimmingly, until Seung-yeon publicly announces in the room full of reporters that it’s all a con. He points at Seo-jin and declares dramatically that he’s not Robin, and challenges him to draw something right there on the spot.
He plops down a notebook and pen in front of Seo-jin, looking smug about his impending triumph. Seo-jin peers down at the blank page nervously, then picks up the pen. To everyone’s shock (and even his own), he draws… exactly like Robin.
Seo-jin hands Seung-yeon the page and walks away, thinking the argument won. But Seung-yeon decides that this means he’s Robin and not Seo-jin, and asks him to name all their acquisitions in the last year. Seo-jin doesn’t even have to blink to rattle those off the top of his head, and kills any suspicion once and for all.
Seung-yeon has nothing left to do but eat his words, literally—he stuffs the drawing into his mouth and starts to chew. Secretary Kwon hands him Dr. Kang’s card on his way out, heh.
Seo-jin walks out of the press conference and ignores the chauffeur holding the backseat door open. Instead he climbs into the driver’s seat and braces himself before starting the ignition and driving away. He goes to Robin’s officetel and looks nervous as he tries the lock code. It works, and he opens the door.
Eun-chang takes Woo-jung shopping to pick up memorial flowers in honor of Robin’s birthday, and Jin-ju calls with news that shocks them. They rush back to the circus office and stare at the news story announcing a new superhero webtoon by Robin, called Somebody Stop Me!
Hana comes in and they show her the story nervously. She’s angry by the time she finds Seo-jin sitting at Robin’s desk, and accuses him of paying a ghost artist to keep creating webtoons under Robin’s pen name.
He knows that she won’t believe him, but he tells her that he can draw and drive now—he’s retained all of Robin’s skills. He says that he’s undergoing a lot of changes, but she’s still adamant that he stop publishing new work under Robin’s name. She asks him to call it off and turns to go, but then stops in her tracks when she sees a sketch up on the wall.
It’s of her—the one from her wedding night—that Robin couldn’t finish. Seo-jin not only completed the sketch, but he knew things that only Robin would know, like the fact that she was holding flowers.
Her eyes fill with tears as she looks back and forth, from the portrait to Seo-jin and back again, trying to process what this means. She turns to him and asks, “What I’m seeing now—is this not a dream?”
She searches his eyes for an answer, but instead he just leads her out by the hand and gets behind the wheel to drive her somewhere. They arrive at a garden, where he takes her to a table prepared with food, and a strange mix of things: chickens, and dogs playing in the field.
She looks back at him with the same searching expression, and remembers telling Robin that she wanted to do this very thing on his birthday, down to the chickens and dogs.
Seo-jin tells her that his time spent as Robin feels like a dream that he couldn’t remember, but he wants to remember it with her: “Not remembering half of my life was my illness, but I was cured because of you, and now I remember everything—the things I did with you while I was sleeping, how you laughed, how you looked at me—I remember it all.”
He ends with, “If you ask me now whether I’m Robin or Gu Seo-jin, I only have one answer: I’m just one man who loved you, loves you, and wants to be loved by you.” Okay, good answer.
When he tells her that he loves her, a tear trickles down her cheek, and he gently wipes it away. He takes her face in his hands and softly kisses her forehead, then tilts his head to kiss her eye.
He makes his way down to her lips and gives her a tentative kiss. When he pulls away, she leans in to kiss him back.
Seo-jin admits in voiceover that he lied about remembering everything: He doesn’t have any memory of the wedding, and says that it’s as if Robin took that one with him when he went.
Cousin Seung-yeon tries to convince himself through yoga and meditation that he’s happy for Seo-jin, though I don’t know if chanting it through gritted teeth counts as meditation.
Hana and Seo-jin tend their new vegetables in the greenhouse and take cute pictures with their harvest.
As they snuggle, Seo-jin narrates: “A day to laugh, talk, feel, be comfortable, and love. Another day to love—we’re living that day.” Closing caption: That day is a miracle.
COMMENTS
I was all prepared to say that this drama’s biggest offense was that it was boring, but then they went through with the wedding, and that just takes the crazy cake. Which is saying a lot in a drama full of kidnapping shrinks, insta-hypnosis, and a fairytale rendition of dissociative identity disorder that makes it seem almost romantic to have an alter ego. He’s brave where you’re cowardly! Artistic and in touch with his feelings! He woos your girl and lets you keep her! My problem was never in the fictional rendering of the Hyde/Jekyll setup—it is, after all, a fantastical idea to begin with, that your alter ego is all things good. I accepted that going in, and I liked the themes that it brought to the surface, about memory and self and fear.
What I had a much harder time with was the heroine—I couldn’t figure out why she insisted that she loved only Robin, when I always saw Robin as an extension of Seo-jin. It felt like a forced and unnatural perception, for her to dig her heels in about their separation. Yes, Robin struggled with his sense of identity because it was a question of survival for him. But Hana is outside of that and should’ve been able to look at Seo-jin and Robin, and help them come to terms with their illness and see that they were in fact two parts of one man. I don’t blame her for Seo-jin’s decision to live with his illness since that was his choice, but I was disappointed when she didn’t call him stupid and noble, and push him to heal instead. And then when she came up with the wedding idea, I finally realized that I could never in a million years understand her. In some sense, her weakness as a character made Seo-jin and Robin shine more, but I would’ve gladly sacrificed some of that for a heroine that I could identify with.
The writing is where the show suffered most, though it’s not a total trainwreck or anything. There are certainly shows that are far less cohesive and far less thought-provoking, and I did really enjoy Seo-jin and Robin’s characters. But OH MY GOD, could the pace have been any worse? Granted, it’s rare for a drama to be truly ahead of its audience (always the mark of a gifted writer), so most dramas follow a rather predictable arc and pace. But this show actually telegraphed its punches and sapped whatever excitement it possibly could at every turn. See that left hook plot twist? Here it comes… in two weeks! I got used to it after a while and just enjoyed the little moments between the characters, but what really disappointed me was that it was languid with lesser plotlines that dragged on for weeks, only to cram the stuff that we really wanted into the final three episodes. Why? Whhhhyyyy. Because I watched this drama to find out how we were going to resolve Hana’s love for Robin, and develop her love for Seo-jin. I thought that was what we were all in it for.
But apparently the writer had different ideas, and instead of spending five weeks on Hana’s relationship with Seo-jin like I gladly would’ve done, we spent weeks upon weeks on doctor Sung Joon and his kidnapping habit, who didn’t even get a send-off in the finale, by the way. But what I actually care about is the fact that we rushed through Hana’s resolution with Seo-jin. This is the relationship that’s important to me, so I can’t for the life of me understand why we rushed through Seo-jin’s transformations into the Robin-Seo-jin hybrid that he becomes. Imagine how great it would’ve been to spend weeks on his gradual changes, and to have her slowly fall for him, despite herself. As it is, her acceptance feels rushed at best and false at worst, because she spent the entire drama refusing to see that they were one man. And truth be told, I’m still hung up on the fact that she didn’t fall for Seo-jin just as Seo-jin, before finding out that he was Robin’s other half. They’re technicalities, but they matter if I’m to make sense of this relationship.
What would’ve salvaged a great deal of the central story for me is if Seo-jin had stayed the focus of the drama. But Robin’s role grew and grew until it almost took over, and I just never found Hana’s relationship with Robin all that exciting. They were smiley and cute, but Robin was juvenile and they were pretty one-note, while Seo-jin was thoughtful and swoony and more complex. That’s not to say that the romance was all wrong; any indication that Robin and Seo-jin were becoming more like each other was welcome, and save for the wedding, I enjoyed Robin’s send-off and Seo-jin’s new post-Robin character.
This drama really was just the Hyun Bin Show, though Hyde, Jekyll, Me’s low ratings are just more proof that you can’t build a show on starpower alone. He certainly played the hell out of the characters and always made me believe that he was Seo-jin when he was Seo-jin and Robin when he was Robin, even when they were undercover as each other. Han Ji-min had more of an uphill battle because her character was written badly and I was often frustrated with her. She lacked spark in the lighter scenes but brought much more in the emotional scenes toward the end of the drama.
And it seemed to take almost the entire drama’s run for the pair of them to find a bit of chemistry, not to mention the added hurdle that the writer wasted so much of the potential for tingle-inducing romantic hijinks. They were cute together; they just never had the kind of love that got you in the gut, or made you think that you’d go move the goddamn mountains yourself if it meant that they could be together. They were a sweet, but take-it-or-leave-it kind of couple. It’s not like I regret watching or recapping the drama, since it was pretty fun to talk about. I suppose in hindsight, I would like to think that if I were sent back in time to make the decision again, I’d be older and wiser and have sounder judgment. The thing is, I’ll suffer a lot for Binnie, and that’s just the truth.
RELATED POSTS
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 19
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 18
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 17
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 16
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 15
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 14
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 13
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 12
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 11
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 10
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 9
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 8
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 7
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 6
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 5
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 4
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 3
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 2
- Hyde, Jekyll, Me: Episode 1
Tags: featured, Han Ji-min, Hyde Jekyll Me, Hyun Bin, Sung Joon
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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1 heyitschristina
March 26, 2015 at 8:47 PM
I think the ending for this drama was almost as bad as the ending to Big...
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Endzkim
March 26, 2015 at 9:14 PM
Big is all fun until the last few minutes.
Although i didn't watch this past episode 4, the comments on different site made me not to watch it further.
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heyitschristina
March 26, 2015 at 9:44 PM
Very true... Big didn't drive me nuts in every episode
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reynie87
March 27, 2015 at 9:10 AM
haha. agreed. i stopped watching after ep 14 and just read the recaps. i was hoping the recap for the last episode will make me want to watch it. sadly no. not even for hyun bin. *sigh*
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Blank
March 8, 2016 at 8:30 AM
I watched until ep 3 and checked up if the heroine will really fall in love with both personality but sadly not and decided not to watch. I thought seo jin was the main who was kind but turned really bad, cold and got split personality.
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lazydramaqueen
March 27, 2015 at 12:20 AM
I agree with your assessment of the show. Besides the slow pace and bad writing, I feel a bit betrayed by Hana. Per the rules of romance, she is supposed to like Seo-Jin but she never quite fell for him and I even wondered if Robin would bump into main lead instead of second. There were so many possibly cool things the writer could have done, and I'm disappointed we wasted so much time on the kidnapping. I felt like I was watching 3 movies: a rom-com, mystery, then melodrama. I wish we could re-do this drama.
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dk
September 22, 2015 at 7:05 AM
i really agree, i still hope she really fell for seo jun. Too bad the writers did not come to realize that it was way way way better than being loyal to robin who is not and never will be real. ughhhh i think i wasted my 2 days
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4drama
March 27, 2015 at 12:55 AM
I love Binnie, but never watched past halfway of ep 1 with the gorilla. It didn't pique my interest for some reason, while I super re-watched SeGa multiple times. I was thinking of restarting to watch since my KMHM finished, but looking at the reviews, I'll think I'll just stay away from it.
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Dr. Hwata
March 27, 2015 at 5:19 PM
At present, Hyun Bin is merely a celebrity, famous for being famous. As for his ability to deliver on screen, shall we say he is past his expiration date?
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AJK
March 29, 2015 at 6:51 AM
What a demeaning and dismissive thing to say. It is possible to dislike a show and a performance without this kind of commentary.
I think Hyun Bin, and his co-star, did a lot of subtle and effective work here (crying fireworks scene exempted) in spite of a flaccid script.
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2 jomo143
March 26, 2015 at 8:47 PM
Thanks for the recap and TGIO.
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jomo143
March 26, 2015 at 9:08 PM
I forgot to say "See that left hook plot twist? Here it comes… in two weeks!" is exactly the problem.
We all called all of the things. The writer had no original ideas hidden away - like she had a wheel of plot that she spun looking for clues. So dumb.
Why not go for it at the end? I would totally have accepted a "1 year later" Whatsherface has a kid on her hip when she runs into SJ. THEN, she sees he drives. THEN she sees he's working on a completely NEW webtoon that HE created about himself. Tentatively, they begin again for the first time, and it ends at the start of a beautiful relationship. I think we would have been satisfied with that.
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Mandy
March 26, 2015 at 9:50 PM
Your ending would've actually been much better. I hate time-skips but in this case, it makes every sense in the world.
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Greenhazelia
March 27, 2015 at 12:27 AM
Exactly, i think it will be a lot more better if they spent much time far from each other while recover from all the hetic Seo Jin-yes but also nor-Robin and falling in love exactly as the one.
And also if Doctor Tae Jo make a comeback. For a bonus. :)
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KDaddict?JCW
March 26, 2015 at 9:56 PM
TGIO and Good riddance!
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hawoojinruinedme
March 26, 2015 at 10:07 PM
TGIO and yay! The Girl Who Sees Smells will finally air next week! Guess there’s an upside to every bad drama’s bad ending.
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wildfly
March 27, 2015 at 12:14 AM
it's finished? Good. the girl smell detector one looks intriguing
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4drama
March 27, 2015 at 12:57 AM
It was funny reading most of the comments that says "Thank God It's Over", and kinda say lets all moved on.
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3 saphire606
March 26, 2015 at 8:55 PM
wow i can't believe i watched this crazy thing all for binnie. hope he does another drama soon... his acting was great but the story was super messed up.
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4 anotherfan
March 26, 2015 at 9:04 PM
GF, you and me alike. We suffered a lot for Binnie. So I guess in one sense, starpower still works, but it does not work on the grander scale. You still need a decent writer and this writer did not meet that threshold.
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Khule WY
March 27, 2015 at 5:24 PM
I suffered with you guys, if it wasn't for binnie, I never ever would have watched this.Everytime I decided to only read recaps and not watch, I ended up watching just to see how binnie did.He was the only one, well,and the secretary who gave it their best.the resolution of them merging was good BUT, I hated how Hana just accepted it and went with it, the story would have been way better had it gone GF 's way.Thank goodness it's over for Hyun bin 's sake and ours,on to bigger and better things and please don't date your co star we know that happened on the last floppy drama,let it not be a recurring theme, I'll only accept Ha Ji won but frankly anyone except Han Ji min because we need to forget this drama.Fighting.
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5 August
March 26, 2015 at 9:11 PM
Good Grief writer Kim Ji-Woon. Goodness Gracious!
Case Study for why a tightly woven plot, a great story, and the talent for (creative) writing matters. At the end of the day whether writing for a romance drama or mystery genre, it's all comes down to how successful was the execution!
Dear Hyun-Bin (aka Binnie), please don't let this project deter you too much. Know that many of your fans are hoping that you'll quickly find another epic kdrama project to come back to tv with.
Hyde Jekyll, Me – most certainly finished all 20 episodes for Hyun Bin . Initially started out watching HJM solely for Hyun-Bin & Sung Joon. Hard to pass up seizing upon the chance to watch Binnie in kdramaland again after a 5 year drought. Oh how time has passed, Secret Garden originally aired back in 2010.
Positives: The back-and-forth recordings between Seo-Jin & Robin and their moments of interaction via computer screen/monitor I enjoyed most and were one of the things in HJM that I always looked forward too. Also, it was amusing and entertaining anytime Seojin had to act as/pretend to be Robin and vice versa.
The laws of dramaland dictate that I should have been swayed toward Seo-Jin's camp. I guess Seo-Jin lost me early on with his shoving, pushing, and agressive manhandling of Ha-Na. That's probably why I could never really warm up to his professions/declarations of love to her. However, be that as it may, even though Robin was always an alternate identity; I was able to sympathize with his desire to exist and his plight to sustain a relationship with Ha-Na. Maybe a case of 2nd lead syndrome?
Whichever stylist decided to relegate Robin's character to mostly oversized wardrobe pieces should be fined by the fashion police.
Baek Ji Young's OST Because of You...seems like the last time an OST was overplayed so much was the Heirs OST Love Is The Moment.
Almost always the subs were completed the same day. So a big-time Thank you to The Don't Hyde From Me Team @ Viki.com
On a different note/tangent? Just found out today that writer Kim Ji-Woon also penned Cheongdamdong Alice.
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August
March 26, 2015 at 9:30 PM
Forgot to state for the record...I don't think HJM should have to claim the distinction of being one of the worst kdramas ever. I mostly view it as a drama that had potential but faltered dearly in many areas.
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KDaddict?JCW
March 26, 2015 at 9:55 PM
It doesn't matter if HJM is the worst kdrama ever. It only matters to HB and his fans that this is the worst and worst-received HB drama ever!
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August
March 26, 2015 at 10:12 PM
Although it would be great, in life you can't bat a 1000 every time.
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KDaddict?JCW
March 27, 2015 at 2:12 AM
Nor would you want to bat a negative number.
louli
March 27, 2015 at 3:57 AM
Hb did his best I loved his act tge ob here with writer if he want the director to be the main lead he should have give him the space and the time even he should have tell hana all the sacrifices that the director did for both of them she should know that the gaze in thqt man eyes was from the director that loved her sincerely
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plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 11:19 PM
No, it's definitely not one of the worst. Just one of the many with so much potential that wasn't realized. I think there are more of those than any other kind.
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littlemissgoodie
March 26, 2015 at 10:28 PM
All in all the drama was definitely not a flop because Hyun Bin played the great role of both Robin and Seo-jin. It was the most entertaining part.
And also just by looking at Hyun Bin's Seo-jin look per episode, I'm definitely satisfied >///<
I don't know what's wrong with the author though.. I hated her plot twists and transition of the story. Maybe she didn't want the plot to be the usual one that k-drama fans expect?Plus, she sticks to one situation for more than an episode when this drama is only 20 episodes long. :'(
I also had high expectations for Cheongdamdong Alice, the first few episodes were good, but the latter parts bore me.
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Pnutsgalry
March 27, 2015 at 12:37 PM
I agree with you. Hyun Bin did a great job playing his character.
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AJK
March 29, 2015 at 6:58 AM
Cheongdamdong Alice was much better than this because the writer was really trying to say something about class issues, and in the process created two interesting complex characters, nothing like the traditional chaebol and candy.
The best part of this drama, in terms of the writing, was the relationship between Seo Jin and Robin. The whole circus thing was wildly ill-conceived.
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6 Kokare
March 26, 2015 at 9:15 PM
I just wonder if Binnie regrets not doing Heal Me, Kill me.
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Anabella
March 26, 2015 at 9:50 PM
Not sure... but personally I'm glad he turn it Down. Thanks to that we had the pleasure to see Ji Sung become Cha Do-hyun + Personalities and Kick Ass on his Performance.
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sargevee
March 27, 2015 at 4:55 AM
Annabella, my thoughts exactly!
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Emma
March 27, 2015 at 12:58 PM
Hear, hear...
I'm a Binnie fan but I'm know ALSO a JS fan!!!
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saphire606
March 27, 2015 at 3:01 PM
i think binnie would have still done a great job like ji sung but it would have just been done in a different style. just putting it out there that i also like ji sung and thought KMHM was a really good drama.
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KDaddict?JCW
March 26, 2015 at 9:53 PM
Not sure if he regrets not doing KMHM, and it doest matter, but we can guess that he regrets having taken on this one. Bad choice.
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wildfly
March 27, 2015 at 12:29 AM
Don't think so. Yes, he was convincing as robin but creepy and one-dimensional, made my skin crawl. Like some scary clown. The roles where binnie is good at and makes a good impression are cold, dominant charismatic guys (seo jin and that rich guy in secret garden and that producer ) I think if he had played perry park or ahn yo na they'd be also creepy.
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Dongwookie
March 27, 2015 at 7:01 AM
my thoughts exactly. and that's why SG and MNIKSS were such hits. i'm not sure i would've bought him acting cha do hyun's character, which is tortured, but basically all nice and decent.
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7 bbstl
March 26, 2015 at 9:19 PM
Well, ummm . . . It was nice to see Binnie finally get to be a groom?
As Jomo says, TGIO. And now HB can let his hair grow back :)
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8 Miranda
March 26, 2015 at 9:39 PM
It's like this show was five different shows, stuck in a badly-calibrated blender. I really wish they'd just stuck to one: whimsy, or mystery, or melodrama, or mental illness, or romance. Or two. Hell, three, as long as you mix it correctly. But this show would just pick one theme and bang on it for three episodes, then switch gears entirely for the next three.
Honestly, I probably would've enjoyed a drama about SJ and his gradual integration with Robin. If they'd given Hana something to actually DO that would've been nice too.
Hopefully HB picks something great for his next project.
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bbstl
March 26, 2015 at 10:10 PM
Oh, that's so true about being confused as to what they wanted to be. After hating 1&2, I remember watching 3 and thinking OHHHH now I get it, it's going to be a cartoon. But...not.
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9 stars4u
March 26, 2015 at 9:40 PM
Yay its done!!! But they still managed to squeeze in as much PPL as they could. Yes, I saw that my suit doesnt get wet thing!
I hope Binnie Oppa takes a better project after this.
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10 Aigoooo
March 26, 2015 at 9:41 PM
Bad writer and mediocre chemistry torpedoed this drama. What's with all the messed up comebacks of leading men I looked up to? First there was Gong Yoo and Big, then there was Rain and My Lovely Girl, and now Hyun bin and Jekyl, Hyde and Me.
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KDaddict?JCW
March 26, 2015 at 10:01 PM
These stars you mentioned go for rom-coms for their comeback project, cos that genre is usually winsome. They look at a synopsis that looks promising, but when the script is ultimately delivered is messed up in each case. The writing is weak, the OTP lack chemistry, the plot flimsy. The production companies spend all their money on the big star and forget that the other stuff is impt. So viewers are left with dramas that are as exciting as overnight pizza.
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11 Mandy
March 26, 2015 at 9:43 PM
After I saw the wedding scene play out, it finally sunk in my head: there are things I’ll do for Binnie that I’ll never do for any other actor. Ever. I’m the kind who always says ‘I love him/her so much I’ll watch them watch paint dry.’ In reality, Hyun Bin’s the only person who can make me do that. Because if this was anyone else but him, I'd have dropped the drama right when they stupidly walked the altar. 50 min before it ends. That's how angry I was over that scene and the turn it took.
To me, this drama isn’t even half as bad as some make it seem… until the last two episodes. It frustrated the heck out of me that Robin was given such a huge and grand send-off in the expense of us seeing how Seo-jin feels in all this. HJM was always about Seo-jin and his DID, his illness. How is it that the focus on the last goddamn episode was not on him getting cured and how he deals with it but rather how Hana deals with the loss of her ‘epic love’ for Robin!?
I was hoping the finale week will show us the ways in which Seo-jin deals with not having Robin to lean onto anymore and how it makes him emotionally stronger. I was hoping the finale will focus on Hana accepting that she loves Seo-jin too and that its okay to let Robin go because he’s really just an extension of the man in front of her. More importantly, I was hoping they convinced me Hana even loves Seo-jin at all! URGH!! Seo-jin deserves for her to love him wholeheartedly for the fantastic person that he is. Not for the bits of Robin she sees in him. Till the end. Till the god-forsaken last episode she insists her monotonic – ‘I only love Robin and you are not Robin’ chant. Unbelievable!
Hana was the one that drove me up the wall. I don’t quite understand how she views love tbh. Isn’t love accepting the person for who he/she is? That’s what I’ve always believed anyway. Which is why in an amnesia plot, even when one doesn’t remember, the other still loves them wholeheartedly. I get that she never saw the two as the same person. But she KNOWS they are. Now that Robin is gone, shouldn’t that mean she loves Seo-jin because Robin is just a forgotten memory of the man standing in front of her? I can’t even with Hana right now…
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Mandy
March 26, 2015 at 9:47 PM
But all in all, I did enjoy the drama. I expected so much from it and while if compared to that, it failed in every aspect; I’ll still fondly remember it for Hyun Bin and his brilliance. Not everyone can pick a bad project and still come out smelling like fresh roses. He played both his characters with such dedication and sincerity that it actually elevated my love for him for being just so great at what he does. I can watch another 20-40-100 HJMs for Binnie. But I wouldn't ever want to, so I hope he quickly picks up a great drama soon - very very soon! One that's worth his time and talent. Heaven knows he deserves it.
Han Ji-min – the less said, the better. If someone else (almost anyone else!) played Hana instead, I betcha I’d have liked the character somewhat. But HJM just sucks the energy and life out of Hana. I can’t believe how much she’s regressed in her acting skills. It’s truly horrifying. Sung Joon was fabulous though and I wish we saw him and Seo-jin have their usual meetings in the finale. They were the one ship I cared so much about. The relationship was thoroughly convincing and heartwarming even after the chaos with which it started on.
Can’t say I’ll miss you drama, but then again you gave me my Binnie for two and a half months. I also can’t say I won’t miss you. Till the end, its dilemma with this drama!
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plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 11:16 PM
Totally agree that Hana was written as thin as a sheet of paper with only a few lines written on it.
I wanted to see more of Sung Joon also. Bromance is one of the things I love about kdramas.
Remember, the writer is ..... (pick your choice, I've got too many), but we did get to see Hyun Bin for 2 and a half months. Silver lining!
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KB
February 14, 2017 at 7:32 PM
Totally agree with everything you said, couldn't have said it better! Hana's deadpan character/acting completely angered & frustrated me the whole time, and the whole Robin/Hana relationship was just disturbing & a turnoff to me, was just over the top ridiculous how she could like him and not Seo Jin, and refused to see them as one person, she's the one with a mental illness I think. And Robin had no sex appeal or charm whatsoever, to me he was creepy, juvenile, & more like a cartoon character. The story/plot could have been brilliant but failed miserably. I started watching this, and stayed till the bitter end for Hyun Bin (after watching SG), but came out of it a complete Sung Joon fan (this was my first time seeing him)!!!!!! Omgoodness can we please take a moment for Sung Joon, who never was seen or mentioned again for the last 3-4 ephisodes, what a let down, and a buildup to nothing that was. That could have been developed so much further. I found his character & acting the best, most interesting, intriguing, mysterious, not to mention handsome beyond reason, and his VOICE!! I can see why he was able to hypnotize so easy, lol, I would have been puddy in his presence too! I still love Hyun Bin, but I'm a Sung Joon fan now for life!! He's definitely the best thing to come out of this movie! And to think that he hooked me as a villain, of sorts, and not even in a romantic lead really says a lot for him as an actor and a man, he was brilliant! IMO
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mary of bethany
March 26, 2015 at 11:14 PM
actually to say that Hana is a one-man woman is not true... should i say, writer started something between them, the conflict of realising she does have feelings for SJ, however little, still its a growing cares, growing needs to protect him, growing worry. writer started someone that can morphine into some great plot.. actually the romance line between hana and seo jin has deeper depth, and better layers, if writer willing to work on it, and make him whole not just in sense of Persona complete after Robin is gone and he is healed mental / physical... but make him whole, as he will be given a chance to learn to love somone, be loved back, loved to speak, laugh, give, converse, feel pain, worry... feel free to feel... all these can develop and give the story some character depth...
too bad, like i say, writer is not song ji na, and hana is not chae young shin of Healer.. she is not written to be great and giving, like young shin.
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Khule WY
March 27, 2015 at 5:35 PM
Hana is the worst character ever,and how she just magically accepted it all,she would have taken her time to accept and give her brain time to understand but she kissed him, like after all that emotional mess, seriously? And I somewhat feel cheated because for some reason I think of Seo jin as Hyun bin but Hyun bin is not Robin, does that make sense to anyone? But thank God it's over.
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12 KDaddict?JCW
March 26, 2015 at 9:50 PM
I went to a Hyun Bin fan meeting. I paid USD560 for it: USD280 for a ticket for me, another USD280 for one for my friend who wanted to go but couldn't afford it. But I couldn't sit thru this series even for him. It drove me bonkers for being really boring and for making no sense.
There were a few people who were mad at those who left negative comments for HJ&M. They said that there were many dramas out there that were a lot worse. What they didn't understand was that those dramas could be as bad as they wanted to me, and we don't chive a damn, bcos Hyun Bin wasn't in them! Those who love him want his comeback drama to be so good that it'd not only satisfy his old fans, but would also bring him many new ones, kinda like Empress Ki and Healer have done for Ji Chang Wook. We want the world to take special notice of HB on acct of his new drama, so that he'd be interviewed left and right, and whatever which way, for the media blizz to raise his standing even higher. On that criterion, this drama is an utter disappointment.
An individual viewer doesn't have to care about the ratings, but the commercial world certainly does. Ratings as low as those achieved by this drama (in the 3% range) wouldn't indicate to executives that HB is box-office poison, but then they also don't prove that he is box-office guarantee! We want that for him. All that this drama brings for HB is an insult.
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plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 11:11 PM
I must have missed the negative comments, but I'm with you as for why they were left. Frankly, the show should have been called Hyun Bin Acts and Others. (Although some of the side characters were great)
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divyrus
March 27, 2015 at 3:45 AM
I was going through comments randomly, and was wondering at how great this comment is in conveying to fans and non fans on how this drama was disappointing and the reason for hate. I scroll up to see who, and its you KDaddict! You always word them perfectly! :D
How you been?? *waves madly*
I never seen the show, just followed recaps randomly because its GF. And your comment perfectly summarized the negativity around the drama. When a star so loved does a bad drama, it does disappoint. But when that start has been off TV for more than two years and does a bad project after Army comeback, that has to sting worse.
I can feel you!
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KDaddict?JCW
March 27, 2015 at 7:49 AM
Hello Divyrus, *waving n grinning*
I still feel lost after Healer. Was so hoping for this drama to rescue me. Instead it depressed and angered me so much for being such an embarrassment for HB n his fans. Then I got sucked into this thing called RL. It's certainly good to see an old friend! ?
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Kiki
March 27, 2015 at 12:44 PM
Thank you! Thank you! Well said!??
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Khule WY
March 27, 2015 at 5:38 PM
Agree truly an insult.
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13 panshel
March 26, 2015 at 9:51 PM
I am honestly satisfied with this ending. I like how the writers handled the merging of their personalities (especially the "hyung" slip), which allowed viewers to accept Seo Jin and Hana be together in the end. However, Seo Jin confessing his love for her was expected since he's been in love with her for at least ten episodes, but Hana getting over her dead husband -- figuratively speaking -- in the span of said confession gave me whiplash. I justified it by telling myself she was subconsciously in love with him all along.
How was Dr. Kang so sure that Seo Jin was healed? Shouldn't they have at least waited until Seo Jin fell asleep at night to see who he woke up as? Do Jin Ju, Eun Chang, and the circus troupe know Robin was a split personality? Otherwise, why was Jin Ju comforting Hana, and Eun Chang comforting Woo Jung after Robin disappeared?
My conclusions from this drama:
-Hyun Bin is gorgeous. Kept watching because of him.
-Sung Joon is gorgeous but should never act as a villain again.
-The Me in Hyde, Jekyll, Me was always Hana. Terry should have never been introduced if we were only going to see him for all of three seconds.
-Hana should have figured out Seo Jin and Robin were the same person by herself without Seo Jin having to reveal his DID.
-Hana should have fell in love with Seo Jin before he revealed his DID.
-Hana never figured out her birthday surprise was actually by Seo Jin.
-Han Sang Jin was useless. What was the point of his character?
Thanks for being a trooper and recapping this entire drama, girlfriday! Here's hoping Hyun Bin picks a better follow-up drama!
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KDaddict?JCW
March 26, 2015 at 10:03 PM
Here's hoping that HB doesn't get scared away from dramas like Gong Yoo has been by BIG, and will come back to our small screen before I grow old and lose my teeth.
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dizzyMongoose
March 26, 2015 at 11:14 PM
That part of the ending where Hana is watching the radio show in particular is so rage-inducing. How could you write that scene and *not* put in something that tips her off that she's actually fawning over Seo Jin? My god, that was such a misstep. Without that realization her dream memory is an awkward sham.
I totally agree with girlfriday about this show really not having an idea of how to pace itself. It really feels like Seo Jin ultimately lost: he was shuttled to the side after he sacrificed and changed, while Robin really got the girl and the recognition he wanted, taking Seo Jin's sleep time in the process. That he's actually both guys together isn't a sufficient excuse when the show only used half an episode to *show* that he was whole. Robin spent more time getting a sendoff than complete Seo Jin got to show being a full human being!
Had the show better partitioned its time and actually made a compelling love triangle so that Hana believably loved both guys, even if she ultimately chose Robin it would be a more satisfying ending. But the way it was handled, it looks more like Hana is dating Seo Jin cuz he's got her dead boyfriend's skillz.
Ultimately, this show wasn't the worst I've seen, nor the worst ending by far (hi there, Mi-Rae and Gu Family Book), but it managed to take what could've been a fascinating love triangle of a man competing with himself and somehow managed to make the guy lose. Hyun Bin, let's hope you don't take project tips from Eun Hye, is all I'm sayin'.
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14 sancheezy
March 26, 2015 at 9:58 PM
Terry....
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plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 10:48 PM
Probably gone, but....you never know.
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alua
March 27, 2015 at 3:00 AM
... the elephant-in-the-room plot hole, therefore conveniently forgotten by the writer.
Which says everything about the writer's writing skills.
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15 parny
March 26, 2015 at 10:20 PM
Oiii this drama story line. *Slow head shake*
Its all good though. Hyun Bin was dam handsome now that his side hair has slowly growing back out. Now Mr. Hyun Binshi, please asks to be the lead actor for the next Ha JiWon drama so you can give us something to be excited about. ?
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16 nuwoy
March 26, 2015 at 10:34 PM
TGIO, hardly believe that i managed to finished all the episodes. Guess i'm Hyun bin's fans after all.mihmih..
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17 sparkles
March 26, 2015 at 10:40 PM
I was disappointed about the ending. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that Seo-jin got the girl, but I felt like they rushed the ending. The writer had built Hana’s character up, as a girl who fell in love with Robin thinking that Robin was Seo-jin's older twin brother. Hana is a type of person who loves only one man wholeheartedly. Thus, she cannot be swayed into loving another man even if Robin and Seo-jin shares the same body. Despite the fact that Hana did learn to care for Seo-jin, the person that she loves has always been only Robin. How is it that the writer will expect us to believe, that Hana can accept Seo-jin, just a couple of days after Robin disappears (dies)? The ending feels rushed and doesn’t make sense to me.
The writer should have given Hana some more time to cherish her memories with Robin and mourn for him. Then, say like 1 year later, have Hana and Seo-jin meet again after they have healed more. That will be the time, when Seo-jin can woo Hana and Hana can slowly fall for him. Then, it can end with a happily ever after.
But then again, the way that Seo-jin confessed to Hana and the way that he kisses her so tenderly. *sighs* What is a girl to do? But, surrender herself to his love. Hehehe… ;-)
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plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 11:06 PM
I feel like some time went by since he published a new novel. That has to take some time, but she caved awfully easy. Although so would I if that person was kissing me in that way.
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18 mary of bethany
March 26, 2015 at 10:45 PM
lik-i-say, if Chae Young Shin is The Main Lead, she will :
1. recognised Seo Jin before he revealed his DID HIMSELF.
2. realised her own feeling for Seo Jin that felt Seo Jin' very pain and he is as very sense deserving her love as Robin.
3. touched by the depth and development of Seo Jin's new found character and changes. moved by his love for her, which is not less than what Robin can feel for her.
above all and all, she should know that Robin is Seo Jin, and Seo Jin is Robin, there is NO TWO but ONE person. and like GF should say, encourage SJ to get heal.
well, Chae Young Shin will treasure SJ, but because HN is not Chae Young Shin of Healer, and Song Ji Na is not the one writing this script... oosp... too bad.
after One solid month after Healer finale, and i wander in wilderness watching other dramas... should i say tried miserably watching other dramas...
conclusion.
HEALER, is one and only, and there is none other.
and i loved my Young Shin more, after watching HJM.
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kobrakiddo
March 27, 2015 at 2:41 AM
Haha yes to everything you said! Ha Na is such a poorly written female lead character, I don't even know how she spent the whole show loving Robin and when Seo-Jin started remembering Robin's memories she jumped straight right to him. Bizzare girl is bizzare.
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19 kimchikay
March 26, 2015 at 10:58 PM
Well Hyun Binnie can only go up from here.
Am I right or am I right?
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Khule WY
March 27, 2015 at 5:43 PM
Lol,ur right,there's no sinking deeper than this.
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Pearl~ai88
March 28, 2015 at 1:57 AM
Just watch, now that you've said that.... D:
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20 plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 11:04 PM
Thank you GirlFriday for a great recap and all the pics!
I let go of hoping for a rational script long ago, so as long as I remember why I am watching this (Hyun Bin) I can enjoy most of it. This episode was pretty decent. However, Ha Na's denials made it hard to get thru. However, Seo Jin and Robin's moments and that kiss at the garden.... definitely why I was watching. (Yeah, that kiss made up for a lot - and he looked really good as soon as Robin disappeared).
While I have all sorts of issues with the plot, the acting was great and there were occasions that it really made me think about things - loving someone, how relationships work, and basic interactions.
I do hope Hyun Bin will be on the small screen again even if it's not a romantic comedy. As long as it's well written and decently paced. (Who am I kidding - I'll watch him watch paint dry.) I'd like something like 'Come Rain/ Come Shine' again, even though I hate crying.
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myzoya
March 27, 2015 at 11:21 AM
"Who am I kidding – I’ll watch him watch paint dry."
LOOOLLL HAHAHA.. love the comment.
Yeah I will do that too.
I love this series regardless though. Anything w/ HB in it. Even in a silent movie.
In my opinion, this drama is a HB's main comeback project after military. It has to focus more on his acting. Showcasting how he can portrays 2 different characters & boy he did it brilliantly!
It is never been about other things, that's why he chose this project. That's why the lead actress is HJM not other [bigger] stars. So, she cannot overshadow him. It's exactly what [he] wants: all attention for him & his brilliant acts.
I love HJM, love all her works. One of my fave 3 actress actually. Many people here are saying that her character is mostly boring, always puzzled n dazzled. I can only said I'd act the same too if I'm faced w/ the same situation: falling in love w/ an illusion & at the same time she feels comforted when she's w/ SJ.
I even secretly wish that both of them would be dating in reality, hahaha.. Because of that kiss!!! LOOOVVEEE.....
AS for HB, I wish he'll come back to dramaland SOON! I cannot wait for 3 years, that's a torture. Please let us see your face again say in 1 year? Too long? Ok, 6 months then.
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plumwine
March 27, 2015 at 1:27 PM
3 months! With more hair! Although in that last episode.... is it rude to say 'YUM'?
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21 sparkles
March 26, 2015 at 11:11 PM
Okay… drum roll, please
My favorite characters in this drama are:
1. Seo-jin - because he has changed a lot for the better. He went from a jerk to a sweetheart
2. Secretary Kwon - because he is a great side kick and funny too
3. Robin - because he is fun to have around and he was a great boyfriend too
I also loved and enjoyed the bromances between these guys.
My least favorite characters in this drama are:
1. Hana - because half of the time she looks confused/dazed. I just cannot relate to her character. Even when she was scared out of her mind about glasses strangler, I still could not feel sorry for her. That’s just how bad she is.
2. Terry because he was only there for a few seconds, which is a total waste of time, just like Bing Bing was. Hahaha
3. Cousin Seung-yeon - because he was only there for comedy but not for drama effect. He’s last on my list because he reminds me of Dr. Evil in Austin’s Power, thus I did enjoyed watching cousin Seung-yeon. Hahaha
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hwaiting
March 27, 2015 at 10:14 AM
Lol about you mentioning Bing Bing!
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22 Mint
March 26, 2015 at 11:18 PM
I pick up this drama as I was told that it was not good and wanted to choose something that cure me of drama addiction after Healer.
Ended up chasing the drama, drawn into the show by Hyun Bin's performance(only have a vague impression of him in Kim Sam Sung before) and went on to watch some of his other movies and dramas.
Overall, I enjoyed watching this drama and glad that I discovered the talents of Hyun Bin watching it. I actually like his acting here more than in secret garden.
Like girlfriday and many here, I wished that they had spent more time on Seo Jin transformation and Hana falling in love with Seo Jiin too, but there are lots of shows that had me wishing they would do things differently too.
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plumwine
March 26, 2015 at 11:24 PM
My favorite of his is the movie 'Come Rain/ Come Shine', and for some strange reason I enjoyed Snow Queen - nothing like the fable.
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bbstl
March 27, 2015 at 8:18 AM
I loved Snow Queen! I'm really not clear on why it wasn't more popular. Beautiful to look at, interesting characters and fun side characters (that professor!), of course HB, and the music is just swooooony.
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23 Mint
March 26, 2015 at 11:32 PM
I have not seen Snow Queen and have not finish watching Come Rain/ Come Shine yet. Kind of jump from the beginning and skipped to the ending partly because I could not find a good quality version. Does Snow Queen have a sad ending?
Love Fatal Encounter and Late Autumn though, especially his role as the King.
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plumwine
March 27, 2015 at 12:27 AM
I also enjoyed Fatal Encounter and Late Autumn. Come Rain/Come Shine hit me at a real personal level. I connected with both characters and it helped me realize I had some unhealed scars.
I had just finished watching Secret Garden and literally sobbed my eyes out when he was crying and writing that letter. First time in 10 years I had cried. So I had to find the person who had reduced me to such a mess, and discovered that I had enjoyed him in KSS and WW. Never knew they were the same guy, but I was only about 6 months in to the kdrama scene. So then I binged on all his stuff that weekend. Snow Queen was the 5th. By then I had to ask my daughter to go get me more tissues. So long story short, sad yes, but also the ending worked and it got more interesting as it went.
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24 gone mad
March 26, 2015 at 11:33 PM
it is not just binnie.... i would love if han ji min too chooses a better drama next time. i believe that hyun bin was given a chance to bring out his acting excellence at parts of this drama but han ji min was not given a fair chance to do so.... so hyun bin - fighting..... han ji min - fighting.... hoping to see you in better and the best dramas next time, can be two different dramas or only one.... i dont mind seeing you both as a pair once again!!!!
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ccut
March 27, 2015 at 2:53 AM
I totally agree with your comparison of what Hyun Bin and Han Ji Min's gained (or lost, in Han Ji Min's case) from all this. So unfair, really. At least Hyun Bin got to show his acting skills while Han Ji Min could only do so much with a character as undeveloped as the supporting cast. Tae-joo had even more background than her. Except for her father, I don't know anything about her life before Wonderland. And to think she had almost as much screen time as Hyun Bin! It seems the writer never intended for the viewers to be able to relate with Hana (or she was only there to make the male lead shine further). Her role could have been given to any other actress and it wouldn't have made a difference. Seriously. This is so frustrating that, as a fan of Han Ji Min, I couldn't even help noticing how every time Hana and Robin or Hana and Seo-Jin take pictures on their phones, Hana would zoom in on her male companion's face. Gah... it's like Hana's resigned to the fact that her character is so insignificant and everyone is interested in the male lead, not her.
Since this show proved Hyun Bin's acting skills, I'm confident he'll recover easily. Who knows? He may even get an award. And so I'm putting all my hopes and best wishes for Han Ji Min in her upcoming movie and future projects. Off topic, I hope she reunites with So Ji Sub or finally team up with Lee Jun Ki. If she does, I wouldn't mind watching another 20 episodes of a series that requires one to throw away logic.
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25 Shin
March 27, 2015 at 12:39 AM
Well yeah, seriously have all the same thought with you. At first, the story really attracted me, even more than kill me heal me does to everyone. Then by episodes it turn out to be very boring, and honestly, suck. I had a hard time watching it but still give it a try because I'm curious with the end of the story. I love the last episode with all the Gu Seo Jin character developement but it I'll still think twice, whether to watch the few episodes i left behind because too annoying and just straight-forward to the last episode or just bear with it. Thank you for the screencap!
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26 Coolrepublica I ❤️ Ji Sung
March 27, 2015 at 1:08 AM
Well it is over. Let see what Hyun bin does next.
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27 Jennalyn Zul
March 27, 2015 at 1:09 AM
This drama start with wrong path from the beginning. The main focus is Seo Jin and how he deal with his DID. But writer gone to far that story become uninteresting and frustrated. Robin became main focus instead of SeoJin and those unnecessary scene specially SooHyun story. I'm so disappointed with plot development and drop at ep 10. I enjoy reading recap is rather than watching drama itself. But since it last I'm gonna watch since I'm invest so much from the beginning. Sigh the story could have been better if the writer done his/her job.
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28 luv_KimRaeWon
March 27, 2015 at 1:14 AM
Hope Binnie lands a winner next time. He is too good to be wasted in bad dramas.
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29 Buttercup
March 27, 2015 at 1:18 AM
Wonder if he attends d award show at end of year. With such lousy ratings, doubt he'll win anythg tho his acting is superb! Sbs shld sack this writer.
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30 heavy-hearted
March 27, 2015 at 1:33 AM
This drama has made me sad, confused, and even ashamed. I really feel for those who have DID who've watched the drama and read the reactions in the drama blogosphere. I know very little about DID, but my sense is that the majority of our reactions have been chock-full of ignorance and prejudice. For the most part, Seo-Jin was seen as the "real" person, whereas Robin was seen as being a disease symptom, a hallucination, or the equivalent of a tumor. (I can't believe Dr. Kang actually went there.) I admit I still don't know how to react to the different identities even though I've been reading a lot of posts on different sites that focus on DID to try to educate myself a little. It's quite confusing because there's so much conflicting information-- I read that of all the mental health disorders, DID is the most controversial and least studied. It's also one of the most stigmatized.
While many sites on DID refer to an original personality, others say that "there is no such thing as an 'original alter' or 'birth personality'". (I think that means that all of the identities, including the one that may have retained the original name, are parts of a fragmented psyche that was still in the process of developing.) It seems that most people with DID have 1-2 host alters that interface with the world more than the others (Seo-jin and Robin could both be hosts), but the hosts aren't necessarily an original personality, nor inherently more legitimate than other alters. The majority of people with DID don't ever experience an identity fusion (like Seo-jin and Robin supposedly did)-- either because they don't seek it, or because it's very difficult to achieve-- which means that their alters will always co-exist. Sometimes alters have independent love lives-- all our outrage at that notion must make having DID even more challenging than it already is.
When Flower Boy Next Door was airing, there were a lot of insightful comments on DB about Social Anxiety Disorder-- even though I understand the reasons, it's too bad that there has been so little discussion about the reality of DID from people who are familiar with it, because I think we could all use some consciousness-raising. (Kudos to the commenter with DID who spoke up in the ep. 19 recap who shared a bit of her experience and said that the way HJM treated DID was a disgrace.) If anyone has any good resources on the subject to recommend, I'm interested in learning more.
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bbstl
March 27, 2015 at 8:36 AM
I agree, I felt quite ashamed of my ignorance about real DID after reading Lina's comments on ep 19. It is helpful that you both commented on how unrealistically it was presented by the show. I thought IOIL handled mental health badly but HJM makes IOIL look like a medical textbook.
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31 why?
March 27, 2015 at 1:46 AM
Totally agree with you GF.
"What I had a much harder time with was the heroine—I couldn’t figure out why she insisted that she loved only Robin, when I always saw Robin as an extension of Seo-jin. It felt like a forced and unnatural perception, for her to dig her heels in about their separation. Yes, Robin struggled with his sense of identity because it was a question of survival for him. But Hana is outside of that and should’ve been able to look at Seo-jin and Robin, and help them come to terms with their illness and see that they were in fact two parts of one man"
The ending was like SJ's body with more ROBIN's memory? Poor SJ. Hana accept SJ only after SJ have robins' speciality and memory (drawing,driving, psswrd etc).
When hana told SJ in the house : " i want you to stop". I was like...shouldnt you be a little bit encourage & best supporter at time like this? it make me think that hana is a selfish person. She wanted to feel what she feels, and doesnt ask for other party opinion (SJ or Robin) ex : the wedding and after the merge. She didnt ask what actually SJ want to. Always making the decision herself.
when it comes to 'after 1 year' ending, im with uolls. but thankfully, at least it wasnt an open ending.
Thanks GF for the hardwork recap. Thumbs up
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32 poliwag
March 27, 2015 at 2:58 AM
All I could say was I only really enjoyed the show when Seojin was crossing swords with Taejoo, and then later Taejoo's reconciling with Seojin. Personally disappointed at how the writers seem to grasp at random straws in terms of plot(where did Terry go? Where's Taejoo's ending? What happened to the kidnapper? Etc, etc...) and seemed to jump from place to place. Sigh. I liked Sung Joon in this as the villain though, his performance (as with Hyunbin's) was obviously marred by the poor handling of the plot in general. The scene where Seojin admitted he might've developed Robin as an artist due to Taejoo made me go 'aww' and cry a little at the same time.
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33 mustlovekdramas
March 27, 2015 at 3:17 AM
My oh my! Thank goodness, IT IS OVER and our Binnie is free once and for all!
Dear Hyun Bin, the past shouldn't matter, dust yourself off and try again... This drama will not define you as the great actor that we know you are. Your fans have faith in you, oppa.
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34 sargevee
March 27, 2015 at 4:53 AM
Hyundai Bin was amazing. And that's all I can say about this drama because there was nothing else going for it. I hate that it just put Seo Jin on the side like that. He was the lead character, so what was that about!? Ridiculous. But Hyun Bin still rocked. Thank Goodness for that.
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35 Sunbeam
March 27, 2015 at 5:14 AM
Thank you for the recap GF. Agree with you totally. Such a let down- Hana's character till the very end. No matter how hard I tried, it was very tough to watch till the last episode but just for Binnie's sake?
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36 ju
March 27, 2015 at 5:17 AM
What a waste of talent in this drama! Han Ji Min's worst outing. Terribly written role. And what was the director thinking? She looked like she was on sedatives most of the time, and trying to deliver lines with minimal movement of facial muscles. No spark, no chemistry between this couple. They were better as rivals in their movie The Fatal Encounter.
Glad this Wed-Thurs slot is now open for something new!
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37 Cat
March 27, 2015 at 5:42 AM
I couldn't bring myself to finish watching last few eps.
I like main couple but the plot was such.
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38 MikoD
March 27, 2015 at 6:01 AM
Could've done without the cousin's reformation. Could care less what he does. This last episode was one that did little for me. Even Robin's parting and Hana's first real emotional scene did nothing for me.
It was understandable that she grieved the loss of Robin like a widow. I'll give her that and respect her decision to keep his memory alive. But because she spent all this time grieving him, she shouldn't get a chance with the new and reformed Seo-jin. Let her remain Robin's widow instead of double dipping with the new guy. It seems adulterous, especially since Robin chose to leave without giving Seojin the memory of his wedding and lovemaking with Hana. This essentially means that Seojin doesn't get to share that part with Robin, so why should he with Hana?
I'm not cool with this type of ending... but it's over, so cool.
Thanks for the interesting ride and colourful, patterned pants, Ahjussi Hyun Bin. I actually want to know where the pants from the last scene are from. Prettiest ones so far.
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39 Cindy
March 27, 2015 at 6:02 AM
Finally it has come to an end! Finally. if not for Hyun Bin I'd have ditched the drama aged ago. It was one of those badly written dramas. I honestly didn't like the way how HJM portrayed Jang Ha Na. She just looked so dang stupid and clueless and stubborn all the time. it was totally unimaginable that she (Ha Na) could be chummy with Robin in bed knowing he's actually Seo Jin. Odd, really odd.
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40 Tota
March 27, 2015 at 6:41 AM
for me although the story was a bit missed up i fell in love with both like hana .. i just put myself in her situation!.. icouldn't put my eyes down because of hyun Bin he is super charming! and his make up in this drama and fashion were just fascinating!! <3 ! ... I loved Robin and i ccried alot when he left!! .. i really loved him a lot from my heart!.. it is a waste just to disappear like that whie he is very kind and humble guy! .. i feel sorry for him and i wanted him to live.. but at the same time i couldn't accept the unfairness that was happening to seo jin! .. he is the real character and yet he didn't receive recognition from Ha Na!!.. his patience and acknowledgement for robin was just too manny behavior from him.. he made me love him more and more.. and it is fair for him to receive love at the end! :)
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41 moomincandylalala
March 27, 2015 at 6:47 AM
Thanks so much GF for sticking thru with recapping the series. You deserve many drinks after this one, if it didn't take you many to get through all those eps already!! Unfortunately even w HB's beauty and charm and amazing skills, I wasn't able to sit through of a full episode of this. However, I did "watch" the whole drama thru recap, which I kept following hoping one recap will finally entice me to start watching the drama, but alas it just continued to infuriate me more....
Lets tuck this one safely away in that place with the last drama that chased Gong Yoo away from the small screen ever since!
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42 Tota
March 27, 2015 at 6:53 AM
Robin at the end is Seo jin and vise versa.... it was unfair for the drama to get this low rate at least till the end of soo young story is acceptable .. also i guess the low rating is related to the rumors of plagiarism story and Kill me heal me was receiving a big attendants at that time .. it was a confusing to decide which one is better!
adding also the point of understanding psychatry drama need a bit of knowledge... because i know about psychatry both of the dramas were interesting and my heart was pounding while watching both!! <3 <3
To end my comment... Hyun Bin although the drama didn't get a high rate.. i still love you alot and forever you are a skilled actor really i mean it! it is rare to find one like you!.. u made me cry when robin disappeard! i really took him as a separate person!.. and i felt happy for Seo jin.. thank u so much!.. pls don't make us wait alot and surprise us by a new drama!!.. i support u! always..don't worry next time u will break the record of the rates ;) fighting!!... Jung Hana ..u r adorable person can't forget ur role in Rooftop Prince and H,J&I! .. thank u u were a good actress there!! big applause!
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43 dramaqueen4
March 27, 2015 at 7:40 AM
One year later...Terry re-emerges and kiss everyone...
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dramaqueen4
March 27, 2015 at 7:41 AM
Kills* Even my autocorrect thinks this show got ridiculous!
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plumwine
March 27, 2015 at 8:33 AM
LOL
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bbstl
March 27, 2015 at 8:38 AM
hahaha kisses or kills, it's a very funny idea.
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KDaddict?JCW
March 27, 2015 at 9:11 AM
I hope he kills the writer first of all!
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Emma
March 27, 2015 at 1:08 PM
lolz
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cloud9
March 27, 2015 at 7:39 PM
+1 LMAO
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44 kdromo
March 27, 2015 at 7:47 AM
Thank you GF for recapping the whole series! I know you sometimes drop dramas but am thankful and happy you stuck this one out. I loved reading the recaps and always agreed with everything you said.
Despite the frustration and disappointment at a lot of things, I did manage to enjoy Hyde Jekyll Me. In large part because of Hyun Bin. The portrayal and relationship between Seo-jin and Robin was done brilliantly. So was the relationship between the two and Sec Kwon. But Seo-jin's development and character were the best of the show, and I had wished we spent the final week focused on him. Not to say that Robin's send off wasn't important, because it was, but really I was here for Seo-jin in the end.
Seo-jin discovering Robin's traits within himself were my favorite moments this week, and we really should have spent weeks or at least the final week focused on it, not 30 or 40 minutes. Instead I got a nonsensical wedding and a dissatisfying ending. I guess I should just be happy they didn't spin some even crazier twist and have Seo-jin disappear instead.
My biggest problem with the show was the wasted potential. Everything could have been so much better executed, paced and written. I really got annoyed in these last episodes with scenes which were just filler, when a great story could have been told but they were wasting time. Seo-jin's friendship with Tae-joo could also have been done better than it was, and I also noted they failed to give him a send off when he did dominate the middle part of this drama. The heroine was also a wasted character and Ha Ji Min's acting was a big disappointment. She and the writer really could have done so much more, and considering how other characters had less screen time but were able to give meaningful performances (i.e. Sec Kwon), she really failed to deliver.
Would I watch this again? Yes, because I came for Hyun Bin and he never disappointed me. But I'm glad it's over and hope Hyun Bin can get a better project next time.
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45 emmalee
March 27, 2015 at 8:38 AM
I watched this drama up until the wedding and then on a scale of one to even.....I just can't. I didn't care about Robin, I love Seo Jin and I couldn't understand why either of them would like Hana. Especially Seo Jin, she never smiled or was interesting in any way. I really wanted to see Seo Jin happy and in love but there was too much build up of Robin leaving and everyone feeling the anguish so it felt like the writer was saying Robin was better and he was what made seo jin have worth as a person. All the army combacks dramas have made me wonder if there is a bad luck with them. She's so lovely and trot lovers were only 16 episodes at least. :) That said, I just came to like Hyun Bin so much during this drama so maybe I will watch the last ten minutes of this episode.
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46 kiwineo
March 27, 2015 at 8:59 AM
The first few ep were quite interesting and made me want to watch further but towards the middle, it's all abt the kidnapping and Robin was always with Hana which annoyed me. Can't stand the all smiles on Robin's face. Who can live like that seriously... And the most stupid police force i've ever seen. I think the kidnapping scenes took up so many parts of the drama which I think were unnecessary. I dk where the story is even going. What happened to the Robin that appears only when Hana is in danger?? Did they ran out of dangerous scenes for hana so they just made robin wake up at night? I was hoping that robin could just leave in ep 18 but he stayed until like ep 19 and seojin hasn't been cured yet??? And they started to cram everything and the better moments to the last part in the last ep. There are lots of gaps in between and somehow I feel that the story doesn't even flow! I was getting more frustrated as I watched the drama. Like when was that robin gonna leave? plus the wedding part? it's just too absurd to watch. Han Ji Min's acting in that show was terrible. Same expression and same furrowed eyebrows all the way. Only thing I like is hyun bin's acting, which switched between seojin and robin really well, giving them distinctive characters. Overall, I feel like I've wasted my time watching this and this is one of the worst storyline in k drama.
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47 reynie87
March 27, 2015 at 9:16 AM
as much as this drama is bad, personally, hyun bin did actually successfully acted out 2 different personality. he managed to make me believes that robin and seo jin is 2 different entity, in one body. tho in the end they're really one entity separated into 2.
but phewh... this drama is as bad as blade man. SSK can't act for God sakes, but this time round, Han Ji Min takes the cake. she is pretty bad in here. or maybe it was her character and bad script? hmmm
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bizzybody
August 31, 2015 at 8:59 AM
Despite reading mostly bad reviews, I continued watching even after the dumb gorilla scene and all the way till the end because of Hyun Bin.
My thoughts are... this is much better than Blade Man as i didn't curse out loud at all. That series which ended with them flying to the moon really made regret wasting so many hours of my life hoping for it to get better just because of Lee Dong Wook.
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48 hwaiting
March 27, 2015 at 9:58 AM
The writer needs to see Dr. Kang. :)
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49 marmari
March 27, 2015 at 10:47 AM
Of the 50 or so K-dramas I've watched so far, none have irritated me as much as HJM. I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out why. I should stop because I'm probably spending more time on this show than the writer did.
The lazy, illogical writing! Why yes, let's have the cops knock on the criminal's door and ask to be let in! Why yes, let's eat up the whole show with a kidnapping plot and then make it all--and the talented Sung Joon--disappear with the snap of a finger. Why yes, let's have a wedding without one party's consent. Let's insist that Hana won't love Seo Jin for 20 episodes only to have her love him in the last 10 minutes because he can DRAW! He can DRIVE! Now he's Robin! So, if I lose my ability to drive I'm no longer me.
For me, it takes a lot to strip away the wit and charm that makes Hyun Bin so interesting as an actor, but this show managed to do that after the first few episodes. He was the best thing about this mess and that made me even more irritated. To think what he could have done with a real script!
Han Ji Min's maudlin acting sent me running for the hills--or the fast forward button. Her character's absolute allegiance to the unreasonable and illogical made me pull my hair out. I guess as Selena says, the hear wants what it wants. (Snicker)
The music! Oy, the music! Well, I guess if you work that hard to be crappy, you should be consistent on all fronts.
Blech! Gotta go rinse this show out my head. I pledge to avoid this writer like the Ebola virus.
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marmari
March 27, 2015 at 11:02 AM
Yeah, the HEART wants what it wants. Ha!
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KDaddict?JCW
March 28, 2015 at 7:26 AM
+1. Well said.
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50 Damedrama
March 27, 2015 at 12:07 PM
There are no words that I can use to describe how bad this show was. I didn't actively dislike Han Ji Min until this show. Her range or lack thereof was exposed. I ended the show angry because I coulnd't believe that a writer focused on a serious mental health issue like DID would take a Disneylike approach where the princess fell in love with the prince thus helping to banish the beast. Aargh I give up, my metaphor is failing like this drama's plot line. Wait is Terry the beast, or is it Seo Jin?
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