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High Society: Episode 16 (Final)

Every loose thread finds its partner and the bow it belongs to in a solid finale that showcases the best of what High Society had to offer, which definitely has nothing to do with business or any sort of commentary on the class divide. But if you were just here for the romance, then this is an ending catered just for you. For everyone else, all I can say with certainty is that it is, in fact, an ending.

Ratings-wise, High Society finished on a high note of 10.1%, falling just short of Hwajeong at 10.3%. KBS’s I Remember You brought up the very rear at 5.0%.

SONG OF THE DAY

Park Hyung-shik – “You’re My Love” from the OST [ Download ]

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FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Yoon-ha calls Joon-ki to ask if he really quit the company, to which he chuckles a bit that news sure does travel fast. She doesn’t understand how he of all people could quit—wasn’t making money more important to him than anything?

But Joon-ki says he knows better now, and even admits that despite telling her he was sorry for what he did and that he was wrong, it never really rang true because he was never punished for his misdeeds. Now, he’s enacting that punishment himself and completing the circle.

“Let’s not meet anymore,” he says emotionally. “Let’s not call each other either.” He’s ending things, and hangs up with tears in his eyes. Yoon-ha’s left stunned.

Chang-soo’s thoughts drift toward what Ji-yi said to him last about not wanting to resume their relationship while he’s in a business meeting. Still, seeing him working at his job is like spotting a rare white elk.

Joon-ki finds Mama Lee at home and is surprised when her reaction to the news that he quit his job is: “You did well.” She knows it must have been a hard decision for him, and he even admits that he hasn’t made a decision without carefully weighing the consequences like this since middle school.

Still, Mom is proud of her son, and it’s clear that Joon-ki appreciates her support. He jokes that he’ll have to get a part-time job so he’ll have something to do, while Mama Lee gets the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to offer to give money to her son.

Joon-ki doesn’t need it. Instead, he envelops his mother in a warm embrace. Aww.

Ye-won is updated on Kyung-joon’s underhanded business dealings, which were mostly done against Taejin’s interests. She finds out about the foreign investments he told/warned his father about, and it’s with chagrin that she’s told he took all the necessary steps to make sure what he did was legal. Now he’s in a position to threaten their father, so Ye-won wants to meet with him.

Yoon-ha confronts her unni over Joon-ki’s resignation, but Ye-won has another question for her: “Did you ever ask Kyung-joon why he took you on vacation with him?” She hasn’t, and Ye-won wonders if it’s because Yoon-ha’s afraid her image of oppa will shatter.

“What do you gain from ruining my relationship with Oppa?” Yoon-ha spits back, only for Ye-won to say that she’s not ruining anything—she’s telling Yoon-ha to fix it. And when she does, she’ll tell her about the deal she made with Joon-ki.

Flash back to the day Kyung-joon reappeared (so yesterday), as Ye-won had asked Yoon-ha why she thinks her oppa took her on his vacation. Yoon-ha had refused to believe Ye-won’s claim that Kyung-joon had used her so he’d have a witness, so Ye-won challenged her to prove her wrong by asking him herself.

Yoon-ha calls Kyung-joon and hears his voice for the first time since his “death,” which has a definite I-give-no-shits tone to it. He knows she wants to meet and says he’d do it even if he was busy because he’s indebted to her.

She swallows as she asks what kind of debt he means, but he’ll tell her in person.

Ye-won tells her father that they can’t keep Kyung-joon on their board when he’s a board member of Albimama, the foreign company he invested in. She advises him to oust Kyung-joon and take his shares, only for her father to tell her that Kyung-joon already came to him as a representative of Albimama and proposed a merger.

To Ye-won’s complete surprise, Chairman Jang told him he’d look at the offer objectively. “Because of what Kyung-joon did, our stocks plummeted and the company as a whole was in danger. He left the company and family for his own comfort, but you’re going to accept a proposal from that kind of child?” she asks disbelievingly.

Chairman Jang says he’ll accept anything that could raise their numbers, and would even deal with the devil himself if he had to. Kyung-joon’s proposal could be good for Taejin, and he advises his daughter to learn how to hold hands with her enemies when it’s for the good of the company.

Ye-won, understandably frustrated, proceeds to tear her office apart.

Yoon-ha’s first meeting with her oppa since his death is surprisingly understated, since she uses a flat tone to tell him that she was heartbroken when he “died,” but survived. She’s not great at it, like most things, but she’s learning to live with her vast array of inadequacies.

She does admit that she was scared to meet with him because of what Ye-won said, but then adds, “I love you. When I was worried you’d used me, I thought that my heart would break again even though I’d just barely put it back together.”

She still doesn’t ask why he pretended to have died, but instead why he gave her stocks. He says it’s because he wanted her to have a bigger presence within the family and the company.

“I thought I could escape from this place,” she sighs. Kyung-joon says it’s possible to escape from physical possessions, but that there’s no way to overcome their family relationships. Umm. Is it just me, or does he have no room to be saying all this right now?

As he explains it, he took her on the trip with him so she’d be the one to see his last moments living as Jang Kyung-joon—but if she wants to think of it Ye-won’s way, she can. “My choice is always you,” she answers. Kyung-joon is happy he judged his sister correctly.

He’s also not worried about their father either, since Chairman Jang loves him and always will. That’s why he chose to disappear, because the bond between him and his father is unbreakable. Or something.

After Madam Min takes a contemplative moment to reconcile her past as a bad mother with her present by wondering where it all went wrong, she takes her conclusion to Chairman Jang that they both share responsibility for their failed marriage and how it affected their family.

“I didn’t fail. You did,” he says stubbornly. As she goes on with her philosophical musings, he finally just asks her to get to the point—nothing’s going to change with this discussion. He knows she won’t divorce him and that she’ll just continue living as she is, so why bother talking when it won’t change anything?

Madam Min eventually realizes that it’s useless to try and get him to understand that even if the end result will always be the same, they can take a different path to get there.

Next up on Madam Min’s Reconciliation List is Yoon-ha, as she asks her daughter if she hates her. “Why would I hate you?” Yoon-ha replies. She’d always wanted her mother’s acknowledgment, but now that she’s grown older, she needs it less.

Her mother admits that she’s been a weak person, and that she genuinely wants her daughter to forget all the terrible things she’s said over the years. “I’m sorry Mom,” Yoon-ha says with tears in her eyes, “but I don’t think I’ll forget.” She’s bound to think of them even in her darkest hours, but what can she do?

That’s enough for Madam Min, at least. It’s not perfect and it makes them both incredibly sad, but it’s the best they can do.

Chang-soo sits his mother down to tell her that he’s going to marry Ji-yi, and when his mother tries to dissuade him because it’d end up in divorce, he still says, “Even if we divorce, I want to marry her. I want to become a man with responsibility. I want responsibility.”

He wants to marry Ji-yi for himself, to which his mom says fine, he can leave the family and marry her. But that won’t work—since Ji-yi won’t marry someone whose family doesn’t approve, she and his father have to.

It’s funny how his mom’s conviction is clearly waning, but even so she feebly argues, “No matter what she does, she’s too much. Even if she has nothing, she has too much of nothing.” Hahaha. As for her lacking a college diploma, Chang-soo tells his mother to set her mind to it and help Ji-yi, because she has a good heart like her.

“She does have a good heart,” his mom admits begrudgingly. Chang-soo says that’ll make Ji-yi a great daughter-in-law for her to have, since her other daughters-in-law have hearts made of coal.

Surprisingly, he even gets her to reluctantly agree to persuade his father for him, saying those words she’s now come to fear: “I chose you, Mom.” She calls him a trickster, and he smiles that he’s her son, after all. “I don’t want to be separated from you, and I don’t want to be separated from Ji-yi either. I want both.”

Even if they separate after one day or ten, he still wants to marry her, he reasons. And that way, he’ll get to live with is mom forever since she’ll still be there even if he were to separate from Ji-yi. “I want to be a man,” he smiles. His mom knows she’s been defeated.

Chang-soo pays Ji-yi a visit that night to tell her that his mom will be calling her soon, and that they’ll have a talk after the two women meet. He just came to warn her so she wouldn’t be so shocked, and says only that he finally decided to intervene between them.

Yoon-ha relays what Kyung-joon told her to Ye-won, who doesn’t see the difference between Kyung-joon wanting her to remember him versus him wanting a witness. Regardless, when confronted over Joon-ki’s resignation, Ye-won tells her little sister that he quit on his own accord—which is a shame, since he could’ve gone far in the company.

That leaves Yoon-ha to think back over everything Joon-ki said and did he started working for Taejin. And slowly but surely, she seems to consider the possibility that he came to the company for the sole purpose of helping her succeed.

After their first non-competitive bike ride, Chang-soo asks Joon-ki why he quit after having heard the news from Yoon-ha. Joon-ki starts explaining how not wanting to live like his parents, especially his father, is what drove him forward at first.

But now he’s changed, and he’s realized that it’s fine for him to live like his parents. Besides, he’d forgotten that he was just in his 20’s and still young, so he’s going to give himself time to catch his breath before making his next move.

Even Chang-soo laughs at that, since he’d also lost sight of the fact that they’re still young and not ninety years old. Joon-ki knows his friend though, and asks how things are progressing with Ji-yi. He wonders if Chang-soo will be able to go through with his promises, but has faith in him. Plus, he’s slowly coming to like his buddy more with each passing day.

Mama Lee offers Lady Kim advice when she thinks the ex-mistress will be starting a new life elsewhere, only to find out that she’s just moving houses with all the money she’s been given. Unfortunately, all the money in the world can’t get Mama Lee to come work for her again, so this is where they part.

Ye-won and Kyung-joon have a terse conversation before the merger meeting where he’ll be representing Albimama, causing her to sardonically ask if she’s lost to him. “You’ve never won against me,” he answers.

The fact that he can’t step foot inside a Taejin building doesn’t bother him, since he still has a twelve percent stake in the company. Ye-won claims that people won’t forget he suffered from depression, which is why Kyung-joon says she’ll always lose to him—if he wins, his illness will become nothing more than a myth.

Ye-won calls him out for his arrogance, considering that he was caught while running away. Kyung-joon: “You lost the day you were born. Why can’t you acknowledge that? No matter how well you do, you can’t win against me. I win from being born this way.” I liked you better when you were dead.

At long last, Joon-ki goes home to visit his father, who couldn’t be any happier to see his son. He knows his father doesn’t get out ever, so he takes him out to the park. Even handicapped, his father still insists on fanning his precious son. Aw, this is heartbreaking.

He knows Joon-ki quit his job, and still offers him words of encouragement. It’s clear he loves and worships his son, which is enough to bring tears to Joon-ki’s eyes.

Chang-soo’s mother meets with Ji-yi, and makes sure to impart her most serious gaze as she says these solemn words: “I won’t oppose the marriage.” So now she’ll meet no opposition from his household, meaning that the only reason their relationship would end is if they broke up.

Imagine the loop she’s then thrown for when Ji-yi still says she won’t date Chang-soo, since getting married now would likely just end in divorce. Even though that’s the same thing his mother said, she’s flabbergasted that she’s gone through all this only for Ji-yi not to be falling at her feet.

So she basically has to convince Ji-yi that she needs to make the best choice for herself here in the present, and that Chang-soo has a great sense of responsibility. Ji-yi should be thanking her, even! So it’s funny that when Ji-yi does, Chang-soo’s mom is so unsettled by the whole thing that she openly admits she feels like she’s somehow lost to her.

And it’s even funnier that Ji-yi has to buoy her back up by saying that there’s no way she lost, and gives her even more confidence by saying: “You won. I was defeated by you, so I’m going to meet with Chang-soo again.” Poor Chang-soo’s mother. I think these two will enjoy being family.

Ji-yi calls Chang-soo, and though they don’t mention what was talked about directly, their happy tones and even happier smiles while talking to each other says it all.

Yoon-ha waits for Joon-ki in his apartment lobby, but refuses to step foot in his actual place since it reminds her of being made a fool of while she was love-struck. “Let’s get one thing straight,” Joon-ki says. “When I was with you here, I was the fool, not you.”

He goes out to dinner with her after she promises to buy (he’s unemployed now, after all), where she grills him over his recent decision to quit and her sister’s plans. But what she’s most curious about is what he wouldn’t tell her before: Why did he come to work at Taejin?

After a long pause, Joon-ki sheepishly admits that it was because of her. And when pressed for more details, he adds that it was because he missed her. Yoon-ha latches onto that and keeps needling him with questions, which only makes him more embarrassed. It’s cute.

They take their conversation to the Han River, where Yoon-ha starts to go into an explanation about how she used to expect perfection from those closest to her… but Joon-ki stops her from going further. “You’re settling,” he claims. “You’re trying to understand my actions toward you.”

He doesn’t want her to do that—in fact, he wants her to throw him away. Yoon-ha jokingly defends that he jumped the gun on that one, since she never said she was going to take him back. All she wants to know is when he started to love her for real in the midst of their fake relationship.

Was it when they had their first kiss? Joon-ki shakes his head. Yoon-ha still hates the idea that he kissed her without even liking her, but talks about it like an adult now. He apologizes for that, but she still wants to know when it started, even if she’s not going to do anything with the information.

“The first moment I loved you was when…” Joon-ki pauses. “I can’t say it here.” He wants to know for himself whether it started in “that place” or not, but he won’t tell Yoon-ha where it is: “If we go there, I won’t let you go.”

Ji-yi comes home to find Chang-soo waiting for her on her rooftop, which he notes is where they had their second kiss. She says that people normally remember their first kiss, to which Chang-soo replies that he’s not normal.

“Ji-yi, let’s live for today. No one knows what tomorrow will bring,” he says. She repeats his words, before he says that though people might look at them and think they’re doomed to break up, they shouldn’t let that stop them from living together.

“I want to live with you,” he reiterates. “What do you want to do? Will you live with me?” Ji-yi says yes without hesitation, and the two jubilant lovebirds embrace with huge smiles on their faces.

On her quest to find out when and where Joon-ki first started to love her, he takes her to the hotel where she had her blind date with Chang-soo. It’s the elevator specifically, where he’d seen her in her rebel wear looking lost in her own world.

“Now that I think about it, it was from the moment I first saw you,” Joon-ki admits once they step into the elevator. Then he turns to her and says, “I love you, Jang Yoon-ha.”

“I don’t believe in fate, so I’ll make a choice,” Yoon-ha replies, hearkening back to their once-dueling life philosophies on destiny versus choice. “I choose you, Choi Joon-ki.”

They kiss just as the elevator doors close and they ascend up, up, up. In voiceover, we hear Yoon-ha say that though their start was impure, they were still able to share a pure love with each other. Though not all their problems could be resolved, love at least gave them the strength to resolve them, and paved their road to happiness.

One year later.

Yoon-ha, now a director at Taejin, meets up with a very pregnant Ji-yi, her husband Chang-soo, and her own significant other Joon-ki at the same villa where the two boys once had their blowout fistfight.

Ji-yi asks if Yoon-ha’s going to get married, but Yoon-ha sees the two of them constantly going back and forth and says marriage doesn’t look all that great. Ji-yi rubs her pregnant belly and says she likes being married, even if it’s hard living up to the expectations set by Chang-soo’s mother.

“Overall though, it’s fun. More than anything, I like living with Chang-soo,” she chirps. Chang-soo: “You like living with me?” Ji-yi: “I do. The more I live with you, the more I like it.” Chang-soo’s face breaks out in a wide, childish grin as he chirps back, “I like it too!” Aw.

Well, Yoon-ha sighs, she doesn’t suppose she’ll be getting married anytime soon, since the man she loves won’t propose. Cue Joon-ki pulling out a ring box with matching wedding bands.

“Will you marry me?” he asks. Yoon-ha says that there should be a declaration of love with a proposal, which Ji-yi backs her on. So Joon-ki amends his earlier statement: “I love you. Will you marry me?”

Yoon-ha takes the box in her hands, smiles, and tells Joon-ki that the ring is pretty. That seems to be her version of a “Yes,” much to his joy.

 
COMMENTS

This finale did a pretty good job at tying up most of the characters’ emotional threads into neat little bows, even if some of those bows weren’t perfect or even all that complete. But that adds a bit of realism to an hour where everyone seemed hell-bent on mending every broken fence they’d ever come across, since the resolutions themselves aren’t inherently fantastical as much as the idea that all the resolutions happened in a relatively short span of time.

I guess that’s just the way it goes in drama finales though, and it falls to the best of shows to bring everything full circle as seamlessly as possible. It all comes down to stakes and payoffs, and where we tend to feel cheated is when there’s been loads of setup only to lead up to hasty and hackneyed conclusions. That being said, this was a show that seemed content without high or even consistent stakes, since the ones it set up would be instantly negated the moment a character changed their goals. It’s fine if the whole point was to pair everyone off all along (and it was), but it certainly puts a damper on anything this show was trying to say about the bigger picture and overarching world its characters found themselves in.

So while we can say that no one came to this show or stayed for it expecting a detailed manifesto on the class divide, it was a problem that was set up and not adequately dealt with. Or if it was, the message was so at war with the comparatively cute and saccharine romantic resolutions that it comes off either willfully ignorant or mean-spirited—because that message seemed to be that ambition is bad unless you’re born rich, and you are what you were born with.

The character of Kyung-joon is the literal embodiment of the latter statement, and while he made absolutely no sense before and during his disappearance, his reappearance and subsequent moral grandstanding took nonsensicality to a whole new level. It’s a bit of a shame really, since this finale and story would’ve been a lot more solid without him. He became the weakest link for reasons that are still completely beyond me, because while we could maybe say his absence was the catalyst that set Yoon-ha in motion (even though it wasn’t), the only thing his return accomplished was to reinforce the other rather bleak message that hard work means nothing unless you pee standing up and/or are Yoon-ha.

Plus, it makes his entire disappearance moot when he can resume life like it never happened—and even then, to what aim? If he disappeared to get away from it all, then why did it take him all of two seconds to immerse himself back into the business world he was ready to leave behind, so much so that he’d tell Ye-won that he’ll always win and she’ll always lose because he’s the prodigal son? His character was honestly just unsettling on so many fronts, since he never explained his departure or even repented once he returned, and no one but Ye-won seemed to care.

Ye-won may not have been the most likable person, but as a character she was always consistent and rational, and frequently seemed to be the only one able to take a step back and look at the grand scheme of things. Yet she felt almost unfairly painted as a villain when it came to Yoon-ha just because Yoon-ha suddenly decided she wanted to contradict every value she swore by in the beginning. At the same time, Ye-won was never being unreasonable when she pointed out her little sister’s inadequacies after spending her life working in a company Yoon-ha wanted after three whole days on the job, so to see her lose everything in the end to another sibling who, like Yoon-ha, really couldn’t give a crap was pretty sad and unsatisfying.

It’s equal parts strange and fascinating that Joon-ki and Madam Min stand out for having character arcs, even if that meant going from one extreme to the other. They both started out one way, realized their folly, and changed for the better. I found Joon-ki to be really compelling after he settled for just mediocre ambitions, and still wish that change would’ve taken place sooner—or if not, that the character would’ve still come across with just as many layers even if he was being a manipulative douchebag. But it kind of happened like an on/off switch for him, and for Madam Min too. Both had sort of sudden changes rather than gradual ones, though I suppose I like that their inner changes weren’t predicated upon feeling sorry for themselves. Well, at least for Joon-ki.

Everyone else got to more or less stay the same, which doesn’t necessarily make them better or worse characters. As a lead, Yoon-ha really was too immature and ill-equipped to carry her own weight around, much less the emotional weight of an entire show. To make up for that, we got a second lead couple that remained engaging from start to finish and earned their domestic(-ally happy) ending. If only Chang-soo’s mother could’ve had all of Lady Kim’s wasted screen time, we could’ve seen more of a character type that’s unlikely to ever catch on—because if all chaebol mothers suddenly started being both entertaining and reasonable, I’m pretty sure that dramaland as we know it would simply cease to exist.

 
GUMMIMOCHI’S COMMENTS

So everyone gets what they want and lives happily ever after? In most cases, I’d find that kind of ending quaint—or ideally, satisfying—and yet for High Society, the show simply ends just like it always did, and I’m left thinking, “Okay, that’s it? No seriously, that’s all of it?” Because even when it’s all over and done with, I’m still trying to justify the sixteen hours I spent watching a show where its central characters battled confusing hidden motivations, spouted lofty, absurd words, and exhibited strange and nonsensical behavior. Oh how those tantalizing teasers of Sung Joon and UEE feel like eons ago.

In retrospect, I feel duped as a viewer that there was a true romance to be had between our leading couple in Yoon-ha and Joon-ki. I’d hoped to see them face classism and question the whole classic rich vs. poor pairing in their relationship. What we got instead was a naive and self-centered heroine whose behavior contradicted the ideals she spoke of. This sense of disconnect from the very beginning made it hard for anyone, both in and out of her dramaverse, to empathize (or even sympathize) with her plight. I wish I could say that there were moments in this series where Yoon-ha’s troubles (apart from being born into a crazy and emotionally unavailable family) could resonate with the common man, but I can’t—not when she can quit her part-time job to sort-of-not-really be financially independent with her company stock and her share of inheritance. Not when she was given everything she wanted on a silver platter, and in what should be her most turbulent emotional pain came out of seemingly nowhere.

And then in her relationship with Joon-ki itself, it was apparent that their conflict was always about rationality vs. emotion more than anything else. All this talk of destiny vs. choice could be boiled down into their differing perspectives of love that were resolved in a trite shift of each other’s outlooks: a dreamer in Yoon-ha would choose love and the practical Joon-ki would let his emotions take over. And when these should be significant consequences, the execution felt no more than characters simply making a choice, with one party making more of a sacrifice than the other. Indeed it seems like Joon-ki is the one giving up his ambitions to do anything for love, while Yoon-ha gets to keep what she already has. Then in that case, it seriously makes me wonder what sort of message the show sought to achieve through their relationship, if any.

What truly saddens me is how the show gave merit to those who spoke possible truths in elevated words versus those speaking sense on the ground level, based upon visual evidence we’ve seen. I never quite understood why certain characters’ criticism of others resonated so deeply with those who heard it, like how Joon-ki’s critiqued his friend about his elitism, of which we saw so little of, if any. Or how Ye-won’s drive for success was ultimately pushed aside for her prodigal brother. What’s worse is that the most important words ended up being spoken through the most unimportant mouthpieces, sapping away the gravity of those truths. To wit, the most insightful words that cut straight to the heart came from the sister whom no one cares about.

So when I see so many illogical choices being made to utilize its core characters and conflict, I naturally gravitate to the one thing that has some level of logical flow. Even in its flaws, the bumps in the road in Chang-soo and Ji-yi’s relationship made me feel pangs in my heart, and made me want them to be together. It’s a shame that their characters held little forward movement or change as well (for instance, Ji-yi was mostly the same person from start to finish), and yet it was the simple act of allowing us as viewers into their lives that was enough to keep tuning in. And when this couple was presented with the same conflict (for one party to change one’s mind to be together), I felt more connected to their obstacles and their tears.

All in all, I wish I would’ve known what High Society wanted to convey past telling us a chapter in a chaebol daughter’s life trying to remedy her quarter-life crisis with love. What a pity that for a show that could’ve defied any societal perspectives on the differences between social classes ended up being a show that even the one percent of our society may know nothing of.

 
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Thank you for the recap! In many instances, this drama felt predictable for me. I had a feeling that the main (lead) couples would be together in the end, and they are. I was not thinking about a time jump last week, though when I started reading about the possibility of one, I thought, “hmmm…” And we had one (one year), with JY pregnant at that, and finally married to CS. CS did come around, linking dating JY to marrying her. I have read some comments that expressed CS’s playing reverse psychology on his mom as impressive, and JY’s doing the same as well (as impressive too). How CS and JY ended up together didn’t leave me feeling as impressed however.

I could be wrong, however, one of the things I have come to expect from Kdramas where the lead is arrogant and thinks that he is too good for the female love interest, is seeing the 180 degree change that said male will go through the course of the drama. And if it is not a 180 degree change, then at least a 120 or 140 degree change. Yes, I expect (and anticipate) the angst, the tears and the brooding (and the possible showers or half naked male scenes), yet, I am usually (mostly) interested in that character’s growth, be it male or female.

In HS, I didn’t get the sense that CS grew that much. I give him credit for going from not considering marrying JY, to wanting to marry her, and loosing “his romantic skills,” as he mentioned. I give him credit for actually starting to work, once JK left, as opposed to having someone do all his work (as seemed to be the case when JK was working for him). Should I give him credit for not dating someone else, after he broke up with JY (or rather after she broke up with him?) I give him credit for acknowledging that he didn’t want to move, because all he knew was the kind of neighborhood he had lived in (a very posh one), because yes, it would be hard to make that kind of changes, and live with less. And yes, it would affect the romantic relationship. However, am I wrong for wanting more, and seeing more from CS?

He told JY in ep. 15 that she didn’t know what kinds of plans/preparations he had made to be with her. And my question is, “what kind of plans did you make CS? Because honestly, I didn’t see them.” It seemed to me that all CS did (or mostly what he did), was cry to mommy, tell her that he loved JY, tell mommy that “he chose her” (meaning what exactly, CS?), come home drunk, throw up in front of his mom, and mommy eventually changed her mind.

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Hi Ivoire
I emailed you! Glad to see that you've managed to complete this show and are on Oh My Ghostess as well. :)

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for some reason i can't help but notice you seem very antagonistic towards Changsoo from the getgo...i've seen you justifying for Joonki when he was being a jerk in earlier episodes, but for Changsoo, even with improvement...more is expected of him? hmm...okay then. if we're talking bout bad character in this drama...Changsoo (well, in my opinion) would never make to the list of worst characters because so many are lining up for it...but you seemed very focused on proving how unimpressive Changsoo is...which i'm not sure why but okay...

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This drama is full of flaw and not my favourite but the only character/couple that kept through until the end is Changsoo (and Jiyi). While you nitpick about his character development and why he doesn't impress you, don't forget that he is in fact a second lead character. The producer-nim and storyboard writer probably doesn't spend as much time thinking for him or try to improve or grow this CS character as much as they should on JK and YH (which I think they failed even more miserably).
The part after CS and JY broke up was very draggy and the ending was as expected. At least this is more bearable than The Heir. What do we expect they can weave out from a Chaebol and a poor girl love story? It's getting old....but I'm still very much a sucker for bad boy chaebol who falls head over heel in love. hahaha.

Ahh...missing them already.

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WTF of ending I've just watched. too many loose end. I did not sign for these shit.

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I'm of the opinion that even if you are making things up as you go along from ep to ep, things should make some sense, since the story is being made into a drama that is broadcasted to the nation and the world. Obviously, these writers don't have the same qualms. Since they lack the intelligence or commitment or integrity to make sure their stories make sense, I feel that my intelligence is being insulted if I keep watching this kind of crap at this level of nonsense.

So, Korean dramas, I no longer love you or am addicted any more. It was good while it lasted. Here is to a new beginning and a new life!

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I'm frustrated because I was waiting for a show down between Yoon Ha and Yewon!!!!

So much for the USB.

Until the very end it was never used?!

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The famous USB, like so many other things, seems to have just evaporated. And like so many k-dramas, you wonder why these people never make copies when it only takes a few minutes at most.

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Am I wrong for wondering how much of a character growth CS had? Yes, CS was cute at times, however to get to JY and be with her, I didn’t feel that he had to go through much. This is the guy who arrogantly told his mom that his family needed to buy a personal plane, which told me that he didn’t understand the kind of money (work, and effort) needed to buy such plane. If it is that easy CS, why don’t YOU buy it then? This is the guy who had to have pointed out to him how elitist he really was (by JK, and by JY), which he came to realize, and accept eventually. I appreciated the few times when he challenged his mother’s thinking (“why can’t I be with JY? Why do you look down on JK, when his mother always treated me well? Isn’t his mother wise and capable as well? Doesn’t she live well? What does living well mean, anyway? Living for a long time, does not equal living well, mom”). Those things were well said.

That being said, I wanted to see more from CS. I wanted to see him have the courage to leave his mom (and his family), and strike it on his own. As he said, his mom has three sons. I am willing to bet that she would not have lasted one day, if CS had left. And yes, that kind of change is nerve-racking and scary, yet, I wanted CS to have the courage to do something drastic, to challenge himself, and challenge his mother. I wanted to see what would have happened IF he had left, to say work for YH for example (if his mom made it difficult for him to find work in Korea, since they might be well connected), or borrow money from YH (since he would have lost everything, per his mother) and go to the US, study (some more), make something of himself, and come back for JY, having made something of himself, BY HIMSELF. This is me just thinking, however something along those lines would have impressed me.

CS talked about wanting to be “a man of responsibility,” (I think that was what he said?) Again, what is that supposed to mean? I admit to being confused about that. Did he become a man of responsibility? How so? Losing JY cost him a heartache (but he obviously didn’t die from it), and some tears. Yet, I felt more for JY. Being with CS, and losing him cost her a heartache, (almost) losing her place, it cost her being humiliated by CS’s mom (to her face), and at times being put down by CS himself. Many times, I personally felt that CS (and his mom) didn’t deserve JY, however since JY wanted CS, I was willing to roll with it, for JY’s sake. I was glad to see CS recognize that YH was more like a sister to him (though he humiliated her at first as well and Oppa set the record straight), and good for him for not pushing the marriage issue, since he was in love with someone else, and so was she. But honestly, I was disappointed with CS’s arc (the way he was written), and I wanted to see more growth. I did appreciate that whatever growth he ended up showing was gradual. That part was believable.

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"I want to be a man of responsibility. So, mommy, go fix all my problems!"

CS, way to grow up.

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@ Jon G.,

Exactly, right? And what did he mean when he kept telling his mommy "just remember, I chose you." (I was confused about that as well, since at first, I thought he meant that he would not date any woman, and that he would just be with his mom until he died, or until she died).
Really he can't marry his mom, and I don't think she would want to be married to him. I do agree that eventually the relationship between parents and children has to change, and shift, as the children become adult themselves. CS was right, when he told his mom that "[as time goes by], I will have to become your guardian/take care of you. [So let me be there for you in that way]." Then he went back to being a mommy's boy (not in a good way) by asking her to essentially "go solve/fix his problems," as you aptly put it (with JY, and with dad).

And mom had to be reassured that she didn't lose to JY? How insecured are you mom? Though I understand your need to not lose face and keep your pride. Also good for you (mom), for realizing that the sky didn't fall, when your son married a woman with only a High School degree. You still remained a part of the High Society in Korea (and I know how important that was to you). I am wondering if JY kept her work at YH's company. She was quite talented.

Jon G., I thought about you when I saw JK and CS biking. Did they use the same bikes (for both guys) they used at the beginning of the drama? I was curious about that.

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Ivoire, hi.
I'll try to answer what i think "i chose you" means. It is a great compliment to a parent for a child saying that. It is part of the whole belief system in the cycle of births and rebirths. There is some consciousness at play already at the moment of birth and possibly this could be due to the fact that in previous life you have achieved something as well to have that consciousness. Some go through life mindlessly and therefore may end up an animal at rebirth. But to be able to choose your own parents, that is something and your parents should be worthy of such choice. Hence, it puts much responsibility on the parents as well, to care for their children. It will be the child later who will take care of the parents and how well you do it also implies how you will be reborn. the cycle of births and rebirths can only be broken by achieving the highest level of consciousness. I am not sure if this makes sense. but that is the context i think of the phrase "I chose you".

thanks for the recaps. The comments made the whole watching bearable. A kdrama writer can improve his/her craft just by reading through the comments. This drama community rocks!

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That kind of goes along with "I want to be independent so I work part time as a commoner, while waited on by maids and butlers at home" thing.

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I should have known that YH won't change when in ep 2 or 3 she told her maid to pack sandwiches to give to Joonki and Ji Yin instead of doing it HERSELF. She even told the maid to make it look simple or something like that.

I have the same thought of, what the heck did I just watch?

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Haha.. yeah, I think that was my first real WTF?? moment for a warning signal.

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I agree although I felt they were the best laid out couple , I would have been just as happy if they had not ended up together. He literally did nothing but cry and drink to win her back. What changes or sacrifices did he do? I still don't understand the jump to marriage. They were broken up longer than they dated but they just suddenly decide hey lets get married!! I think they went on like three dates before they broke up and now they are married and having a baby. Great plan. I guess they can do whatever they want when they keep saying hey we can always divorce. I thought they would make jiyi pregnant and that would be the reason mom changes her mind. Since the show made such a big deal about them sleeping together. I'm glad they didn't but to me even that makes more sense.

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This whole show was such a dissapointment! And the finale was just as bland and boring as the rest of the show.

I was deceived by the promo material!

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That's way I never pay attention to promo. (Thank you, Disney, btw.)

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I'm very happy this is over.
I spent 16 hours on this, but the payoff of the 4 of them having a BBQ was really not worth it.
By the same token, I'm happy that Mask is over.

I'll be watching Few KDs live from now, to limit my disappointment n time wasted.

Thanks to HS, Mask, Time I may or may not love you, Hyde J& Me, etc., I finally learnt my lesson.

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Sorry but i never watched this drama thought if it was good i might give it a try ,sooooo many comments saying its the worst, even the recap. soooo many people can't be wrong i"ll skip it thank you.....
Seriously disappointed at last few episodes of mask ,just finished watching the ending & thought it was not that bad.

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I agree.. I stopped watching at episode 12. I started to despise the main actor and could't stand watching...

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Yes, the show was weird. I didn't understand anyone at all (well, except Ji-yi). Even the ones I was hoping to understand (Oppa?) turned out to be WTF.

But the fun parts were verrry fun. I'll remember Changsoo and Ji-yi's cuteness and openness with each other.

Thank you Heads and gummi for recapping this! :D

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Thanks for mentioning oppa! He wins WTF of the year award. With Yoon-Ha a close runner-up for not showing any emotion at his return.

But thanks for reminding me of what WAS good about this show: Chang Soo and Ji Yi. I'm going to remember that. And Park Hyung Sik's awesome haircut. And try to forget everything else.

Awesome commentary, HN2 and GM! You're right about the missed opportunities here and the creepy justification of the status quo. Mega-yuck.

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This drama show a fast progress, with all the quick love and relationship but the character development just stuck in the middle of nowhere.

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Exactly! At the end of the day CS did absolutely nothing to change who he was or make a real effort to be with JY as he should have if he loved her like he claimed. He didn't even get her back through any effort of his but had his mother talk her into re-dating him instead (not that JY's interactions with CS's mom aren't freaking adorable). It just hurts a little that at the end all the rich people have to do is whine and they get everything they want, it's up to the poor lovely saps who fell in love with them to shoulder all the real work in both private and business matters. Unless you're YW, then you just get screwed.

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@ suzy,

That was well said!!!!!! I was proud of CS when, in an earlier ep., he admitted to JY that he didn't know how to move (to another/lower neighborhood), and that essentially, he was scared. Acknowledging the issues we might have is a first (good) step.

However I found it very telling that in ep.15, CS kept telling JY that "she should move, especially since she was used to moving, (and he wasn't). CS was basically saying, "I am very comfortable with my position in life/society, and I don't wish to step out of my comfort zone, so I can try and be with you." (even though I know you won't marry a man whose family opposes the marriage). Let me at least show you what I would be willing to do for you, so I can be worthy of you. His body language, as he was saying that, was interesting as well.

I realized then, that CS had not really changed, over the course of 15 (and maybe 16) episodes. He still expected others to do the hard work (his mom, JY, etc...) and he still expected to reap the benefits, once the hard work had been done. He felt entitled to it. As he told his mom, "I want to be with you, and I want to be with JY. Mom, let me have my cake, and eat it too, with no consequences, whatsoever..."

And about this, "it’s up to the poor lovely saps who fell in love with them to shoulder all the real work in both private and business matters."
And aren't those poor lovely saps just lucky to be with CS, or around him? After all, you are the lucky one, if HE likes you or loves you, and if HE considers you his friend (I am being a little sarcastic, but I am sure you get it). What does it matter, if he puts you down, or reminds you that you are beneath him socially? Don't you know that you are still the lucky one?...

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I better watch IRY eventhough the rating is lower than High Society.?

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Much better than this crap-fest, don't know why it gets such low ratings compared to this mess. Perhaps something missing in the whole Korean vs Us thing as viewers.

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I didnt bother watching IRY till i read some comments in a previous thread about IRY. I got hooked within a couple of episodes. It's much much better than HS - and I say this as a HS fan who was quite addicted to the CS-JY pair.

I think its not doing well in the ratings because it has less romance as well as the fact that it focuses on psychology. Its just a matter of taste, i guess, and has nothing to do with quality. HS might be doing well because it is more mainstream than IRY.

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highly recommended, GREAT show

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I meant I Remember You

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haha...I need 'like' button right now!

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Thank you Heads and Gummimochi for recapping this show!
I thought the finale was fine but I wish the change in Joon Gi had come sooner, and that the show focused more on Yoon Ha's family (Ye Won vs Kyung Joon) and maybe the struggle of rich vs not as rich in Yoon Ha and Joon Gi's relationship.

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I'm impartial towards what the show was supposed to be focusing on, as long as it focused on something, which it unfortunately didn't.

The final two episodes had to wrap up so many loose ends. They did a relatively good job, considering that it was impossible in the first place.

I also like the fact that the show featured a downer ending.

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@ Jon G.,

What did you mean here, please "I also like the fact that the show featured a downer ending"?

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Well, that was disappointing. Why couldn't Yoon Ha have been the one to end up barefoot & pregnant since she had no business talent anyway, and Ji Yi been the one moving up at work and helping her man to grow up. That said, still charmed by the scene between Ji Yi and CS's mom. And by Chang's Soo's great smile when he finally got the girl. Even if he didn't really deserve her.

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@ AJK,

I loved this, " Why couldn’t Yoon Ha have been the one to end up barefoot & pregnant since she had no business talent anyway, and Ji Yi been the one moving up at work and helping her man to grow up?"

And yes, CS didn't really deserve JY.

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I don't see where Yoon Ha contributed anything at all to the company. Even her ideas for publicity came mostly from Ji Yi. And how could she not even know what SNS was?

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<Well, Yoon-ha sighs, she doesn’t suppose she’ll be getting married anytime soon, since the man she loves won’t propose.

Well, you know, you could propose yourself.

Not that I care – Yoon-ha's and Joon-ki's "love" for each other doesn't add up for me. I still think she's more in love with the idea of being in love and with Joon-ki we got some bullshit story of that he fell for her right from the start (whatever). I think he'd have been a much more interesting character if his intentions had been to use her from the beginning to the end, and if they hadn't ended up together.

Disappointing that this drama has higher ratings than I Remember You. Why is that? The acting, writing, story, characters, everything is better in I Remember You.

I'm glad this finished, I'm glad I stopped watching very early on (I saw the signs somewhere between ep 2 and 3) and I'm going to avoid UEE dramas like the plague from now on and will probably be hesitant with Sung Joon's too.

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probs Hyun Sik and UEE fans?!
though Hyun sik isn't doing that much of a stiff character job as uhhum coughcough

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Yes, "I remember you" was/is better on almost every dimension.

However, I don't think the acting was that bad, for example. Im Ji-yun and especially Yoon Ji-hye did very, very well; Go Du-shim was much better than in most of his other performances; Yang Hee-gyung was very solid.

Of course, Lee Sang-woo acted poorly (and got a ridiculous role on top of it); Park Hyung-shik's acting is very limited; and I'm not even getting started about Uee.

As for YH and JK, their arc was, I agree, wasted. It dabbled in socio-philosophical waters for a short while, but in the end, the writer didn't have the balls to do anything meaningful with it.

It was very clear (Sung Joon's acting at least) that JK was "interested" in YH when he first met her in the hotel (even though we, the viewers, didn't know at that point whether he recognised her or not).
However, it wasn't love-at-first-sight. Because, first of all, love-at-first-sight doesn't exist, and second, JK as presented in the show, is rational enough to know that. Which means he tricks YH once again when he takes her to the hotel to "confess" in this episode. And on one level, that's okay by me, because it means you are essentially right: YH doesn't love JK and JK doesn't love YH, they just found a way to continue their mutual and somewhat involuntary deception.
That's also in line with many other "resolutions" of the show: YH's mother, who is totally changed and exactly the same; YH's father, who doesn't give a shit; CS, who is just the same lazy elitist jerk he was in the beginning.

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No the acting wasn't all bad here, but it the two leads should not have been leads because they can't carry a drama. That's why I think the acting in I Remember You is better – because those actors are perfectly capable of carrying a drama on their shoulders.

Yoonha's mother is mind-boggling to me. Not buying at all that she magically now has even an ounce of sympathy and interest in her youngest daughter.

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Well, in theory, HS is less focused on the lead character(s) as IRY. In IRY, Lee Hyun is front and center of the show. HS is much more of an ensemble drama (Sung Joon did a very good job as the lead in another ensemble drama by the writer -- because his role suited him better and it was better supported by the other characters and actors).

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Hmmm, maybe. Hyun is centre of the show in the sense that he ties everything together, but then it's crime procedural, which are always very ensemble-ish.

HS... I'm not sure I would call HS an ensemble drama as a romance melo (not sure how to exactly qualify it). The romance should normally take centre stage. Which means there should a focus on the lead couple, meaning you need capable actors. However, the second couple ended up getting lots of airtime, but I'm not even sure if that was planned or whether that just happened because that couple was more popular and, acting-wise, the second couple was quite a bit better than first, so maybe the producers of the show realised if they gave the lead couple too much airtime, no one would be watching it anymore? Especially since UEE was the main narrative thread from which everything unfolded but she was the weakest of them all!

I've only seen Sung Joon in Shut Up Flower Boy Band and (bits) Discovery of Romance, in which he was okay – serviceable – , but I wouldn't call him a great or fantastic actor.

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Hmmm, maybe. Hyun is centre of the show in the sense that he ties everything together, but then it’s crime procedural, which are always very ensemble-ish.

But IRY isn't. The whole police force are, as characters, very underdeveloped and get no focus at all. Even the female lead is mostly just there to shed lights on Hyun (even though she's really, really well designed and portrayed).

The "more" central characters are the other two from the psycho-trio, but they are not PoV characters (or haven't been in the first half of the show).

I’m not sure I would call HS an ensemble drama as a romance melo (not sure how to exactly qualify it). The romance should normally take centre stage.

I don't think HS is a romance melo in the traditional sense. I don't think it was supposed to be one either (judging by the writer's previous works).

The writer put a lot of effort into all kinds of relationships and -- from the start -- not that much into the two lead romances.

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I know, I'm agreeing with you that IRY isn't ensemble-ish, though I would have expected it to be.

I don't know what HS was intending to be. I certainly didn't think it was going to be an ensemble show, I'm not sure it is one or not. I would have expected more focus on the lead couple, but I think the second lead couple got just as much time (nearly) though I'm not sure that was part of the original plan. Whatever the case, whether it's ensemble or not, the lead couple did get a solid chunk of time (even with other character relationships happening around them) so that they needed to be able to carry they show, also because YH tied everything together (not as much as/in the manner that Hyun does though). They failed miserably, both because the characters were terribly written and because the actors weren't good enough.

That's my opinion at least.

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the two leads should not have been leads because they can’t carry a drama.

The funny thing is that Sung Joon is perfectly capable of doing just that, but so far it's only on cable. Shut Up Flower Boy Band wasn't a one-off, and he was excellent there and pretty much held the cast together as well as covering for the greenness of his rookie castmates. but it appears there are still limits to what he can do.

As for Uee, I generally thought of her as an ok actress who has good chemistry with her costars ......but she's still no more than average. And that's being generous here, especially since she gets hyped as some super great actress among idols (I wonder how this role would have turned out and if we'd like Yon-ha better if she had been played by someone who had a great deal more personal charm and didn't look permanently pissed off. Someone like Choi Soo-young, for instace?)

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I didn't watch past episode 2 of I Remember You since Big 3 procedural dramas have tended to be really dull, but listening to you guys sing its praises makes me think I could give this a shot.

If I can make myself endure 16 hours of this budget Nice Guy ripoff trying and failing miserably to do what its predecessor in the time slot did, I damn well deserve a nice drama to make up for this. And I can't believe crap like this ends up with double digit ratings, sometimes there really is no justice.

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I'm not into crime procedurals at all (as you: dull's the word!)... but I noticed in the OTs that people kept praising the drama and characters. So I started skimming the caps a bit and then just watched starting from ep. 10. I don't intend to go back as I know enough of the plot from the recaps (just not all the details: e.g. no idea why we've got a cohabiting situation with the leads) but with the two episodes I watched just kept thinking: What refreshing leads! A female lead where I keep shouting Yes!!! in my head.

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I liked the mother-in-law fgure more than any of the other characters.... we could have a whole drama dealing with her dilemmas ahhAhahhhHHhaha

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I honestly don't think this drama is as bad as everyone is making it out to be. I do agree that the pacing of the show was way off, I think the writer was over-ambitious with the characters and realized she only had 16 episodes to work with so she had to smush everything into the available episodes. I think that this drama could have benefitted from a few extra episodes but the writer might have used it to create unnecessary angst so I'm glad that didn't happen. The things I did enjoy about the drama were some of the characters. Lee Ji-yi is a how I think writers should write Candy characters from now on. She's bright but not annoyingly so. She's amazingly mature and worldly even though she hasn't seen much of the world, she's got a good head on her shoulders and she doesn't let herself be pushed around. I really like how she was the reason she and Chang-soo broke up and not because of his meddling mother. She took her life into her own hands and thought 'if this guy isn't going to fight for me, then I don't want to be here'. She loves him but she's not going to let his mother dictate what happens in their relationship. Yoon-ha is a stark contrast to Ji-yi. She is so naive even for all the exposure she has. She is a character who hits too close to home for me so I adored her to no end. I wanted to protect her, to keep her out of harm's way all the time. She grew up in a family where no one cares about her, it's no wonder she's so easy to manipulate. After having received no love all her life, it only makes sense that she'd fall for the first guy who was nice to her. And it only makes sense that she'd give up after discovering that he only wanted her for her background, the thing she hates most about herself. I like how she is always so respectful to her parents though, no matter how much they screwed up her life she never raised her voice at them, even when she disagreed with them it was in a respectful way. I wish a better actress had played this character though, in fact the only character I think was perfectly cast was Im Ji-yeon as Lee Ji-yi, she owned that role hands down. I love when I re-discover an actor I had initially dismissed. Before it was Gu Hye-sun in Angel Eyes, and now it's Sung Joon as Choi Joon-gi. I always used to be utterly bored by Sung Joon's characters, Lie To Me, White Christmas (which I never finished anyway cause BORING!), Gu Family Book (although in his defense, I barely watched that drama so...) but I really like this character and his acting here. Choi Joon-gi is not an easy character to play because in the first few episodes, his emotions needed to be conveyed subtly but I think he performed well enough, I believed his every word and action when he needed me to do so. His little glances whenever his conscience started to trouble were moments I loved the most. Of course when he becane openly affectionate with Yoon-ha too. I was a bit disappointed when the cast was announced and I hoped it was...

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...anyone but him, but at the end of the day I'm glad he got the part. The main character I disliked the most was probably Chang-soo. It's no fault of the actor because I think he was pretty okay but I just could not feel any sympathy for his character. I like him well enough when he's having back and forths with Ji-yi but I cannot feel any of his pain, it feels a little too 'poor little rich boy' for my taste.
This drama's writing could have been a whole lot better, a few characters like the middle sister were really unnecessary. I saw Yoon-ha's mom's about-face coming but I wished it had started happening a few episodes earlier and developed over the course of the episodes instead of being abruptly dumped on us. All in all, the drama could have been a whole lot better but I don't regret spending 16 hours of my life watching it. I'll probably have to go find some more Sung Joon dramas to try now that this is over.

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Finally someone else who thinks this drama is not as bad as it was painted. Yoon Ha's character developed exactly the way a naive character who lives in a fantasy world would develop. her family life was not great and in her head she had all these great ideas about how she could be different and how amazing she would be if she had free rein over her life. By taking the part time job, she thought she was figuring it all out and she had to learn the hard way that all her thoughts were just a fantasy. I liked the fact that she reconciled with her reality pretty fast and accepted her incompetence at work and at life and began trying harder. As for CS I think it is unfair thinking here when we assume it would have been a great step in character development to leave home and work out how the other class lives. I like that he figured out how to keep his family,his money and get the girl. I liked this drama and I would watch it again.

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Seriously I think this is the worst drama of Sung Joon. I haven't seen Lie To Me and Gu Family Book but didnt he only play a very small part in those? He is great as a lead in SUFBB, White Christmas, I Need Romance 3, Discovery of Romance! I would highly recommend those if you want to see more of Sung Joon :)

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I absolutely will not watch Discovery of Romance because I abhor Jung Yumi's character in that, I saw about two episodes and I wanted to reach into my screen and slit her throat (the character's not the actress). I can't watch White Christmas, started but was bored out of my mind so I had to stop. I was avoiding SUFBB and INR2013 because I thought they were just like the others in their respective installments, but I heard that SUFBB was nothing like FBRS and FBND and INR2013 was nothing like INR1&2 so I might give those a try soon.

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Yeah SUFBB is one of my all-time fav K-dramas (the other is Misaeng). I Need Romance 3 is not that great but Sung Joon was great in it. Enjoy!

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< I think the writer was over-ambitious with the characters and realized she only had 16 episodes to work with so she had to smush everything into the available episodes

Overly ambitious? I think the writer had no idea what she wanted to do with the characters, in particular Yoon-ha.

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What I meant was, the writer probably planned to give us a lot of complex characters in the beginning, but realized she didn't have much time to do everything so she ended up sacrificing some characters for the others. I wished it wasn't the lead pair in favour of the second lead pair though, but she ended up developing them and leaving the main pair floundering for a few episodes.

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How did this even rate more than I remember you?
THe femle protagonist in I remember you is actually logical and nonstereotypical (i.e. stabbing her attacker with a pen- practical and realistic as opposed to pulling a few weak punches and let the attacker overwhelm her but before she falls unconscious, said heroine must look pretty and the hair has got to fall all nice and shiet)

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The Kyung-joon plot twist was such a waste. He really should've just stayed missing or dead. More poignant that way. Ye-won seemed more dynamic than most of the women in this drama. Yoon-ha still makes no sense to me. Ji-yi being heavily pregnant had my jaw slack for literally five minutes. I couldn't believe it. Ha, she's gonna be a bickering wife but Chang-soo seems amused by it. I like them together, their storyline not so much. And really though... a year later and Joon-ki doesn't know how to propose correctly? Or is that just the way their relationship works?
Overall, I wasn't expecting much from this drama but surprisingly, I'm disappointed. A very weak heroine and a hero often overshadowed by the second male lead. At least I've discovered the charming Park Hyungsik who I haven't seen till this drama. What a cutiepie... signing out.

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Sung Joon needs to go back to cable shows? I feel that he was so reluctantly going through the last episode. He looks pained most of the time, especially in the scene where Joon Ki proposed to Yoon Ha!
I have no more words for UEE. I will avoid dramas starring her from now on... To me she is worse than Jin Se-yeon.
And is it me or Yi Ji is just so manipulative towards Chang Soo's mom? I like her and I love the Chang Soo- Yi Ji couple, but I always feel a bit taken aback by how sly Yi Ji can be evidenced by how she deals with Chang Soo's mom.
All in all, yawn. This show was such a disappointment. Not that I had high hopes anyway, but it was good the few first episodes. I should have believed my intuition when I saw the promo materials. There were hot kisses, but that's it.

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Thanks HeadsNo2 and gummimochi for the recaps. They definitely helped me to finish this show...

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Oh, I thought I was the only one. It felt as if someone was forcing him to say his lines by the end of the drama. And that proposal scene at the end, the worst that I've seen in korean dramas so far. I guess he figured out the mess and just wanted out by the end.

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I'm not sorry I stopped watching this show midway, and happy to have spent more time with the recaps and comments. Although it seemed like the plot absurdities would appeal to me funny way, ultimately it was better to let this one go. Second leads hwaiting!

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This show is a hot mess! Except for Chang Soo, Ji Yi, Chang Soo's adorable Omma, Joon Gi's parents, in the later half of the show Joon Gi and to my own surprise Yoon Ha's older sister Ye Won nothing made sense to me. Chang Soo and Ji Yi, they were nothing spectacular but their story had so much heart that you can't just not root for them. And the fact that Chang Soo played an elaborate game of chicken with his mother involving beautifully done drunk crying sequence makes me laugh. He wasn't your classic hero who gives it all up and makes grand gesture, he does the long con to get what he wants. Ji Yi from start to finish was a well written, hardworking character with a good head on her shoulder....yes she has the candy traits but still she held her ground and got what she wanted along with the family approval the right way. Chang Soo's mother, just give her the most adorable Cheabol mother of the year and she is someone who actually cares to help her daughter-in-law adjust to the household, that's new. Joon Gi was likable in the second half, that's it and I still don't understand his character or what it was supposed to be as I am not sure the writers knew themselves.
Lets take a moment for Ye Won. For me, Kyung Joon was a jackass entitle son of a bitch who just shouldn't get to walk away with the money. I know Ye Won did some questionable business dealing in the beginning but I actually felt how mistreated she was in the household. The lack of appreciation, the lack of proper support from her parents and being thrown aside just because she was a female heir rather than a male heir, I could feel it. I felt her anger, her resentment and as misguided as it was her ambitions. I think the actor did a bang up job portraying a character. It was nothing but the acting did bring out some depth in her which is not small victory. I just don't know why Yoon Ha gets the position at the end, it left me with a bad taste.
Anyway, now that this drama is over, I hope IRY can rise in ratings as it deserves as a thousand times more well written drama and acted drama. And lets promise that I will never fall for beautiful kissing promos in the future as despite those promos the leads can actually make you cringe with their screen presence.

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I quit watching this many episodes ago, BUT I have really enjoyed reading the recaps. Thank you so much for that.

(And I've halfway decided I should draw a K-Drama toon titled, "2nd Lead Love" where the story centers on the NOT main characters boring story, but the cute and funny/heartwarming love line of the friends/2nd leads.)

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“You lost the day you were born. Why can’t you acknowledge that? No matter how well you do, you can’t win against me. I win from being born this way.” I liked you better when you were dead.

Preach it.

Seriously though, is he supposed to be a sympathetic character?

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Kyung-joon really did die.

That was just somebody whose life was destroyed when he was a kid, so he had plastic surgery and is there for revenge.

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This is gold.

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Well, Kyung-joon certainly does come across as a psychopath by the end.

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+1

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I love this actor. I can't believe a writer put those words in his mouth.

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I have been lurking at drama beans for years, but this is my first time commenting. I just want to thank all those people who have been commenting on the recap articles, because I enjoyed reading them more than the drama itself. The drama had its own merits, but I egarly waited for the recaps and all the comments. I also want to thank the recapers for their hard work every week

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only one word to describe this drama...monochrome. could have been so exciting and more angsty, but fell oh so very flat.

the second leads were the only thing stopping it from crashing and burning!

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Funny thing is, for me, it's almost the opposite: The second lead couple was the most boring and conventional part; and I for one, really appreciate the lack of overly melodramatic filling.

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Ye-won for president. I know she's evil, but at least she doesn't fake her own death and threaten the very existence of the family company, and she's straightforward about it.

Here's what I think happened with Kyung-Joon: when he vanished, I think there was a plan to have him reappear, expose Ye-Won's underhandedness, then salvage the company and reestablish it under a combined Kyung-Joon/Yoon-ha benevolent leadership after a merger. But while he was away the writers got incredibly drunk and forgot about that plot thread, and then at the last minute went "crap, we forgot about him!" and pulled him back in, only to realize that they'd made Yoon-ha into a horrible executive and Ye-Won into the only remotely sane person in her family. So now Kyung-Joon reappears and looks like a selfish insane person.

I do love that Chan Soo and Ji Yi so expertly handled his mother, though that was mostly based on his mother being willing to make those changes. Still, it was kind of nice seeing a chaebol's family accept the son's choice in partner with no trickery or family rifts.

Other than that, this entire series was a surreal contrast with "I Remember You", since I'd watch that and be absolutely delighted with the clever writing and plotting and consistent characterizations, then watch "High Society" and think these writers are completely negligent.

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When Kyung-joon said he won because of the way he was born, at first I thought he meant because he is the male heir. However, later I thought, it could also mean that he won because he was born with a good heart and Ye-won was not.
Given all the circumstances of their conversation, Kyung-joon's character and his wish to see Yoon-Ha succeed the later made more sense to me.
Just my take.

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<he was born with a good heart

Good heart? I think that's debatable. Faking your death is a cruel and selfish thing to do when there are people who love you. And I also remember how he took care of Chang-soo after the blind date with Yoon-ha.

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And Kyung-joon has a child! Did his daughter think he was dead?!

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I do remember an earlier recap in which HeadsNo2 observed that Kyung Joon might not be as nice as we all thought. Great observation.

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To be honest if it was for the sake of keeping my moral value intact I would run too.
The decision he made was wrong. However, according to what he told Yoon-Ha he didn't think at that time that there was anyway he could escape his fate, fixed by his parents (in my words without turning his family in for their shady business, something he tried really hard to change ).

Taking his perspective I would say he thought his death would hurt them less than his betrayal.
But since he got caught, he didn't have a choice but to come out since his family already knows he exists.

He basically had three options he could think of:
1. Keep quiet while his family deliver poison to public
2. Turn his family in for what they are doing
3. Leave and keep his hand clean
He chose the last option.

I don't think he is angel. He is flawed no doubt. But I wouldn't suddenly start hating on him out of nowhere. Last episode didn't give me a new reason to hate him. That's what I think.

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Also, I wouldn't feel too sorry for his family when he disappeared.
Almost all of them are seriously self-absorbed.
Specially his mother. Her favoritism towards Kuyng-Joo was wrong to begin with. She neglected her other children and took care of the child that will hold the most power.
I am not sure how much consideration she deserves from any member of her family.
Yoon-Ha though hurt moved on with her life.
I am not even gonna discuss his dad and the other two.
The only person who could have seriously been harmed in the process is his daughter. She is the only reason I would call his decision a stupid move.

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I think someone mentioned this on one of the earlier recaps, but High Society really does feel like the first draft of a much better drama. There's potential, and given a few revisions and some polishing, smoothing out of character trajectories and better acting, I could see this being very good...but things just didn't gel.

One thing I did like was how flawed everyone was. And contrary to others, I *liked* seeing how easily privileged characters like Chang-soo and Kyung-joon got their way, because that's realistic and the very definition of privilege-- it softens blows and gives them things on a silver platter that everyone else has to fight tooth and nail for. I kinda got the feeling the writer wanted to do a cynical study of class and privilege but also wanted a romcom with a happy ending at the same time, and the two just really didn't mix well.

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Amen to every word you wrote! The story needed a completely different focus than just the growing-up of our 4 main leads. Obviously the initial idea was something different and way darker than what we finally watched. Perhaps the cast didn't fit in that scenario or the project, for various reasons, couldn't take that route.

There were moments of absolute truth: YH's mother deep psychological dependence on her only son (despite the fact that she's a mother of four and a wife to a serial cheater), JK's mother and her words of wisdom, JY's original thoughts on romance and what it means in real life (opposites do not always attract and if they do they might not be able to "live happily ever after") and of course, JK's attitude towards love, money and his ultimate question on the "golden ratio"of those to a person's morality or, even better, to a person's character

Nevertheless, those moments were not many and certainly, not enough. After Warm Words, I was expecting something more complicated from those writers than just their first draft. Even though I enjoy a hot and carefree summer, I wouldn't mind to be given more food for thought than those mere crumbs

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Ditto. I think that this was in the end the drama that committed halfway. That maybe it was supposed to be super dark and the ending moral really was "everything is entitled to the privileged" and that of course CS and YH got their happy endings like they demanded because at the end of the day their money, even if given second hand, does mean that the world will cater to their every desire. This may be stockholm's or something, but I think that High Society was showing that this is the reality of our social system,
1. "Hard work means less than being male"
2."those who have money feed off of those who have talent"
3."with money you can buy success but maybe not happiness/sanity"
The show did give us consolation that Mama Lee was our moral compass and the only one who was truly happy, even without money. If that's really the case then the show could have been pretty darn amazing, but instead it was afraid to make viewers too uncomfortable ended up overpadding with rom-com fluffies.

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I agree with Suz. High Society shows the reality of our social system.
Aside from that, it's interesting how CS managed to get both JY and his mom by being forlorn about their break-up and realizing that JY meant what she said about dating and marriage. The mom kept her good heart in giving in to her child and she also gets a daughter-in-law she likes.
As for YH, I find that her luck on being the sheltered chaebol's daughter remained. Her trust in her brother and his perspective on their reality made her realize to mend their relationships.
I love Mama Lee, too! JK realized his luck with his parents being supportive and accepting of him, in contrast to YH's family and a contrast to CS's mom who tried to remain focused on their social standing.

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I actually think Chang Soo changed a lot.

I don't know what the viewers want him to do. CS loves his mom, probably more than Ji Yi. He does everything his mom asked as he said even he did not agree at times, because she is his mom. If he can solve the issue without making anyone upset, why not?

What do viewers want? Get out of the house and work from the start? Isn't that too typical? Beside, CS already told his mom that is not an option, because JY will not agree to it since she does not want a marriage not blessed by the family. So his only option is to show his mother that because of JY, he has changed and become more mature. He will work hard on his own, support JY and his mom when his mom grows old. By making his mom his alliance, he can be with both JY and his mom.

From a man who does not want to get married but used marriage as a tool, he totally change his own conviction. By getting married to Ji Yi, it also probably means he will not be taking over the company but he is willing to make the sacrifice. He realised that living happily is more important than anything else.

He also said he wanted to be a responsible man. He said by getting married, he wants to feel responsible and work hard to support his family. I actually think he grew up a lot. From a boy who asked for a private plane to a man who wants to work to support the family.

I like CS and his mom. Their interaction are the best. So cute. I rather they explore more of their relationship than YH and her family. So many problems yet none really resolved.

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<Get out of the house and work from the start? Isn’t that too typical?

Is it? From this drama I'd say the typical is stick with your rich life and privileges and let others do the work for you. Yoon-ha stays in her cushiony place too.

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And what is wrong with staying?

U get to stay with your parents. JY will not agree to be with him if the parents disagree, so what will he be left he leaves. No gf and no family?

I would think it is selfish to leave your parents for love, especially for CS since both his parents love and dotes him.

At least both CS/YH are trying to work harder than before.

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You asked about typical, not whether it was right or wrong.

Whether it is right or wrong is a much more complex discussion, I'd say it depends on the situation because, yes, there are situations when it is better to leave your parents for love. If Yoon-ha had found a loving partner (sorry, her relationship with Joon-ki is totally unconvincing), leaving her vicious mother (whose 180 degree turn-around is also unconvincing), I would have said, that's a family you should selfishly leave because no blood ties make emotional abuse like she suffered worth it.

<At least both CS/YH are trying to work harder than before.

I guess? But the real question is, did Yoonha get her director position at Taejin because of actual skills or because of her name and connections? I'm feeling cynical because British media was just circulating a study on this issue last week (how less able kids from wealthy backgrounds do better (i.e. earn more) than gifted kids from poorer backgrounds...).

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Name and connections obviously it is just that in her head she always assumed she was naturally talented. Once the reality that she was not as fantastic at work as she thought she began to change. I just think that the writers and possibly the actress did not convey her realizations about her weaknesses quite well.

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Being born with smarts, being born with connections. Both are actually useful for getting things done. A kid can't help it if he wasn't born as smart, just as a kid can't help it if he wasn't born as rich.

I'm not saying the world isn't unfair. But as someone who was born very smart, I am also well aware of how little I did to be this way. I chose to cultivate it, true; but some things are just easier for me.

I use what I was born with and what I aquire. So do rich kids. Of course, my goals in life mostly pertain to my immortal soul, and as long I can eat and not freeze I'm good. So, my perspective is a little ambivalent.

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There is something very wrong with the world when this boring piece of garbage doubles the ratings of a really excellent show like I Remember You. So sad.

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If this show had actually stuck with the original hype - "undercover chaebol" - it could have worked. But that arc lasted about 2-3 episodes, and went off the rails really fast.

Do all the really bad scripts come out in the summer season?

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Yeah, I certainly agree. It feels like the writers just had to time to organize their ideas after episode 9th 10th or so. All the scenes after that were just scrambled up.

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I think the 4 leaders acting skills are bad. The difference was UEE and SJ have zero charisma and zero chemistry. PHS and JY are charismatic and have chemistry. That helped them.

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Thanks for the recap!
What I like best about this - as I think - rather mediocre show is the character development of Joon-ki in regard to Chang-soo.
I even was a bit surprised about how forthright Joon-ki spoke after his confession and how his honesty made him feel much better. It was as if he had freed himself from his feelings of inferiority and his cruel ambitions. He became equal to Chang-so and was not his underling anymore.
And only as an equal he was able to respond to Chang-soo's friendship.
I liked Joon-ki a lot when he became so blunt and I found it very sweet that he really cared about Chang-soo and told him so.

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I guess that I'm the only person who liked watching Chang Soo out-manipulate his mother. He knew that his parents disapproved of marriage to Ji Yi, he knew that Ji Yi would no longer date if they had to break up eventually, and he knew that Ji Yi would not marry him without his parents' approval. I was prepared for Noble Sacrifice, if not Noble Idiocy. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Chang Soo was more clever and ruthless than he looked. He ended up with both Ji Yi and his chaebol life. Well played. And Ji Yi, in her own smaller way, also manipulated the mother, so both of them showed some backbone, in stark contrast to bumbling, confused Yoon Ha.

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I agree. I'm pleased with Chang Soo and Ji Yi's victory. Chang Soo basically called his mother's bluff. She realized she wasn't as cruel as some chaebol moms and folded. I never thought she was truly evil. It made sense she finally gave in. And Ji Yi delivered the closing blow with such finesse, convincing Mom to actually beg her to date her son. Ji Yi rocks!

Yoon-Ha's mom and dad, on the other hand, will have Joon-Ki assassinated, right?

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After the brother.

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I didn't like the CS-JY ending. I think it's quite insulting to JY for CS to have his mother "bring her up to level". And for JY to accept that change.

I wish they'd have shown JiYi continuing her work in TaeJin in a much more senior position. Isn't that what should be more important? that she finds her success in things she loves, rather than trying to be someone she's not? If she were to be a success career wise and at the same level as CS, then what would anyone have to complain about "levels"?

I also found it jarring for YH to be working in TJ. Plus JK lost a lot of his earlier spunk and seemed kind of sad and low, even if he was smiling.

I really wish YH had started her own company, like her original plan, and JY, CS and JK worked as executives there. That way CS would still be in a position with power, but wouldn't be under the thumb of his family and JY would feel more at the same level as him.

But I did enjoy a lot of the drama - mainly the CS-JY parts. I liked the CS-JK resolution and bromance. Anyway, I'm glad I watched HS, but won't be recommending it to my friends.

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The ratings...I for the life of me can never understand why it's 2x more than I Remember You. I really hope this doesn't discourage the people making IRY. It would be pity if such a fine drama went downhill towards because of ratings. I remember Healer had the same case with low ratings...but it was never this bad. I don't understand Korean viewers... No hard feelings to High Society fans though, just my opinion :)

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One last thought about this drama. I have noticed a lot of people are starting to take Ye-Won's side.
For me personally, just because she is pitiful, there is no reason to take her side.
She obviously has a questionable character and low moral values. She resembles her dad the most out of all of his children.
She might have been mistreated by her parents, but that is no reason to find excuses for her behavior, values, actions.
Also, it is not anything like what Yoon-Ha had to go through.
She does what she does is because she is not a good person and would do anything to achieve her goal.

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I’d hoped to see them face classism and question the whole classic rich vs. poor pairing in their relationship.

yeah, well, this isn't Heard It Through the Grapevine, which did exactly that - and happened to be High Society's predecessor in its time slot.

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Were the ratings for this show simply because it was the final (and everyone who gave up watching wanted to see how it ended) or has it been consistently higher ratings than i remenber you?

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actually it has been consistent,it had started with 7.3 and then it has been increasing at each episode till it reached 9 point something and then the last ep was the highest( 10.1), this was for nationwide but for seoul the rating was higher(11.1).seoul always has higher ratings I don know why

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Good drama and it is worth to watch love uee acting and all the cast are good

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I just had to watch the ending kiss again. Sung Joon is sure one of the best kissers in dramaland!

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High society is a good drama .i don't know why most of peple here make it as the worst drama and yoonah acting is so good don't know why people here hate her acting

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Because she has two expressions - mouth closed deadpan blank face and mouth open deadpan blank face.

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Love the 2 couples especialy joongah couple they were good also i am sad that this drama jas only 16 episode

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Yoonha is probly one of the most annoying heroines i've come across in awhile. imperfection is fine, but she's just.../sorry i had mental breakdown just trying to make sense of her words and actions/ i'm surprised she end up the director? like...will the company be safe under her helm...like...at all?
Joonki's dramatic change...i could never understand but Yoonha manage to cover up for him by being so...annoying. Yes(not even hating the actress but the character itself was bad enough...she just does not make sense at all)
Yoonha's brother's words there about the sister is loser since born is just tacky as /insert cursing word/ this guy is shameless n just eh...
I feel bad for Yewon...for trying so hard to be the baddie when she's just the only one who make sense.
Thanks for the recaps...you've worked hard on this mental breakdown trainwreck.

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i already dropped this drama in 4th episode, the time i love you also in 4th episode, and oh my ghost in 2nd episode. the only remaining drama i watch is i remember you :D and just by looking at the comment, i think i decide the right thing

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A disappointing ending but a very satisfying set of comments from headsNo2 and GummiMochi. You're right on.

Somewhere along the line we got a bait-and-switch. The writer provided convincing reasons for the rich and not-so-rich to misunderstand each other. But in the end the problems appeared to be solved simply: by Joon Ki knowing his place and leaving his career. And by Yoon-Ha's mom giving up any crazy notions of independence. And Ye-Won basically coming in second place yet again. It's a really depressing ending. (Oppa should go to jail, right? And maybe a mental ward.)

Only thing that made sense at the end: that Chang Soo and Joon Ki are friends again. I just wish we knew how it happened.

What a waste, because there are some things that worked about this show, enough that I kept watching. But boy, I wish I hadn't watched the last four episodes.

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Thank you both for the recaps and all of your hard work! I don't have much to say after the finale that hasn't been said. Let's just hope everyone moves on to better projects--including our recappers.

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TBH, I did understand this drama but on a conceptual level. It however wasn't probably fleshed out though - it felt like themes that could take up at least 50 episodes.

I wonder if part of the cognitive dissonance between the dramabeans community and the Korean audience comes from cultural difference. I see this drama as a commentary really on family dynamics - between prioritizing the happiness of the individual over filial piety, and I think, a very large unaddressed problem in Asia about enmeshed mothers. I'm sure there are overseas Asians here in this community but the problem is a lot more severe for those who still currently live there and would, I think, seem completely irrational to the overseas Asians. But that is a social more that has been inculcated amongst those who live here and the family is seen as sacred - but the younger generation who has been exposed to Western values through globalisation see it as faulty, even abuse and many 'leave' - maybe by moving overseas etc.

The writer seems to me to be saying that b middle ground is essential - because it's pragmatic. You can't possibly leave to make your own way without your family's support but instead of burying your individual wishes - you should fight back and even exploit the resources your family background has. Which is what Yoon Ha's brother return (and triumph) and CS' ending was supposed to signify. About enmeshed mothers, psychologically they claim to love their sons but are normally unwilling to allow them to make their own decision or let their sons form their own family unit by marrying someone they love. I think that's what CS meant at the end - that he wanted to be responsible by forming a family life of his own. But he still chooses his mother - as in he wants her to be his ally not enemy.

Sometimes the intent of leaving or having left temporarily helps to reset boundaries in a relationship and that to me, was what the drama showed although no one left their relationships - which I think the writer should have bit the bullet on that.

Some relationships really do have to be cut off but it's an unspoken taboo in Asian societies.

Sorry for the rant but just thought I wanted to speak up in defense of the writer!

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honestly, from the comments I've seen the Korean audience doesn't seem to think the characters' actions vs their statements of intention make any more sense than we at db do - whatever the writer's intention may have been, it appears inconsistent and messily executed on both sides of the pond.

And if this was intended to be a commentary on class, family dynamics, people's relationships with the system into which they're born and parent-child relations, I have to say (as I did before) that Heard It Through the Grapevine actually did all of that, and did it a thousand times better, so it's not even as if such stories aren't possible within the kdrama format.

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Lots of psychological and sociological approaches of the writers are surpisingly universal. In countries where family comes before anything else (like in the Mediterranean), those phenomena are so common- money or no money. Mothers choose their sons as their allies, neglect their daughters and there's a constant battle between children for their parents' affection.
It's not the position inside the father's company that's so important, it's the display of love to only one of his children; it's not the mother's depression after loosing her son that makes the rest of the family so miserable, it's the obvious statement through her grief that the daughters are meaningless to her and so on.
But let's not forget that this is just a TV series and, although they did try to explore those kind of relationships, the result was not exactly what we might have in mind. The characters did not deliver all those complicated family dynamics you described and therefore the audiences preferred watching more romance to a thesis on dysfanctional families.

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I really don't know how I feel about this drama. lol. Disappointment? On one hand it did tie up most loose ends, on the other it did them so flatly.

- The 2nd couple had more chemistry then the main, basically my only reason for watching. I skipped all the family parts after a while.
- I don't think any of the characters showed any believable growth. Joong-ki does but he spend so much of the drama being a mystery (wooden plank with deep stares) that I couldn't become attached to him. Btw, I know Sung Joon can act better then this so I blame directing or writer.
- Also, what is up with Yoon-Ha's mom doing a 180 in personality? WTF. It just wasn't believable, this is a person who said they wished their daughter was dead.
- The brother faked his own death and honestly didn't feel much fanfare when he came back. Besides his mom, I expected more emotions from everyone. If they are trying to make it feel realistic… no one can bounce back from that unless given time. Like there was nothing to show everyone going through the stage of acceptance.

I could go on, but honestly so many plot holes. Overall, a lot of buildup on obstacles they faced only to have them solved with mediocre solutions. Did they change writers mid way or have some drama behind scenes? Seriously. :/

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I think that if we just read through the level of discourse, disagreements, analyses and yes, frustrations coming out, this drama may actually deserve its ratings. There is enough 'meat' to chew on. Successful execution is a different matter. I have no training on drama writing. I can only claim understanding of personal growth and society from experience and living a bit longer than probably most of you here. Having a support system clues in to a lot of growth occurring. In Grapevine, we had a chorus of them starting with the tutor, and even close friends. The law profession helpful backdrop. There were some deux ex machina though in Grapevine. In here/HS, we had only family. JK will surely not be totally unredemptive with a mother and father like that. Yes, he made a mistake with YH and tried to correct it. YH was weakly explored. Growing up in such a household would account for her own weakness. Not really having friends, except for JY, who was fairly new in her life was not quite enough. The brother gave her a boost but with the mess he made, that added up to her confusion. I like that she realised she was not quite good enough in the business and would have liked her to resolve that part. What would be a less mediocre solution for this? I like the JK and CS friendship. While the CS-JY relationship was acted well and fairly developed, The source of JY's strength and wisdom was not quite clear to me. CS was stereotypical, except for his relationship with his mum, which was refreshing. The point is, yes, a tighter narrative would have been more satisfying. Better acting from the leads, too. Why do i get the feeling there is enough fodder here for a bit longer series? calling beanie writers...

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