I NEED ROMANCE 3, EPISODE 16

I Need Romance 3 is ending *sniff!* The final episode aired Tuesday. It seemed like many of the plot threads had already been tied (some neatly, some not-so-neatly), so I asked myself what they could do in a final episode.

The answer in a word: Plenty.

I've said this before: this series likes to shake things up and the last episode was no exception. Few of the characters end up in the same place they were last week.

Take, for example, Director Kang. He's being sent to Hong Kong as the global manager. His relationship with Joo Yeon is something he's trying to recover from even as Se Ryung flirts with him. We know the history among the three and while encounters with Kang and Se Ryung used to make Joo Yeon tense, it's much less stressful now that Joo Yeon isn't involved with the guy beyond business. Kang and Joo Yeon do seem less comfortable around each other than before, though they both hide this under a layer of courtesy and respect.�Se Ryung heads to the airport and hands him a necklace that he gave her during the good times, telling him to come back and put that on her when they see each other again. She hasn't given up and Kang seems not to mind at all.

We witness more changes as Hee Jae resigns from the company to go on a year-long vacation. This upsets everyone as there is too much work to do at the network to actually have someone resign and soon there will be more work with Min Jung's twins on the way. Woo Young is especially out of sorts because they haven't been together that long and a year could feel like a very long time. The way she lets him know is particularly lame. �She uses the radio show and Wan reads her message on-air. To me, that's almost like breaking up via Facebook or text message -- it's tacky and cowardly. Eventually everyone involved comes to support her decision -- she needs to find herself and this is the only way she can do it. I still hate that we don't find out what happens. I'm guessing we're supposed to assume she comes back as more of a person, takes up again with Woo Young, and maybe even gets her job back?

Min Seok is trying the best he can to cope with the news of Min Jung's twins. He agonizes over it, trying to find an appropriate work/life balance, and apparently drinks to calm his nerves. His confession that he's an "alcoholic" kinda floored me -- he doesn't seem like one. I would hazard a guess that he's more of a habitual drinker -- he turns to alcohol only when life overwhelms him. At least he realizes he has a problem and at this stage, it seems like it's easily fixed. Min Jung ends up consoling him and also invites him into her world, offering to let him read her pregnancy journal and look at the ultrasound pictures. She, too, is in a far better place in her life, reconciling the fact that kids are on the way and there might be a man in the picture. Min Soek is an interesting character -- he really reminds me so much of Jimmy Stewart's character in�'It's a Wonderful Life'�-- he's not thankful for what he has until the very end after which he is bursting with displays of love.

Joo Yeon and Wan emerge here relatively the same as last episode, though it's taken the vast majority of the series for them to grow. They end up together, her finally with what appears to be the perfect guy. He's smart, charming, witty, and handsome. And he is as in love with her and she is with him.� Even when she botches a meal, he puts a positive spin on it.� She also seems far more secure now, even with the ways the girls talk about Allen Joo/Joo Wan;�she seems less threatened and stressed out by it than she was earlier in the episode. She has figured out what has been holding her back for most of her adult life, and learns how to truly love again.

Wan is the prototypical great guy, but he isn't without his faults. While he ends up being the voice of reason throughout, he also realizes there are problems with the way he sees the world. He is quick with advice, but every once in awhile emotions take over and all his platitudes fly straight out the window. Far from being infallible, we see him as a human being. He's at least man enough to admit he's wrong, which is an admirable trait.�I like how he isn't necessarily the man Joo Yeon had to have, but he is the focal point around which she learns to love again.

And we have the easy banter that makes this series stand out. Always enjoyable, we have another scene where the girls from the office talk about guys, fawning over an attractive waiter and discussing what makes a man sexy. Woo Young says women are complicated and men are not, but as a man I disagree. We all have our own ideas of what is hot and what is not and it varies from guy to guy. I believe his statement is more as a defense mechanism, because he is clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

While I Need Romance 3 is a spinoff from the other two INRs, it's not the same at all (which is common -- how many reboots do you guys know that even faintly resemble the original?). While the other two were more concerned with sex, this plays more to the emotions. It is slower-moving to be sure than its predecessors, but I think it is better in many ways. Rather than rushing into the make out scene, we had characters grow into their attraction to each other (well, with the exception of Min Jung, who starts out with a shallow hookup). I think this has far more character development and is the probably the most enjoyable installment of the series for me.

This is a satisfying conclusion to the series. At the very end, we have various platitudes about what the words "I love you" mean: through you, I've found a new me; a pledge that you'll overcome insecurities and create new moments every day; a promise that you will think of this moment as everlasting, rather than worrying about the future. While only somewhat above the level of a Hallmark card, at least it gets the point across, and during the voiceover we have a montage where all the characters are together with whom they are supposed to be with and happily in love. Can you really ask for more?

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