THE GIRL WHO CAN SEE SMELLS - EPISODE 16 (FINALE)

"Keep dreaming! There's no way you're beating my score on Super Mario World"

Another series has come to a close. I feel content. That's different because, when a series ends, it usually feels like there's some part of my life missing. In part because the characters have been your constant companions while you make your way through the series, and there's a serious disruption in routine when you are no longer watching. Not here. Maybe because it ended with practically a setup for a whole new season? Or maybe because the ending was so satisfying to me. To wit:

Using security cameras, the cops figure out Kwon has absconded with Cho Rim in an ambulance. The police track him to a warehouse, but he's already stuck her in another van, along with a bomb. She scratches her wedding ring on the bomb to provide a clue and leaves it there. Kwon sets up a meeting with Moo Gak�and plants the bomb in the newlywed's new home, but he is tricked, tracked down, and ultimately killed in a life or death struggle with our hero. Shortly thereafter, the sensory couple is married and trying to settle down for a honeymoon and a quiet life, but unsolved cases once again call them out of retirement...


"Don't be mad; this is the only way I can get a date."

Well, I got what I wanted. No deaths of the major characters that we've come to know and love (yes, I know, I groused about Kang, but ultimately he turned out to be a good guy). Life and death struggle with Kwon, where it looks like Moo Gak is going to die, but he turns the tables on him (the bomb was a distraction -- did you really think he was going to die that way?). We got to see that terrific smell-seeing thing again. And I got my happily ever after. I do not like dramas that end on a down note; "We had one last happy summer, and then she was gone..but the love we felt will last a lifetime" is bogus and cheating. Life already has severe downs, so when I watch something, it's to escape.


"One ring to rule them all..."

Really, while the spotlight was on Kwon, they kinda fell down while running with that ball. Nothing says bad writing like a predictable plot, and this drama had it in spades. It had a really promising beginning, but something was off about the chef from the start, and I can't really even pin it down, looking back. And then with the easy unveiling of plot elements, the main plot got even worse. A mystery plot should be like the layers of an onion, each layer removed reveals a new layer, and another underneath that. This plot was like biting an apple and finding a worm, and then slicing it up to find it riddled with worms (eww). Nasty fruit aside, the plot was quite unsubtle and easily guessed. �

The true high point for me was the romance between Moo Gak and Cho Rim. To me, it never felt forced, and it just seemed as easy as friendship, with few of the awkward starts and stops that characterize a real-life romance. I almost wonder if there wasn't a friendship between the actors already. I understand that Yoochun is an idol and is probably insanely busy, but the relationship between them was just golden. Those were the moments I started to tune in for, and when they gave a generous portion of time over to it, I was in heaven, at least for the duration.


"1...2...3...4...I declare a thumb war"

All in all, the series was entirely watchable. I think what worked about it served to offset everything that did not, and that's what helped me enjoy it, incompetent cops and awkward plots aside. There weren't long stretches where I was bored, even if nothing was happening. The action scenes were actually pretty cool, and I enjoyed the special effects as well. Even some of the giant plot holes where I literally yelled, "Oh, come on!" still helped propel this thing forward. Would I watch it again? You bet. We got a happily ever after, and isn't that the best you can hope for?

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