[Drama Review] 'Uncontrollably Fond' - Episode 20 (Finale)

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UNCONTROLLABLY FOND -- EPISODE 20 (FINALE)

R.I.P. Joon Young

Now we've finally reached the end. And it didn't end up in a big mess like I feared. But it wasn't really satisfying either. I'll explain later.

There was a lot more character development in this episode. Finally, after 19 episodes, the writers give us something to move the characters forward. I always felt they were stuck, and it would take the tiniest bit to unstick them. But instead, it became one giant game of push and pull. Which, of course, bored me. And it got bad enough they were thinking of bringing in Suzy's bae (any groans from the audience are your own fault) Lee Min Ho in to get some chemistry.

I thought about spamming you with happy pics...

I think the worst part about the acting was not so much the actors as the characters. Suzy wasn't terrible, but there wasn't much for her character to do. That and sometimes Noh Eul would sabotage a good thing. Kim Woo Bin is usually good (even if I don't like all his roles), and he always has this easy charm that grabs you even if he's being a complete git. But neither of their characters was all that likable. Plus, the characters interacted badly. They were oil and water. I believe that might be where the problem lay. The writers didn't give them any time to be happy together. They were here in this episode -- and I felt good watching them play.

Things I didn't like:
Ji Tae got nothing. He still gets money, I think, but Joon Young flat out rejected him even with no memory of who he was. Nor did he get Noh Eul. Wow. Was Ji Tae that much of a tool?

Jung Eun and Ji Tae's mom didn't receive any justice. Jung Eun went to jail, but her dad was powerful enough to spring her -- she said so herself.

...so maybe I'll do just that.

Jik and Ha Ru give us hope that they might rekindle their romance, but leave us hanging.

Okay so we've got that out of the way, the good:
Joon Young got closure. His mom came to see him, and he recognized her. He got together with Noh Eul. He recognized that he wanted to live. He accomplished what he set out to do. And he made sure his mom was taken care of -- Jung Sik proposed.

Noh Eul seemed content. She exposed the corruption in the station she used to work for, and is delighted by a poster of Joon Young where she waits for the bus. She's better dressed, as well.

Na Ri, at least, ended up dating Gook Young. As Joon Young's manager, he tore his hair out enough (maybe that's why he changed his hairstyle).

And here's another. Why? Because we didn't see them smile much.

This episode fairly zipped by. I was surprised at the amount of content they stuck in here, and I didn't find myself wishing it was over. In contrast to many of the episodes, where they were drawn out and sometimes boring, other times frustrating. I think they brightened the lighting up some, too.

Death is never a light subject to tackle, but I have to give the writers credit for the finale. It wasn't a morose affair. Noh Eul and Joon Young lived and loved for as long as they could, and he quietly expired with the love of his life. All things considered, it could be worse.

Another cute scene from this episode. Just because.

Frankly, this wasn't the worst drama I've seen. It tried real hard to be, with all the dragging out they did. Especially in the middle. But this episode, as much as it tried to disappoint me, ultimately did not. It gave me "a peaceful, easy feeling," to borrow a song lyric. And for that I feel comfortable giving it high marks.