Review

[Drama Review] 'Revolutionary Love' - Episode 16 (Final)

AKP STAFF

Posted by Susan-Han Wednesday, December 6, 2017

None of the things I predicted might happen in this final episode of 'Revolutionary Love' actually happened, and that either goes to show just how outdated my outlook on K-dramas are, or how well the drama's scriptwriters managed to dodge any and all generic ending cliches. Let's just say it's a 50/50.�

And it's not entirely true that none of what I talked about in the last review happened, because our main character did manage to work together and bring down the Gangsu group for its crimes. Byun Hyuk (played by Super Junior's Siwon), Baek Jun (played by Kang So Ra), and Kwon Jae Hoon (played by Gong Myung) were able to hand over the necessary evidence to the police to prove that the Gangsu group's president was getting away with a lot of illegal dealings, and as a result, Byun Hyuk's father ends up turning himself in for prison time. Hyuk's older brother is able to keep his position in the company, but he'll eventually have to deal with the fact that he may not inherit the company in the future. But the issue of which Byun would inherit the company was never a topic of question in our story in the first place. The main topic we dealt with here in 'Revolutionary Love' was defying and denying the outdated practices that Korea's workforce still seems to practice, and seeing if an unexpected figure like a 3rd generation chaebol could initiate some change for the benefit of the common folk. So did the drama succeed in that regard?

Three way hugs are the best /warmandfuzzyfeeling/

It was realistic for the drama to end without yielding any dramatic results. In the end, the changes that occurred inside the Gangsu group were just small, seed-like beginnings of changes to come in the far and distant future. The biggest outcome of the battle that our protagonists fought for was the pure sentiment of change, and creating a sort of statement toward a change of attitude for society, the workplace, etc. But in retrospect, 'Revolutionary Love' in itself revolved around a very unrealistic situation. The plot dealt with the fact that normal individuals like Baek Jun, Kwon Jae Hoon, or any of Jun's cleaning department posse members, were powerless to fight against those with power and money, until a hero in the form of an unlikely chaebol came to their aid. The story that followed was intriguing enough and triumphant enough in the right places, but by the end of episode 16, 'Revolutionary Love' was only able to remain the lighthearted, fictional tale that it started out as without any deep or lasting impressions.�

Did someone order a wheelchair for a top idol member?

So what happened to our three main characters in the end? Jae Hoon returns to work at the Gangsu group despite his long history with the company, vowing to work hard for his own goals rather than for revenge. Jun, our heroine who refuses to live like a good, conservative Asian woman in society by surviving off of part-time jobs alone, decides to carry on her part-timer life until the very end. But while in the beginning, she lived the way she lived just to spite everyone around her, now she is doing so because she really prefers living that way, and decides to go live abroad for a while to travel the world while working part-time overseas. Finally, our chaebol Byun Hyuk up and decides last minute to chuck his newfound responsibilities at the Gangsu group to the wind, and follow the love of his life abroad. Everyone decides to do the things they want to do without worrying about others' opinions of them, and this is a sentiment that we all can relate to. It's just best to do whatever you want to do, for the pursuit of personal happiness. At the end of the series, 'Revolutionary Love' was able to convey this positive sentiment as its farewell impression, which I applaud.�

Congratulations, you got the flight seat right next to a homeless chaebol who snuck on board!

In terms of scoring the series overall, 'Revolutionary Love' will have to do with a solid score in the middle ranges. With Siwon's dog controversy hitting the drama hard early on, it's a win that the cast and the series got to the end in one piece without any more obstacles in the past. If not for the dog controversy, Siwon may have been able to prove his capabilities as an actor through his role of Byun Hyuk. He wasn't perfect, but he was able to earn the affection of audience members like me in the critical moments when he really needed to. In Kang So Ra's case, her character wasn't incredibly appealing or unappealing, just sort of mediocre. I wish her luck on her next production. Finally, Gong Myung seriously needs to go for a main male character role for his next project. Yes, he's a really great guy to have as the second male lead, but second male leads never get the good kiss scenes!

Thank you to any of you who stuck around with 'Revolutionary Love' until the end! Now that it's ended, what drama are you planning on adding to your watch list?