When I first got into kdramas, I remember reading somewhere that bad endings were common in them. I was shocked that that seemed to be the prevailing wisdom, because what first draw me to dramas was that they all seemed to end well–if not happily, then at least in a way that left one hopeful rather than crushed.
In recent years, though, I’ve found myself more disappointed in certain endings, but I wonder sometimes if that has little to do with the dramas themselves, and more to do with me being more active on-line in my discussion and info-seeking about them.
For example, I watched “Because This is My First Life” after it aired and didn’t really pay attention to the online chatter about it. I was a little surprised at the first part of the end where the FL suggests divorce, but I just took it in stride as a typical plot twist that happens at the end of a romantic drama to force a separation and then give us a big reunion. So it didn’t poison my overall love of the drama. But later, when I read a bunch of references to pretty intense anger over that ending (or the lead-up to the ending) I was taken aback. I remember thinking: It wasn’t that bad, was it? Did I miss something here?
Similar thing happened with “Mr. Queen,” which I watched slightly after it aired. I knew there was some general disappointment with the ending so I braced myself before watching. I certainly felt that the King’s line about something being missing was a bit of an own goal on the writer’s part in that it would have been so easy to add a few lines earlier in the episode that showed us that the original Queen was able to integrate aspects of the modern man who inhabited her body and become the fully realized person she always wanted to be. But again, I still loved the drama, and was taken aback by how many viewers felt that one line had utterly gutted them and ruined the entire love story. To me, the writer was clearly intending that more as a funny moment, not as one of heartbreak and sadness. Maybe it was a mis-fire, but I’d never say that ending was terrible, or anything like that.
But then came 25/21. This was maybe the first time that I can remember that an ending really disappointed me. I understand there are those who feel just as strongly that it was the proper ending. This is certainly a testament to how well written and special the whole drama was. Nevertheless, that ending was not at all what I hoped or wanted to see, and it did undermine the pleasure I had felt in the drama up until that point. My stomach hurt, and I felt sad while watching the breakup and aftermath. And due to that ending, I know I’ll never rewatch even parts of 25/21 even though it’s objectively still one of the best coming of age dramas ever made.
So how do I get over bad endings? The same way I get over most things: try to not think about or revisit them. It mostly works.
[Drama chat] Dealing with disappointing endings
Source: Buzz Pinay Daily
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