FILE NO: THE-K2-EP-16 (Final)

Appearing before the dramacourt: The K2 EP 16 (Final)

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Issues:

1. Whether self-awareness and the ability to repent is a redeeming quality?
2. Whether a good captain must always go down with his ship?
3. Whether Karma comes in many shapes and sizes?
4. Whether a true heroism lies in being able to give up absolute power?

The Rule(s):

1. Yes. Being able to admit one’s faults and feel remorse goes a long way on the road to redemption.
2. I don’t know about the ‘always’ part, but it sure does pack an emotional punch.
3. Totally. In this case of this drama, karma takes the form of your own assistant and a woman with a killer bob.
4. Yes.

Application:

RedRosette J:  Alright then, this is it. We made it to the end. It’s been a fun ride and the drama went out with a bang. Literally. I must say, given the last episode, I really wasn’t expecting much, but thankfully, the drama delivered and I was quite satisfied with the ending. Given the trajectory of the show, the baddies had to die. There really was no other way to wrap up the show nicely if not for killing off the evil characters. In this last hour, there were some interesting revelations; it turns out that Uncle CEO was the genius behind the Kumar-gate scandal along with his shady Father-in-Law (I was not expecting that), Yoo Jin’s motivations for living the life she did, and that it was the Old Man who killed An Na’s mother under orders of Yoo Jin’s father. My only criticism is that I wish we found out what happened to the Shady Bunch, but I guess that part is a given after An Na went all Wiki-Leaks on them.I would have also liked to know what happened to JSS and the Old Man, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s whatever. All in all, the ending was all wrapped up neat and tidy and there were no real loose ends except for Je Ha’s real name which we never get to find out.

Oh wow.

Did not see that coming.

No wonder she has Daddy issues.

It was the Old Man all along…

What happened to them? Did they finally get some better lighting? Did they give up smoking? 

Everyone gets their happy ending.

 

Especially these two.

Issue 1: Whether self-awareness and the ability to repent is a redeeming quality?

RedRosette J: I talked about this in the context of Shopping King Louis and its useless villains last week  so it might be a bit repetitive, but I felt that this was a strong trend that’s been happening in a few dramas recently. I do think that being self-aware and being able to repent and feel remorse can go a long way on the road to personal redemption. I liked how Yoo Jin was clear about her motivations as to why she chose to live her life this way and the reasons as to why she treated An Na the way she did. In the end, it just came down to her needing to confess to everything as a means of unburdening herself. There’s a lot of self-awareness and remorse in her conversation with Se Joon and she seems genuinely sincere when she apologizes to him for making their lives difficult. In this last episode, Yoo Jin redeemed herself (At least for me. But then again, I never really hated her character. I liked that she just a very flawed individual). She was never really the Big Bad on the show anyway, but I think that what evil she did have left, she overcame in those last moments. In my eyes, Se Joon also redeemed himself. This was the most agency he’s had all drama and I think he used it well in the end by choosing to remain with Yoo Jin. In terms of the villains on this drama, I think this is what sets Yoo Jin and Se Joon apart from everyone else. Their ability to be self-aware and feel remorse and regret for their actions puts them in stark contrast with characters like Kwan Soo and Uncle CEO who don’t reflect such qualities and remain super evil to the end. As a viewer, it makes it easier to root for characters like Yoo Jin and Se Joon because it humanizes them. I think those last conversations really wrapped up Yoo Jin and Se Joon’s characters very well. Essentially I do think that being self-aware and feeling remorse is a redeeming quality.

And there you have it…

I wish she’d realized it sooner…

Regardless of everything, these two really existed in their own reality.

Those are some serious goodbye words man..

Issue 2: Whether a good captain must always go down with his ship?

RedRosette J: I don’t think that this a must, but it definitely hits you emotionally. Even in the Titanic, the part where the captain stays while the ship is sinking, packs quite an emotional punch. In terms of the character arc in this drama, the writer did a good job of writing off Yoo Jin and Se Joon. There was no feasible way that those two characters were going to have a happy ending with rainbows and butterflies and they would have had to pay a very high price had they survived. I think Yoo Jin’s decision to stay in The Hive would not have changed even if she hadn’t been shot. In the last episode, she told Je Ha that Mirror was actually a reflection of herself and I think that she would have chosen to stay because without Mirror, there really was no point for her because it was the source of all her power and it represented the choices that she had made in her life. Se Joon’s decision to stay with Yoo Jin on the other hand was because I think that he really does care for her (even if its in his twisted way) and for him, like he said, the presidency was not about being president at all and getting out really wouldn’t have meant anything given everything that had happened.

*sigh*

RedRosette J Aside: OMG that line where he asks her to be his companion into the Underworld? I know its weird, but it was honestly, totally romantic when you look at it from the perspective of their twisted relationship. I am a fan of that line. I’m not gonna lie. 

*sniffles*

Issue 3: Whether Karma comes in many shapes and sizes?

RedRosette J: I was really mad when Uncle CEO got himself out of the elevator and then ended up back in his meetings with the Shady Bunch as if nothing was wrong. Where was the justice in that? He blew up building and instigated this massive power struggle which culminated in tons of people dying and being held hostage and what not. But Karma is a bitch and it comes for him in the face of Secretary Kim. There is some satisfaction in watching her, the total pyscho she is, calmly shoot him and walk away. What really got to me was how Je Ha ended up getting revenge on Kwan Soo. I think it might have been Kwan Soo’s worst nightmare to have his own assistant lead him to his literal noose. There is something to be said for being forced to take your own life. I think in terms of Kwan Soo, who by his own volition and control, forced the deaths of so many people, and now having to do the same to himself is some serious Karma. I feel like it’s a lot worse than being shot by someone else. What goes around comes around buddy. It’s kind of how the universe works.

RedRosette J Sidebar: Speaking of Karma though, I would have liked to see Secretary Kim get hers too for being such an evil Girl Friday. From An Na’s last conversation, we get the sense that she may or may not be running the show, which is a far cry from being punished for her crimes.

Issue 4: Whether a true heroism lies in being able to give up absolute power?

RedRosette J: Yes. I most definitely think that true heroism lies in being able to give up absolute power and walkaway. This is the true testament of someone’s character. As much as I hate to admit it, and as much as I haven’t been the character’s biggest fan, An Na did come through in the end and prove that she was a hero in her own right by being able to give up absolute power after trying out Yoo Jin’s lifestyle and getting on the radar of the Shady Bunch (she doesn’t even hesitate to press enter on the world-ending email, and even has Je Ha pouting about it afterwards). True, she was super annoying and kept getting herself into helpless situations and being constantly held hostage, but it was not all for nothing as she did slightly redeem herself in the end (even though for the most part, her character seemed like a prop to everyone else and rarely did anything proactive to further the plot). Je Ha, proved to be a real hero (as he was always) as he finally got to spill the beans on the Blackstone mercs to the ICC (?) [Aside: That is so NOT what the ICC or a what a Human Rights Tribunal looks like btw] and get his life back. Everything was neatly wrapped up in a bow and our heroes rode off into the (literal) Spanish sunset!

This kept happening…

But in the end a day in the life of Yoo Jin proved to not be worth it.

That is not what the ICC looks like. [Check out how the first guy’s first name and the third guy’s last name make Bruce Willis! LOL!]

You go through all of that to end up at Subway? Really?

It’s a cute ending at least.

It looks like they’ll be running around Spain forever.

The End.

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed

Rating: 3 = MM. Okay. Fine. (Because I liked how Yoo Jin and Se Joon went out with a bang. Literally. It was a decent ending)

***This is the first drama that we covered in its entirety on The Drama Files. Thanks to everyone who read and followed The K2 with us!***