Reply 1994 ended last Saturday, leaving all of the hopeful fans heartbroken. In every drama that I've watched and liked, I would always feel heartbroken and empty after watching the final episode. Whether I like the ending or not, it will always feel like a good friend leaving for somewhere faraway. This time also, I felt like friends who stuck with me through the latter part of 2013 left me alone again in facing challenges in life. I think that that's how I show my sincere liking for Korean dramas, and whether the stories may be clichéd or too simple, the value it has for me will never change.
Reply 1994 is a Kdrama that I've recently got attached to (and stuck with every week) and the fact that it already ended makes me want to watch it all over again from start to finish. I'm just going to point out some of the highlights of the last episode (Episode 21) of Reply 1994.
Na Jung and Chilbong got some closure, although Chilbong was really heartbroken.
The two "rivals" also got some closure, apparently as sunbae and hoobae.
The first glimpse of the husband, where the foot was only shown, and now the husband's face was finally revealed.
Sseuregi (Trash) or Kim Jae Joon is Na Jung's husband. This is the part when Na Jung's father scolded the husband for choosing the date of their wedding as the same day as the soccer World Cup game.
Sung Dong Il appa hesitating to give Na Jung's hand to Sseuregi.
The happy husband and wife.
There were few moments from the present time that were cleared out, like when Sook-sook asked his brother-in-law to answer Il Hwa omma's call.
The wallet catching thing was also cleared out, because apparently Sam Cheon Po caught the wallet and gave it to Trash hyung-nim.
The scene where Sung Shi Won met the husband from an earlier episode was also shown.
Finally, the scene where everyone gathers in Na Jung and Kim Jae Joon's house for a house-warming party and leaves the house to end the series.
In this scene, it was also revealed that the flat is Chilbong's and that Na Jung and Sseuregi's family is only renting it, which explains why Chilbong is comfortable inside the house already. They also talked about how everyone's first loves worked out, except for Chilbong, who then joked that his also worked out well.
Sung Na Jung and Kim Jae Joon's wedding photo, with awkward Chilbong at the back.
Bonus! Sseuregi appa with his youngest son. So cute!
Finally, we have the final moments of the past. This was in 2002, days before Na Jung and Sseuregi's wedding. They were all watching a soccer match of Korea in the World Cup.
The morning after watching the game, they all gathered for the final breakfast that they will have after living together in the boarding house for many years. Boarding house omma again went all out in preparing the breakfast.
Everyone said their goodbyes, and Haitai was the last one to leave the boarding house since Sam Cheon Po and Yoon Jin already got married a year ago. They took a final photo to commemorate their final moments in the boarding house.
This is the saddest part of the episode, since I feel like I'm also part of the gang and that we're all going our separate ways after this episode.
Towards the end, we also see a scene where Chilbong meets a girl who apparently is from the countryside and also refers to slippers as "ddal-ddari" like how Na Jung referred to Trash's slippers back then, and this made Chilbong laugh.
Haitai became an office worker who succumbs to his superiors, even though in his youth, he was all energetic and did what he wanted.
Na Jung became a strict mother, who would always pay attention to his kids' studies, which is very different from how she was part of a fan culture (basketball) in her youth.
Sam Cheon Po and Yoon Jin enjoying technology, which back then was only a walkman. It was also mentioned that they were really lucky to have experienced both analog and digital in their lifetime.
Binggrae or Kim Dong Joon diligently working in the medical field (revealed to be in the dermatology department in a past episode) despite having issues of identity crisis and career path back then.
Finally, the boarding house went out of business, days before Na Jung's wedding. This final scene made me really empty inside, and it was the perfect way to end the series.
I have many thoughts about this drama, and I might as well reveal them all here. I love it. Even though some people who "shipped" whomever with Na Jung got either really happy or disappointed with the drama, I still believe that in the end, the essence of the drama was redeemed. I also got to a point where I got sick of the husband guessing game but I continued on watching it for the sake of the whole gang. I didn't care anymore who the husband will be (but I initially shipped Na Jung and Sseuregi, since it was first to bloom) and nor should anyone sincerely watching the show. What I mean is that the essence of the drama is to show the life in the past and Na Jung's husband being a mystery is only part of the fun. That's why this show shouldn't be judged whether Na Jung married the "right" guy for him or whether it was justified that Sseuregi should be with Na Jung or not. I think that the writers redeemed the drama towards this last episode and really showed the true beauty of this series. Don't get me wrong, I'm really satisfied with the way this story was told, and only the husband guessing game being extended for too long that got me a bit uneasy watching this. Nonetheless, I've never watched a drama this good lately (well, except for Gu Family Book) and I'm really happy that I had Reply 1994 with me this 2013.
I will definitely miss the whole Reply 1994 gang and I believe that I love this gang much more than the Reply 1997 one, since I can probably relate to these 20-somethings more. Before I get too depressed, I just found out that there would be a special episode that will air Jan 3, 2014. Here's a preview of what's in store for us Reply 1994 fans in that special.
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