[Drama 2015] Answer Me 1988 응답하라 1988

[Fezy Fi]

34 minutes ago, melindawilkins said:

It's not about signs or clues. It's about storytelling. Signs or clues to fit a future scenario have nothing to do with the story being told. That has to do with a guessing game.

Saying that, we , the audience got to see JH's turmoil while DS did not doesn't negate the fact that that was the big huge love story being told to the viewers of this show. And there is no pay off or climax or anything meaningful that came out of this huge story arc that the writer wrote lol. This isn't real life. You can't just say, well this didn't happen because it didn't lol. Well DS never knew, so oh well. JH was arguably one if not *the* young male lead of the show and most of his specific narrative that we have seen develope has led nowhere with this reveal of TK  as the husband. It hasn't even led to a penultimate heartbreak scenes like Chilbong in 1994.  

 

storytelling.... agreed. the story is that when you hesitate, you may lose your chance. 2nd chance, hardly comes by.

the story is that, there are many types of love that involves many people in your life.

the story is that, it is possible for you to move on from heartbreak.

there, that's the story. 

[shooastrid]

Hi Reply 1988 fans! How are you all? Ready for the last episode tomorrow? I am not  I don't want it to end just yet! I need my usual dose of Reply 1988!!!

As we are easily drawn to whatever caught our interests, I am writing from the angle I love the most: BADUK. A while ago, I wrote some rambles here on the main thread about baduk, and let me quote one part here: 

Spoiler

In baduk, a good and fair play is most important. It's better surrender than to play until the end, count on opponent's big mistake. A game we won having played well is the source of satisfaction. A victory secured to violating ethics is worth nothing. A person learning to play Baduk starts to need NOT ONLY victories but also good play, as baduk creates that need and it is a source of the need. Practicing Baduk induces not ideal human to behave ETHICALLY. So, it's up to DS now to decide. Besides, love is not a competition and DS is not a trophy to be won. This also what makes CB in AM 1994 fails: his failure in recognizing the depth of NJ's feelings to Oppa.

Now, I am more convinced than ever that the writer really has the spirit of the game embedded through out the series. How do you know? Episode 18 tells us everything. It's an anomaly for second lead to let go of the girl so early (it mirrors the way PD and write reveal TK's main romance arc at 6th episode which practically almost unheard of in Kdrama tropes), since usually they pursue the girl until the very end, often left viewers with a bitter feeling. JH's decision to step back at the end of Ep 18 for me is a very dignified way to end a second lead's arc. It resembles a battle of baduk which was played beautifully from both ends. Remember that in baduk, source of satisfaction is NOT ONLY obtained from winning the game, BUT ALSO from the beautifully-played game itself. You need to behave ethically, in order to play a beautiful game.

To give you context, quite often baduk player is able to tell the result of the game right before yose (end game), due to their reading many moves ahead as well as observing overall situation on board. Amateurs who just started playing baduk, usually carry out the game until tedious counting phase despite the obvious result. It's due to their limited reading ability and the fact that they haven't developed the desire to win a hard-fought game. Instead, they count on opponent's mistake. I believe Ep 18 is the writer's graceful approach to give JH his closure. Instead of prolonging his misery/arc until Ep 20, the writer gives us a chance to experience his pain from his point of view. His desire, passion, love, limitation, strength, and weakness are shown in a poignant way. It is consistent with his character.

Metaphorically, we can conclude that JH finally bowed down at the xxx moves and said "I have nothing", gracefully. No ugly aftermath or childish tantrum shown. That's why he was so casual the morning after his confession, smiling when his parents woke him up. He's come to the term, and very peaceful about it. Baduk etiquette, remember? Even if you lose, you have to smile, no matter how painful the lost is. During that episode, many TK shippers were also touched and felt empathetic towards JH's side of story. We feel it. And I believe this is also TK's answer to JH's resignation: he embraced him, he asked for his blessing.

I also want to compare this end game with another reading I made:

Spoiler

There are people who question, if Taek is the husband, then why is he confirmed as late as Episode 6? I have my own interpretation for this: In Baduk, a match of unequal strength will be addressed in order to balance the power. A stronger player usually gives some amount of handicap to the weaker by letting them putting stones ahead. The number of stones are varied usually depends on the skill gap. For example, a 6 Dan player can give 5 stones to 1 Kyu level. Handicap system is unique and there is no equivalent for it in other games. The aim is to LET TWO PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT STRENGTH PLAY A GAME WITH EQUAL CHANCES TO WIN. The stronger one bears a burden not to show his superiority but to strain his powers and use all his skills. In short, he has to do his best to defeat his competitor. I can't give an example of a board game which the stronger player has to give so much in the beginning in order to win. Now, we all agree that the writer does not treat baduk lightly, as a mere additional prop/setting, seeing the amount of scenes about baduk and Taek's baduk portrayed in the series. Given the normal Kdrama trope which usually introduces all main leads and their character structures/roles in the plot as early as episode 1, I think Taek's gradual revelation is really unusual. He wasn't confirmed as the husband contender until episode 6. He has been given very limited screen time in the beginning, and his arc is mainly apart but parallel with the rest of cast. Seeing how the episodes fold out now, I think Taek is serving the role of one with upper hand, the stronger one. That's why to give JH equal chance to play, the writer decides to give that first 6 episodes to build a solid base for JH + DS storyline. It's as if Taek the baduk master gives 6 stones handicap to his opponent, and only on the 7th stones, white starts his play.

The opening game that the writer chose is no other than handicapped game. Why? Because TK has the upper hand. I am convinced now after brainstorming sessions with other posters, that DS has always been liking TK. It is apparently connected with her personality and traits. Hopefully @packmule3 can share more of her ideas in detail, hopefully later when she is back. (Seriously, most of her readings are proven correct, it's scary) As she always said, this writer's work should be celebrated above the petty ship wars. Anyway, back to the topic. TK has always been the one that DS looked after and he's her favorite too; not to mention his ability to slay hearts left and right with his blinding smile, courage, dedication, kindness and unshakeable love for DS. On top of that, he's very decisive, something that his rival lacking. If his arc were told too early, the match would be unequal. Indeed, he showed his class through out the game, catching up to the handicap and finally able to defeat his opponent.

I know, i know, love IS NOT a game. This metaphor works in a way but not necessarily from other POV. It baffles me how some people insisted at this stage on who the husband is solely on clues which at times irrelevant to the actual plot. For example, many shippers are too focused on details like comparison between Previous Reply installment vs Reply 1988, Color and Dolls, comparison between conventional Kdrama trope VS Reply 1988, etc. While I admit it's fun (I love over-analyzing Deoksun's baduk shirts too), but focusing too much on those factors at this stage will only mislead us away from the narrative. 

I don't want to point finger here, but let me share my observation of TK shippers' collective culture. Since beginning, we are trained to contest any ideas, even in TK's favor if it does not go with the story. We were not sure at the beginning too, so we tried to be hopeful, yet careful. With each episode, we cherised gradual development of DS's story. We analyse and refute and analyse again (while giggling all the way). We were ready to both swim or sink, heck we even called ourself Taektanic. If you check the TK shippers thread's MAIN POST now, you can see the compilation of theories, analysis, clues, related to our ship. The kind of posts shared there are the ones that make me PROUD of being a part of this relatively smaller ship in number! The kind of posts which make me gushing in awe, giggling like mad, and falling hard for TK alongside DS. 

If there is any input I can give to those who are still unsure, let's try to see through DS's eyes; not the color of her bag, instead, who she really likes. Who worries her the most? Who made her all nervous and fidgety? Who occupied her mind at night? To be honest for me, it's crystal clear after ep 17. No matter which dolls do what, it's DS who decides. Now, I agree that people's tastes differ from one another. But for us, TK shippers, his arc with DS resonates the closest to our heart. And maybe it's not the case for others, I guess we can live with that.

I would like to re-share PM3's posts about Romance Book which eerily came true in Ep 19. OMG are you some kind of FORTUNE TELLER? PS. Before you reporting this post, please note that the "questionable" part has been edited. Anyway, her analysis is too spot on and interesting to be erased just like that, especially now. It's going to be long, but really worth it!

Spoiler

On the uses of humor.

To parody Jane Austen: It’s a truth universally acknowledged that any woman in poverty of a good wit MUST also be in want of a genius. 

Fortunately, for fellow script-shippers, the writer of Reply 1988 has been endowed with a brilliant mind with an eye for the absurd. For me, humor is the most sublime form of intelligence. But the scriptwriter is handicapped by the simple fact that a MAJORITY of her audience will NOT get her humor 100% of the time. Understanding her “inside jokes” in particular can be very challenging.  Like the “wedding parodies” that I mentioned before, an inside joke implies a shared knowledge between two parties to which a third party is oblivious.  

So let me point out some of the inside jokes as I see them. 

1. Meta-joke:  When the grown-ups were waiting for Taek Choi to arrive at his celebration party, DS’ mom said “The star of the show always shows up last”. True that.  Many people realized too late that the Death Star -- or TaecStar – had been fully functional for a long while. They were caught off-guard because they weren’t paying attention to the script.

2. Story-within-the-story joke. While people were focused on dog/cat/mouse/bullfrog, the titles of the books mentioned in Episode 2 were largely ignored. They are meta.  This is evidence that the scriptwriter KNEW EXACTLY how this story would end even from the beginning. 

--“Officer and the Princess” for JH. He turned out to be at officer in the Air Force. The drivel about the hero’s chiseled chest is a reference to JH’s chest. It was much ado about nothing.  

--“Audition for Love” is for DR. DR loved DS, too. His hair-tugging is a classic sign of a guy wanting a girl’s attention for himself. Also, he was the one who brought up the topic of DS being cute. In Episode 14, when he said “How annoying [that DS liked TK more]! Do you hate me?” he was indirectly asking about his “chances”.  However, he’s learned to love her VICARIOUSLY, that is, he experienced “his” romance THROUGH Taec’s experience. He only “auditioned” for the show (literally, too); he wasn’t the star. DS called the book “weak” and is only about kissing, which could be taken a joke about DR’s porn obsession. 

--“Dangerous Roommate” is obviously for TK.  This was the book that DS hugged and begged to include sexy passages. lol.

The only person without a book is SW because he’s in love with her sister.

3. Meta joke on JH. In Episode 10, JH walked into the wall. Here is how Dramabeans described it:

 They head down the stairs and stop in their tracks when Jung-hwan comes out of her house looking awkward. He stammers that he had something to say to her, and pulls her aside for a chat. On the way up, he kind of gets trapped under the awning and can’t extract himself without looking uncool. It’s so awkward. I love it.

I agree, that was cute. However, it was actually a foreshadowing. He was walking into a *dead-end*. He’d be blocked. 

4. Another meta joke on JH. In Episode 16, JH was working on a math problem. Here’s how Dramabeans described it:

Dong-ryong is the only one who notices that Jung-hwan has been working on the same math problem for days now. He tells Jung-hwan to just move on already, but we know it’s not math that’s got him stumped.

This is a foreshadowing, too. DR’s advice to him was: “Don’t you know the concept of “passing”? Just move on.” Take into consideration JH’s prophecy in Episode 11 that “he’ll be fine on his own”, and his words in Episode 18 to “move on”, he’s not as doomed and pathetic of a character as Chilbongie was in Reply 1994. He was making a conscious decision to let go, and if he was an actual person, and not simply a figment of the scriptwriter’s imagination, I’d respect and support his choice. 

5. DR’s trolls on DS: In Episode 14, DR and DS were talking on the steps. DS asked: “Why doesn’t anyone like me?” DR pretended to see somebody from a distance, going, “Oh! It’s Taek!” Look at how eager DS looked up to find TK.  That was a troll for both DS and the viewers got a good view of DS’ reaction. 

Shortly, they met up with TK. Here’s how Dramabeans described it:

…when Taek says he bought five pies so that they could each take one home, Dong-ryong says lovingly, “Let’s get married.” Taek turns him down, poor thing, but he holds Deok-sun back and asks her to come over for a little while.

This is a foreshadowing, too. TK rejected DR, but he grabbed hold of his choice of bride.

6. The casserole meta joke. As my local newspaper The Washington Post says, “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.” 

7. “Just kidding” joke. I believe that there’s a bit of truth behind every “just kidding” jokes. When DS ordered TK to “Take it off” and shocked him, I think, she was deliberately being provocative. Her deadpan delivery was meant to confuse him. 

8. Another confusing “Just kidding” joke. In Episode 2, when DS made aegyo to TK and joked about marrying her, she also left TK confused. Most people saw that as “babying” but the alternative view here is “flirting.  Finding an excuse for skinship, like touching a guy in a nonthreatening way, and getting his full attention by smiling widely at him as if he’s the center of the world can be considered Flirtation 101. Also, notice the change of topic here. With the first two guys, she was asking them about her APPEARANCE.  “How do I look?” It was about “Me” and she expected compliments. That’s why JH dismissed her with “I’m late. Pishs off!  In the case of TK, she shifted the focus TO HIM:  When did YOU get back from the tournament. [You] drink up. [You] hurry up and grow tall. So YOU can marry me.

See that? The dynamics are different.

9. A revealing “Just kidding” joke. In Episode 6, DS’ mom teased her about wanting TK as son-in-law, repeating her joke from Episode 2.  What was DS’ answer? She said "Should I seduce him then?" Lol. People who insist that DS treated TK as a brother don’t get this.  "Seduction" is NOT a word or an idea that enters a girl's mind who regards her childhood friend as a mere baby brother. Heck no! DS read those trashy novels in Episode 2 and she knew very well what SEDUCTION meant. ~~Dangerous Roommate, please give me lots of sexy scenes ~~~

When she joked about seducing TK, it meant she saw him as a man, not as a kid. Her joke also paralleled TK’s words to his friends: I don't think of her as a friend. I see her as a WOMAN. However, in TK’s case, he said it resolutely, firmly, whereas DS was joking with her mom. 

Noteworthy, too: DS became defensive when DS’ mom said that TK was into baduk anyway and he really wasn't into girls [meaning he leads as ascetic life, not that he’s gay.] She whined “Why what's wrong with me?!!”  I also consider that an odd response from a girl who only sees a guy platonically. Her response should have been to laugh it off and to not take personally. Compare DS’ sensitivity to SW’s mom who was also teased about marrying TK’s dad. Her answer was the natural one. She laughed away their teasing and said: all thing being equal, she’d rather not marry a bear. It’d be just the same as marrying NO ONE.  That’s the proper response DS should have given: a joke. 

10. “Just kidding” as a blunder. This playful banter about “Marrying Taec/Taking Responsibility of Taec” showed how joking can escalate into misunderstandings. At first she took the joking in stride, even exchanging some jokes of her own. She was feisty when DR said to TK needed a girl just like her to introduce him to hardship. SHE was fine being teased but when SW turned the focus on TK and asked him, “Hey! Do you like her, too? Because you’re grinning there” and an embarrassed TK tried to cover up his smiles by saying “annii” THAT was when the mood turned sour for DS. 

If people noticed, the camera didn’t show us DS’ reaction to TK’s denial here. But the next thing we knew she was excusing herself to go to the bathroom. People naturally assumed that she was upset with DR who was mercilessly teasing her. But I believe that she was upset of TK’s ONE WORD. She misunderstood him. She thought his “no” = I don’t like her. 

That was a normal reaction. To her, after spending the whole day frolicking on the beach together and after spending time with him in China just a few days ago, his joking denial would be tantamount to a personal insult for her. 

This would explain why in the next episode, when they met up again and TK requested for coffee, water and warm water, she totally misread his “running errands” joke [he really wanted her to stay for a while with him and not leave] and accused him of USING her like a slave girl like they were back in China.

11. Absence of marriage jokes in connection with JH. For me, this was a giveaway that he wasn’t meant to be the OTP. Sure, DS’ girlfriends teased her about going out on a date with him, but her girlfriends’ judgment is impaired. None of DS’ family members saw JH as a possible contender. Considering how close these two families were and how JH’s dad doted on DS, the parents didn’t consider forming an obvious pairing between JH and DS. Also, in Episode 11, Bora indicated surprise that DS and JH have become closer. When DS replied that they’ve always been close, Bora just made a face. 

Even NE wondered why the heck would JH give his sister pink gloves. JH had to kick and chase him down the stairs so he’d give the present to DS… which is noteworthy. The Future Husband said that it took him 10 years before he could address NE informally. Taek’s natural diffidence and reserve, he wouldn’t joke around with NE like JH.  

12. Jwi gag. This scene with JH also warned me too that I might be wrong with my assumptions that JH is the OTP. Yes, he might be the leading man, but the scriptwriter might have other plans for him.  

You see, compared to the jwi incident with TK and DR, this did NOT at all advance his case as the Future Husband. It did not link his personality trait to him. What happened here was he had cramps, DS teased him. He told her to stop it; she didn’t. They both laughed. Fade-away shot.

In comparison, with TK’s jwi incident, DS chased after him and DR with the mice. They boys escaped by going back inside. Then, DR grabbed ahold of TK and told him to reconsider his affection for DS. Meaning, if he chose DS, he’d be consigned to a life of “torture”. TK reaffirmed his view that she’s cute. How does this connect with the Future Husband? Two ways: The Future Husband told the grown-up DS to be kind to him because he’s been understanding and tolerant of her. Where could he find a husband like him, he asked. Also, the Future Husband thought she was cute. 

13. Baduk vs Chinese checkers meta joke. In Episode 1, we see JH’s mother move a green piece on his checker board, and people naturally pounced on that and determined that green was JH was color. No. That isn’t the point there, unfortunately. 

The point here is comparison and contrast between Baduk and Chinese checkers. Both boys have these two different board games beside their beds. Baduk = TK and Chinese checkers = JH.  As a game of theory and strategy, Chinese checkers is grossly outmatched by Baduk.  Chinese checkers isn’t even Asian in origin. It’s a German-invented game. Why would the scriptwriter choose such a simplistic game to represent the first lead?  [If it were chess, then yes, I’d consider it an even match because I play chess, @shooastrid. Ha!]  Why would the director make the baduk tournament world so integral to plot, showing us news reports, educating us on its etiquette, etc., if the Chinese checkers guy was going to win the girl at the end? It doesn’t make sense; it’s absurd.

14. The future NoEul joke.  One style of this scriptwriter/director combo is to loop a conversation through time. It was splendidly done In Reply 1994. In that show, the audience see the heroine NJ cleaning up her house. She was looking for beloved stuffed toy. Her Trash Oppa interrupted her housecleaning to tell her that a package was coming and to leave it in his room. Later on, she discovered that he had bought a replacement for the stuffed toy that she had lost. Now, the audience is transported to the current time and they see NJ being asked to pick up a package at the concierge downstairs. It was for her “mystery” husband. 

Now, in this Reply 1988, the same thing happened. There was a loop in the conversation, a time-travel.

In Episode 14, when TK brought a banana to DS’ house and NE joined them, the noona and dongaeng shared a conversation:
DS: How is it possible that you're getting older than our dad?
NE: It's okay. A face like mine becomes younger later on.
TK said nothing but he smiled at DS as she wiped her brother’s dry skin. 

Fastforward to the future, in Episode 8, when NE visits DS and her husband, this topic of aging is echoed: 
DS: How is that you look younger by the day? [addressing NE]
HUSBAND: [defending NE] He finally looks his age, that's all. It took me ten years to speak informally to this punk.

See the connection? Of all the guys, TK was the only one who knew of NE’s joke about his age, because he was there when they had a conversation that his face would sooner or later catch up to his age. 

There’s also the ginseng. The Future NoEul passed by their apartment because DS was giving him ginseng. Back in 1989, DS shared a banana. What’s the connection? Ginseng is expensive, and older people value it because of its anti-aging properties. Bananas was expensive, too, at that time. But they were reserved for children like Jinjjo and NoEul because they were nutritious.  

Contrary to popular consensus, I didn’t invent these details. They were written by the scriptwriter. 
15. the Chocolate Parody.  Take a look again at Episode 16. Like in the Wedding Parodies, there were two things happening at the same time. On the surface, we see DS and DR talking on the bus about how competitive TK was. But there was actually another story unfolding surreptitiously here.  DR said that TK won because he was competitive; he didn’t like to be number two. But there was another boy in the neighborhood who was also competitive: Jong Bung.

This is the answer to the chocolate mystery. “Kim Jong Bung and Choi Tae. Something famous linked these two.” 

As DR narrated the events of the Galaga video game rivalry to DS, the incidental things that were present during that fateful day months ago were being displayed in front of our eyes. First there was the chocolate that DS was eating. 
Then, the 3 backpacks from the students. 
Then, the hotdog that JB was eating at the arcade. 
Finally, there was the jacket that was worn by TK.

You see what’s going on?  JB and TK are "infamously linked" in time not only because of the game GALAGA but also because of the GHANA chocolate. [Check out the word play there too, lol].  

DS did intend to give the chocolate to TK but the chocolate ended up with JB. 

I bet JB learned to write that love letter to Mi-Ok using her chocolate. JB was getting information from DS anyway about MO's preferences, so why not learn from DS how to write a love letter. lol. Hmmmm....I wonder if DS wrote a line as cheesy as JB's "Vienna is the capital city of Austria, but the capital city of my heart is you."  Or if THIS line was actually hers to begin with and JB merely copied it. Curiouser and curiouser. 

JB’s motive for getting the chocolate was implied but not stated: he lost to TK. 

Check out Episode 17, when all four of the gang were on the bus. JB had handed a chocolate bar to DS to give to MO. None of the boys there even did a double-take at the sight of the chocolate. They’ve never received a chocolate from DS. 

Edited to add: And if you listen to the ending segment of Episode 18, at 1:41: 18: you’ll hear DR recounting a story about JB found something in his pocket. “You know, back then, JB didn’t know it was in his pocket.”  With this scriptwriter, seemingly irrelevant tidbits like this one, may become important to the resolution of the chocolate mystery.  

Now, people asked me how could have DS confused SW’s jacket as belonging to TK? Or why didn’t DS stop and get TK’s jacket on their way out? 

The answer there is “I DON’T KNOW”. lol. Really. Literally. 

If you go back to Episode 1, the Adult DS already laid the foundation for her defense. She was going to excuse her mental lapse regarding the chocolate by pleading diminished capacity. She had inhaled the most carbon monoxide so she was poisoned and couldn’t think properly. “Diminished Capacity” 

To repeat my Jane Austen parody: It’s a truth universally acknowledged that any woman in poverty of a good wit MUST also be in want of a genius. 
Edited to add:  This means “Witless girl DS need genius guy TK.”

Anyone else observing the Hotel room scene today?

TK's conversation with DS screamed too much of the Dangerous Roommate references which was shared in her original post few days ago. It confirmed her analysis on Scriptwriter's ability to convey jokes in the most absurd way. Seriously, do you have crystal ball at home or something PM3???? I am fan-girling over your eagle eyes on subtext. Guhhhh...

Also: are you sure only shipping on the script, @packmule3? Coz I think you probably this person's close friend or something  

 

 

[lovelyrainy]

Forget all the clues and foreshadow things, they are here just for fans who love to analyze the drama, the script writer and pd nim put them just for entertainment. Reply series's main audiences are mid-age and older viewers, that's why they choose the far past years, therefore their priority is to keep the plot logic, and simple and straightforward for those who only watch the drama.

Right now, if you're too blinded by your shipper eyes, it's meaningless no matter what we try to tell you. So just drop the last episode, and come back to watch 3-4 years later, when you can be calm and watch the story from DS's pov without any biasness. The script has never changed, it was decided from the beginning. From the moment they make future husband and DS do an interview, it screams who the husband is, This is the story of Taek and DS's development, how they grow up and change from kids to adults.

JH's love was carefully painted so that they can make us sympathize with him, only that way we can feel the regret and sadness when he gives up in the end.They want it to leave more impact because they need us to learn a lesson, that more important than fate, it's timing we have to make and grab when we still have chance. If you watch it with a clear mind, his character wasn't built to be male lead, his parts were about his love for DS, he did waste his many chances, he hesitated even before Taek or SW was involved in. Let's admit this, JH was great, he did a lot for DS but can DS know it? No. DS is different from some girls who are sensitive about this, there're many girls like DS, who are clueless, maybe they can sense something but they don't believe it. DS is constantly insecured because of Bora, she thinks she is less deserved to love because she's not smart... it was showed throughout the drama that DS needs assurance.

Taek is a difficult character to develop and also to understand, you can easily connect with JH because the plot shows it all, how he struggles, how he does swoony actions... Taek is another case, he has very few words, he conveys everything through his eyes. I am not good at English enough to explain here, if you really want to understand this character, please visit Taek-DS thread for detail analysis.

As for DS, DS is a girl who fantasizes love story, due to all the novels she read in school. Therefore, she loves the idea falling in love, she wants to be in love and she's eager to have a boyfriend. That's why whenever her friends tell any guys like her, she immediately gets interested. That also the result from her inferiority, she wants attention, she wants love. However, as I said, the writer already made her mind, she didn't change anything because her intention was clear crystal. She created 2 situations, in which both DS's friends told him SW and JH liked her, this is meant for her another lesson for the youngsters, it doesn't matter who like you, what important is who you like. She makes DS do all the begging JH to concert, buying him gift (which she didn't chooser herself) to show it clealy that DS didn't love JH, not at all, she was just confused with the idea falling in love. DS may not love Taek from the beginning, but she cares deeply for him, way more than the other 3 guys, at some moment, it develops into love. That's all, there's no forceness, no suddeness, no twist, no trolling here.

Love a specific character all you want, but downgrade and blame the writer for changing her script is, for me, an insult. It's your fault for refusing to look at the whole picture, don't blame it on anything.

 

[minimi1]

I’m disappointed, not because of TKxDS, but because I just realised I stopped caring. I feel Taek’s (romantic) development was pushed to the side and Junghwan reduced to a inner monologue of self-inflicted suffering for the entire second half of the series, just to keep the suspense and the ~mystery of the husband hunt.

It doesn’t matter who Deok-Sun ends up with, as long as it is properly explained and developed. (And I definitely don’t mean interpreting shoelaces and whether someone’s hair is brushed clockwise or anticlockwise, ‘cause damn some of the analyses here were waaay too farfetched!) I feel the writer failed spectacularly in that aspect.

I wish there’d been some plot progression before the last 3 episodes, because very belated time jumps and cramming everything in at the end is simply bad scriptwriting. Going by the previous 16-17 episodes, Junghwan would have been the husband. Narratively it would have made the most sense. We got his emotional POV, while Taek’s was always just a subplot thrown in to give the main romance some obstacles.

I love Taek, but that kiss needed to have happened 5 episodes ago. But again, if your romantic arc depends on flashbacks in the penultimate episode, it’s just bad writing.

That aside, I liked AM88. I love how the focus shifted to family and ‘secondary’ characters got plenty of screentime. The acting was really good and they all fitted their roles so well. I loved how the ’80’s were recreated and will forever be amazed at the PD’s eye for detail.  And I loved SWxBR!

So whether DS ends up with Taek tomorrow (seems kind of obvious now), or the writer decides to assassinate all narrative credibility by throwing in some twist to have her end up with Junghwan (please don’t), I simply hope the entire neighbourhood gets their happy endings.

[Lyna]

I really enjoyed this episode more than I thought I would. The kids were all so thoughtful today and the scene at DR's restaurant brought tears to my eyes T_T Awkward JH (mom's daughter hehe) was so cute XD 

As a JH fan since the start, I'm happy for DS and Taek. I'm sure JH will find his happy ending too

[wheredoibegin]

I know being neutral is my priority when I get addicted to this drama. But I just can't help to fall over junghwan. So no matter last night episode bring every team junghwan down, there always still hope, I know that this sound cliche and so bias, but we never know, I'm surprised how fast the progress of taek to be with deoksun so I hope writer still give us another surprise till the end.

[drynase]

This morning EoNamTaek, Park Bogum, Hyeri and Reply 1988 Last Episode are trending on Naver. Four out of ten articles related to Reply 1988 are still trending on Nate. 

EDITED: Sung Sunwoo is also trending right now

I read an article last night tittled "Jung Eunji cries, Hyeri laughs" on Naver. Shin PD was praised for turning idol into A-class acting-dol. Netizen claimed that R97 is a legend and because of R97, there is R88 right now. 

[minozyeh]

Hi all...can someone kindly inform me the link to watch the raw? Thank u

[Raphelancia]

@melindawilkins

Okay let's put clues and signs aside and talk about the storytelling. We do get the frustration of watching oh-how-many-times of JH's turmoil in his quest of love. But have you considered Dukseon's narrative part in this story? 

> Dukseon started as a middle child with low self-esteem issues. She always led to believe that her only charming point is her pretty face, and outside of that she's total dumb. She even categorize herself with her two friends as "We're the type of girl that should be satisfied just from loving from far. The moment we confess it'll all be over". So yeah, there are so many scene that shows us how DS think lowly of herself. Nevertheless, she always act bright and tough, and that's part of her charm.

> Basically her narrative goes telling us that she finally experience "being loved by someone" which then lead to "liking that someone too".

> First crush is Sunwoo, started from her friend telling her "He likes you!". In her postcard she even says "Thanks for loving me SW!" which means she's desperate to be loved. Then all of it seems like a misunderstanding and her first heartbreak happened, we know how devastated she is.

> Next crush is Junghwan, again, comes from her friend telling her "He likes you, this time it's for reals!". Then the second crush is on-going, she made lot of effort to be noticed. Sadly these are the times when JH start hesitating. Then in the end another misunderstanding happened with the pink shirt incident, and JH did nothing to try clarifying that, as sad as it is. It's DS's second heartbreak now.

> Then the turning point is where Dongryong said to her that she can like someone instead. Wait, come to think of it, there's always someone that has bonds with DS throughout her turmoil of first and second heartbreak, guess who it is? Yes it's Taek. This is where DS start caring less about other opinion while trying to find her own feelings. Narratively, it's coincide with her dilemma of her future dreams. This is where her quest of finding her own feeling and dreams started.

> After that we all know what happened. The story goes to different focus, letting us see how DS start noticing more and more of Taek (as if the first 14 episode is a buildup for these moment), and finally see him as someone she like without people's influence. In fact, her friends go out of her way to tell DS that Taek think DS as a fool, contrary to how the first two crush started. So yes, a real love blooms this time, out of her own feelings.

----------------------

So, if we summed up, if you follow closely DS point in narrative, you'll want her to have the happy ending, that she finally have her own feeling, and surprisingly it's reciprocated. You'll want her to cherish her first 'love from the bottom of her heart'. You'll want to see her move on from her past feeling where she's still in dilemma. You can't help but want her to be with Taek.

The majority of viewer suffer from the major heartbreak from following JH's POV too much while didn't pay much attention to DS' POV. I know it's sad seeing we have two POV, JH and DS, but the two didn't intertwine with each others. But that's part of the bittersweet charm of the whole narrative story. You could say that JH big confession and moving on in EP18 as the twist in this series, but it's rather a beautiful closure for JH's own feelings. 

The writer planned the script to be bittersweet from the start. Some might think it's "just for rating" or "not to be obvious", but if you realy put the bias glasses aside, that's when you can truly sees that the romance plot in this Reply is just different from the other one, mainly due to the main heroine being different, it's always about the main heroine. Maybe it's not to your liking, but whatever suits our own boat right? 

Good day, everyone! It's finally our last day, huhu. Major drawback incoming..~~~ 

[nicola_nikka]

I believe reply 1988 couple-ship is demonstrated best with this one quote, 

"But with Taek, what the audience expects, the audience shall not get. His arc lacks the transparency of JH's 'coming of age' story. On the level of metafiction, what is happening instead is this: the writer, the narrative, the viewers, and JH are playing a game of baduk against Choi Taek 9 dan. And he is winning."

One of the best drama's ever created. It made me cry, it made me laugh and finally it gave me this amazing couple.

I would have been a bit let down if it was Junghwan but I still would have come in this thread and said how amazing this drama is. I, repeat, we had two amazing guys TWO. I couldnt be prouder to have seen this show. Now I must buy the DVD's .

 

 

 

[drynase]

Wow. Last night episode broke the record! According to Nielsen Korea, 19th episode rating is 18,6%. Prepare for the fanmeeting~~~

[Scribbles24]

Good thing I didn't fallow the series. I just read recaps here and there but didn't become emotionally invested in this drama because I just knew PD was going to major troll on this series. Regardless i was team JH but deep down i knew PD was gonna do a different ending than previous work. JH was an amazing character, it was quite realistic and I believe we can learn a lot from him.

Ever since this series was announced I just knew that the PD would switch it up and the 2nd lead would end up with the girl. JH fit first lead criteria and Taek second lead.

 

What happen to Bora?? She was my second favorite character. 

[moonkeeper]

8 hours ago, __jesse said:

 

May I join in the party, please? 

 

Sure !!! your very much welcome and for others too that interested .....^___^ 

Some of my roommates already share her analysis, and she's like really scriptwriter..hihiihhii...^__^

We learn and still learning a lot from her...

[2505stv]

 

Sports Seoul - Naver: 'R88', No time for Ryu Junyeol to get over his feelings? 

1. [+5,856, -193] Aigoo, how meaningless ㅠ He acted so well... The way he expressed love made my heart pound and flutter

2. [+5,633, -382] Reply's at fault for reducing his screen time

3. [+5,568, -637]  EoNamRyu = The male lead is Ryu Junyeol anyway

4. [+3,141, -320] I didn't sleep a wink last night  ㅠ

5. [+6,902, -1,607] I'm not upset that the writer switched out to Taek but at how the story got so lost. It's not even a soap opera, how could the feelings he harbored for 20 years disappeared in one stroke and suddenly got so focused on taking care of his family? Should've warned us viewers from the start. I probably won't be watching any Reply drama from now on. I find it rather distasteful how they're toying with viewers' emotions

6. [+2,132, -122]  I don't care if the husband is Taek, explain why Ryu Junyeol's screen time got less and less.. Where did the love he had for Deoksun disappear? Why do you take your viewers as fools?

7. [+1,889, -42] Junghwan gave up his first love to his friend, fulfilled his brother's dream and devotes his youth for the country.. I'm so sad for him ㅜㅜㅜㅜ

8. [+1,840, -119] Writer-nim, aren't you being so harsh on Junghwan??? Felt like I'm watching a completely different drama the week after they cancelled the episodes

9. [+1,774, -129] To me, Kim Junghwan is this drama's male lead

10. [+1,756, -110] But what is this suffocating feeling even now that the husband's been revealed?

11. [+1,230, -68] The subtitle should be "Jungpal's One-sided Love"ㅋㅋ

12. [+1,144, -53] After Ep 4, Junghwan's screen time has been averaging to 5 minutes per episode. What did he do wrong?
 

[tefb]

16 hours ago, shouldgettowork said:

Good thing I didn't fallow the series. I just read recaps here and there but didn't become emotionally invested in this drama because I just knew PD was going to major troll on this series. Regardless i was team JH but deep down i knew PD was gonna do a different ending than previous work. JH was an amazing character, it was quite realistic and I believe we can learn a lot from him.

Ever since this series was announced I just knew that the PD would switch it up and the 2nd lead would end up with the girl. JH fit first lead criteria and Taek second lead.

 

What happen to Bora?? She was my second favorite character. 

tonight episode will show bora and sunwoo's wedding, their parents against their relationship

[Guest ajengau]

If anyone somewhere here is still getting highly agitated by yesterday's incident, try rewatch some parts of previous installments. The parts where everything matched one another til the very end of the show. The parts where synchronicity actually existed. Pretend nothing has ever happened. Pretend what you have been watching this last 3 months is just another korean drama you always watch. Then you'll feel a little at ease. You'll feel the justice has gone back to its place. I can guarantee nothing but it does work on me since I'm also one of the victims who can't get enough sleep from overthinking over all this, since none of our screaming will ever be heard and put into a consideration towards the decision anyway. Just sharing what might help a little.

[drynase]

1 minute ago, 2505stv said:

 

Sports Seoul - Naver: 'R88', No time for Ryu Junyeol to get over his feelings? 

8. [+1,840, -119] Writer-nim, aren't you being so harsh on Junghwan??? Felt like I'm watching a completely different drama the week after they cancelled the episodes
 

It might be cause I still cant move on Kim Junghwan's bangs and Sung Deokseon short hair. After the cancelling episode, this drama should be changing its tittle to be Cruel Temptation 2

[bluesteyes]

[+6,902, -1,607] I'm not upset that the writer switched out to Taek but at how the story got so lost. It's not even a soap opera, how could the feelings he harbored for 20 years disappeared in one stroke and suddenly got so focused on taking care of his family? Should've warned us viewers from the start. I probably won't be watching any Reply drama from now on. I find it rather distasteful how they're toying with viewers' emotions

aigo so sad to read this. Writer and production team has warned us ever since they announced the cast. Its just we people that tend to complicate thing and think opposite when its not even complicated in the first place. From the beginning its always PBG Hyeri GKP RHY. And its not a switched out. Because its already choi taek from the very first start. Look how JH got less screen time is also an alarm for viewers.

r88 always been about family and....baduk

[Kdorama_addict]

i WONDER why some people complains about Junghwan's lack of character development LOUDLY this time ??

he always been (or start to) missing after episode 12.... and or after he knows about Taek's feelings....

his scenes time even reduced after episode 12...

it's not like suddenly he's gone... just saying...

SO if indeed the writers want to change to Taek (for whatever reason)... they changed it early in the game....

[alleverything]

If I would have the time and patience to read this thread back (I don't), I would see most of the people who are being all confident and DUH about Taek and DS now. But you were ALL saying "Oh well I know Taek will not be the husband", "Junghwan is the husband but I'm rooting for Taek even though I know it won't happen". The best thing is, you even called yourselves the Taektanic or w/e because you knew it was going to sink. I mean come on.

This is what most Taek/Deoksun kept saying for the majority of the drama, probably up until the 2 week break. I know you're celebrating now, and that's nice. But please, don't act like you don't see where us "aggressive, blind Junghwan stans" are coming from.

If the endgame's supporters didn't see it happening for the longest time, don't you agree that something fishy went on inside that writer's room? Yeah, it was beneficial for you, so of course now you're throwing the "YOURE JUST BLAMING THE WRITERS BECAUSE YOUR SHIP SANK" in our faces. By the end of last week, I already told myself I wouldn't be happy with either of the husbands because the writers just messed it up for both guys. So no that argument does not count.

You can't tell me you guys (Taek/DS) people are happy with the way they got together? Just because there was an intense kiss involved...

I am unsatisfied, disappointed, and dumbfounded. This did not make sense and everyone knows it deep inside, no matter what "team" you're on.