[Drama 2017] Lookout, 파수꾼

[secretlyforyou]

48 minutes ago, dj.soul said:

Wait wtf??  Seriously??  That was the ending??  I feel just as unfulfilled as I did when I watched the last episode of Signal.  Smh.

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I get it, sometimes the good guys die and the bad guys survive (albeit in a coma, but that sociopathic kid is still alive), but I felt like the drama left so many strings untied.  And what was with that guy taking pictures?  Are they trying to leave things open-ended for a Season 2?  That's what I thought with how they ended Signal, but it's already been a year and we're quickly approaching two.  I wish that writers wouldn't do such lackluster endings unless they plan on following it up with a subsequent season.  That's why I can bear American shows, because you know at least some of these questions will be answered when they come back.

Anyway, that was super disappointing.  I am not surprised that JDH died because they gave so many hints, but I wouldn't have minded KDrama illogical recovery either in this case, especially since YSW still lives.

 

Personally, I was more OK with Signal's ending than I am with this one, but I have noticed more and more shows doing this. They leave a lot of things unanswered/open ended and/or give teasers that show they would like another season ( Queen of Mystery did the same thing ) But kdramas are not known for having more than one season, so this does nothing but make me feel cheated out of any kind of solid ending that offers closure. 

As for DH, as a long time kdrama fan I wasn't shocked they did this, but it still disappoints me. Especially for a writer who seemed to be trying different things, only to turn around and go down a typical path. I don't necessarily view killing him as brave bc that would mean it's something different, but since they do these tragic type endings for LOTS of their characters, it's just kinda.. oh. It would have been more brave not to kill him, and maybe have him start over somewhere else and find out who he is outside of all of this. I know some felt his guilt was so high he couldn't live, but I think with SJ's forgiveness and encouragement - along with priest, EJ, BM, and KS - he could have. What a wasted opportunity, imo. 

[chingu76]

6 minutes ago, secretlyforyou said:

Personally, I was more OK with Signal's ending than I am with this one, but I have noticed more and more shows doing this. They leave a lot of things unanswered/open ended and/or give teasers that show they would like another season ( Queen of Mystery did the same thing ) But kdramas are not known for having more than one season, so this does nothing but make me feel cheated out of any kind of solid ending that offers closure. 

As for DH, as a long time kdrama fan I wasn't shocked they did this, but it still disappoints me. Especially for a writer who seemed to be trying different things, only to turn around and go down a typical path. I don't necessarily view killing him as brave bc that would mean it's something different, but since they do these tragic type endings for LOTS of their characters, it's just kinda.. oh. It would have been more brave not to kill him, and maybe have him start over somewhere else and find out who he is outside of all of this. I know some felt his guilt was so high he couldn't live, but I think with SJ's forgiveness and encouragement he could have. What a wasted opportunity, imo. 

My words exactly. This is a typical kdrama ending. But I still have this tiny glimmer that he is in a coma and will be revived in s2. Oh well. 

 

Can kyk and lsy be in a rom com next??

13 minutes ago, blademan said:

Yeah that scene where he imagined DH bringing him food  

basically the whole of episode 32 was a tear fest T.T

Damn writer giving us false hope! It wasn't done flashback style which is why @andy78 thought it was a real scene. Mean of them but it makes me sooooo sad because EJ realised they could've been great friends

[secretlyforyou]

@chingu76 lol, I'd love to see them in a rom-com together, they have great chemistry. It looks like he's reuniting with Park Bo Young first tho, for a melo movie.  

[dj.soul]

23 minutes ago, secretlyforyou said:

Personally, I was more OK with Signal's ending than I am with this one, but I have noticed more and more shows doing this. They leave a lot of things unanswered/open ended and/or give teasers that show they would like another season ( Queen of Mystery did the same thing ) But kdramas are not known for having more than one season, so this does nothing but make me feel cheated out of any kind of solid ending that offers closure. 

As for DH, as a long time kdrama fan I wasn't shocked they did this, but it still disappoints me. Especially for a writer who seemed to be trying different things, only to turn around and go down a typical path. I don't necessarily view killing him as brave bc that would mean it's something different, but since they do these tragic type endings for LOTS of their characters, it's just kinda.. oh. It would have been more brave not to kill him, and maybe have him start over somewhere else and find out who he is outside of all of this. I know some felt his guilt was so high he couldn't live, but I think with SJ's forgiveness and encouragement - along with priest, EJ, BM, and KS - he could have. What a wasted opportunity, imo. 

I think Signal's ending really disappointed me because I felt like viewers were made to go in a huge circle, only to basically end us at the start of said circle.  I never looked into it too deeply, but I always wondered if it was based off of the American movie Frequency, which was made in 2000.  At the very least, that movie made some progress towards the end, if I recall correctly.  (The TV reboot, on the other hand, ended in a similar unfulfilling way as Signal.)  

Spoiler

I guess the writer felt like DH was at a point where death was the only thing that made sense given how he'd lived his life, despite receiving forgiveness from everyone around him.   Like you, I think it would have been really cool if DH had continued on.  Honestly, with the whole confusion between flashback and hallucination that the writer tried to give, I can only assume they threw in that red herring with the hope that it would keep people guessing for a bit, in an effort to be "different," but I felt like it fell flat.  For a drama (and for DH in particular, a character) that had so much potential, especially in the way it could have concluded, this definitely ended with a whimper and not a bang like I'd hoped.  Truthfully, I liked Phantom's ending (the one with So Ji Sub), and I was kind of hoping for something like that, but I guess they didn't want to go that route here.

Oh well.  Onto the next, I suppose.  Hopefully Suspicious Partner doesn't end in such a way, or this week is really going to be disappointing for me.

 

[bedifferent]

that's 2 dramas in a row watching with @Dhakra that I know he will hate!  it's our ill-fated drama relationship!

thank you everyone for all your posts and thoughts! Waiting for subs.

i am a new fan of KYK.  His DH character is unforgettable!  

[chingu76]

@stroppyse I am like you, I wouldn't have started if I knew DH would die. I watch shows to escape from the sadness of life not get sad all over again. Still, I am glad I was introduced to KYKs and LSYs talent

[blademan]

The two most depressing scenes of this entire show and both in the same episode  

[yongsital]

I haven't posted at all in this thread but I've watched Lookout from the beginning. Usually I tend to check in threads for the finales and omggg even more so for Lookout. Does it make sense that I kind of saw it coming but was genuinely surprised when they did it? I'll go right off the bat and say I'm okay with the finale; it's incredibly sad but I like it.

Regarding Dohan's demise...well personally I don't think it's taking the easy route. While it is true that many times our anti-heros or protagonists in thrillers end up dying, I still don't consider it a common route yet. I don't know, maybe we've watched completely different sets of dramas, but from the vast majority that I've seen, killing a protagonist is still not a common situation. And here lies the biggest difference that I perceive between the dramas that have done it vs Lookout killing off Dohan. In Lookout, it makes sense. For instance, a few months ago I watched a kdrama (won't say the name) that killed off the protagonist/anti-hero. I cried but not for the reasons that the drama wanted me to cry. To me that drama didn't convince me in that the main character 'needed' to die. Like dude, I get that you loved the girl yearssssss ago but puhlease that is not reason enough for you to want to die...and subsequently let yourself die. But Lookout is different. I can entirely understand the need for Dohan dying and I think it's what he wanted.

In last week episodes Dohan clearly said that he wanted to pay for his sins and be forgiven. And he did. I know that as viewers we lament and cry over our (anti) hero's death but if we look at it from his perspective, then it was the best way for him to be at peace with himself. I haven't watched the episode in its entirety but I'm sure that the moments before he fell, he knew he was paying for his wrongdoing. He sacrificed himself for Sooji, the mother of the little girl he watched die. And this also brings on another point. The way we see the ending also depends on how we perceived his implication in Yoona's death. I've read some of the comments here and Dramabeans and a lot of viewers don't believe he should feel guilt. Personally, I do think he has reason to be guilty. I'm not saying he would have had the opportunity or time to save Yoona, but he could have tried. If he had run towards the roof the moment he had a premonition that something bad was happening, things would have been incredibly different. Instead of being the person who willingly simply witnessed a murder, he'd have been someone who tried his best to prevent it. In Sooji's eyes he would have been a completely different person. His crime was doubting. Yes, he ran after a while but he doubted. That's what hurts Sooji. That's why Sooji said she would never forgive him. So, maybe I sound cruel, but throughout the drama I wanted him to feel guilty. If he felt overwhelmed with the guilt, well then that was his greatest punishment. And I think we shouldn't see his guilt as something unnecessary because we'd be shoving away his conscious and his character growth. The fact that he felt guilt was a good thing. That meant that he sincerely repented over his inaction when Yoona died; that he repented the manipulation of her death. If he didn't feel guilt then there's no way I could have warmed up to him and sympathized with his pain. His guilt was so so so important in this drama and for his character, so I wish we could acknowledge it, not only as something good but also something healthy for him emotionally.

I know it would have been nice if he had lived but from the moment we saw his revenge plan, it never crossed my mind that he would have a good or happy life after everything was executed. As it is, he was already a broken man from the traumas that he suffered when he was a kid. Add on to that the things he did to execute his revenge. And to top it all off was Yoona's death. He also had to suffer all those weeks that Sooji was working with him. Can you imagine how torturous it must have been for Dohan to face Sooji, to talk to her over the phone, and have that voice in the back of his mind reminding him what he was hiding from her regarding Yoona? Dohan is just such a tragic character. I want you to be happy but I know you can't! <--- me throughout the drama. If he did live, I'd be scared and worried for what his guilt would do to his already broken self. Even if Sooji forgave him eventually (or did she forgive him in the finale?) that wouldn't erase his guilt. Maybe it'd ease it a bit but not entirely.

On another note, I really loved what Dohan did by bringing together the team. I know he chose them because he wanted to take down Yoon and they were all connected. However, one of the things I liked about Dohan was that he did care for Bomi and Kyungsoo. He brought justice to their respective loss and I believe he was genuine as he did it. Also, even though he died, he did leave a legacy in the form of Bomi, Kyungso, Sooji, and Eunjoong. Particulary with Eunjoong; Dohan opened Eunjoong's idealistic eyes and taught him how to truly be a just prosecutor. It's ironic but Eunjoong learned so much from Dohan.

In summary, if I had to pick my favorite characteristic of Dohan's, without a doubt I'd pick his guilt/repentance. For me, that was what I loved most about him. It reminded him and me that he was still human and incredibly more so than monsters like Siwan and his dad.

Now, I just have to wait for the subs to properly watch the finale. Maybe I'll drop by again once I do. (If you read all of this omg kudos; I ramble too much hehe.)

[Guest]

4 hours ago, bedifferent said:

that's 2 dramas in a row watching with @Dhakra that I know he will hate!  it's our ill-fated drama relationship!

I first questioned you first, but after the watching the episode, I can finally tell you. 

Yep, I hate it. Ill-fated drama relationship indeed. We see each other during the end of Duel and see if we can make it three. 

What a joke this final episode was. We don't even know the fate of Shi-Wan. 

I'm out of here. 

[bedifferent]

They did it.  Official numbers are not released yet but Lookout recorded AGB Nielsen rating of 10.2%  on their last airing.

Congrats to cast and crew.  Happy for them.

@Dhakra Duel maybe the same.  For the record, I like Lookout and feels fine with the ending.  Really tragic and sad ending but one of the nicely written dramas this year. 

http://m.sportsq.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=246412&daum_check=&naver_check=1#_enliple

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, bedifferent said:

I like Lookout and feels fine with the ending.

No, it's not as bad as 'Whisper' or 'Mystery Queen', but still preeeetty bad. They even dare to tease a second season without giving me the pleasure of seeing Shi-Wan, this little piece of broccoli, pay for his crimes. DH just pays the ultimate price and SJ doesn't even get charged? It's just liked they skipped the ending to show us ten minutes of irrelevant boring court action with a side character that never had a significant role in the first place. It just not good, that isn't good writing. It's okay to let him die, but then finish up the rest properly. We even get product placement crap scene during the end. What the hell? In the last seconds of the drama I have to see sunshine promoting that stupid mobile phone? We know nothing! And I'm not even Jon Snow.

Lookout was great, but the ending is just, sorry, garbage. I'm pissed, surprise, and I won't look back. 

[bedifferent]

@Dhakra Ummzzzz. Haven't watched yet, just got off work  Let me see it first before I can comment.  I can say that I am ok with the tragic death and sacrifice of DH.  It's consistent with his character's perception of justice and redemption.  We all hope for him to have a better ending so I can understand the anger and disappointment. 

Don't diss my vegetable.  Broccoli >>> Si Wan! 

BTW, they were filming till last minute and we all know MBC is forcing the PPL.  But really show, last minute PPL to cash in the ratings high in place of storyline is unbelievable.

[Mayyes]

39 minutes ago, Dhakra said:

No, it's not as bad as 'Whisper' or 'Mystery Queen', but still preeeetty bad. They even dare to tease a second season without giving me the pleasure of seeing Shi-Wan, this little piece of broccoli, pay for his crimes. DH just pays the ultimate price and SJ doesn't even get charged? It's just liked they skipped the ending to show us ten minutes of irrelevant boring court action with a side character that never had a significant role in the first place. It just not good, that isn't good writing. It's okay to let him die, but then finish up the rest properly. We even get product placement crap scene during the end. What the hell? In the last seconds of the drama I have to see sunshine promoting that stupid mobile phone? We know nothing! And I'm not even Jon Snow.

Lookout was great, but the ending is just, sorry, garbage. I'm pissed, surprise, and I won't look back. 

I am with you... All your words really described what I feel right now...Only one sentence that I did not agree, personally "Mystery Queen" and "Whisper" have a.better ending for me..... Hahaha...

 Wth the writer did... She/he messed up a beautiful drama... Its okay to have sad ending... But please tied everything nicely... I am okay too if DH died... Though sob... Hmm... I am waiting for Yoon Seung-ro's trial and YSW too... But instead we had random trial scene... I know the writer intention to show the scene of random trial, but still i feel out of the blue. They dont even show us how SW did. Judging by the position of their falling, JDH could saved him because he was on the bottom position. What....??? JDH died and , SW lived then... Omg...

Seeing Soo-ji, Bomi, Kyung-soo lived freely only after a year, could it be they make a deal? Spare SW's life with theirs? Soo-ji did erase all the recording in Soon-ae's phone to save her career. And I am not sure what kind of another recording that Soo-ji mentioned. And she also told Soon-ae to forget everything that happened today, then What about DH's life? Will you tell the world that he committed suicide??? Ohh... I have headache...Also another disappointment of me, they wasted Kim Tae-hoon great acting and his character. Yes he did big part of taking down Yoon Seung-ro. But just like this, he gave them Det Nam's phone recording. As a righteous prosecutor, I wish to see him bring some short of changes in prosecution service.

Well, overall JDH really my favourite character here. I dont really like him but not really hate him either. He is really a human type in a real world. Not type hero of kdrama, who always and only did a good thing. I found a new discovery of Kim Young-kwang. And maybe it is the best role of him. After this maybe he will receive a lot of a love calls. Hahaha..... And last, I will miss his smirk and bitter smiles.

1 hour ago, bedifferent said:

They did it.  Official numbers are not released yet but Lookout recorded AGB Nielsen rating of 10.2%  on their last airing.

Congrats to cast and crew.  Happy for them.

@Dhakra Duel maybe the same.  For the record, I like Lookout and feels fine with the ending.  Really tragic and sad ending but one of the nicely written dramas this year. 

http://m.sportsq.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=246412&daum_check=&naver_check=1#_enliple

 

Ohh... Finally break 10%. Congrats... They deserved better than this...

Its great to join this thread, i can follow all the posts because we are not in the thread with the speed of a light. Hohhoo... Hope to see you again soon on another thread chingus... Good morning.

[dj.soul]

2 hours ago, Dhakra said:

No, it's not as bad as 'Whisper' or 'Mystery Queen', but still preeeetty bad. They even dare to tease a second season without giving me the pleasure of seeing Shi-Wan, this little piece of broccoli, pay for his crimes. DH just pays the ultimate price and SJ doesn't even get charged? It's just liked they skipped the ending to show us ten minutes of irrelevant boring court action with a side character that never had a significant role in the first place. It just not good, that isn't good writing. It's okay to let him die, but then finish up the rest properly. We even get product placement crap scene during the end. What the hell? In the last seconds of the drama I have to see sunshine promoting that stupid mobile phone? We know nothing! And I'm not even Jon Snow.

Lookout was great, but the ending is just, sorry, garbage. I'm pissed, surprise, and I won't look back. 

 

Omg I died laughing at "this little piece of broccoli."  Hahaha.  That's great.

Funny enough, I never notice these product placement things.  o_O Guess I fail as a drama watcher in that regard, lol.

Spoiler

But YES!!  What is up with YSW surviving AND we don't know what's happened to him since??  I am right with you with the ending being garbage, ESPECIALLY given how much effort was clearly put in to flesh out the story and characters up until this point.  The only way they can fix this for me is if they do a Season 2, and they pull a BBC Sherlock and give us an outlandish "You think I'm dead, but jk" type of situation.  Idk about anyone else, but I'll take it.  Kim Young Kwang did such a great job as JDH, especially with his (from what I understand was) improvised laughing/smile.

The only thing they could do to make it worse at this point is have that one ending song from a few episodes released, but in a Goblin OST-esque way with the Round and Round song, which will make me REALLY smh.

 

[bedifferent]

AGB Nielsen (7/11/17)

Lookout (finale) E31: 9.3% (8), E32: 10.2% (6) Record

FMW: 13.8%

My Sassy Girl:  7.7%, 8.7%

Lookout ended with their highest rating and in second place behind FMW.

... gonna see subbed episode soon. 

[bedifferent]

Wahhhhhhhhhh  

I just finished.  Tears!

I don't like some parts of episode 32 but not totally hate it.  The scene of SJ and priest LGW in the cathedral, ending with DH and the background OST, is beyond poignant.  

Wahhhhhhh

[selenette]

Some recoloring I did, and posted on Twitter. 

 

 

I've made peace with the ending and thought of it as a tragic antihero journey.

[sakura2016]

I hate the writer for killing Do Han but I hate him/her more for the daydream moment procecutor Kim had of Do Han thinking of him bringing him guimpap being his nonsens hillarious self calling him "hyu..uuun..ng" then friend!! did he/she need to torture us with "what could've been but never happpened"?!!  

nevertheless this was a great drama and a memoriable role for Kim Young Kwang that I'm happy he took in!! now we need to see him in another happy project soon and as I read he signed in a new movie that should be fun which is a great new after the devastating ending of this drama!!

[bedifferent]

Just now, selenette said:

Some recoloring I did, and posted on Twitter. 

I've made peace with the ending and thought of it as a tragic antihero journey.

 

It's beautiful!  Love it!

Me too. Tho I agree that many parts were unnecessary, showing LSY's stunt actions, EJ's trial.... to show life went back to normal for team, there was no closure for SW or a proper send off for DH to appreciate all his works and sacrifices.

Maybe the writer wanted to emphasize his life and death were same, misunderstood except for few who knew the truth.  A life of an unsung hero.

I started to tear up when EJ recalled memories of his friends from the kimbaps he received.  DH is not forgotten by those whom he touched.

I made up my mind.  I love the drama, even with this ending!  

 

 

 

[Aya Hong]

Hello! Just want to express my dissapointment or sooo......im So sad for prosecutor Jang, and im really looking forward for a romance to lighten the drama  and im not satisfied for the ending, although it give me hopes for season 2 but i donT know....

well kudos to the cast, im really fan of LYK and LSY and they really amaze me here specially LYK, i just can't believe that it ended without my romantic wish for the two..

But my this is my favourite drama for this season