[Drama 2020] Alice, 앨리스

[foreverempress]

The ending has me confused. Everything has plot holes. This one will be shifted to the same bin as the show "The Item". I'm out!

 

[Gretule]

What even was that ending? I'm so angry, confused and unsatisfied that I cannot even write a review right now after finishing the last episode, that is not what should have happened???? Who thought that this would be a perfect way to end the show! Also, what the hell what does his mum look like then if he did not recognise Tae Yi, what actually happened...

[nanana]

afer finish the ending episode, Oh my god. why mum and son?

[Mayyes]

The ending just so so ... Alice started with "Bang" but ended just "..." up to eps 15th, i still think everything logic in some ways. From Minhyuk death, Alice trying to kill everyone who knows time travel, But last night eps, totally a mess. Wth Jingyoem didnt recognize Taeyi? Or at least, something must be confused him, he met someone looks like his mom. The past changed, what about Park sunyoung, she died? Or live happily with jingyoem? Dongho, not actually "died" in eps 15, what happened to him? For the first time after being kdrama fans for a long time, im really disappointed with the ending. Only one thing that i glad to see about Alice, discovering Kwak Siyang as Yoo Minhyuk. Hhaa.... goodbye friends, wish we meet again on another topic....

[LeftCoastOppa]

I won't say I hate the ending, but WOW it could've been so much better ... and clearer

 

Things that made no sense

 

- The reset. He didn't stop his mother dying the first time so his younger self still sees it, he still would vow to find the killer, becomes a cop, discovers time travelers, seeks out Tae-Yi.  As the Teacher dies after the mothers first death (yes-even self inflicted), okay he saved everyone else, but his mother - the prime motivation in the drama - still died

 

- Tae-Yi and surviving memories - okay an argument can be made that JG controls time so he effects the reset then brings Tae-Yi to 2020 after he kills the Teacher - that works to stop time travel as she will no longer pursue it ... still, it played out like a bad idea for dramatic purposes. + she wouldn't still have the necklace after the reset.

 

- Do-Yeon should remember JG - If the reset begins at JGs moms death, then Do-Yeon would still know JG in the future, and as she already was crushing on JG at that time they should've ended up together.  That was a big failing on the writers part ... imagine a scene where Do-Yeon seeks out Tae-Yi for a consultation just like in the final episode, instead they meet at a restaurant, and during their conversation, Do-Yeon triggers Tae-Yi by saying the same lines about "space" and at that moment JG walks in and comes to their table and Do-Yeon introduces JG as her architect husband .... missed opportunity ... DISAPPOINTED!

 

+ then they could've gone to Spain together

 

- Where was ALICE in the last episode?  There was clearly a drone following Tae-Yi, so they just sat back and watched as they were temporally wiped from existence? 

 

EPIC Fail award

 

Who wrote the damn book!

 

 

I really really liked this drama, but that ending ... not so much.

 

 

LCO

[sadthe1st]

i'm thinking after the reset, where it went back to Jin Gyeom (2020) appearing to see Park Sun Young one last time waiting for Jin Gyeom (2010) to bring her wallet... everything got reset and he (as a time traveler) also disappeared along with Alice. So there will not be any more drone... Park Sun Young should have either died on another cause before 2020 (present) or there is no further elaboration.

 

Romance might not have blossomed further for Do Yeon since she didn't have to be so focused on taking care and looking out for Jin Gyeom now that Park Sun Young lived on. This assumption might anger some chingus who are so supportive of their romance.

 

i'm assuming the last ending, is not about Jin Gyeom and Tae Yi in the romantic way. more of, a confidante kind of relationship who actually remembered what could have happened and experienced where no one remembers. (although technically speaking this Jin Gyeom only knows through the deja vu recollection of memories). i'm hoping, Tae Yi will meet Min Hyuk in the near future and fall in love with him.

 

Some things dun tie though...

- if original Detective Ko got stabbed before the future Detective Ko took over his identity, then at the point when it got reset, Detective Ko should not have appeared in Crime Squad restaurant in 2020 scene.

 

it's been a wild ride waiting for fridays for the past few months, thanks everyone!

 

[Sobayaki]

I'm so confused. Someone please enlighten everyone in this thread! 

 

Spoiler

If JG killing future JG would cause time travel to stop, then how come that birthday scene with his mom replayed? Did he travel back in time once more before he disappeared? From what I understood, that last scene with mom TY going out to buy alcohol with her son is the "fixed" timeline and he's able to grow up normally with his mom not dying as his final monologue suggested. But that also doesn't make sense because that mom TY is from 2050. So shouldn't that all disappear too?

 

And let's say that all the above did disappear, then how does 2020 TY still remember everything and still have the necklace? Since the new JG doesn't recognize 2020 TY as having the same face as his mom, that means either he grew up without a mom or his parents are somebody else.

 

But then new JG seems to remember everything too at the very end. I still consider them mother-son though, it just won't work if they're now a couple...

 

 

Overall I still enjoyed the ride and the mother-son relationship (in the present) is touching. Yes, I will never consider them as a romantic couple. But my idea of the perfect ending would be:

 

Everyone would return to their lives having forgotten what happened. JG would cease to exist. Then TY would eventually meet MH and they will live happily ever after, eventually giving birth to JG.

[slpamngtrs]

What the what. That was probably the worst, most nonsensical ending possible for this story. Did the writer realize the story didn’t make sense up to this point anyway and just gave up? And just gave us some sappy happy ending? With a sprinkle of incest as a cherry on top??
 

Biggest plot hole for me: shouldn’t all JYs have disappeared when he killed himself? Wasn’t that the point of why his mom was trying so hard to protect him? If he was only going to disappear in one world, why would any of this matter? And in how many worlds did JG’s mom already die? Wouldn’t that have set all the things into motion and created lots of JGs chasing the killer(s)? Was there something special about the JG we were watching? 

I guess these questions assume some level of consistency and logic. 
 

Grade: F

 

 

[sadthe1st]

ya, i agreed with @slpamngtrs that Jin Gyeom should not exist back in 2020... or rather, the reset should end at the point where Park Sun Young shot herself, Jin Gyeom (2020) killed Jin Gyeom (2050) and all cease to exist.. even for Jin Gyeom (2010). So eventually there should only be Tae Yi (2010) who is a college student continues to live on to future.

 

but to forcefully keep their existence into 2020, the only "reasonable" argument would be the birth of a new life (Park Sun Young in 1992 gave birth to Jin Gyeom) causing them not being affected by the reset.

Spoiler

this is from the Final Destination movie concept where the pregnant mother gave birth before her turn in line for death to come, thus escaped death.

 

Alice ending, has a bit of similarity to Miracle that We Met.

[larus]

Kim Hee Sun, Joo Won, And More Share Final Remarks To Bid Farewell To “Alice”

TV/Film

Oct 25, 2020

by U. Kim

 

SBS’s sci-fi action thriller drama “Alice” came to a close on October 24, and the drama’s actors have shared comments to say goodbye to the drama and its viewers.

Joo Won played the detective Park Jin Gyeom who gets involved in the world of time travel when he searches for the truth behind his mother’s murder. Joo Won shared through a video on TikTok, “I will return with another great project. Thank you. I was happy. Let’s meet again.”

Kim Hee Sun played two roles: the genius physicist Yoon Tae Yi and the time traveler Park Sun Young. She stated through her agency, “‘Alice’ has finally come to an end. We began filming last November, and it’s October now, so it’s been about a year. Perhaps because of the amount of time I spent on it, it’s close to my heart. I feel some regret about not doing a better job, and I also feel even sadder due to the weather that’s getting colder. I really miss all of the staff members who worked hard with us, and I’ll take this opportunity to thank them. Moreover, I want to thank the viewers of ‘Alice.’ I’ll work harder and evolve further. Thank you.”

Kwak Si Yang played agent Yoo Min Hyuk, a character from the future. He shared, “There were difficult times while filming, but I also laughed and had fun on set and wrapped up filming with a thankful heart. Looking back, I do feel regret, but I think ‘Alice’ will continue to take up a large portion of my heart. I’d like to thank our viewers, and to the cast and crew who worked hard together, I love you and thank you.”

 

Yeonwoo expressed through her agency, “Everything was so warm about ‘Alice.’ Thanks to my sunbaes and the staff, I learned a lot and felt grateful for the experience. Once again, I’m thankful to have been able to stay in the happy time that was ‘Alice.’ Lastly, to my role model Kim Hee Sun sunbaenim, who greeted me brightly and held my hand since the first day of filming, I love you and respect you.” Yeonwoo played Yoon Tae Yi’s younger sister Yoon Tae Yeon in “Alice.”

morehttps://www.soompi.com/article/1433627wpp/kim-hee-sun-joo-won-and-more-share-final-remarks-to-bid-farewell-to-alice

 

 

 

[GingerK]

Yuck! My sentiments exactly on the incesty direction. WTH was the point. I couldn't even watch the final moments after it made no sense that she remembers and the people who were apart of his life after his moms death didn't? WTH!

 

*Kwak Si Yang tho' Yum 

[soondubuu]

Probably my last time posting here because this series has came to an end. Honestly felt disappointed because i anticipated this drama since it was Joowon's comeback drama! :| 

 

I think the series started out with a very fresh concept, but probably messed up in the hands of the writers? I felt the whole series was more on dimension shifting than time travel? The main story revolved around the murder in 2010 and the shift between 1992, 2010, 2020 and 2050? There's still no explanation why JG has his powers and ability to close the door or time? I guess the writers also got confused with their own writing because i lost the show at the half way mark sadly. 

 

The ending itself was rather sloppy too because there are so much loopholes ?? Why did TY have to commit suicide in the final timeline before reset? Because it seems like after JG kills the "teacher", he doesn't disappear?? So this means only one dimension remains, and they reset from 2010 timeline on the day TY was suppose to die? Then ALICE disappears? So where's the explanation about Minhyuk then? He just disappears? And in this final timeline, i presume that TY survived, and JG continues living with his mum? But why doesn't JG rmb Doyeon? LOL i mean, DY still existed as a friend before the reset? Then why is there 2 TY then (aka JG's alive Mum & Professor in 2020). My understanding was that only one self remains, and other dimension self vanishes?? Or did TY mum died in the reset ?

 

Also at the end?? Why did Prof TY have the memories? Also, okay let's take it that JG doesn't have the memories of this whole dimension thing. He met someone like his Mum in the present timeline?? But has no reaction to it?? And the open ending seems like its implying TY x JG? LOL i can't even.

 

But okay, the crazy writing aside, I think the actors did a really great job?? Joowon, Siyang & Kim Heesun slayed their roles, though the whole plot was confusing ~ if someone has a good explanation to the points i mentioned, please let me know ... 

[lebeaucouple]

The finale Ep was seemed fine until it showed that an “Architect Park Jin Gyeom” existed in current timeline.

 

I was disappointed with the writer's decision to bring PJG back in that timeline just for the sake of a happy ending (may be because they both are the main leads and must put them in a good ending to fill up the last 5 minutes screen time). PJG was brought to existence because of his time-traveller mother. Since everything had changed to a reset (which satisfied most of our expectation), all the time travellers had been gone, and the scene shown us "ALICE" was disappeared too.

 

However, it still left with unanswered tail :

Who wrote the Book of Prophecy? The story only mentioned that female lead read that book but the story did not say who wrote the book?

 

For a finale EP, I prefer the ending that they should never cross path again, if they do, it could be a destiny that set by the writer. In my opinion, they should live their own life separately and happily, it makes more sense if Tae Yi meets MinHyuk, and build a family with JG as their son, as it should have been in the first place without all the existence of time travellers. Of course the story did bring out the key message and the adverse effect of the time travelling but the ending could have done it in a much satisfying manner, rather leaving us with a more speculation as to why PJG is still existing in 2020. The ending shall leave us with our own opinion and judgement.

 

This drama had started off with great potential...but turned out to be a waste due to the inconsistency and incoherence of this drama plot. 

[kboramint]

 

15 minutes ago, lebeaucouple said:

 

 

However, it still left with unanswered tail :

Who wrote the Book of Prophecy? The story only mentioned that female lead read that book but the story did not say who wrote the book?

 

 

 

Do Yeon did. LOL. She's the one that went back in time and gave birth to Tae Yi.  Okay, I might of made that up OR did I??

[philosophie]

Can someone spoil this for me and explain the story for someone that hasn’t seen it but considering to and wants to know ahead of time in case I end up just wasting my energy and time in a show I will be disappointed in? My heart can’t handle any of that. At least, what do you guys mean by the incest twist?

[slpamngtrs]

46 minutes ago, philosophie said:

Can someone spoil this for me and explain the story for someone that hasn’t seen it but considering to and wants to know ahead of time in case I end up just wasting my energy and time in a show I will be disappointed in? My heart can’t handle any of that. At least, what do you guys mean by the incest twist?

@philosophie I don’t think any of us could explain it to you. I’m not sure the writer could even make any sense of it. 

As for SPOILER,

Spoiler

the ending suggested the main character and his mom’s character, though a younger (in the past) version of herself, may have romantic feelings for each other (feelings that were hinted a bit throughout the series).

Hope that helps! If you’re someone who doesn’t like being disappointed, chances are you should skip. Lol

[larus]

It was a confusing last episode and I don`t think I can comment about it. I don`t know what happened. Perhaps I should watch again the ep 16 to understand better.

The time travel with the multidimentions plot made the show complicated and for the writer to not be able to handle everything.

 

I was thinking why everything resets after the Teacher (Jin Gyeom 2050) died? We can have an explanation except for what Book of Prophecy said? I don`t understand why Jin Gyeom The Teacher chose that particular time in 2010 to kill his mother from 2020 if he just wanted to not exist? He tried to convinced his mother (Alice Tae Yi 1992) to have an abortion but she shot him. He did not die after his mother (Tae Yi 1992) shot him? Or he died in another dimention but he remembers all the other experiences? So complicated. 

Back to the scene where Jin Gyeom`s mom shot herself in front of her future sons (2020 and 2050 Jin Gyeom). Jin Gyeom`s mom shot herself (nothing happeneds because she died in other past moments at that time) but after Jin Gyeom (2020) shot The Teacher (Jin Gyeom 2050), the reset is in motion. The Teacher disappears, Alice organization as well, even Jin Gyeom (2020) dissapears but a little later, not after seeing another reality where he and his mom were happy. I assumed it  was another reality, where Jin Gyeom sang happy birthday, wanted to go to see the astronomic moment with his mother, where she did not died). Or it was just a wishful thinking?

After he disappeared, we saw Professor Yoon Tae Yi waking up in her reality, in 2020. She remembers everything but her world is different now. Nobody knew Jin Gyeom. So in this reality, the reset took place. Jin Gyeom dissapeared, his mom but Professor Yoon Tae Yi did not. She was at a seminar (acording to her sister), the other persons who died because of time travelers are alive but nobody remembers Jin Gyeom because he doesn`t exist. After the RESET, Yoon Tae Yi  is back to her time and it looks like she wake up from a dream. She feels like she experiences/saw another Tae yi`s life. 

 

The architect Park (we don`t know if he is named Jin Gyeom now) is living in this world but he doesn`t have anything to do with detective Park Jin gyeom, except that he remembers (oddly) the events past RESET, just how a person can dream or remember events, persons from past lives. I understood corectly? This architect Park is another person right?

I don`t know why the writer come up with this plot just to show all the main character in 2020 as well. It is confusing.

It would have been alright to not see Jin Gyeom, in any form, in the story, after the RESET.

 

The time travel will not occure now because Professor Yoon Tae Yi doesn`t work on the time travel project anymore. Jin Gyeom will not exist because Yoon Tae Yi will not travel in the future and meet Min Hyuk anymore. 

But why Tae Ti exists in 2020? The reset starts from 1992? 2010? Her father died (probably not because of Alice) and she was adopted by Yoon family? I wish they did not make Tae Yi`s mother a time traveler because they did not explain convincing (for me anyway) how that is was possible. I have more questions but I stop to find an answer because I don`t think I will find it convincing.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this drama. The cast had a good experience filming this drama. I like the characters and how the actors portrayed their characters.  There were some physics theories/ explanations in the drama that I liked to hear and read about. Of course, not even the scientists can explain fully the time travel concept, a writer even less, but it would have been better for the writer to keep the plot much simple and coherent. I want to see a better sci fi with time traveling concept  but I don`t have high hopes.

 

 

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

What else can I say that hasn't already been said? That said, I want to add my lament to the chorus of displeasure expressed here. There's no two ways about it... that was a nonsensical ending -- an insult to the audience that faithfully followed it to the bitter end. I don't have any objections to happy endings but this is ridiculous. This wasn't a happy ending... this was the show forcibly reminding us who the leads of the drama are at the cost of storytelling. Park Jin-gyeom... someone who apparently shouldn't have existed and with memories of Yoon Tae-yi... is now an architect in 2020 doing restorations of historic homes because apparently he just fell from the sky and inserted himself into the populace behaving like a well-adjusted human being. Where does he come from? Who are his parents? What's he doing in 2020? Why does he have memories of TY? Are they gunning for a second season? If they are, you can be sure, I won't be signing up for it. 

 

So what is the show saying... that this Park Jin-gyeom who fell from the sky and this Prof Yoon Tae-yi have a completely clean slate and they can find their happily-ever-after in each other? There's nothing icky right... except there is. Because he has memories of her. She has memories of him too. He's not a completely different guy. Unless he's suffering quantum entanglement issues too. But he shouldn't right... because the door's been closed on time travel and everything's has been reset. No wonder everybody's confused. It flies in the face of the show's own claims about what's going on.

 

So why was Tae-yi running around the place like a headless chicken demanding to know where Detective Park Jin-gyeom was. That was utterly silly. Shouldn't she have twigged by the time she got to the police station that a reset had occurred? You know, the reset that she and Mother Tae-yi talked about two three episodes ago. Kim Hee-sun is a great actress but I've shaken my head at the things they've made her do as Prof Yoon Tae-yi. They obviously wanted to give her a bigger role when the actual story didn't warrant it. They had a great ensemble cast... and they wasted the talent pool. 

 

It's not hard to see why they wanted Tae-yi to retain her memories prior to the reset... because oh no... we can't have her trying to get time travel up and running again. But the problem with that is the show never tells us what the agency behind everything is. She was very dead the last time we looked. Did God or the universe give her that kind of insight? If the show was going for an esoteric answer then it should have said so much earlier. Rather than have Seok O-won muttering something about the mysteries of the universe. Sheesh... what a cop out. 

 

I keep wondering what went wrong with the show. The bottom line for me is that they went for the message without taking care of the messaging. They consistently broke their own rules. Out of the mouth of one person they talk about alternate universes, then from another it's parallel dimensions... if that wasn't confusing enough... we have Groundhog Day on steroids with no sense of who's who. "You can't stop my death. Mea culpa." Okay lady... we got it the third time. And then when the two JGs squabble over mother's love, she turns the weapon on herself. Why did she run from the drone in the first place?

 

The last episode didn't really tell us anything particularly insightful that we didn't already work out five episodes ago. Time travel is bad. It is corrupting. The past can't be fixed (or shouldn't). Hold on to your memories and move on. Live in the present. Mother's love is the greatest. But the themes shouldn't come at the expense of fundamental things like consistent storytelling.

 

I actually liked the idea of Jin-gyeom and his different selves... obviously gave Joo-won a chance to show his acting chops because it has interesting ramifications for the causal loop thesis, paradoxes and quantum entanglement. But why wasn't that introduced sooner and developed further? On some level Old Jin-gyeom was a fascinating fellow but we hardly got to know him except as a serial killer and then he was gone.

 

On hindsight all the information we were given were completely unreliable from start to finish. Everyone was happily going back and forth but up the creek without a paddle. Apparently if the ending is to be believed we were watching the Murder on the Orient Express the entire time.

 

To add injury to insult, there's no Min-hyuk. One would think the logical ending for Tae-yi would be to have them meet somewhere for the first time at the very least. That would be a logical, consistent and acceptable compromise. But then... that's probably too logical for a show that lost its way a long time ago.

 

When I look at how good the first half of the drama was... it begs the question: Did they run out of money?

[Sleepy Owl]

So looking at the comments above, I see many confused and not really happy with the ending, I sort of share the same sentiments with them. I really wonder, when it was so easy to make the ending better, why writers always go the complicated one or the bad one. The drama which was giving explanations for small things happening, now totally disregarded logic and reasoning in the final 10-15 minutes and sort of ruined the show for everyone. I think if they would not even show Jin Gyeom in the end and show Tae Yi with the memories and realizing RESET happened and she only remembers things, it would have been a better ending. 

 

So we finally see Jin Gyeom not doing what the hooded guy claimed to have done in the same situation and shot him without any hesitation, leading to the RESET. I believe the timeline we see in the end, where Jin Gyeom follows Tae Yi out and says he'll go with her too to buy drinks is the one happening. We already see a different Jin Gyeom which makes me wonder, if he does not suffer from the same condition which Jin Gyeom was or let's just assume it became better. Since Tae Yi survives, I can see why Jin Gyeom did not become a cop. I think till now it was all good and fine. Tae Yi was proved wrong about thinking even her son Jin Gyeom would cease to exist because of RESET. Fine, it did not happen and it was quite a good one seeing Jin Gyeom returning the scarf to Tae Yi (he is not visible to her as he is sort of hiding) and she realizing that the RESET happened. 

 

Coming to 2020, yes Prof. Tae Yi needs to have memories so that she'll not go towards time travel. She searches for Jin Gyeom and no one knows him, which is also fine for me. But I lost it when Do Yeon didn't. They could have easily made him her fiancée/husband/boy friend or at least friend. Instead of saying "I heard something similar from an architect too, she could just say "I heard similar thing from my friend" (or the ones I mentioned before). And it would be good in my opinion. Firstly as we saw Jin Gyeom in the remaining timeline, changed person following his mom to buy drinks too (in fact offering to go with her), he still goes to the same school with Do Yeon, even if that student suicide incident did not happen, they were in the same class. So I wonder why Do Yeon does not remember him. Anyway this was the first WTH moment I faced.

 

Jin Gyeom is a normal guy, a good architect, lets say quite famous one too. He is having experiencing Deja Vu time to time of the incidents which happened back them, fine. He went past Tae Yi was fine for me. Yes she looked like his mom, he could have thought the same when we see him turn back and look at her again too. But then again he could have thought she is just a look a like and if he would not return, maybe I would find the ending better too. But they meet at the same spot and he sort of remembers some things. It sure is confusing ending and not really a good one. When they could have made things quite good, they messed it up big time. 

 

I have a question here though. Why did old Jin Gyeom and Jang Dong Shik have same vintage old gun? 

 

Let's not even ask  who wrote the book. But they did show the hooded figure typing something on a typewriter, so I will just assume old Jin Gyeom did. Why? Because he was part of all incidents and experienced all of them too, as the old one claimed. Old one also confronted an old Jin Gyeom when he was younger in the Alice HQ, same thing happened in the 2010, but he didn't kill the old one, which current Jin Gyeom did. So I believe having seen everything happen and experience them, only old Jin Gyeom can write that book, and it also teased with showing him type on a typewriter in one episode. Would have loved it if they would have given clear explanation on it. 

 

Anyway, overall I liked this drama, would not really dislike it because of the final 15 minutes. But I look forward to another drama with similar time travel, having a better ending. 

 

 

[celebrianna]

3 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

What else can I say that hasn't already been said? That said, I want to add my lament to the chorus of displeasure expressed here. There's no two ways about it... that was a nonsensical ending -- an insult to the audience that faithfully followed it to the bitter end. I don't have any objections to happy endings but this is ridiculous. This wasn't a happy ending... this was the show forcibly reminding us who the leads of the drama are at the cost of storytelling. Park Jin-gyeom... someone who apparently shouldn't have existed and with memories of Yoon Tae-yi... is now an architect in 2020 doing restorations of historic homes because apparently he just fell from the sky and inserted himself into the populace behaving like a well-adjusted human being. Where does he come from? Who are his parents? What's he doing in 2020? Why does he have memories of TY? Are they gunning for a second season? If they are, you can be sure, I won't be signing up for it. 

 

So what is the show saying... that this Park Jin-gyeom who fell from the sky and this Prof Yoon Tae-yi have a completely clean slate and they can find their happily-ever-after in each other? There's nothing icky right... except there is. Because he has memories of her. She has memories of him too. He's not a completely different guy. Unless he's suffering quantum entanglement issues too. But he shouldn't right... because the door's been closed on time travel and everything's has been reset. No wonder everybody's confused. It flies in the face of the show's own claims about what's going on.

 

So why was Tae-yi running around the place like a headless chicken demanding to know where Detective Park Jin-gyeom was. That was utterly silly. Shouldn't she have twigged by the time she got to the police station that a reset had occurred? You know, the reset that she and Mother Tae-yi talked about two three episodes ago. Kim Hee-sun is a great actress but I've shaken my head at the things they've made her do as Prof Yoon Tae-yi. They obviously wanted to give her a bigger role when the actual story didn't warrant it. They had a great ensemble cast... and they wasted the talent pool. 

 

It's not hard to see why they wanted Tae-yi to retain her memories prior to the reset... because oh no... we can't have her trying to get time travel up and running again. But the problem with that is the show never tells us what the agency behind everything is. She was very dead the last time we looked. Did God or the universe give her that kind of insight? If the show was going for an esoteric answer then it should have said so much earlier. Rather than have Seok O-won muttering something about the mysteries of the universe. Sheesh... what a cop out. 

 

I keep wondering what went wrong with the show. The bottom line for me is that they went for the message without taking care of the messaging. They consistently broke their own rules. Out of the mouth of one person they talk about alternate universes, then from another it's parallel dimensions... if that wasn't confusing enough... we have Groundhog Day on steroids with no sense of who's who. "You can't stop my death. Mea culpa." Okay lady... we got it the third time. And then when the two JGs squabble over mother's love, she turns the weapon on herself. Why did she run from the drone in the first place?

 

The last episode didn't really tell us anything particularly insightful that we didn't already work out five episodes ago. Time travel is bad. It is corrupting. The past can't be fixed (or shouldn't). Hold on to your memories and move on. Live in the present. Mother's love is the greatest. But the themes shouldn't come at the expense of fundamental things like consistent storytelling.

 

I actually liked the idea of Jin-gyeom and his different selves... obviously gave Joo-won a chance to show his acting chops because it has interesting ramifications for the causal loop thesis, paradoxes and quantum entanglement. But why wasn't that introduced sooner and developed further? On some level Old Jin-gyeom was a fascinating fellow but we hardly got to know him except as a serial killer and then he was gone.

 

On hindsight all the information we were given were completely unreliable from start to finish. Everyone was happily going back and forth but up the creek without a paddle. Apparently if the ending is to be believed we were watching the Murder on the Orient Express the entire time.

 

To add injury to insult, there's no Min-hyuk. One would think the logical ending for Tae-yi would be to have them meet somewhere for the first time at the very least. That would be a logical, consistent and acceptable compromise. But then... that's probably too logical for a show that lost its way a long time ago.

 

When I look at how good the first half of the drama was... it begs the question: Did they run out of money?

This. You echo my thoughts about this series so well. I gave up trying to figure this stuff out mid-series. I thought I would just stop guessing and let the show tell me instead. Nevertheless I held on to the rule that was introduced around the time that the future mother killed her past self and it was said by Seol Oh Wan that changing the past doesn’t change the current dimension but creates a new dimension and so basically there are many parallel dimensions currently. So then I wanted to know how is JG going to put an end to time travel and how will all the dimensions disappear when Seol Oh Wan already said changing the past only creates a new dimension and doesn’t affect the current dimension. Honestly, by the end of the show I gave up trying to figure out what happened. 
 

I was also complaining all the time about the way the show underused the characters. It was such a waste and about midway through the series I realized characters were sacrificed for the sake of the growing strange/undefinable relationship between TY and JG. I notice that even when JG and DY have scenes together, most of the times TY is around them. Basically, she and JG were always together and the ending says it all. 
 

Well, at least I got one thing right and that was the hooded figure outside the gate was an older version of JG. Also that JG have other versions of himself in other dimensions. 
 

I did enjoy the early half of the series though. I suppose the good thing about the ending is that I got some good drama recommendations from the people who are complaining about this series on Mydramalist. Now I want to watch the drama Circle: Two Worlds Connected since they say it was a better written drama but I can’t find it anywhere to stream. 
 

I’m looking forward to Joo Won’s next project and the actor who played Min Hyuk.