Episode 14

[Knov1]

I decided to skip episode 13 and just talk about the final episode. A lot happens in the ep. 14 so I'll only mention a few things.

The first thing I wanted to mention was the scene between Yoon & Nan Hee. I really liked this scene. I thought it was as touching as any scene between Chae Ok & Yoon or Chae Ok & Sung Baek.





The next thing I wanted to mention was Yoon's death. I think that's one of the saddest scenes I've seen in any drama. Also, I feel kinda bad for Lee Seo Jin in this scene. Ha Ji Won screams right in his ear.



I have a video clip of this scene. The clip starts from the point when Yoon is already lying on the ground and Chae Ok is going towards him.

Download (left click)
9mb

I'm curious.. did anyone think the drama might end this way? Or did the ending catch you completely by surprise? I'd like to know what you guys think.

[ID]

wow. seeing her all roughed up like that, kind've makes her lose sex appeal. it worked with Zhang Ziyi,but not here

[FlashDance]

Knov1, never in a thousand years would I have come up with that ending. If I remember correctly, you have been raving about this drama for a while. Usually I guess the endings, but this one came out of left field. I basically held my breath until the end when I began to cry like a baby. I am so happy there was a no spoiler policy for this program. Everyone played their parts so well. I have to purchase this program. I do have a few questions about the beginning for anyone who remembers. I thought the story began as it ended, but the fight scene between Chae Ok and Sung Beak was not shown in ep.14 (the one where they were fighting through the trees). Was that scene actually a part of the beginning or the end? I did not record the first 8 eps. so I can not go back to see for myself. Thanks!

[Knov1]

ID said:

wow. seeing her all roughed up like that, kind've makes her lose sex appeal. it worked with Zhang Ziyi,but not here

(The great) Ha Ji Won looks good any way & in anything.

FlashDance said:

I thought the story began as it ended, but the fight scene between Chae Ok and Sung Beak was not shown in ep.14 (the one where they were fighting through the trees). Was that scene actually a part of the beginning or the end?

Well, the beginning is the ending. They edited it out for some reason or the other.

[ovaridedis24]

For some reason, the last episode felt like it was rushed to me. The whole series has had this nice flow to it until the very end, it just seemed like so many things were happening so fast. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the show, the story was unbelievably awesome, but I thought they could have streched it out over another couple of epsiodes. I'm thinking maybe they were on a time constraint or maybe they were running out of money for the show and they just wanted to wrap things up. Well what ever the reason, this has been a GREAT show and I'm wondering if they'll put out a DVD set for it.

[FlowerLady]

ovaridedis24 said:

this has been a GREAT show and I'm wondering if they'll put out a DVD set for it.

Yes, ovaridedis24, you are in luck. A DVD version of "Damo: The Undercover Lady Detective" is available with English subtitles from yesasia.com for $79.99. It is a boxed set of 7 DVD's. This is the uncut version, of course, so you will see all of the scenes which were edited out to fit each episode into the television time slots.

[Valerie]

I was totally surprised by the ending, but I LOVED it. I guess I like it when the endings are not "happy" and perfect and this was so tragic, but I sort of think it couldn't have ended any other way. These characters were so tied together thruout the years and tortured by their feelings that either of them alone could not survive. I really was thinking Chae Ok and Yoon would end up together, married after she finds out Jung is her brother, but I wasn't sure how she would resolve the murders her brother committed and after he kills Yoon, she could probably never forgive him. The fact that brother and sister died together was so tragic, but so perfect in a way. This was one of the best series I've ever seen. This was my 3rd drama like this, Jang Geum, Firebird, Damo and I'm really looking foreward to the next one.

[Knov1]

ovaridedis24 said:

For some reason, the last episode felt like it was rushed to me.

I think part of the reason why it felt rushed was because quite a bit was edited out from the final 3 episodes. I'm sure those of you that have the Damo DVD know what I mean. Also, a lot does happen in the final episode. This drama was intended to be this length from the very beginning so I don't think time or budget was really an issue.

[Alexa]

Knov1 said:

I'm curious.. did anyone think the drama might end this way? Or did the ending catch you completely by surprise?

The ending definetely caught me by surprise. All the main characters died!! What's up with that? Whatever happened to happy endings? Life is complicated and emotionally stressful as it is. I need to watch a "feel good" drama. I couldn't believe Yoon, Chae-ok and SungBaek died! When Yoon died my eyes got watery then when SungBaek is laying there with Chae-ok thats when the waterworks started. I wish that SungBaek would've told Chae-ok that he was her brother before he stabbed himself. And why did he stab himself with the sword? Did he turn himself in? I didn't get that part.
Well I just think the ending was just really really sad , especially because Chae-ok didn't find out about SungBaek being her brother until the end.

[hachiue]

I'm so happy that they finally found out they were related! I don't think that it could've ended any other way and still kept the same level of quality/acting/writing of the rest of the series.

The one thing that my fiance said was that he missed the "campiness" of the beginning - with all the fun detective work. But, that was only a sidestory anyway.

I was wondering why Yoon didn't tell Chae-ok that she and Seung-baek were related, but I suppose it's because he told the two of them the most important thing before he died - and since he was in love with Chae-ok, it was more important to tell Seung-baek they were related (so they could reunite) but it was more important to tell her how he felt.

Also, I don't think there was actually any way for the two of them to escape the circle of soldiers, and it would've been horrible if he had died but she'd had to live, so it's fine that she died with him. I don't know if it showed that she valued family over her job though - she'd already basically given up on life. She was one of those characters depressed enough that she didn't want to live on except for one last purpose, and she accomplished that (and it turned out different from how she expected anyway) so she shouldn't have lived past that anyway.

I liked this drama a lot - I think it's refreshing to have dramas without the hollywood/happy ending because that takes a lot of the drama of the story out when you know that everything's going to be all right in the end and it makes it more realistic since you know that everyone could die at any moment (well, except the main characters still have to tough it out until the last episode).

[Alexa]

hachiue said:

Also, I don't think there was actually any way for the two of them to escape the circle of soldiers, and it would've been horrible if he had died but she'd had to live, so it's fine that she died with him.

How did the soldiers get to SungBaek?
They really didn't show how they started chasing him.
In the first episode they show him and Chae-ok fighting, but it doesn't show how they started fighting.
Does anyone know?

[Knov1]

Alexa said:

How did the soldiers get to SungBaek?
Does anyone know?

Sung Baek decided to turn himself in. You have to assume that after the rebellion and Yoon's death, that Chae Ok and the police were looking for Sung Baek. Well, he basically gave himself up.

[Alexa]

Why would he decide to turn himself in, even after he found out that Chae-ok was his sister?

Anyways I watched Episode 13 again yesterday, and I felt horrible for Horseboot. It was so sad to see him crying over the death of his wife and his unborn child. Poor guy, after everything he had risked and done, he lost all that he had.

Oh and I'm glad that SungBaek killed Gato Sama. I couldn't stand him. To bad it wasn't really much of a fight, Gato Sama didn't stand a chance against SungBaek!

[jenny]

Wow. Wowwowwow! What a great final episode! I agree that the tragic ending was the only way this could have ended, even though I like happy endings. I was very surprised by Yoon's death! I expected either Chae-ok, Sung-baek, or both would die because of the looks on their faces in the first episode (they both looked like they got a sword to the gut). I thought Yoon would live and marry Nan-hui.

Knov1, those two scenes were my favorites, too. I had a lump in my throat when Yoon was dying, I had to fight back tears because I didn't want anyone to see me crying! I wish Yoon would have been able to tell Nan-hui he loved her, even if he didn't mean it. He knew he wasn't coming back, and her father was dying, throw the girl a bone! Oh, well.

And it's too bad both CO and SB didn't find out they were bro and sis until after they had stuck a daggar in someone's belly.

I am so upset that I missed so many episodes! (Not by choice, though.) I am saving up so I can buy the DVD.

P.S. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say thank you to Knov1, our unofficial Damo tutor! Your explanations and pictures have been a great help!

And of course thanks to Michael, too! Another fabulous job on the subs!

[ovaridedis24]

Thanks Flowerlady. Wow, 7 DVDs for 14 episodes? Is it the whole series from start to finish then? Also, I'm pretty sure everybody here is a fan of The Great Jang Geum, so what's up with the DVDs. Is it out yet?