Some thoughts on Scandal

[joef]

I've been watching this series from the beginning. It was certainly the most unusual show I've ever seen and it certainly defies classification. It reminded me a bit of the movie "Cotton Club".

I admit I tuned in originally because of Han Ji-Min (Dae Jang-Geum & Resurrection) one of the cutest Korean actresses, and I was surprised that they were able to make her so plain. I stuck around to see where the writers were going.

I liked the way the story got darker as the series developed, appropriately so, and the musical and comedy aspects took a back seat. And the funeral scene was heartbreaking when Wan broke down.

Now for my criticism. I just didn't believe the ending. Too happy by half. I am glad that Na Yeogyoeng wasn't turned into a killer by the writers at the end, that would have been very out of character. And Yi Gangu finally getting both what he deserved and what he wanted, his death. But when Wan and Suhyeon re-enacted the last scene from "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and both survived, that was a little hard to believe. Then Wan showed up at the station dressed in his usual flamboyant outfit in spite of the fact that he would be one of the most wanted men in Korea. I'm afraid the writers let us down there in order to end on an upbeat note.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the series, the acting was good across the board, unlike some of the historical dramas, and the series was an interesting way to tell a serious story. But oh, that ending.

Joe

[CaptainVideo]

Good observations. I was very pleased with the series, and although I agree that the ending was a bit far fetched, I found that I truly needed to see that to counter balance all of the tragedy that befell the protagonists in the final two episodes. I certainly wasn't prepared for the way this series turned on a dime from a farce to a dead serious drama and if the ending had been other than what was presented, I would have been an emotional wreck. Yeah, I'm a sap that way....... All in all, I loved this show.

[TheBo]

Is it over? Already?

Bo

[mikey]

Yup, just 16 episodes.

It was a strange drama show. It went from being goofy, to being deadly serious, and then back to being goofy by show's end. I really liked it, but it obviously didn't appeal to everyone - and thus, I guess, the rather poor fan response.

[Knov1]

The fusion (blend of historical and modern) dramas have become popular in Korea so we might see more dramas like this. From the clips I've seen, the upcoming KBS drama Hong Gil Dong looks to be a fusion drama as well.

[HappyCamper]

Is that the drama that will replace Scandal? What's it about?

[Knov1]

No, it's not. I meant that it's going to start airing in Korea soon. We might get it at some point though.

[mikey]

I don't know what will be happening in Chicago, but on my TAN satellite broadcast, “Scandal in Old Seoul” was replaced by the joint KBS/North Korean historical drama, “Six Martyred Ministers.”

[pip]

I, too, watched this from episode 1. I'm a big fan. I liked the "fusion" technique in this show. The jazzy theme caught my attention immediately, and I stayed to see what happened next.

It's true that the ending required a lot of suspenson of disbelief. But so did much of the rest of the show. Who, for example, would have expected the Jirasi gang to work for the Worry Organization? BTW, I loved the part where the men stood in a row at Paradise and doffed their hats in a kind of salute before pulling off their final assignment.

Seeing Wan show up at the end in his usual natty clothing seemed, to me, to be part of bringing things full circle. The show opened at The Paradise Club, and the climax occurred there, too. Wan was back to his physical self, but his inner self was quite different. Ditto for Yeogyeong and the rest.

I am not sure how I feel about Yeogyeong. No, she didn't kill Yi Gangu, but she may have become something worse than a killer. She was able to deliver to him the same hideous torture he seemed to enjoy giving, and she appeared to have not a shred of regret. Which is worse, killing a man outright or leaving him to die by inches? I wasn't prepared for that side of Yeogyeong.

I could believe the Butch Cassidy ending, but not the coda in which we learn that both Wan and Suhyeon survive. They didn't even light the dynamite (or TNT?) before they went over the wall. What did they do, ask a Japanese soldier for a match??

My favorite part was the ending where they showed the group picture and said something about Let us live in peace and happiness in the country our ancestors gave us.