[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Moorim School" Episode 16 (final)

"Moorim School" ended its run with a flurry of bow-tied ends, a good amount of confusion, and plenty of good feels. A happy ending was bestowed upon all characters, deserving or not. The Chintamani found a predictable end. Friendship and faith in oneself was the message that had to be dictated because it most certainly hadn't been shown.

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While all the characters received a happy ending, the way that the happy ending was achieved was, to be quite frank, completely nonsensical. Take Yeob Jeong's ending. He was a villain through-and-through. Perhaps he had moments of indecision, but it was hard to tell. In the end he becomes an author and that's all. It doesn't connect at all to what we know of him. Ha-o, Chi-ang's father, chooses Chi-ang in the end and then magically becomes un-Chintamani obsessed and settles down with the woman he neglected for over twenty years. Soon-deok, after being pressured by Chi-ang, doesn't talk to him for seven years, but Si-woo does. All of this is just baffling. How does it all fit together? Rather than jump seven years into the future, I would've liked to see the path to the future begin to be paved. This goes especially for Chi-ang. He was torn between his father and his friends. His behavior towards Soon-deok was misogynistic and atrocious. Nothing of the narrated ending showed how he overcame those behaviors.

And that narration! All the things the drama neglected to tell us earlier was done in voice-over narration. It told us Si-woo and Chi-ang were friends no matter what. (Except we saw time and time again that their friendship had hit the rocks.) All the issues the drama couldn't resolve were cleaned up with words. Seon-ah's situation was the most cleanly thought through. She stood outside the romantic triangle and wasn't a victim of its messy flailings.

The good: it was awfully cute. Watching Chi-ang earnestly smile and be happy with Seon-ah was pleasant. Si-woo and Soon-deok flirting was adorable. Seon-ah with her two dads was also quite wonderful. Hongbin's acting was much better at the end than at the beginning. We got more of the teachers. The message was solid: believe in yourself and have faith in your loved ones.

"Moorim School" pounded that message into our heads with its constant repetition. It would've been easier to show us in the action. If you're interested in the show, buy the soundtrack. That was great. Search out the foreign cast for their other works as well as the incredibly talented Korean actors. But "Moorim School" may be better off as a one-time watch.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Moorim School" is directed by Lee So-yeon-I, written by Yang Jin-ah, and features Hong Bin, Lee Hyun-woo, Shin Hyun-joon, Seo Yea-ji, and Jung Eugene.

 

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