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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Twenty Again" Episode 16 (Final)

Despite my annoyance with "Twenty Again", this finale did a lot of explaining and brought the drama to a satisfying close. No-ra figured out how she wanted to live her life, Hyeon-seok let her do it, and Woo-cheol figured out how to chase his dreams without stepping on others to do it.

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The other characters also came full circle. Although this makes the finale a series of mini-endings that are all a bit too neat to be real, it is satisfying in a fluffy rom-com way. Woo-cheol learns the error of his ways and reconciles with Yi-jin, who also learns the error of hers. They get back together in quite the adorable display of romance; except for the fact that they cheated and lied their way through the drama. I would have preferred if Woo-cheol learned to be on his own and to treat people with honesty and respect without the crutch that is Yi-jin's rehabilitated character.

What I did appreciate in "Twenty Again" were the parallels between mother and son, adult and youthful romance, and the adult and child selves of the main characters. The parallels helped to drive home the lessons that No-ra learned. She is who changed most in the drama; she and her son, but we saw less of Min-soo's on-screen growth. Hyeon-seok, on the other hand, changed, but most of it was before the drama started. As a teenager he lacked confidence, but coming into "Twenty Again", he had plenty of it and his role was rediscovering his feelings for No-ra and growing upon them.

My episode 15 review mostly dealt with the large quibble that I have with her throwing her schooling away. She explained it well in this episode: she couldn't justify spending money on schooling when she lacked a specific interest and a specific goal. This is perfectly respectable, especially since she chose to take over her grandmother's shop as a form of income and a way to be close with the person who raised her. But, the show didn't quite gear up to No-ra quitting school as best it could have.

Her relationship with Min-soo was satisfying. He learned to appreciate his mother and to turn to her, and she learned to open up to him. I could've used a lot more of this pairing. I also could've used a lot less of Woo-cheol and his mistress. The time would've been better spent on developing Hyeon-seok and No-ra as friends, not just lovers, and on developing No-ra's relationship with Min-soo.

Overall, "Twenty Again" was a bit slow, a bit pedantic, and a bit laborious. But that doesn't change the fact that the lead couple was winning, their romance and friendship gave reason to watch the drama, and their antics were funny. Themes like youth, second chances, and learning to understand people were well-developed and clear. In a rom-com, there's not much more you can ask for.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Twenty Again" is directed by Kim Hyeong-sik, written by So Hyeon-kyeong, and features Choi Ji-woo, Lee Sang-yoon, Choi Won-young and Kim Min-jae-I.

 

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