thoughts on the bridal mask finale
The final episode of Bridal Mask is one of those love-it-or-hate-it finales. Two (three?) bloggers whose opinions I respect and defer to stand on opposing ends of this spectrum, and they make valid points as to why they love/hate it. I was predisposed to hate this episode because of the horribly contrived mess that is episode 27. I (and my mother, who hates episode 27 much more than I do) watched this episode expecting a half-assed finale.
It wasn't.
Of course there are hiccups, namely the consequences of last episode's screwups, but minus Team Good, I loved what I saw. My eyes were glued to the screen whenever Rie, Katsuyama, and Shunji were on. On the other hand, I wanted to fast-forward scenes with any of the heroes in it, including (unfortunately) Kang-to.
The Good
1. Shunji. Just... everything in this episode that concerns Shunji, from him shooting Mok-dan to his suicide. Don't get me wrong: I still hate Shunji, and he hasn't redeemed himself in any way whatsoever. He's a disgusting person who pins his hopes of redemption on a woman who hates his guts. He's delusional in thinking he can commit all those atrocities but can still return to his former life just so long as Mok-dan is there. We know that this is not so, but this is all he clings to. So when he accidentally kills Mok-dan, he just deflates. The show has established that he hates being a policeman, that he longs to go back to being a simple teacher. Any chance of that disappears in his mind when she dies, and all his will disappears as well. When he declares that it's because of Kang-to that she died, he says it with the air of someone who's desperate to blame someone but doesn't really believe what he's saying. He tries to lie to himself, but it doesn't work anymore. All he is now is a man with blood on his hands and no way out. Thus, he kills himself.
To be honest, I felt Shunji's pain much more than Kang-to's. His trajectory was a downward spiral of hate and obsession, and he's very much aware of this. While I expected him to die, I did not expect to feel this much sadness for a character I hate.
2. Rie and, by extension, Katsuyama. I lovelovelove these two, and their open endings gave me so much closure. Rie, while not the most admirable person on the show, has shown what a big heart she has. She loves Kang-to, but, unlike Shunji whose obsession devoured all reason, she's can and has let the person she loves go so he could be happy with someone else. I love how she attempts to mediate between Kang-to and Shunji, how she understands Shunji's pain (having narrowly avoided that fate herself), how there's no ill feeling whatsoever. I love how happy and free she looks as she departs for her new life. I do wish her background and conflicts were explored more, but I love her as she is.
By the end of the show, Katsuyama is the only likable Japanese character left, which unfortunately implies that the only Japanese characters capable of acting human are those with loyalties to Koreans. Part of me wishes Rie can return his feelings, but I'm happy with the amicable farewell he gets.
3. The Rie/Shunji friendship. I've mentioned before how these two understand each other despite the constant sniping, but I never appreciated how deep that understanding was until they were saying their goodbyes. I cried during that scene because these are two people who, in another lifetime, could've been the best of friends.
The Bad
1. See, we wouldn't have this scene at all if only the Dong-jin Death Squad bothered putting sentries around their precious mountain. Mok-dan, Mr. Jo, badass chick, and a few hundred other people would still be alive if only they had something as basic as a warning system. The fact that the first 15 minutes of this episode could've been avoided if only the heroes actually bothered annoyed the hell out of me.
2. So of course Team Good blames the Japanese for all the deaths. I am so tired of this old drama shtick. It's The Princess's Man all over again when everybody hates on Myeon because Jong gets executed, but guys, Jong was the one who kept incriminating evidence as a souvenir! Team Good blames their opponents for their own incompetence, and I'm like why?
*sigh*
3. Kang-to. I felt almost nothing for his pain because I was too busy berating him and his bosses for being idiots. Also, I was too busy comparing his attitude with that of Choi Young's from Faith. Whereas Kang-to is all, "The Japanese killed everyone from our base? How dare they!" Choi Young maintains his cool (and proper sense of responsibility) and says, "Why should I blame you when I'm the one who walked into your trap?" Why should you blame your enemies for destroying you when it's their job? It's your responsibility to make sure this doesn't happen.
*facepalm*
3.1. Whatever made Kang-to a compelling character in the first 20 episodes of this drama is completely gone. He was a bad guy, and then a hero who is clearly conflicted about being a hero. And now he's (IMO) a thoughtless minion parroting someone else's ideas, a once-vibrant character reduced to some sort of symbol to serve an ideal that won't be achieved for another decade (or two?). Let's not even get started on how he loses his intelligence.
Bridal Mask lost its steam near the end (I hate episode 27), but the finale's saving grace is the complexity of its anti-villain and anti-heroine. I still have a lot of truck with the heroes and their (lack of) development, but otherwise, this finale gave me the satisfying conclusion I wished for. Seems like I'm not deleting you after all, show.
It wasn't.
Of course there are hiccups, namely the consequences of last episode's screwups, but minus Team Good, I loved what I saw. My eyes were glued to the screen whenever Rie, Katsuyama, and Shunji were on. On the other hand, I wanted to fast-forward scenes with any of the heroes in it, including (unfortunately) Kang-to.
The Good
1. Shunji. Just... everything in this episode that concerns Shunji, from him shooting Mok-dan to his suicide. Don't get me wrong: I still hate Shunji, and he hasn't redeemed himself in any way whatsoever. He's a disgusting person who pins his hopes of redemption on a woman who hates his guts. He's delusional in thinking he can commit all those atrocities but can still return to his former life just so long as Mok-dan is there. We know that this is not so, but this is all he clings to. So when he accidentally kills Mok-dan, he just deflates. The show has established that he hates being a policeman, that he longs to go back to being a simple teacher. Any chance of that disappears in his mind when she dies, and all his will disappears as well. When he declares that it's because of Kang-to that she died, he says it with the air of someone who's desperate to blame someone but doesn't really believe what he's saying. He tries to lie to himself, but it doesn't work anymore. All he is now is a man with blood on his hands and no way out. Thus, he kills himself.
To be honest, I felt Shunji's pain much more than Kang-to's. His trajectory was a downward spiral of hate and obsession, and he's very much aware of this. While I expected him to die, I did not expect to feel this much sadness for a character I hate.
2. Rie and, by extension, Katsuyama. I lovelovelove these two, and their open endings gave me so much closure. Rie, while not the most admirable person on the show, has shown what a big heart she has. She loves Kang-to, but, unlike Shunji whose obsession devoured all reason, she's can and has let the person she loves go so he could be happy with someone else. I love how she attempts to mediate between Kang-to and Shunji, how she understands Shunji's pain (having narrowly avoided that fate herself), how there's no ill feeling whatsoever. I love how happy and free she looks as she departs for her new life. I do wish her background and conflicts were explored more, but I love her as she is.
By the end of the show, Katsuyama is the only likable Japanese character left, which unfortunately implies that the only Japanese characters capable of acting human are those with loyalties to Koreans. Part of me wishes Rie can return his feelings, but I'm happy with the amicable farewell he gets.
3. The Rie/Shunji friendship. I've mentioned before how these two understand each other despite the constant sniping, but I never appreciated how deep that understanding was until they were saying their goodbyes. I cried during that scene because these are two people who, in another lifetime, could've been the best of friends.
The Bad
1. See, we wouldn't have this scene at all if only the Dong-jin Death Squad bothered putting sentries around their precious mountain. Mok-dan, Mr. Jo, badass chick, and a few hundred other people would still be alive if only they had something as basic as a warning system. The fact that the first 15 minutes of this episode could've been avoided if only the heroes actually bothered annoyed the hell out of me.
2. So of course Team Good blames the Japanese for all the deaths. I am so tired of this old drama shtick. It's The Princess's Man all over again when everybody hates on Myeon because Jong gets executed, but guys, Jong was the one who kept incriminating evidence as a souvenir! Team Good blames their opponents for their own incompetence, and I'm like why?
*sigh*
3. Kang-to. I felt almost nothing for his pain because I was too busy berating him and his bosses for being idiots. Also, I was too busy comparing his attitude with that of Choi Young's from Faith. Whereas Kang-to is all, "The Japanese killed everyone from our base? How dare they!" Choi Young maintains his cool (and proper sense of responsibility) and says, "Why should I blame you when I'm the one who walked into your trap?" Why should you blame your enemies for destroying you when it's their job? It's your responsibility to make sure this doesn't happen.
*facepalm*
3.1. Whatever made Kang-to a compelling character in the first 20 episodes of this drama is completely gone. He was a bad guy, and then a hero who is clearly conflicted about being a hero. And now he's (IMO) a thoughtless minion parroting someone else's ideas, a once-vibrant character reduced to some sort of symbol to serve an ideal that won't be achieved for another decade (or two?). Let's not even get started on how he loses his intelligence.
Bridal Mask lost its steam near the end (I hate episode 27), but the finale's saving grace is the complexity of its anti-villain and anti-heroine. I still have a lot of truck with the heroes and their (lack of) development, but otherwise, this finale gave me the satisfying conclusion I wished for. Seems like I'm not deleting you after all, show.