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iariaI enjoyed it. It was a satisfying ending.
The series ended a lot happier than I was expecting and pretty much everyone got their happy ever after. This episode was a lot lighter and fun then the angst fest that I was expecting and overall I'm pleased about it.
+ I love so much where Tae-eul/Gon ended this series. I loved their weekend trips through time/space, exploring different worlds/times and having normal dates. They were deeply adorable going through their luggage in the in-between. Gon hopefully packing leaves made me lol. I love that he repacked them after Tae-eul threw them away, heh.
+ Gon and Tae-eul's reunion seemed a little low-key in part because he was confused at first and she was so shocked at him actually being there that she couldn't say or do anything. This was definitely the time for her to go running into his arms crying! I did like his slow realisation that it was his Tae-eul and she remembered him. I loved her deciding to take another 'skip', this time of explanations, and kiss him instead. And that was a great kiss!
+ Gon travelling to many different worlds searching for his Tae-eul, even thinking that she wouldn't remember him, was wonderful.
+ I was sad that we didn't see Tae-eul and Gon getting married, that she never apparently changed her answer from "no for today", and she never became queen of Corea. Instead they chose to live "for today forever" and for the rest of their lives they met every weekend and explored time/other universes and then continued their lives as normal in their own worlds during the week. I just find it really sad if Tae-eul never became a part of his world and remained an unknown/unseen presence in the king's life. The travelling is really fun as them doing all the parts they skipped and I love the idea of them doing it their entire lives. But it doesn't seem at all a sustainable relationship long-term. Beyond thinking they'd get tired of not seeing each other every day there's the issue that Gon is king. He'll need to get married and have a kid eventually right? I guess he could eventually state he's never getting married and name Se-jin his heir again. But eventually the questions about him disappearing every weekend are going to increase.
Thinking about it I just don't buy them doing that for decades. It makes more sense to me that they did eventually get married with Tae-eul moving permanently to Corea. I mean the Manpasikjeok dumped them back in Corea immediately after Gon left for a reason and we've got Ok-nam now knowing about a woman's existence in Gon's life and asking about potential children, and you know she is not letting that go. They've only been doing it for a short while and they've already been partially caught out. I feel like those are hints for how it eventually goes.
Plus I don't think Luna's existence/Tae-eul's lack of Corean identity is that big of a deal? Gon is the king so he can easily fabricate a new identity for Tae-eul. Hell, if he can figure out how to control time he and Tae-eul can literally go back and lie a trail of background for her. Meanwhile, Luna is actually super easy to deal with because she was abandoned as a child - surprise identical twins! That would also be a nice way to bring Hyun-min back into their lives. And Tae-eul could tell her father the truth and visit him every month.
+ I loved Yeong refusing an order by Gon because his entire purpose is to protect his king (even from his own choices). I loved that in the fight he did just that - placing himself between the bullets and child Gon. I loved him protectively holding unconscious child Gon close and that he only let go when Ok-nam and the others arrived.
+ Yeong and Gon taking down Lim's men/coup was so well done. I loved how that scene was shot. Very badass. They worked together so well. I loved it.
+ I was sure that Yeong died that night so when it was revealed that he remembered everything I was gleeful. So happy that Yeong, the Yeong we know, survived with memories intact. He really is Gon's Unbreakable Sword! And he got his own twin siblings to bring happiness into his life, that was nice too.
+ Yeong casually stepping up behind Seong-hoon and snapping his neck was such a 'yes!' moment for me. It shocked me in the best way. Fingers crossed Se-jin was already born.
+ I'm sad we didn't get more of Tae-eul/Gon/Yeong interacting especially since they're the only ones who remember the other version of the worlds. That's a bond I wanted explored more! I wanted some scenes of Gon/Yeong while Gon searches for Tae-eul. I wanted an extended reaction from Yeong when he realised that not only did Gon find Tae-eul again and had been secretly carrying on a relationship with her but that she remembered too. (That deserves a smile!) A Tae-eul/Yeong conversation would have been lovely (even if just her telling him about how Eun-sup was doing.) I wanted more of them all!
+ I did love Tae-eul's little wave to Yeong while hiding in Gon's jacket and his exasperation at seeing her. I really loved his ranting and Tae-eul not translating it all to Gon - "Lee Gon, son of a..." LOLOLOL! and Gon refusing to believe that Yeong would speak like that about him. I loved Gon and Tae-eul in the security room. That whole sequence in current Corea was really great.
+ I wasn't sure last episode why they all seemed to think that whomever went with Lim was going on a suicide mission but then Tae-eul kept Lim in the in-between instead of taking him into the past and now it makes sense. There's no way to know what would happen by staying there when the broken flute was rewritten. But in that case why not take him into the past, kill him and then continue with the plan? Were they worried his body wouldn't disappear?
+ I loved Tae-eul shooting Lim. Him gloating that he won once the flute disappeared and he was fine and Tae-eul decided no he wouldn't be was great.
+ I liked Gon's final confrontation with Lim. A little sad we never got a sword fight between them. But Gon finally following through and 'beheading' Lim worked for me and I'm glad that he got the satisfaction of finally ending him. Also he finally got to behead someone after all the threatening! Good for him.
+ I loved the little glimpses we got of other worlds both during Gon's search for Tae-eul and during their weekend travels together. The drunk actress Tae-eul was fun. I really want to know more about tyrant!Gon. I can see him going in the direction and I'm sure based on eps 11/12 he's really good at it!
+ I am surprised that Gon and Tae-eul weren't only travelling to other worlds but within the timelines of their own worlds because that didn't seem like the smartest idea. But then I realised that Gon really didn't have much, if any, control over where/when they ended up so I guess the Manpasikjeok makes the choices for them. I actually find that fascinating and wish we could have learned more about that. Are there specific reasons for everywhere is sends them? It sent them into the past to save Korean Shin-jae, what other inadvertent changes have they made? We know it has a consciousness (yo-yo kid) and makes active choices, and I really want to know more.
I could actually see a second season of the show based on this easily. Gon and Tae-eul (and occasionally Yeong!) travelling to other worlds and righting wrongs/helping people and changing things for the better across the multiverse. Where they become agents of the Manpasikjeok and it sends them to fix mistakes. I feel like that could be really fun and I'd 100% watch it.
+ Ok-nam/Gon continue to be wonderful. I loved her slipping a talisman in his pocket when they're hugging goodbye and when he pulls it out she tells him to "put it back" and then he does, ha. Also her happiness at finding a woman in his rooms at the palace. Tae-eul hid her face but honestly if there is one person who can understand about her it would be Ok-nam and I think she deserves to meet Tae-eul and know the truth.
+ I loved Gon taking Tae-eul to see Bu-yeong - except he didn't really get to meet her? They said a couple pleasantries and that was it. Honestly I found the way Bu-yeong was dealt with at the end a little weird. With Lim dead in 1994 he didn't kill him in 2020. So when Gon returned to the future/present it should have been to an alive Bu-yeong, and yet the way Gon gazes at Bu-yeong it's vaguely sad and longing as if this were the first time he's seen him since his death. It was weird. I wish we could have gotten Gon introducing Tae-eul to the Bu-yeong in his timeline, perhaps when they were sneaking around the palace.
+ Secretary Mo becoming Prime Minister Mo was a delightful change. Their exchange over written reports vs in-person was adorable. Since she didn't seem completely confused by his warmth towards her I'm going to assume they've known each other for awhile and she may even have worked at the palace at one point.
+ I am really glad we got a last scene with the Shin-jae we knew before he was erased from existence. At first I was annoyed what with his mom going off on him when he revealed the truth, even blaming him, because it felt like the show unnecessarily piling more angst/trauma on the poor guy; but then his mom ran after him, hugged him, apologised over and over and told him he was her son too and it wasn't his fault. It was a moment of comfort he deserved and him breaking down crying in her arms was a really moving scene.
+ Seeing how it played out I think it was for the best that Shin-jae didn't take Lim into the gate or go with Tae-eul like I was half expecting. I'm assuming Tae-eul kept her memory because she was in there when the Manpasikjeok came together and the timelines were rewritten (which makes complete sense to me) and I don't think remembering would have added anything to Shin-jae's new life.
+ I guess Manpasikjeok decided that since it didn't break but sprouted he'd help things along. There were a lot of moments in this new world that were very convenient - Bu-yeong saving Hyun-min (thank god!), Luna finding a family (aww), Jung-hye's husband still dying, Gon ending up in just the right moment to save Shin-jae from the accident (Tae-eul should have been there at that moment too), Yeong ending up with twin siblings too - that it could feel contrived but considering how things have worked in this series it instead worked very well for me because it felt like the hand of Fate doing it.
+ I liked the check in with Eun-sup - in a relationship with Na-ri, more confident, happy. I liked that Gon stopped to see him and make sure he was doing well. Since Na-ri contacted Tae-eul to tell her about the man with the horse I'm going to assume he and Tae-eul are still friends too.
+ Luna getting adopted by Seo-ryung's mother was wonderful. She was so lovely to Luna in their scene, possibly the first kindness Luna had gotten and in return Luna tried to reciprocate and it was really sweet. So Luna got a mom and sister, a home, a name (Goo Seo-gyung) and eventually became a cop just like Tae-eul.
+ Luna/Hyun-min didn't surprise me. I'm happy for both of them that they found the partnership (and maybe love) that they couldn't entirely get in their previous life.
+ I wasn't a huge fan of Seo-ryung being in prison in this new Lim-less future. I would have rather seen her back to being an ambitious politician instead of being punished. It bothers me that she was the only one obviously punished. Or at the very least she should have been in jail for wire-tapping which would have been a nice callback to something she actually did. I did love her and Luna being adopted sisters and their bickering at the prison was great.
+ I'm glad that they answered the mystery of Chief Park's secret moments of solitude but I'm really not sure why he was keeping it a secret from his wife and the end I don't know that minor sub-sub-plot added anything to the series.
The series ended a lot happier than I was expecting and pretty much everyone got their happy ever after. This episode was a lot lighter and fun then the angst fest that I was expecting and overall I'm pleased about it.
+ I love so much where Tae-eul/Gon ended this series. I loved their weekend trips through time/space, exploring different worlds/times and having normal dates. They were deeply adorable going through their luggage in the in-between. Gon hopefully packing leaves made me lol. I love that he repacked them after Tae-eul threw them away, heh.
+ Gon and Tae-eul's reunion seemed a little low-key in part because he was confused at first and she was so shocked at him actually being there that she couldn't say or do anything. This was definitely the time for her to go running into his arms crying! I did like his slow realisation that it was his Tae-eul and she remembered him. I loved her deciding to take another 'skip', this time of explanations, and kiss him instead. And that was a great kiss!
+ Gon travelling to many different worlds searching for his Tae-eul, even thinking that she wouldn't remember him, was wonderful.
+ I was sad that we didn't see Tae-eul and Gon getting married, that she never apparently changed her answer from "no for today", and she never became queen of Corea. Instead they chose to live "for today forever" and for the rest of their lives they met every weekend and explored time/other universes and then continued their lives as normal in their own worlds during the week. I just find it really sad if Tae-eul never became a part of his world and remained an unknown/unseen presence in the king's life. The travelling is really fun as them doing all the parts they skipped and I love the idea of them doing it their entire lives. But it doesn't seem at all a sustainable relationship long-term. Beyond thinking they'd get tired of not seeing each other every day there's the issue that Gon is king. He'll need to get married and have a kid eventually right? I guess he could eventually state he's never getting married and name Se-jin his heir again. But eventually the questions about him disappearing every weekend are going to increase.
Thinking about it I just don't buy them doing that for decades. It makes more sense to me that they did eventually get married with Tae-eul moving permanently to Corea. I mean the Manpasikjeok dumped them back in Corea immediately after Gon left for a reason and we've got Ok-nam now knowing about a woman's existence in Gon's life and asking about potential children, and you know she is not letting that go. They've only been doing it for a short while and they've already been partially caught out. I feel like those are hints for how it eventually goes.
Plus I don't think Luna's existence/Tae-eul's lack of Corean identity is that big of a deal? Gon is the king so he can easily fabricate a new identity for Tae-eul. Hell, if he can figure out how to control time he and Tae-eul can literally go back and lie a trail of background for her. Meanwhile, Luna is actually super easy to deal with because she was abandoned as a child - surprise identical twins! That would also be a nice way to bring Hyun-min back into their lives. And Tae-eul could tell her father the truth and visit him every month.
+ I loved Yeong refusing an order by Gon because his entire purpose is to protect his king (even from his own choices). I loved that in the fight he did just that - placing himself between the bullets and child Gon. I loved him protectively holding unconscious child Gon close and that he only let go when Ok-nam and the others arrived.
+ Yeong and Gon taking down Lim's men/coup was so well done. I loved how that scene was shot. Very badass. They worked together so well. I loved it.
+ I was sure that Yeong died that night so when it was revealed that he remembered everything I was gleeful. So happy that Yeong, the Yeong we know, survived with memories intact. He really is Gon's Unbreakable Sword! And he got his own twin siblings to bring happiness into his life, that was nice too.
+ Yeong casually stepping up behind Seong-hoon and snapping his neck was such a 'yes!' moment for me. It shocked me in the best way. Fingers crossed Se-jin was already born.
+ I'm sad we didn't get more of Tae-eul/Gon/Yeong interacting especially since they're the only ones who remember the other version of the worlds. That's a bond I wanted explored more! I wanted some scenes of Gon/Yeong while Gon searches for Tae-eul. I wanted an extended reaction from Yeong when he realised that not only did Gon find Tae-eul again and had been secretly carrying on a relationship with her but that she remembered too. (That deserves a smile!) A Tae-eul/Yeong conversation would have been lovely (even if just her telling him about how Eun-sup was doing.) I wanted more of them all!
+ I did love Tae-eul's little wave to Yeong while hiding in Gon's jacket and his exasperation at seeing her. I really loved his ranting and Tae-eul not translating it all to Gon - "Lee Gon, son of a..." LOLOLOL! and Gon refusing to believe that Yeong would speak like that about him. I loved Gon and Tae-eul in the security room. That whole sequence in current Corea was really great.
+ I wasn't sure last episode why they all seemed to think that whomever went with Lim was going on a suicide mission but then Tae-eul kept Lim in the in-between instead of taking him into the past and now it makes sense. There's no way to know what would happen by staying there when the broken flute was rewritten. But in that case why not take him into the past, kill him and then continue with the plan? Were they worried his body wouldn't disappear?
+ I loved Tae-eul shooting Lim. Him gloating that he won once the flute disappeared and he was fine and Tae-eul decided no he wouldn't be was great.
+ I liked Gon's final confrontation with Lim. A little sad we never got a sword fight between them. But Gon finally following through and 'beheading' Lim worked for me and I'm glad that he got the satisfaction of finally ending him. Also he finally got to behead someone after all the threatening! Good for him.
+ I loved the little glimpses we got of other worlds both during Gon's search for Tae-eul and during their weekend travels together. The drunk actress Tae-eul was fun. I really want to know more about tyrant!Gon. I can see him going in the direction and I'm sure based on eps 11/12 he's really good at it!
+ I am surprised that Gon and Tae-eul weren't only travelling to other worlds but within the timelines of their own worlds because that didn't seem like the smartest idea. But then I realised that Gon really didn't have much, if any, control over where/when they ended up so I guess the Manpasikjeok makes the choices for them. I actually find that fascinating and wish we could have learned more about that. Are there specific reasons for everywhere is sends them? It sent them into the past to save Korean Shin-jae, what other inadvertent changes have they made? We know it has a consciousness (yo-yo kid) and makes active choices, and I really want to know more.
I could actually see a second season of the show based on this easily. Gon and Tae-eul (and occasionally Yeong!) travelling to other worlds and righting wrongs/helping people and changing things for the better across the multiverse. Where they become agents of the Manpasikjeok and it sends them to fix mistakes. I feel like that could be really fun and I'd 100% watch it.
+ Ok-nam/Gon continue to be wonderful. I loved her slipping a talisman in his pocket when they're hugging goodbye and when he pulls it out she tells him to "put it back" and then he does, ha. Also her happiness at finding a woman in his rooms at the palace. Tae-eul hid her face but honestly if there is one person who can understand about her it would be Ok-nam and I think she deserves to meet Tae-eul and know the truth.
+ I loved Gon taking Tae-eul to see Bu-yeong - except he didn't really get to meet her? They said a couple pleasantries and that was it. Honestly I found the way Bu-yeong was dealt with at the end a little weird. With Lim dead in 1994 he didn't kill him in 2020. So when Gon returned to the future/present it should have been to an alive Bu-yeong, and yet the way Gon gazes at Bu-yeong it's vaguely sad and longing as if this were the first time he's seen him since his death. It was weird. I wish we could have gotten Gon introducing Tae-eul to the Bu-yeong in his timeline, perhaps when they were sneaking around the palace.
+ Secretary Mo becoming Prime Minister Mo was a delightful change. Their exchange over written reports vs in-person was adorable. Since she didn't seem completely confused by his warmth towards her I'm going to assume they've known each other for awhile and she may even have worked at the palace at one point.
+ I am really glad we got a last scene with the Shin-jae we knew before he was erased from existence. At first I was annoyed what with his mom going off on him when he revealed the truth, even blaming him, because it felt like the show unnecessarily piling more angst/trauma on the poor guy; but then his mom ran after him, hugged him, apologised over and over and told him he was her son too and it wasn't his fault. It was a moment of comfort he deserved and him breaking down crying in her arms was a really moving scene.
+ Seeing how it played out I think it was for the best that Shin-jae didn't take Lim into the gate or go with Tae-eul like I was half expecting. I'm assuming Tae-eul kept her memory because she was in there when the Manpasikjeok came together and the timelines were rewritten (which makes complete sense to me) and I don't think remembering would have added anything to Shin-jae's new life.
+ I guess Manpasikjeok decided that since it didn't break but sprouted he'd help things along. There were a lot of moments in this new world that were very convenient - Bu-yeong saving Hyun-min (thank god!), Luna finding a family (aww), Jung-hye's husband still dying, Gon ending up in just the right moment to save Shin-jae from the accident (Tae-eul should have been there at that moment too), Yeong ending up with twin siblings too - that it could feel contrived but considering how things have worked in this series it instead worked very well for me because it felt like the hand of Fate doing it.
+ I liked the check in with Eun-sup - in a relationship with Na-ri, more confident, happy. I liked that Gon stopped to see him and make sure he was doing well. Since Na-ri contacted Tae-eul to tell her about the man with the horse I'm going to assume he and Tae-eul are still friends too.
+ Luna getting adopted by Seo-ryung's mother was wonderful. She was so lovely to Luna in their scene, possibly the first kindness Luna had gotten and in return Luna tried to reciprocate and it was really sweet. So Luna got a mom and sister, a home, a name (Goo Seo-gyung) and eventually became a cop just like Tae-eul.
+ Luna/Hyun-min didn't surprise me. I'm happy for both of them that they found the partnership (and maybe love) that they couldn't entirely get in their previous life.
+ I wasn't a huge fan of Seo-ryung being in prison in this new Lim-less future. I would have rather seen her back to being an ambitious politician instead of being punished. It bothers me that she was the only one obviously punished. Or at the very least she should have been in jail for wire-tapping which would have been a nice callback to something she actually did. I did love her and Luna being adopted sisters and their bickering at the prison was great.
+ I'm glad that they answered the mystery of Chief Park's secret moments of solitude but I'm really not sure why he was keeping it a secret from his wife and the end I don't know that minor sub-sub-plot added anything to the series.
