This drama started so well, and my wife and I (K-drama afficianados as we are) were pulled in and waited eagerly for what was to come.
But eventually we got the feeling that not only could this drama have no happy end, we would not even be bothered if it did not.
The reason was that a) the main characters, especially. Back Yi-Jin developed into someone less likable as he grew older. His failure to manage his career and his love was not exactly impressive.
Besides, he was full of himself and the not so great job of journalism, and his near collapse from handling the 9/11-aftermath means that either he was very weak, or the story (was weak).
B) Young Hee-do was a girl most would have loved, I supposed,.but the grown-up version? We all wondered what happened from when she retired until she was a mother.
Taken together, no happy end was possible, and sadly enough not missed either.
So, we had a Swedish social democratic moment of 'yeah, well, that is life'. The reason why Chess was a failure (compared to most works by ALW) is the same; in the end, nobody cared. Let me, as a writer, state the rules; the audience shall either leave crying OR laughing ('han' or 'heong'), but never with a 'yeah well'.
We started at 10 and ended with an average of six.
But eventually we got the feeling that not only could this drama have no happy end, we would not even be bothered if it did not.
The reason was that a) the main characters, especially. Back Yi-Jin developed into someone less likable as he grew older. His failure to manage his career and his love was not exactly impressive.
Besides, he was full of himself and the not so great job of journalism, and his near collapse from handling the 9/11-aftermath means that either he was very weak, or the story (was weak).
B) Young Hee-do was a girl most would have loved, I supposed,.but the grown-up version? We all wondered what happened from when she retired until she was a mother.
Taken together, no happy end was possible, and sadly enough not missed either.
So, we had a Swedish social democratic moment of 'yeah, well, that is life'. The reason why Chess was a failure (compared to most works by ALW) is the same; in the end, nobody cared. Let me, as a writer, state the rules; the audience shall either leave crying OR laughing ('han' or 'heong'), but never with a 'yeah well'.
We started at 10 and ended with an average of six.