The time has come for us to say goodbye to this bittersweet roller-coaster of emotions, otherwise known as Angel Eyes. Of course before we do that, we have the last two episodes to get through so we’d better get crackin’!
I have to say, I was ready to flip some tables when I realized Soo Wan left Dong Joo and an ENTIRE FLIPPING YEAR went by before they got back together. SERIOUSLY!?! Why does every drama writer in the world seem to think it’s appropriate for a couple to separate before they can spend the rest of their lives together? Do most people fall madly in love with their soul-mate and then decide that the only way to love them is to leave them and I just don’t realize that’s the case? I suppose that’s possible but for some reason, I doubt it’s actually the case. I mean who in their right mind would willingly give up the person they love more than anyone or anything in this world, just because they think it’s the “right” thing to do? It’s not like there’s some cosmic love police out there, patrolling the world, forcing couples apart when they get too happy. So why would Soo Wan think that leaving Dong Joo was right? After all they’ve been through, after all they’ve overcome, why would Soo Wan give up now? It just doesn’t make sense! In fact it’s just plain stupid! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! /end rant/ (Sorry, I get a little carried away sometimes…)
Thank the drama gods there was at least one character in this story with enough sense to set Soo Wan straight or we’d all be crying into our pillows right now. Bo Ram’s dad is the first and quite possibly the only character I’ve ever come across in a drama that actually had the right perspective on this whole “love them by leaving them” thing and I cheered when he flat-out told Soo Wan that both she and Dong Joo were being complete idiots. (Because they totally were!) Saying “goodbye” to someone you love isn’t something you do because things are hard, or because you feel bad about something, saying “goodbye” is something you should only do when circumstances beyond your control force you. If you truly love someone, you hold onto them with all your might and you never let go. That’s what true love is and I’m so very glad Soo Wan and Dong Joo finally figured that one out. At least now that they’re together, I see them being truly inseparable for the rest of their lives. (Or until they figure out that Dong Joo’s dad died attempting to rescue Soo Wan’s mom… I never understood why that first and most important event never managed to come up. You’d think that with all of the other drama in this story, someone, somewhere would have uncovered that most life-altering coincidence but no. Maybe the writers thought that it would be too much for this doomed yet destined couple???)
Speaking of couples, I was a little disappointed that after an entire year, Teddy still hadn’t worked up the courage to confess his feelings for Ellie. At least she’s a smart enough girl to pick up on Teddy’s obvious feelings and sweet enough to stick around for him. To be fair, Teddy did finally confess to Ellie but it doesn’t really count when she’s passed out in a drunken stupor on his back. I would have much rather preferred to have his confession made to a conscious and warmly receptive Ellie but since you don’t always get what you want, I’ll be content with what I was given and I chose to believe that Teddy will be true to his word and let Ellie know just how much she means to him everyday for the rest of their lives. (Oh, and kudos to Teddy for building up enough strength to carry his tiny little Ellie home when she gets too drunk to walk. Way to stick to that workout buddy!)
As frustrating as most of these last two episodes were, in the end, things were wrapped up nicely and I walked away feeling satisfied. All of the side stories were brought to some sort of conclusion, the OTP finally managed to get together and everyone else seemed to get as happily an ever after as they could manage, so I’m pretty happy, though, I have to admit, this was probably one of the most overly melodramatic dramas I’ve watched in a while. Still, despite it’s many “Oh my gosh, this is just too much drama!” moments, I still enjoyed the overall story and since I got the happily ever after I wanted, I’m going to give Angel Eyes a solid four out of five zombies.
So tell me, were you as satisfied with the ending of Angel Eyes as I was? Would you have liked to have seen things turn out differently? If so, what would you have changed? As always, I’d love to know what you’re thinking so be sure to leave me a comment below! Oh, and if you have any suggestions for which drama I should review next, please go ahead and leave those in the comments as well!
You can catch up on all of my previous reviews of Angel Eyes here:
Oh ZM thank you for featuring this drama on your friday specials. You know it feels like it’s just you and me watching. Haha. Where is everyone? 😀 I’m so grateful to you though for pushing through with your reviews. I really don’t get how this gem of a drama has been overlooked by so many. But then again there are people who are slowly discovering it while others are still on the hotel king ship. If you read comments in streaming sites there are quite a lot of good reactions or reviews so at least we know it’s taking flight.
So about the ending…. the last two episodes there were so many times i wanted to do the table flips and the face palms. I think the cat and mouse chase dragged on too long. I already hated the fact that they made SW blind again then prolonged the separation with sending her off to that remote island for 1 year….(really drama? one year? )then you have her sulking about loving DJ and yet only from afar.
To me the redeeming factor of 19 was definitely the What If scene. I think it was strategically placed in order to give a nod to all the beloved characters in the drama specifically the younger actors and of course JungWa-shi and JaeBeom from JW didn’t get hit by JW until the ‘fairytale wedding.’ It was a perfect happily ever after.
Aside from that I wanted to fast forward everything until the two got back together. It would have been perfect if after getting some sense from island Ajusshi SW runs to DJ in the bus stop (who also just happened to read her honest letter) then they hug, kiss and make up. Then the rest would be how they rekindle their romance and rebuild their relationship around the people and work they love. However, the writer decided we need to get DJ unconcious first to knock some sense into SW. Oh hell why?!!! ahahaha
Episode 20 did redeem itself though during the last 10 minutes. We got the old couple back with the bickering over the surprise kiss, then SW asking for DJ’s hand at JW-shi’s grave, proposing to him in the observatory and the couple saying I love yous finally and promising to stick with each other no matter what. 🙂 Definitely a happily ever after.
There was still the open question of why they didn’t address the other half of their parents- DJ’s dad and SW’s mom – who both lost their lives in the tunnel that fateful day.I guess the writer didn’t know how to spin that web around any more…maybe if we had more episodes. ;( Maybe if AE came back with a season 2. Highly unlikely but I wish they could explore that too. Plus I’ve been frustrated that there was no timejump or peak into the couple’s happily ever after. I would have wanted to see how DJ and SW and all our beloved characters were doing some time along the way. If they had shown us that, plus removed the SW going blind and the DJ accident, then I would have rated this drama a perfect 10.
Either way, I love AE. Im having withdrawals which is why im still roaming the net searching for recaps and all other AE related goodies. I ship this couple and am so gonna miss them badly. It was a beautiful memorable love story.
Thank you again for all your recommendations and efforts on behalf of AE. 🙂
You have no idea how happy I am to hear that you enjoyed Angel Eyes just as much as I did; I was seriously beginning to think I was the only one watching and was getting kind of bummed because it’s such a sweet drama. I really can’t understand how it went so overlooked except that, like you said, too many people were hooked on Hotel King at the time. Maybe now that it’s over, Angel Eyes will be one of those dramas people marathon and love. (I hope!)
I suppose this drama could be a bit too much for some people, with the tangled web of “coincidences” and connections that kept all of these characters together. There were some moments when I had to shake my head and say, “Only in Drama Land” but even those moments weren’t enough to overshadow the loveliness of our OTP. DJ and SW were one of those couples that were destined to be together from the very start and I’m convinced that because of all they endured, they’re going to be better off in the end. Of course it took them way too long to figure that out for themselves which meant there was a whole lot of frustration at the end. I think that’s what kept be from giving Angel Eyes a perfect rating. I was frustrated for so much of the last two episodes, at least when it came to the OTP, that I couldn’t bring myself to forgive the writers for making me suffer like that. I mean SW going blind again was frustrating enough but then you had to add to that her crappy attitude and DJ’s frustration (which I totally felt at the time, by the way) and then SW has to disappear and our OTP has to spend a year apart (which makes no sense but that’s just how life in Drama Land works) and then when they’re reunited they’re both all mopey and masochistic as they inflict unnecessary pain on themselves and each other (because they’re stupid) AND THEN DJ has to get hit by a car and goes into a coma… Are you kidding me!?! It was that level of frustration that almost killed this drama for me… I would have much preferred to watch DJ and SW reach their happily ever after sooner and been sent off with as many warm-fuzzies as I had as I watched the first episode but I guess we don’t always get what we want. Since DJ and SW did eventually find they’re happy ending, I can’t really complain.
I’m so very happy you enjoyed my reviews of Angel Eyes and thank you for all of your kind words! You totally made my day! If you have any suggestions for dramas you’d like to see me review in the future, I’d love to hear them. I’m always on the lookout for new dramas! I hope you to see you back soon! 😀
Just finding your recaps today. I too recapped Angel Eyes and in enjoyed the ride
It was a really cute drama, wasn’t it? A bit over-the-top on the drama sometimes but still, an enjoyable drama. I thought the OTP was adorable and the supporting characters were quite love-able (Teddy was my favorite) which made dealing with all of the overly dramatic moments a bit more bearable than they would have otherwise been. It wasn’t the world’s greatest drama but it’s certainly worth watching. And the OST… I thought that was particularly fantastic!