As we draw to the end of our tale, our wider plot points are concluded, and we get some nice wrap-up for each of our side characters and stories as well. But what our finale excels at the most is tying up the story’s themes and emotions, and giving us something to take with us after the drama is over.
EPISODES 15-16 WEECAP
You Are My Spring has always been a bit scattershot with its tones and side plots — we’ve had murder and sociopathy right next to emotional healing and idol romance — but that was half of the charm, right?
In our final week, things settle down on all fronts, and there’s a sense of finality for each storyline and relationship. The interesting way the romance and murder storylines intersected throughout the drama continues right till the bitter end, and I’m left with two conflicting feelings. One, that the romance + murder didn’t fit together at all and the two plots were more parallel than anything; and two, that because they were so different and only vaguely woven together, they actually became something even more meaningful.
Da-jung and Young-do have climbed their mountain, and their relationship feels delightfully sweet and solid. They’re both mature adults, but their romance also has his innocence to it that’s been really charming. What’s left for them this week is to iron out the tiny wrinkle with Da-jung’s mother.
Da-jung’s mother has a really lovely discussion with Young-do as she basically gives him the (second) seal of approval, even though he’s been painted as not a healthy dude. Her encouragement to him, and the ajumma hazing, were quite sweet, but I think the most moving might have been her exchanges with her daughter. They felt incredibly raw. How did this drama capture so well the emotions of a mother who must acknowledge that now someone else will become the most important figure in her daughter’s life? *Single tear*
It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: You Are My Spring has excelled at these beautifully written and quite sensitive (for lack of a better word) scenes between its characters. I’ve enjoyed how at one point or another, each of our characters has interacted with each other in ways we didn’t expect — and really, ways that didn’t even matter that much (in terms of the plot). Is it random, or is it very much like life? I think it’s the latter.
In fact, that’s where we land as the drama ties up its final message: not to take life for granted. To remember how much people matter. To realize that one small act can have a huge effect on someone’s life. Not sure how this drama keeps making sequences of random strangers powerful enough to make me want to cry my eyes out, but it does.
While there’s not a lot of plot in our finale week, important tie-up things happen, like Da-jung (oh so comically) learning that Eun-ha is dating her little brother, or like Patrick’s true love for Ga-young causing him to blow their cover and making their relationship public. (Side note: I love this couple so much I want a side drama just about them.)
And then there’s Ian Chase and our whole murder side story. The drama has painted that in pretty broad strokes — the story, I think, was more about the psychological and emotional elements than it was the hard facts of which twin was which, and in which scene. However, I leave this storyline quite satisfied as well.
Ian has come clean to the police about everything, and though he can’t be prosecuted for the crimes, his internal journey seems even more meaningful to the story. Ian Chase was the one that got involved with Jae-shik and instigated the murders; he was also the one that returned to Korea and found his brother, which is when their cosplaying first started.
It’s confirmed that the sweet Choi Jung-min from early on that we wanted to trust was probably worth trusting; the dark and creepy scenes where he confronted Young-do, for instance, were Ian Chase cosplaying his brother. Justice might not find him, but he finds a deeper truth for himself as he works through his traumas. He tells his brother in voiceover: “I was the shadow. Not you.”
While I could probably be a little more critical of the finale week which, like most, felt like half wrap-up half PPL party, I find myself holding back. I really respect what this drama was able to do, both technically and emotionally. In fact, I’m not sure if there ever was a drama that brought this level of emotional insight and heart into not only its secondary characters, but all of its many side characters as well.
And then, of course, there’s Young-do’s beautiful monologue that we’re left with at the end. He’s closing out his final appearance on the radio show, and has some lovely words for people that are struggling and going through hard times. His lines play out slowly as we see them acted out in our various storylines, and they seem like the perfect place to end my coverage of this drama as well.
I took them all for granted. Waking up in the morning and going to bed at night. The cool breeze and the blue sky. My heart that beat without stopping, and my strong legs… There was a time when I failed to appreciate those little moments. I was a fish looking for the ocean that was already around me. I believed I’d find happiness and feel at peace one day. But the fact that I’m breathing is enough proof that I’m doing well, despite not shining brightly all the time.