It's all him. I could listen to him read a phone book.
Can only speak for myself but I have a thing about guys with dulcet/sonorous voices. For other people it's love at first sight -- for me it's love at first sound.
even the horrible mother and daughter were turned into sympathetic ones,as if all the things they did in the drama…
This is my problem with K dramas and their need to redeem every single character including the egregiously one dimensional ones. It's fine to have one dimensional characters in the mix but if there's no groundwork for redemption, don't bother. Charles Dickens understood that which is why he got away with it. Don't make the mean mums so mean if you're going to forgive them in one episode.
But the worst part is that they had to pair off everybody like consolation prizes.
It's a rare combination in a show which is smart, well-acted and actually... fun. And that courtroom drama in the last couple of episodes was fantastic theatre. Glad I found it.
As suspected, the show did a big reset in the last episode. Very schmaltzy. Everyone holding hands singing kumbaya. Almost as if the last 15 episodes was just a really bad dream. No real consequences.
Got to give the cast their due. They made this work.
Regardless of how badly the drama was titled in English, it was absolutely clear from the first episode that the crime element of the show would be an integral part of this show because it was abundantly clear from the word "go" that the show had an underlying message about the education system in SK and the role of parents in it. The crime element is a key facet of that message which includes the sky castle mothers and their antics. The romance was never the main thing even from the first episode. Education brought the leads together and education is the bond that ties all the characters together. Even the English title has the phrase "crash course" which is a reference to learning in a short intensive programme.
As for the identity of the metal ball killer, it has to be said that there weren't that many candidates on offer. It had to be someone closely connected with Chi-yeol. Someone who cared about him. Someone who was in the know. Yes, it was predictable. But "dumb" wouldn't be the word I would use in how this plays out. What's far more important than anything else is that the reveal is logically consistent with all the facts. Viewers expecting a twist is not a writing problem because a well-written mystery has to make sense before it is surprising. A plot twist is not inherently a desirable thing if it's not executed well. In this case there's no need for one because who the culprit is less important than why said culprit is killing people.
It is also interesting to me that the reveal comes as a result of an escalation of several events at a time only when Chi-yeol is now dating Haeng-seon. This speaks to the mental state of the culprit and the progress of the police investigation. Various characters have various pieces of the puzzle while the audience has most of them. It also shows that Chi-yeol was in such a bad state of mind prior to meeting Haeng-seon that he didn't know what was going on around him. This was also used by the perp to his/her advantage. It is only now that he's in a better place mentally and physically that Chi-yeol can see the truth for what it is.
I don't blame Seon-jae in so far as he's been driven to the brink. But his mother is the reason why I don't want…
There's been very little progression in that regard so I am also of the opinion that there won't be much clarity on that front come the resolution. They're just kids dealing with far too much than they need to because the adults in their lives are obsessed with living vicariously through their children.
My view is that after all that has happened with the exams and Lawyer Jang's antics, I just think that Seon-jae would probably be wracked with so much guilt to even touch the subject. That entire family really needs to attend some kind of counselling at the end of this. At the very least. I'm all for second chances but Lawyer Jang's attitude towards Hae-yi needs to do a genuine 180 which should ordinarily take time. Her behaviour has been reprehensible and soul destroying. Luckily Seon-jae has friends to help him retain some semblance of sanity.
But I wouldn't put it past a K drama to hit the big red reset button if they want to.
Please let Hae-Yi end up with Seo Geon Hoo, SJ is way too depressing a character to even deserve her.He never…
I don't blame Seon-jae in so far as he's been driven to the brink. But his mother is the reason why I don't want Hae-yi tethered to him romantically. Friendship is fine.
But who knows what the show is going to do there? :D Maybe nothing. ;)
For me personally I'm thoroughly enjoying how the writer integrates the crime elements with the school drama and the romance. It's a finely tuned engine. Very sure-footed and it feels like it's all part of the plan. In my opinion the second half is the punchline -- and wow, what a sucker punch it is.
The first half which is really the set up hints that there's trouble in paradise. But the second half really delves into how deep the rot is -- the players, attitudes, the bad actors. The serial killer angle is really a metaphor for how the vicious cycle of family dysfunction and the narrowly defined parameters of educational success leads down the path of inevitable social disruption. There's certainly an argument being made here for a much more holistic view of success as seen in the figure of Geon-hu who is above the fray being the outsider. Human beings are moral creatures with a conscience so the whole "the ends justify the means" philosophy denigrates a core part of what makes people who they are.
4 
With a better final act, this show could have been amazing.
Thanks for reading. I found your review a great read too. Appreciate the background information.
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/crash-course-in-romance-2023-episodes-b98
But the worst part is that they had to pair off everybody like consolation prizes.
Glad I found it.
Bureaucrats duking it out with red tape. Depicts the public service quite accurately.
Got to give the cast their due. They made this work.
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/strangers-again-2023-final-thoughts
As for the identity of the metal ball killer, it has to be said that there weren't that many candidates on offer. It had to be someone closely connected with Chi-yeol. Someone who cared about him. Someone who was in the know. Yes, it was predictable. But "dumb" wouldn't be the word I would use in how this plays out. What's far more important than anything else is that the reveal is logically consistent with all the facts. Viewers expecting a twist is not a writing problem because a well-written mystery has to make sense before it is surprising. A plot twist is not inherently a desirable thing if it's not executed well. In this case there's no need for one because who the culprit is less important than why said culprit is killing people.
It is also interesting to me that the reveal comes as a result of an escalation of several events at a time only when Chi-yeol is now dating Haeng-seon. This speaks to the mental state of the culprit and the progress of the police investigation. Various characters have various pieces of the puzzle while the audience has most of them. It also shows that Chi-yeol was in such a bad state of mind prior to meeting Haeng-seon that he didn't know what was going on around him. This was also used by the perp to his/her advantage. It is only now that he's in a better place mentally and physically that Chi-yeol can see the truth for what it is.
My view is that after all that has happened with the exams and Lawyer Jang's antics, I just think that Seon-jae would probably be wracked with so much guilt to even touch the subject. That entire family really needs to attend some kind of counselling at the end of this. At the very least. I'm all for second chances but Lawyer Jang's attitude towards Hae-yi needs to do a genuine 180 which should ordinarily take time. Her behaviour has been reprehensible and soul destroying. Luckily Seon-jae has friends to help him retain some semblance of sanity.
But I wouldn't put it past a K drama to hit the big red reset button if they want to.
But who knows what the show is going to do there? :D Maybe nothing. ;)
The first half which is really the set up hints that there's trouble in paradise. But the second half really delves into how deep the rot is -- the players, attitudes, the bad actors. The serial killer angle is really a metaphor for how the vicious cycle of family dysfunction and the narrowly defined parameters of educational success leads down the path of inevitable social disruption. There's certainly an argument being made here for a much more holistic view of success as seen in the figure of Geon-hu who is above the fray being the outsider. Human beings are moral creatures with a conscience so the whole "the ends justify the means" philosophy denigrates a core part of what makes people who they are.
His performance in the K adaptation of Life on Mars is really one of his best.