DramaAjumma

I didn't like him very much at first but he grew too. He did give the boys good instructions in the end.

Episode 29. No break up and no sign of it in this final straight. Seeing that they got together quite late, that makes sense.
No, no real love triangle. Mostly a bit of teasing but the FL only really likes the ML. But it takes her a bit of time to finally admit her feelings.

Although the ending was somewhat anticlimactic, I enjoyed the entire series. Yes, it meandered somewhat at the end but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. The ambition was admirable even if it didn't dot all the "i"s and cross all the "t"s perfectly. I can't say that I was surprised by the ending because of its strong supernatural-ecological emphasis all throughout. The series had its flaws but I didn't have trouble following the show's progression through the non-linear narrative.

I love the views around the mountain and the attention to detail on the ground.

I love the nod to Prison Playbook. LOL. "I got hit a lot during my 20 years as a sportsperson"
I have to say I really like how the women are written here although the performances all round are superb.

As for the rating, I guess the people who like crime shows are a tough crowd. :P

What's kept me watching the entire time are the leads. Their chemistry has always been good and now that they're together, things are even better. They have a nice team dynamic which is my favourite kind of romantic pairing. Their kissing scenes are really some of the best I've seen this year. I'm also glad that Lili had found a nice man who is a complete opposite to the sorts of scumbags that she used to go for.

The psychology side of things has become very hit and miss. The fact that it's tied to the professor's past and current scandal to some degree makes it all very unwieldy. I'm surprised that Ye Jiahui got away with a slap on the wrist. If this is only about his mother, I find his plot too over-the-top and complex.

I keep wondering if there's going to be a second season.

I'm with you. I miss the tragic vision of the old sageuks.

The ending was a pretty much a reflection of the rest of the show -- a rather mixed bag.

What did the show want to be? That seems to me to be the million dollar question. It seems to suffer from more of an identity crisis than Cotton Candy. Is it a lightweight melodrama or a slice-of-life drama? Or underdog fantasy? The kitchen sink approach undermines what could have been a much more coherent product. The cast seemed to lurch endlessly from crisis to crisis and spent so much energy putting out fires. Okay so the events are true to what goes on in the industry. I don't doubt that but what's the point of all that constant feeling of jeopardy apart from the old makjang trick of getting the audience sitting on the edge of their seats with crisis management.

Regardless of whether or not the drama was tagged as a romance (I don't look at the tags to get my cue on what these shows are about), romance was teased all throughout. The writing itself dropped these crumbs. The show even brought in an aunt for that purpose and whose impact on the overall story was minimal at best. What we have clarity on, however, is Cha Jae-hyuk's feelings for Kim Je-na which works for me on some level and with everything that's gone on with the women, he probably has the best character development in the entire show.

Rather than plot holes, I'd say that the show tends to introduce characters and subjects primarily as obstacles rather than saying anything coherent in the narrative about the industry or the characters. Why introduce the predator director so late in the story otherwise, for instance? In truth he isn't just an obstacle, he's a criminal so to move on from what he's done just because of he's a loving father beggars belief. To add to all this we've got Hyun-ji's grandmother going into coma just before the big broadcast. Another obstacle, another hoop to jump through and yet another deus ex machina to resolve the matter. Hyun-ji doesn't have to make any hard choices because fate is on her side. In fact no one in Cotton Candy really has to make very hard choices to succeed because there are people of goodwill around them that support them unequivocally along the way.

It's a fairy tale in which once you get hold of the spell, you can ward off demons.

Doesn't look like regret to me. ;)

On some level the show is too crowded and too busy for a 12 episode drama. Or at least the front end should have been better paced to make way for more of these individual arcs. While I thought that Stella's story was potentially interesting, it was introduced late and resolved too quickly for a problem of this magnitude.
The relationship dynamics are the best part of the show and if one doesn't think too hard, that might be enough to cover the show's weaknesses.

It can't just be me surely but the way Jenna looks at Cha Jae-hyuk suggests that she might have special feelings for him as well. Not that I blame her.

Episode 29 is where they share the first kiss so that could be considered as when they got together.

I can't understand why the rating is so low as well.

I believe that this is a useful perspective to hold. It's a balanced view of their dynamic especially considering that we are looking at people from the 5th century here who really didn't have a lot of choice in marital partners. While she did might have and he didn't, they have known each other since they were kids. "No marriage" was surely never a realistic option of a young man of his age in that world. It was ludicrous for him to even say that to his father. Eventually, one hopes that he can see her more as an asset than a liability so that she will grow up as well.

I don't think the primary focus of the show was really about who the killer was but why the killer was doing what he was doing. It was fairly obvious who the most likely candidates were. I certainly thought that the real mystery was motive and the thinking behind the selection of victims.

To me the bad guy plot of this show really doesn't fit the rest of the drama. It's almost as if it's a different show.

It's a investigation plus search and rescue show with supernatural elements.

Although I pretty much figured out the bare bones of the plot from the first episode, I still enjoyed this wonderful work of art. Lovingly made and beautifully acted. A deeply moving resolution.

Compelling television from start to finish.

Two episodes are just too short.

Although Liu Ran is acquired taste, I really don't mind her even if she did push her luck a little more in the past episode. In fact, I don't really mind the romances here overt or subtle because they're part of the characters' development. If this is a character-driven show that I believe it to be then even the overly persistent Liu Ran has a part to play. Already there's a big difference in Hong-yi in his interactions with her. Moreover, if she weren't pushy type, he wouldn't accommodate her as readily or as soon she has. It's also clear that she's changing as well.
They really aren't as dissimilar as they seem on first appearance -- both are "all are nothing" types.

The kissing scene was pretty good. 29 episodes later.... The dam finally broke.