At the end of the day, we need to let go of the past
I'll start my review with no spoilers, so everyone can read my general opinion!
The show was a 10/10 for me. Everything was perfect, from the writing, to the cinematography, to the final message, to the acting.
You may like it or not, but I think I'm quite objective when I say the characters are very well-written, in a complex, realistic way. The script and dialogues were just wonderful, with a lot of symbolism and parallels that you may notice or may not. The shots were just breathtaking, as were the color palettes. The OST was exactly what the show needed : it was never loud music in your ears. It was soft, low and heavy music, just like the show was.
The actors delivered a close-to perfect acting in everyscene, with raw scenes.
The show relied a LOT on the acting because a lot of things were shown without being told (which makes the show amazing to me, but you need to have analytical skills). There are a lot of silence where emotions are only transmitted through gestures or glances, and I can tell you, the actors mastered it. If you're observant, you get it.
I can preshot a lot of negative opinions about the show. It may make you hesitate whether to watch it or not. I'll tell you, this show is not for everyone. If you're here for a feel-good romance where things are smooth and light, then, clearly, don't watch it. This show is slow, raw, heavy and bittersweet. But it's also full of hope and deep messages. Still Shining's purpose was never to show a classic love story. The point of the show is to focus on realistic character-growths. People make mistake, sometimes they accept things they shouldn't, sometimes they're not logical. That doesn't mean the characters aren't coherent or well-written - quite the opposite, actually. The show was full of foreshadowing and hints. You can guess very early which direction it will take and it stays true to itself, and you got to love a show that doesn't change himself just to please the audience.
***SPOILERS***
"This is where I stop. Trying to make things work, intruding in your peaceful life, and repeating this vicious cycle. Enough."
While there are a lot of people upset about the ending, I think it delivered exactly what it promised to deliver : a hopeful story about life and relationships. The main focus may have been the romantic relationship but the story was never about romance or happy endings. It's a story about letting things go.
Each character was stuck in the past at some point, not only the main characters.
Taeseo grew up with heavy responsabilities on his shoulders and never truly let them go, even when he started living in Seoul. He was always afraid of the idea of going back to his hometown, and never truly freed himself from the responsabilities, because he was stuck in that past where his brother couldn't handle things and he had to do everything himself. I think his main journey was about making peace with that past and accepting that his brother could handle things, and only then did he realize that he actually wanted to be by his grandparents' side. He no longer had to put distance between them because he loved them - his love for them was not a burden anymore. I think Ahsol hit exactly where it hurt when she told him what she was thankful for. I think, before that very instant, Taeseo still thought of himself as that stuck highschool boy, without noticing he had become an adult and overcome what weighed on him back then.
Eunah was clearly stuck in her guilt toward her father. In higschool already, when she couldn't plan on leaving him because she was afraid for him, and then, as an adult. She was still stuck 10 years ago, in that time when she broke up with Taeseo, in that memory in the snow, with the "what if" AND stuck with the guilt of her father's death, that she tried to escape from by blaming Sohyun. Her whole journey in the show was to accept things, let go of both her guilt and anger, and stop repeating the same mistakes. She needed to meet Taeseo again for that, to learn how to break up correctly with him, and needed to reconcilile with Sohyun to let go of her guilt/anger.
Seongchan was clearly stuck in his obsession for Eunah. He was obsessed with being here for her and doing everything for her and he had to let those feelings go because it hurt both him and Eunah. I found him a very interesting character because, you know, why would he fall in love with a girl who was a highschool students months ago, as a guy 7 years older? You see him being all controlling over her, not accepting her giving up her pension, and I kept wondering, is he actually a creep who just want control over her or is he...right? And turned out he was right for most things. He was when he thought Eunah was making a wrong decision to stay in Seoul, and at the end of the day, he knew Eunah better than we did, because we didn't know (and we'll never really know) what happened to her in the 10+ years between the time gaps, while he was there and looking after her. So what came out as controlling was actually rightful concerns because he knew better than us how many efforts Eunah put into her pension. And she should never give all that up just for a man. (Now I'm not saying Seongchan was perfect, he was clearly very borderline, but his character was so interesting).
Heeseo was probably the most resilient character of the show. The whole show starts with him undergoing a huge surgery and he had to learn how to let go of his leg. His whole journey was to overcome this grief, the anxiety it brought him, and learning how to live with his liability. He did a wonderful job and despite having the most legitimate reason to be "stuck", he's the first to actually move on.
Even Ahsol was a character who had to learn how to let go of her compassion and love for Taeseo. I think quite literally all the main characters were stuck in the event from ten years ago and the whole show was about them finally moving on. The grandma being stuck in the past after she wakes up and her brain jumping memories from memories until she's finally back in the present is, in my opinion, the most beautiful and unique way to show what the whole story was about. When Heeseo comes to bring Eunah back to his grandma and says his grandma is back, he has those words : "It's right now. The present." And to me, that was the whole message of the story. All the character were stuck in the past and they finally let go of it. It was finally the present for all of them.
At the end of the day, I think even Eunah's dad was a character stuck in the past. He was quite literally the exemple of what a person becomes when they can't "move on". Being stuck in the past and in the regrets brings depression... and while some are lucky enough to recover and start moving toward the present, like our main characters, some people aren't that lucky and get stuck forever, like Eunah's dad.
Now, on whether Eunah and Taeseo ends up together or not... I actually think the version they were at the end of the should could never be happy in the long term. What separated them was not only their different ambitions but also the way they processed things. They just don't work the same way, and no amount of love could ever change that, so the smallest problem can quickly turn into a huge misunderstanding that hurts both of them. But at the same time, that doesn't mean they can never end up together. Maybe in ten years, when they'll be different versions of themselves, they'll be more compatible. Which is why I loved that they didn't use a timejump to show them reunite. I didn't want to see that because I think it will take a lot of time for them to find each other again and to be together, and that might just never happen.
But the show chose to be faithful to its premise and be hopeful. It ended on a very hopeful note, where characters were finally free from the chains that trapped them in the past.
I'll end this review with my favorite quote of the show :
"Dad. When you told me to live freely, as if I was on a journey, you meant that in life, we can't stay even when we want to. Things seem like they'll last forever, but they don't. And since life is full of such things, when it's time to leave, you meant I should just take off, as if I was on a journey."
The show was a 10/10 for me. Everything was perfect, from the writing, to the cinematography, to the final message, to the acting.
You may like it or not, but I think I'm quite objective when I say the characters are very well-written, in a complex, realistic way. The script and dialogues were just wonderful, with a lot of symbolism and parallels that you may notice or may not. The shots were just breathtaking, as were the color palettes. The OST was exactly what the show needed : it was never loud music in your ears. It was soft, low and heavy music, just like the show was.
The actors delivered a close-to perfect acting in everyscene, with raw scenes.
The show relied a LOT on the acting because a lot of things were shown without being told (which makes the show amazing to me, but you need to have analytical skills). There are a lot of silence where emotions are only transmitted through gestures or glances, and I can tell you, the actors mastered it. If you're observant, you get it.
I can preshot a lot of negative opinions about the show. It may make you hesitate whether to watch it or not. I'll tell you, this show is not for everyone. If you're here for a feel-good romance where things are smooth and light, then, clearly, don't watch it. This show is slow, raw, heavy and bittersweet. But it's also full of hope and deep messages. Still Shining's purpose was never to show a classic love story. The point of the show is to focus on realistic character-growths. People make mistake, sometimes they accept things they shouldn't, sometimes they're not logical. That doesn't mean the characters aren't coherent or well-written - quite the opposite, actually. The show was full of foreshadowing and hints. You can guess very early which direction it will take and it stays true to itself, and you got to love a show that doesn't change himself just to please the audience.
***SPOILERS***
"This is where I stop. Trying to make things work, intruding in your peaceful life, and repeating this vicious cycle. Enough."
While there are a lot of people upset about the ending, I think it delivered exactly what it promised to deliver : a hopeful story about life and relationships. The main focus may have been the romantic relationship but the story was never about romance or happy endings. It's a story about letting things go.
Each character was stuck in the past at some point, not only the main characters.
Taeseo grew up with heavy responsabilities on his shoulders and never truly let them go, even when he started living in Seoul. He was always afraid of the idea of going back to his hometown, and never truly freed himself from the responsabilities, because he was stuck in that past where his brother couldn't handle things and he had to do everything himself. I think his main journey was about making peace with that past and accepting that his brother could handle things, and only then did he realize that he actually wanted to be by his grandparents' side. He no longer had to put distance between them because he loved them - his love for them was not a burden anymore. I think Ahsol hit exactly where it hurt when she told him what she was thankful for. I think, before that very instant, Taeseo still thought of himself as that stuck highschool boy, without noticing he had become an adult and overcome what weighed on him back then.
Eunah was clearly stuck in her guilt toward her father. In higschool already, when she couldn't plan on leaving him because she was afraid for him, and then, as an adult. She was still stuck 10 years ago, in that time when she broke up with Taeseo, in that memory in the snow, with the "what if" AND stuck with the guilt of her father's death, that she tried to escape from by blaming Sohyun. Her whole journey in the show was to accept things, let go of both her guilt and anger, and stop repeating the same mistakes. She needed to meet Taeseo again for that, to learn how to break up correctly with him, and needed to reconcilile with Sohyun to let go of her guilt/anger.
Seongchan was clearly stuck in his obsession for Eunah. He was obsessed with being here for her and doing everything for her and he had to let those feelings go because it hurt both him and Eunah. I found him a very interesting character because, you know, why would he fall in love with a girl who was a highschool students months ago, as a guy 7 years older? You see him being all controlling over her, not accepting her giving up her pension, and I kept wondering, is he actually a creep who just want control over her or is he...right? And turned out he was right for most things. He was when he thought Eunah was making a wrong decision to stay in Seoul, and at the end of the day, he knew Eunah better than we did, because we didn't know (and we'll never really know) what happened to her in the 10+ years between the time gaps, while he was there and looking after her. So what came out as controlling was actually rightful concerns because he knew better than us how many efforts Eunah put into her pension. And she should never give all that up just for a man. (Now I'm not saying Seongchan was perfect, he was clearly very borderline, but his character was so interesting).
Heeseo was probably the most resilient character of the show. The whole show starts with him undergoing a huge surgery and he had to learn how to let go of his leg. His whole journey was to overcome this grief, the anxiety it brought him, and learning how to live with his liability. He did a wonderful job and despite having the most legitimate reason to be "stuck", he's the first to actually move on.
Even Ahsol was a character who had to learn how to let go of her compassion and love for Taeseo. I think quite literally all the main characters were stuck in the event from ten years ago and the whole show was about them finally moving on. The grandma being stuck in the past after she wakes up and her brain jumping memories from memories until she's finally back in the present is, in my opinion, the most beautiful and unique way to show what the whole story was about. When Heeseo comes to bring Eunah back to his grandma and says his grandma is back, he has those words : "It's right now. The present." And to me, that was the whole message of the story. All the character were stuck in the past and they finally let go of it. It was finally the present for all of them.
At the end of the day, I think even Eunah's dad was a character stuck in the past. He was quite literally the exemple of what a person becomes when they can't "move on". Being stuck in the past and in the regrets brings depression... and while some are lucky enough to recover and start moving toward the present, like our main characters, some people aren't that lucky and get stuck forever, like Eunah's dad.
Now, on whether Eunah and Taeseo ends up together or not... I actually think the version they were at the end of the should could never be happy in the long term. What separated them was not only their different ambitions but also the way they processed things. They just don't work the same way, and no amount of love could ever change that, so the smallest problem can quickly turn into a huge misunderstanding that hurts both of them. But at the same time, that doesn't mean they can never end up together. Maybe in ten years, when they'll be different versions of themselves, they'll be more compatible. Which is why I loved that they didn't use a timejump to show them reunite. I didn't want to see that because I think it will take a lot of time for them to find each other again and to be together, and that might just never happen.
But the show chose to be faithful to its premise and be hopeful. It ended on a very hopeful note, where characters were finally free from the chains that trapped them in the past.
I'll end this review with my favorite quote of the show :
"Dad. When you told me to live freely, as if I was on a journey, you meant that in life, we can't stay even when we want to. Things seem like they'll last forever, but they don't. And since life is full of such things, when it's time to leave, you meant I should just take off, as if I was on a journey."
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