Ignore the first comment, but look at the spoiler one instead, since I discuss things that went down. I don't know how to delete the first comment because the button won't work.
I read your My Mister review, and it led me to reading this one as well. I can definitely understand your complaints, but I do want to provide another perspective.
An underlying point: The thing about 2521 is that it is supposed to be all of these things. From what I saw, the impermanence of youth is driven by tumultuous times, as things can build up and break down quickly. But it may seem that the show cannot choose to focus on one because they're all related to one another. When it came to the present timeline, the writer used it to analyze the themes presented when it eventually came to the characters' endings. The impermanence of youth shows that the relationships we have later in life will end, but not in a completely unsatisfactory way. If it wasn't for the IMF Crisis, the two characters would have never met, and if it wasn't for the characters meeting each other, you wouldn't have gotten the full story. BYJ's internal conflict comes with working on his priorities, and most people thought that it would be his relationship with Heedo he and his family's financial situation. It's because he was rushed out of the days of his youth, and that his life started breaking down because of these times, which would later shift his perspective on becoming a reporter, as we see the person he once was and grows into being. I believed that the show worked on these themes entirely, but I am not going to go through every example. Others also felt that the show was focused on other things that didn't relate to anything specifically about the times or impermanence of youth, because there isn't that much dialogue regarding the themes in each episode, but that would've honestly been completely unnecessary. The characters grow and change, through which each important scene in character development moves the story to the present timeline, whose presence signifies these very themes. They were woven, but since most viewers were irrational when it came to the ending of the show, they missed the important details that gave into the big picture.
Framing of storyline: I also saw faults in the present timeline. However, I saw why it was important, although it could've been developed. There would be no story to look back on. For a drama that was set in the past, it makes logical sense to also focus on another timeline because then there can be questions that drive the story to which can provide answers. The pandemic was super important in displaying the situation of the times that would still make an impact on people's lives. The daughter mostly took on the role of suspense in the viewers' minds, but she didn't have a huge role in the story; however, the timeline was still significant for maintaining the themes. The one thing I felt was weak was the actress for the older Heedo. She rarely showed the feelings of her character genuinely, like Kim Tae-ri did, since her facial expressions were mostly stuck together. I never felt that she was unhappy, and that most people were making it up to deal with the undesired ending. But since you were neutral, I still say that the question wasn't completely ignored. Heedo's happiness was not defined by her current relationship with her husband (even if we aren't answered how and why she married him or who he even was) nor her daughter's attitude towards her. She seems to look back on her youth fondly and still describes her regrets, but never fully acts on them, as if she lives a normal and stable life. Happiness can form different definitions, but it doesn't stay the same. Although I may not be very old yet, I appreciated the wisdom behind her character without assuming she is stuck in her youth or hasn't moved on. I didn't get the impression that her life declined after the end of her relationship; instead, she simply needed to hold on to her beliefs and aspirations. That essence defines who Heedo is. We see her choose woodworking as a way to honour her past while also using it as a means to make money. Now, I wonder how the show could have presented this in a way that would make it believable to you. It often seems like an excuse not to look beyond small details. However, once again, it’s important to note that not everything needs to be explicitly discussed for us to understand it.
Story gaps: The most controversial point to discuss, but let's get into it further. The circumstances of the characters broke down their contact, but the follow-up question was why? I felt the show might've used one or two more episodes to keep going with the past timeline and align it with the present timeline. But for what it is, the story addresses what has happened with the characters years later, even if it isn't exactly decades later in the present timeline. About Yijin and Heedo's relationship, BYJ still had that conflict within himself. The last two episodes didn't just focus on his depression from 9/11, but his decisions to try not to hurt the people who were the most affected, his family and Heedo. The rash decision to go with the Correspondent in NY during 9/11 was a result of that, even if it wasn't the most mature decision to make. He chose not to tell Heedo this opportunity and wasn't open with his feelings, not to hurt her, and that she would presumably understand why. This is not to say that these were the right decisions, but there was still internal conflict that drove his actions. He isn't the most mature nor a "green-flag" person to communicate his feelings wisely because he's learning just as much as Heedo is. Longer episodes, slowing down the pacing, could've led to more scenes with his thoughts handling this issue, but I don't think it was ever implied that he didn't want to cause hurt to the people he loved. He had the right intentions, not exactly the right actions. Although Yijin is given the second-most important storyline, this story was told from Heedo's perspective. I would say that it would be quite limiting to character growth and development to give all the answers to Yijin's life in the present without ever connecting it to Heedo. The writer made her decisions not to provide all the answers in the present timeline for which I think was a reasonable choice to work with the main characters in one timeline, instead of bringing unnecessary connections for conclusions in the present timeline. Being frustrated is one thing, but understanding what plot points leave for the storyline is more important.
I think what could've served the characters and audience better is a reunion between Older Yi-jin and Heedo. But I felt satisfied with what we got because I was hooked right from Episode 4, and I was spoiled the ending before starting it, so I eventually took the time to see that the ending made the show even better. I am glad people still offer their perspectives without seeing things one-sided, since you were neutral with the ending.
About Heedo's mom, a theme weighing on the priorities of people due to their life circumstances and professionalism is explicitly highlighted here. I believed that Heedo's mom knew it would be risky to tell the world that Na Hee-do was her daughter because one thing about family matters and scandals in Korean media and culture is that they can damage one's personal life. So, more beneficial, pretty much for the security and secrecy. The thing about journalism is that it is a secretive and private yet open and exploitative career. It may as well have been a personal choice that once got in the way of her and Coach Chanmi, which made it harder for them to reconcile. There was a flashback, I'm sure you can look back to, and that would explain it for you again. The same jobs can still have different customs around the world. If I understand you're referring to Yi-jin, then I wouldn't agree that pathological is the right word to understand the confines of this belief. But, to hopefully answer, I believe that yes, he is. Yi-jin and Heedo's mom do have different perspectives on things, but as reporters and journalists, they take it as a duty, which is something we can still learn. It's not to take it as if you can't be with people with jobs that require a lot of attention, but it shows that every relationship in our lives needs a healthy work-life balance, which can look different depending on the careers. It is also important to people themselves that the effort to keep balance keeps future circumstances in their favour. Things may still not work out because everything is not black and white, so you still gain lessons as rewards to make wiser choices.
I am sorry this is extremely long but I hope I have shown my perspective on most of these relevant points. You still don't have to agree with them, but I think there was a reason behind me giving 2521 a 10/10 and you giving it an 8/10, as we similarly looked at the issues regarding the present timeline.
I read your My Mister review, and it led me to reading this one as well. I can definitely understand your complaints, but I do want to provide another perspective.
An underlying point: The thing about 2521 is that it is supposed to be all of these things. From what I saw, the impermanence of youth is driven by tumultuous times, as things can build up and break down quickly. But it may seem that the show cannot choose to focus on one because they're all related to one another. When it came to the present timeline, the writer used it to analyze the themes presented when it eventually came to the characters' endings. The impermanence of youth shows that the relationships we have later in life will end, but not in a completely unsatisfactory way. If it wasn't for the IMF Crisis, the two characters would have never met, and if it wasn't for the characters meeting each other, you wouldn't have gotten the full story. BYJ's internal conflict comes with working on his priorities, and most people thought that it would be his relationship with Heedo he and his family's financial situation. It's because he was rushed out of the days of his youth, and that his life started breaking down because of these times, which would later shift his perspective on becoming a reporter, as we see the person he once was and grows into being. I believed that the show worked on these themes entirely, but I am not going to go through every example. Others also felt that the show was focused on other things that didn't relate to anything specifically about the times or impermanence of youth, because there isn't that much dialogue regarding the themes in each episode, but that would've honestly been completely unnecessary. The characters grow and change, through which each important scene in character development moves the story to the present timeline, whose presence signifies these very themes. They were woven, but since most viewers were irrational when it came to the ending of the show, they missed the important details that gave into the big picture.
Framing of storyline: I also saw faults in the present timeline. However, I saw why it was important, although it could've been developed. There would be no story to look back on. For a drama that was set in the past, it makes logical sense to also focus on another timeline because then there can be questions that drive the story to which can provide answers. The pandemic was super important in displaying the situation of the times that would still make an impact on people's lives. The daughter mostly took on the role of suspense in the viewers' minds, but she didn't have a huge role in the story; however, the timeline was still significant for maintaining the themes. The one thing I felt was weak was the actress for the older Heedo. She rarely showed the feelings of her character genuinely, like Kim Tae-ri did, since her facial expressions were mostly stuck together. I never felt that she was unhappy, and that most people were making it up to deal with the undesired ending. But since you were neutral, I still say that the question wasn't completely ignored. Heedo's happiness was not defined by her current relationship with her husband (even if we aren't answered how and why she married him or who he even was) nor her daughter's attitude towards her. She seems to look back on her youth fondly and still describes her regrets, but never fully acts on them, as if she lives a normal and stable life. Happiness can form different definitions, but it doesn't stay the same. Although I may not be very old yet, I appreciated the wisdom behind her character without assuming she is stuck in her youth or hasn't moved on. I didn't get the impression that her life declined after the end of her relationship; instead, she simply needed to hold on to her beliefs and aspirations. That essence defines who Heedo is. We see her choose woodworking as a way to honour her past while also using it as a means to make money. Now, I wonder how the show could have presented this in a way that would make it believable to you. It often seems like an excuse not to look beyond small details. However, once again, it’s important to note that not everything needs to be explicitly discussed for us to understand it.
Story gaps: The most controversial point to discuss, but let's get into it further. The circumstances of the characters broke down their contact, but the follow-up question was why? I felt the show might've used one or two more episodes to keep going with the past timeline and align it with the present timeline. But for what it is, the story addresses what has happened with the characters years later, even if it isn't exactly decades later in the present timeline. About Yijin and Heedo's relationship, BYJ still had that conflict within himself. The last two episodes didn't just focus on his depression from 9/11, but his decisions to try not to hurt the people who were the most affected, his family and Heedo. The rash decision to go with the Correspondent in NY during 9/11 was a result of that, even if it wasn't the most mature decision to make. He chose not to tell Heedo this opportunity and wasn't open with his feelings, not to hurt her, and that she would presumably understand why. This is not to say that these were the right decisions, but there was still internal conflict that drove his actions. He isn't the most mature nor a "green-flag" person to communicate his feelings wisely because he's learning just as much as Heedo is. Longer episodes, slowing down the pacing, could've led to more scenes with his thoughts handling this issue, but I don't think it was ever implied that he didn't want to cause hurt to the people he loved. He had the right intentions, not exactly the right actions. Although Yijin is given the second-most important storyline, this story was told from Heedo's perspective. I would say that it would be quite limiting to character growth and development to give all the answers to Yijin's life in the present without ever connecting it to Heedo. The writer made her decisions not to provide all the answers in the present timeline for which I think was a reasonable choice to work with the main characters in one timeline, instead of bringing unnecessary connections for conclusions in the present timeline. Being frustrated is one thing, but understanding what plot points leave for the storyline is more important.
I think what could've served the characters and audience better is a reunion between Older Yi-jin and Heedo. But I felt satisfied with what we got because I was hooked right from Episode 4, and I was spoiled the ending before starting it, so I eventually took the time to see that the ending made the show even better. I am glad people still offer their perspectives without seeing things one-sided, since you were neutral with the ending.
About Heedo's mom, a theme weighing on the priorities of people due to their life circumstances and professionalism is explicitly highlighted here. I believed that Heedo's mom knew it would be risky to tell the world that Na Hee-do was her daughter because one thing about family matters and scandals in Korean media and culture is that they can damage one's personal life. So, more beneficial, pretty much for the security and secrecy. The thing about journalism is that it is a secretive and private yet open and exploitative career. It may as well have been a personal choice that once got in the way of her and Coach Chanmi, which made it harder for them to reconcile. There was a flashback, I'm sure you can look back to, and that would explain it for you again. The same jobs can still have different customs around the world. If I understand you're referring to Yi-jin, then I wouldn't agree that pathological is the right word to understand the confines of this belief. But, to hopefully answer, I believe that yes, he is. Yi-jin and Heedo's mom do have different perspectives on things, but as reporters and journalists, they take it as a duty, which is something we can still learn. It's not to take it as if you can't be with people with jobs that require a lot of attention, but it shows that every relationship in our lives needs a healthy work-life balance, which can look different depending on the careers. It is also important to people themselves that the effort to keep balance keeps future circumstances in their favour. Things may still not work out because everything is not black and white, so you still gain lessons as rewards to make wiser choices.
I am sorry this is extremely long, but I hope I did show my perspective on most of these relevant points. You still don't have to agree with them, but I think there was a reason behind the difference between me giving 2521 a 10/10 and you giving it an 8/10 as we similarly looked at the issues regarding the present timeline.
An underlying point: The thing about 2521 is that it is supposed to be all of these things. From what I saw, the impermanence of youth is driven by tumultuous times, as things can build up and break down quickly. But it may seem that the show cannot choose to focus on one because they're all related to one another. When it came to the present timeline, the writer used it to analyze the themes presented when it eventually came to the characters' endings. The impermanence of youth shows that the relationships we have later in life will end, but not in a completely unsatisfactory way. If it wasn't for the IMF Crisis, the two characters would have never met, and if it wasn't for the characters meeting each other, you wouldn't have gotten the full story. BYJ's internal conflict comes with working on his priorities, and most people thought that it would be his relationship with Heedo he and his family's financial situation. It's because he was rushed out of the days of his youth, and that his life started breaking down because of these times, which would later shift his perspective on becoming a reporter, as we see the person he once was and grows into being. I believed that the show worked on these themes entirely, but I am not going to go through every example. Others also felt that the show was focused on other things that didn't relate to anything specifically about the times or impermanence of youth, because there isn't that much dialogue regarding the themes in each episode, but that would've honestly been completely unnecessary. The characters grow and change, through which each important scene in character development moves the story to the present timeline, whose presence signifies these very themes. They were woven, but since most viewers were irrational when it came to the ending of the show, they missed the important details that gave into the big picture.
Framing of storyline: I also saw faults in the present timeline. However, I saw why it was important, although it could've been developed. There would be no story to look back on. For a drama that was set in the past, it makes logical sense to also focus on another timeline because then there can be questions that drive the story to which can provide answers. The pandemic was super important in displaying the situation of the times that would still make an impact on people's lives. The daughter mostly took on the role of suspense in the viewers' minds, but she didn't have a huge role in the story; however, the timeline was still significant for maintaining the themes. The one thing I felt was weak was the actress for the older Heedo. She rarely showed the feelings of her character genuinely, like Kim Tae-ri did, since her facial expressions were mostly stuck together. I never felt that she was unhappy, and that most people were making it up to deal with the undesired ending. But since you were neutral, I still say that the question wasn't completely ignored. Heedo's happiness was not defined by her current relationship with her husband (even if we aren't answered how and why she married him or who he even was) nor her daughter's attitude towards her. She seems to look back on her youth fondly and still describes her regrets, but never fully acts on them, as if she lives a normal and stable life. Happiness can form different definitions, but it doesn't stay the same. Although I may not be very old yet, I appreciated the wisdom behind her character without assuming she is stuck in her youth or hasn't moved on. I didn't get the impression that her life declined after the end of her relationship; instead, she simply needed to hold on to her beliefs and aspirations. That essence defines who Heedo is. We see her choose woodworking as a way to honour her past while also using it as a means to make money. Now, I wonder how the show could have presented this in a way that would make it believable to you. It often seems like an excuse not to look beyond small details. However, once again, it’s important to note that not everything needs to be explicitly discussed for us to understand it.
Story gaps: The most controversial point to discuss, but let's get into it further. The circumstances of the characters broke down their contact, but the follow-up question was why? I felt the show might've used one or two more episodes to keep going with the past timeline and align it with the present timeline. But for what it is, the story addresses what has happened with the characters years later, even if it isn't exactly decades later in the present timeline. About Yijin and Heedo's relationship, BYJ still had that conflict within himself. The last two episodes didn't just focus on his depression from 9/11, but his decisions to try not to hurt the people who were the most affected, his family and Heedo. The rash decision to go with the Correspondent in NY during 9/11 was a result of that, even if it wasn't the most mature decision to make. He chose not to tell Heedo this opportunity and wasn't open with his feelings, not to hurt her, and that she would presumably understand why. This is not to say that these were the right decisions, but there was still internal conflict that drove his actions. He isn't the most mature nor a "green-flag" person to communicate his feelings wisely because he's learning just as much as Heedo is. Longer episodes, slowing down the pacing, could've led to more scenes with his thoughts handling this issue, but I don't think it was ever implied that he didn't want to cause hurt to the people he loved. He had the right intentions, not exactly the right actions. Although Yijin is given the second-most important storyline, this story was told from Heedo's perspective. I would say that it would be quite limiting to character growth and development to give all the answers to Yijin's life in the present without ever connecting it to Heedo. The writer made her decisions not to provide all the answers in the present timeline for which I think was a reasonable choice to work with the main characters in one timeline, instead of bringing unnecessary connections for conclusions in the present timeline. Being frustrated is one thing, but understanding what plot points leave for the storyline is more important.
I think what could've served the characters and audience better is a reunion between Older Yi-jin and Heedo. But I felt satisfied with what we got because I was hooked right from Episode 4, and I was spoiled the ending before starting it, so I eventually took the time to see that the ending made the show even better. I am glad people still offer their perspectives without seeing things one-sided, since you were neutral with the ending.
About Heedo's mom, a theme weighing on the priorities of people due to their life circumstances and professionalism is explicitly highlighted here. I believed that Heedo's mom knew it would be risky to tell the world that Na Hee-do was her daughter because one thing about family matters and scandals in Korean media and culture is that they can damage one's personal life. So, more beneficial, pretty much for the security and secrecy. The thing about journalism is that it is a secretive and private yet open and exploitative career. It may as well have been a personal choice that once got in the way of her and Coach Chanmi, which made it harder for them to reconcile. There was a flashback, I'm sure you can look back to, and that would explain it for you again. The same jobs can still have different customs around the world. If I understand you're referring to Yi-jin, then I wouldn't agree that pathological is the right word to understand the confines of this belief. But, to hopefully answer, I believe that yes, he is. Yi-jin and Heedo's mom do have different perspectives on things, but as reporters and journalists, they take it as a duty, which is something we can still learn. It's not to take it as if you can't be with people with jobs that require a lot of attention, but it shows that every relationship in our lives needs a healthy work-life balance, which can look different depending on the careers. It is also important to people themselves that the effort to keep balance keeps future circumstances in their favour. Things may still not work out because everything is not black and white, so you still gain lessons as rewards to make wiser choices.
I am sorry this is extremely long but I hope I have shown my perspective on most of these relevant points. You still don't have to agree with them, but I think there was a reason behind me giving 2521 a 10/10 and you giving it an 8/10, as we similarly looked at the issues regarding the present timeline.
An underlying point: The thing about 2521 is that it is supposed to be all of these things. From what I saw, the impermanence of youth is driven by tumultuous times, as things can build up and break down quickly. But it may seem that the show cannot choose to focus on one because they're all related to one another. When it came to the present timeline, the writer used it to analyze the themes presented when it eventually came to the characters' endings. The impermanence of youth shows that the relationships we have later in life will end, but not in a completely unsatisfactory way. If it wasn't for the IMF Crisis, the two characters would have never met, and if it wasn't for the characters meeting each other, you wouldn't have gotten the full story. BYJ's internal conflict comes with working on his priorities, and most people thought that it would be his relationship with Heedo he and his family's financial situation. It's because he was rushed out of the days of his youth, and that his life started breaking down because of these times, which would later shift his perspective on becoming a reporter, as we see the person he once was and grows into being. I believed that the show worked on these themes entirely, but I am not going to go through every example. Others also felt that the show was focused on other things that didn't relate to anything specifically about the times or impermanence of youth, because there isn't that much dialogue regarding the themes in each episode, but that would've honestly been completely unnecessary. The characters grow and change, through which each important scene in character development moves the story to the present timeline, whose presence signifies these very themes. They were woven, but since most viewers were irrational when it came to the ending of the show, they missed the important details that gave into the big picture.
Framing of storyline: I also saw faults in the present timeline. However, I saw why it was important, although it could've been developed. There would be no story to look back on. For a drama that was set in the past, it makes logical sense to also focus on another timeline because then there can be questions that drive the story to which can provide answers. The pandemic was super important in displaying the situation of the times that would still make an impact on people's lives. The daughter mostly took on the role of suspense in the viewers' minds, but she didn't have a huge role in the story; however, the timeline was still significant for maintaining the themes. The one thing I felt was weak was the actress for the older Heedo. She rarely showed the feelings of her character genuinely, like Kim Tae-ri did, since her facial expressions were mostly stuck together. I never felt that she was unhappy, and that most people were making it up to deal with the undesired ending. But since you were neutral, I still say that the question wasn't completely ignored. Heedo's happiness was not defined by her current relationship with her husband (even if we aren't answered how and why she married him or who he even was) nor her daughter's attitude towards her. She seems to look back on her youth fondly and still describes her regrets, but never fully acts on them, as if she lives a normal and stable life. Happiness can form different definitions, but it doesn't stay the same. Although I may not be very old yet, I appreciated the wisdom behind her character without assuming she is stuck in her youth or hasn't moved on. I didn't get the impression that her life declined after the end of her relationship; instead, she simply needed to hold on to her beliefs and aspirations. That essence defines who Heedo is. We see her choose woodworking as a way to honour her past while also using it as a means to make money. Now, I wonder how the show could have presented this in a way that would make it believable to you. It often seems like an excuse not to look beyond small details. However, once again, it’s important to note that not everything needs to be explicitly discussed for us to understand it.
Story gaps: The most controversial point to discuss, but let's get into it further. The circumstances of the characters broke down their contact, but the follow-up question was why? I felt the show might've used one or two more episodes to keep going with the past timeline and align it with the present timeline. But for what it is, the story addresses what has happened with the characters years later, even if it isn't exactly decades later in the present timeline. About Yijin and Heedo's relationship, BYJ still had that conflict within himself. The last two episodes didn't just focus on his depression from 9/11, but his decisions to try not to hurt the people who were the most affected, his family and Heedo. The rash decision to go with the Correspondent in NY during 9/11 was a result of that, even if it wasn't the most mature decision to make. He chose not to tell Heedo this opportunity and wasn't open with his feelings, not to hurt her, and that she would presumably understand why. This is not to say that these were the right decisions, but there was still internal conflict that drove his actions. He isn't the most mature nor a "green-flag" person to communicate his feelings wisely because he's learning just as much as Heedo is. Longer episodes, slowing down the pacing, could've led to more scenes with his thoughts handling this issue, but I don't think it was ever implied that he didn't want to cause hurt to the people he loved. He had the right intentions, not exactly the right actions. Although Yijin is given the second-most important storyline, this story was told from Heedo's perspective. I would say that it would be quite limiting to character growth and development to give all the answers to Yijin's life in the present without ever connecting it to Heedo. The writer made her decisions not to provide all the answers in the present timeline for which I think was a reasonable choice to work with the main characters in one timeline, instead of bringing unnecessary connections for conclusions in the present timeline. Being frustrated is one thing, but understanding what plot points leave for the storyline is more important.
I think what could've served the characters and audience better is a reunion between Older Yi-jin and Heedo. But I felt satisfied with what we got because I was hooked right from Episode 4, and I was spoiled the ending before starting it, so I eventually took the time to see that the ending made the show even better. I am glad people still offer their perspectives without seeing things one-sided, since you were neutral with the ending.
About Heedo's mom, a theme weighing on the priorities of people due to their life circumstances and professionalism is explicitly highlighted here. I believed that Heedo's mom knew it would be risky to tell the world that Na Hee-do was her daughter because one thing about family matters and scandals in Korean media and culture is that they can damage one's personal life. So, more beneficial, pretty much for the security and secrecy. The thing about journalism is that it is a secretive and private yet open and exploitative career. It may as well have been a personal choice that once got in the way of her and Coach Chanmi, which made it harder for them to reconcile. There was a flashback, I'm sure you can look back to, and that would explain it for you again. The same jobs can still have different customs around the world. If I understand you're referring to Yi-jin, then I wouldn't agree that pathological is the right word to understand the confines of this belief. But, to hopefully answer, I believe that yes, he is. Yi-jin and Heedo's mom do have different perspectives on things, but as reporters and journalists, they take it as a duty, which is something we can still learn. It's not to take it as if you can't be with people with jobs that require a lot of attention, but it shows that every relationship in our lives needs a healthy work-life balance, which can look different depending on the careers. It is also important to people themselves that the effort to keep balance keeps future circumstances in their favour. Things may still not work out because everything is not black and white, so you still gain lessons as rewards to make wiser choices.
I am sorry this is extremely long, but I hope I did show my perspective on most of these relevant points. You still don't have to agree with them, but I think there was a reason behind the difference between me giving 2521 a 10/10 and you giving it an 8/10 as we similarly looked at the issues regarding the present timeline.