[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Fated to Love You" Episode 18

Misunderstandings work themselves out in this episode of "Fated to Love You". All that is left is raw emotion and the core issues that spawned the misunderstandings. It's time for everyone for everyone to come to terms with Geon's inherited disease and what that disease has done to his family.

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With a little help from her friends, Mi-young has learned of Geon's illness and why he pushed her away. She wins him back in a courageous way that speaks volumes about how much she has grown. Rather than shrink back from what she wants and the challenge of getting it, she now goes for her heart's desire without reservation.

Mi-young's determination positively affects Geon to make different choices than his father. It's good to see Mi-young put a stop to the cycle of pain and misery that Geon's family illness has caused. It has broken marriages - Mi-young's faith and constancy mends them. It also sends a wonderful message to the audience: don't make today miserable by fearing what may come tomorrow.

Along with the reunion between Mi-young and Geon comes a return of their adorable flirting and fire hot chemistry. It has brought back the "romantic" in "Romantic Comedy". Again, Geon hilariously fights his sexual frustration, which is the sort of humor K-drama often neglects. Jang Hyuk is endlessly entertaining as the animalistic Geon and cultivates such rich relationships with his fellow actors on screen. Geon learns that Yong is not his blood brother, and yet he continues to treat him like family. The connection between Jang Hyuk and Choi Wooshik is endearing - it should've been shown much earlier in the show because it adds so much depth to the web of relationships in the show.

As for the plot, it is cookie cutter and predictable, especially regarding Mi-young's mother. It was the only reasonable obstacle the show could throw to delay the conclusion of the show a few days. The saving grace of this predictable move is that Mi-young's mother continues to be wonderfully sympathetic to both Geon and Mi-young. Her denial is not fueled by hysterics, but by the desire to keep her child from pain. It's reasonable and understandable.

What isn't understandable is how "Fated to Love You" waited so long to tackle the issue of the estrangement between Daniel and Se-ra. Only in this episode did Se-ra receive a clue that they might be related. The issue has been left so long that it has almost become a non-issue. The tension has been sapped from the situation because there is nothing left to guess save for their reactions to the news. Had it been developed sooner, the relationship could've made both characters much more colorful. The moment that Se-ra discovered the connection was the most beautiful on screen moment she's had in eighteen episodes. It allowed for Wang Ji-won to dig deep and emote, if only for just a moment.

My fear for the ending of this show is that it will either try to pack it with too much material to garner interest, or that it will peter out and inch along to the finish. It has two episodes to finish up a plot that seems to be mostly tied up. It will be a balancing act to get the timing right.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

Follow @ raine0211

"Fated to Love You" is directed by Kim Hee-won-II, Lee Dong-yoon, written by Jo Jin-gook, Joo Chan-ok and features Jang Hyuk, Jang Nara, Choi Jin-hyuk and Wang Ji-won

 

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