Endings not initially intended - the rare occasions when TPTB give in to fans

[dangermousie]

I keep thinking about Queen Seon Deok's glorious glorious ending. It was so awesome that I am actually going to go back and rewatch the whole freaking 62-ep drama. It's going to join such dramas as Damo, IRIS, Capital Scandal and Legend (among others) in my pantheon of PERFECT drama endings.

I also keep thinking about the switcheroo - how Bidam was intended to be the final adversary, with the big epic love of Deokman and Yushin, and then it all ended up with Bidam/Deokman as this doomed OTP and Yushin sort of swept away as barely relevant in the final confrontation.

Most kdramas are filmed as they air (there are some exceptions but they are in the minority) but the game plan rarely changes - A will end up with B at the end as was intended from the start, C will die as was intended from the start etc etc.

That is why I find the rare occasions the drama-makers change their game-plan really exciting. It means there is something unexpected happening - and usually because of fan response. Which is squeeful. I would not want that to be the norm, but occasionally, it's fun.

Let's see, here are all the instances of major plot changes due to fans that I know:

* Queen Seon Deok - do you want to know how freakishly rare it is for a heroine to fall for secondary guy? You are more likely to see pigs fly. Initially any romance was supposed to be between Deokman and Yushin but then Bidam came on the scene and was supposed to be occasional helper but eventually big villain except the audience went insane for him, it sort of turned into a Bidam show, and here we are - awesome doomed OTP, greatly expanded role. Poor dull Yushin never had a chance :)

* How To Meet Your Neighbor - Have not seen that one but according to mishane, everyone loved secondary guy's chemistry so much, he is the one who ended up with the leading girl.

* East of Eden - this one is near and dear to my shipper heart. Initially, the big love story was supposed to be between Dong Chul (played by Song Seung Heon) and Lee Da Hae's characters - it was definitely advertised this way. Then Lee Yeon Hee's Gukja came on the scene. She was supposed to be a brief romantic stop/hindrance on the path to true love of the initial OTP but SSH and LYH had ridiculously sizzling chemistry and the writers gave them a few too many really romantic scenes - the Gukja couple developed a huge amount of rabid and vocal shippers (myself among them - oh, how torn I was, knowing my ship was ultimately uncanon) and the storyline was altered to give us Dong Chul and Gukja as the final (and quite epic by the end) OTP.

* Beautiful Days - I have heard that initially this was going to have a tragic ending, with Choi Ji Woo's character dying of leukemia. But the station got so many letters begging it to let her and Lee Byung Hun live happily ever after, they changed the ending to one where she gets treated and cured. (Early signs certainly point to doom which makes the recovery even more awesome). Also, I have no idea if it changed mid-writing due to chemistry or was always intended to be just a red herring, but early eps certainly presented not Lee Byung Hun but Ryu Shi Won as the destined guy for our heroine. Of course, if it was a writer's change from initial plan, I have to congratulate him for not being insane. LBH >>>> RSW any day.

* Style - this "Devil Wears Prada" kdrama-style was supposed to be all about a plucky assistant (Lee Ji Ah) and her quest for love. Instead, the viewers flocked to the older woman tough-bitch LJA's boss character - and she is the one who the drama slowly became about. Plus, she is the one who ended up with the guy.

* Spring Day - I have no idea whether Go Hyun Joong's character was supposed to end up with Ji Jin Hee or Jo In Sung at the start but there is no escaping the fact that the beginning of the drama set her with Ji Jin Hee as a total OTP (he gets her to escape muteness and talk) but then Jo In Sung sort of took over the drama and instead Go Hyun Joong ended up with her lover's dorky, high-strung, and adorable younger brother. Which - oh baby, can anyone refuse Jo In Sung?

Any others?

Comments

[mishane.livejournal.com]

I never knew that about Style. Interesting.

Go Hyun Joong ended up with her lover's dorky, high-strung, and adorable younger brother

I've never heard of Spring Day but now I'm interested. I love dorky younger brothers.

Can you tell me how Damo ends? I don't want to watch the last episode.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Spring Day really feels like JJH and the heroine were supposed to be the OTP but then Jo In Sung just stole the show. Which I like as am rabid JJH fangirl (side note - if you want an angsty dark and fun drama, check out Something Happened in Bali a.k.a. What Happened in Bali a.k.a. Memories of Bali - it is very awesome).

End of Damo: I did a detailed summary/write-up of the last two eps here:

http://dangermousie.livejournal.com/755249.html#cutid1

[mishane.livejournal.com]

Yeah I just read your entry and I am SO SO SO SO glad I didn't watch it. Just reading it depressed the crap out of me.

In my head, Chae Ok realizes how much she loves Hwan Bo and leaves with him. Because in the drama I saw, the chemistry between the two was so undeniable and you knew they both loved each other, which is why I couldn't even begin to ship her with Sung Baek.

Maybe one day, far far far off into the future, I'll watch the last episode. I left off on 13, right after Hwan Bo lets her to go (after she tries to kill her self).

Something Happened in Bali is on my list of classic dramas I need to watch.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Bali is excellent - it has the most dysfunctional OTP ever and I ship them so hard.

Damo has one of 3 most depressing kdrama endings ever, IMO. I agree - I think she loved Hwanbo but she knew she couldn't/shouldn't have him and so denied it so deeply. Ohhh.

[mishane.livejournal.com]

What are the other 2?

I think she loved Hwanbo but she knew she couldn't/shouldn't have him and so denied it so deeply

That's what killed me! If she just accepted it, you could tell she wanted to, it was just because she thought she wasn't good enough for him and she didn't want to bring him down! As I was watching, I realized, maybe this is why I shouldn't watch sageuk dramas. The only other one I watched was Legend (which had awesome spunky Sujini), but I'm thinking that with sageuk dramas come all that honor and duty, which is something I can't get my all too modern head around.

Ooh, I started watching Lovers. I think I remember you saying something about it having a scene where male hero gets beat up horribly in front of female heroine? Well, anyways, I just want to see Lee Seo Jin get the girl. :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

What are the other 2?

You haven't seen either, I believe, and I know you don't want ending spoilers so... :)

The only other one I watched was Legend (which had awesome spunky Sujini), but I'm thinking that with sageuk dramas come all that honor and duty,

Depends. Almost no sageuk has a happy ending but not all of them are totally duty-bound. And if you get into fusion stuff then you get things like Tamra which has a happy ending to boot (you might like Tamra, I don't know...)

about it having a scene where male hero gets beat up horribly in front of female heroine

Mmmm. Yes. Stabbed. And later he shields her from violence which YAY. There is also this incredible make-out scene.

I love Lee Seo Jin so much!

[mishane.livejournal.com]

I'm totally excited for Tamra. Dammit, Netflix needs to give me the full drama already!

I didn't realize the guy from Damo is the same guy from Lovers and Soul. Funny what a hat and mustache will do! By the way have you seen Soul? He is very sexy in his 3 piece suits.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have soul dled. I need to have my husband watch it with be because I am a wimp.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Ah, my poor dull Yu Shin! He has to make do with the fact that he was rather awesome in real life while Bi Dam barely gets a mention in the annals of history. *g*

'Spring Day' sounds kinda interesting...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have to say, even in the little I saw of QSd, yeah, poor Yushin was very dull. I don't know why - normally I like UTW a lot - I think maybe because his charisma is rather realistically low key which gives him a great feel of realism in a different, more naturalistic/less elaborate drama (Mawang, Resurrection) but plays against him in the rarified heroics of QSD.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Yup, I think UTW is too contemporary to fit comfortably in a sageuk. It was like he was holding back all the time and never really got to act. Stoic does not seem sit well with him. He might have done better playing someone more angsty with a hint of crazy. This is basically the only time I've seen him not shine in any way and I've watched almost all his stuff. I think I have to re-watch Handphone after I finish QSD to purge YuShin from my memory, ha.

[cranberrysheep.livejournal.com]

I LOVE the ending to Capital Scandal. I'm sure that played a huge part in making it my number 1 drama. Same but opposite with Utahime, whose ending was wonderfully executed but broke my heart.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

CS has such a perfect perfect ending. And I was so relieved.

Utahime broke my heart so very badly.

[cranberrysheep.livejournal.com]

OH I KNOW. I don't know if I could have handled losing anyone else after Song Joo.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I was so worried Wan was toast and then he showed up on that train platform. *sigh* Oh God, how I shipped the main OTP of that drama!

[cranberrysheep.livejournal.com]

I would have KILLED me if it just ended with Yeo Kyung all along on that dark platform. Though it would have been open enough that I could have used my imagination to some extent, but I was just SO THRILLED to get the happy ending.

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

Which - oh baby, can anyone refuse Jo In Sung?

That would be me,dear. I don't know, you can call me crazy but I would pick Ji Jin Hee over Jo In Sung. That photo of him ( that I saw ages ago ) where he was half-nekkid still makes my throat run dry.

:P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee. Do you have the pic? *is curious* :P

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

I could not find the one that I saw over @ asianfanatics. Dang.

But I found this one...still,nothing beats that photo that I saw.hehe!
http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/6919/jjh.jpg

goes to endlessly look for that photo....

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Whoa.

All of a sudden I have even more interest in the upcoming Dong Yi.

[bae-mac.livejournal.com]

I know right. And to think that in that photo, he was wet and all.

UGH! Why did I erased that album in my multiply account!

*stupid!*

[village.livejournal.com]

"How To Meet Your Neighbour" totally threw me off by going there. I'm so not used to secondary guy getting the girl. The ending actually irritated me but I can see why people might have preferred the other guy.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Now I am really curious about the drama.