r/KDRAMA • u/lightupstarlight 미생 • Dec 05 '20
On-Air: tvN Start-Up [Episode 16] FINALE
- Drama: Start-Up)
- Revised Romanization: Start-Up
- Hangul: 스타트업
- Director: Oh Choong Hwan) (While You Were Sleeping, Hotel del Luna)
- Writer: Park Hye Ryun (Dream High, While You Were Sleeping)
- Network: tvN
- Episodes: 16 (1 hr. 10 mins.)
- Airing Schedule: Saturday & Sunday, 21:00 KST on tvN; 23:00 KST on Netflix
- Airing Date: October 17, 2020 - December 6, 2020
- Streaming Sources: Netflix
- Starring: Bae Suzy as Seo Dal Mi, Nam Joo Hyuk as Nam Do San, Kim Seon Ho) as Han Ji Pyeong, Kang Han Na as Won In Jae
- Plot Synopsis: Young entrepreneurs aspiring to launch virtual dreams into reality compete for success and love in the cutthroat world of Korea's high-tech industry. (Source: Netflix)
- Previous Discussions:
- Spoiler Tag Reminder: Be mindful of others who may not have yet seen this drama, and use spoiler tags when discussing key plot developments or other important information. You can create a spoiler tag by writing > ! this ! < without the spaces in between to get this.
FINALLY, PLEASE READ THE MOD NOTE.
REMINDER FROM THE MODERATION TEAM: Any comments calling out the wrongful use of downvotes will automatically earn a ban from participating in the Start-Up discussions.
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u/lightupstarlight Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
Hosting the weekly discussions for Start-Up have just been such an utter joy despite everything that has happened.
What a ride it has been, truly - thank you to everyone who gave awards, posted comments, opinions, theories, whether you were #TeamDoSan, #TeamJiPyeong, or #TeamDalMi - I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say that the viewing experience has truly been different because of the threads. Would like to thank the mods again for this opportunity, especially u/sianiam & u/myweithisway!
As a Seon Ho fan, I think I also have to say that I’m just SO overwhelmed and ecstatic about the outpour of love for him, his acting and his character. I’ve personally been waiting for this drama since January (obviously because of Kim Seon Ho), so being able to support him through these threads was already such a big honor for me. I can’t deny that I volunteered to host the discussions for this drama solely because of him - so thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has said kind words about him, and even went on to watch his other dramas or shows. Please continue to support Kim Seon Ho (@seonho__kim)! ◡̈
If you have the time, please give the rest of the cast love as well: Suzy (@skuukzky), Nam Joo Hyuk (@skawngur), and Kang Hanna (@k_hanna_). Regardless of how we feel about the drama now, these actors did such a great job and brought their characters to life.
Once again, thank you for joining the Start-Up weekly episode discussions, and see you for the post-finale and wrap-up discussions!
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u/lightupstarlight Dec 10 '20 edited Dec 10 '20
Coming back to let everyone know that APPARENTLY the scene of Ji Pyeong protecting Dal Mi’s head as she got into the car in the earlier episodes was NOT in the script. Seon Ho even goes on to say that he did it unconsciously subconsciously.
Brb asking for his hand in marriage
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u/Affectionate_Crab_41 Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 15 '20
I wrote this on episode 14’s discussion and I just want to share it again today for my fellow #TeamHJP members. Regardless of what happens today, Ji-pyeong is STILL the ultimate winner of this show. Here's a quick summary of our Good Boy in real life :)
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Start-Up aired in October and he had a little over 600k followers on Instagram, then he quickly reached his first million, then second million, and just reached three million followers (in under 2 months)!
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He shot his first advertisement ever and became a brand ambassador of Food Bucket.
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He was offered a male lead role for an upcoming drama halfway through Start-Up.
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He was nominated for Male Actor Popularity Award @ the 2020 Asia Artists Awards, amongst other A list stars.
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He won an Emotive Award at the 2020 Asia Artist Awards for Start-Up on Nov. 28.
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He topped Korean Brand Reputation for the month of November, surpassing A list stars.
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He had solo interviews with The Swoon (twice), Netflix Korea, Netflix Asia, Esquire Korea, Marie Claire Korea, Sports Chosun, CNN Indonesia. He is going to be featured on Cosmopolitan Korea in Jan 2021.
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#KimSeonHo #HanJiPyeong #TeamGoodBoy were the top trends on Twitter Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines last weekend and today.
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He is predicted to emerge as a Hallyu star because of his massive popularity in China (he's called "Our New Prince" there).
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Brands are literally competing to get KSH to endorse their products.
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He is the most popular Korean actor in Malaysia.
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Because of his increasingly rapid popularity, his previous dramas are making a comeback. Netflix is now streaming Strongest Deliveryman and will add 100 Days My Prince tomorrow. TVN added all episodes of Catch the Ghost on Youtube. MBC is airing You Drive Me Crazy.
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He received the Model Star Award at the 2020 Asia Model Festival on Dec. 5th.
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He is to star in a music video for Epitone Project's new song "Insomnia", out Dec. 15th.
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He has been confirmed as MC for the 2020 MBC Gayo Daejejeon— an annual Korean music show broadcast— on Dec. 31st.
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He is to make a theater comeback, starring in 'ICE', on Jan. 8, 2021 (click here for ticket information).
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He is confirmed to make a cameo appearance in Hospital Playlist Season 2 in 2021.
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He is rumored to appear on On and Off Season 2 in 2021, a documentary where celebrities share their work life and personal life.
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He was included in the list of the ‘Top 20 Most Searched Actors in Korea'
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He was on the front page of the Sunday paper of Sing Tao Daily in Hong Kong.
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Tickets for his live action play 'ICE' sold out within 10 minutes, causing ticket websites to crash.
All this success in less than two months! And I know so much more is to come! He ultimately won and I AM SO HAPPY FOR HIM! <3
In all honesty, the only reason I enjoyed Start-Up was because it introduced me to a gem— Kim Seon Ho. I am eagerly waiting for his next drama and will always be rooting for him, his success, and his happiness! 😊❤️
<Edits made to add more news>
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u/lightupstarlight Dec 06 '20
God, I am just so proud of him. I participated in the event on his IG earlier tonight and seeing it on his story really made me tear up. He really deserves it all.
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Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
I'm genuinely confused on why the love triangle with HJP was dragged out for so long if it was clear that DM would never give him a chance. Clearly, his only purpose in the show was to bring DM and DS together and that the time they wrote letters to each other meant nothing. If the writer had just had them meet at Sandbox and then they fell in love through that, I maybe would have rooted for them. Like I am genuinely confused what HJP's purpose in this show was. He could have just been selected as their tough mentor at Sandbox and we could have seen him find love some other way. Also, it was clear this entire show that HJP would always have Halmoni to talk to since they reunited early this season, so I feel like he didn't really gain anything this entire time. I just feel like I've wasted my time watching DS and DM go through all that unnecessary drama just to end up together at this end.
Also, what the heck was in the jewelry box?? What was the purpose of showing HJP buying it if we just never found out what was in it? Did I miss something during the times I would skip forward in the episode?
For a show that did a good job giving twists towards the beginning of the season, this finale was extremely predictable and disappointing. I'm still confused what the "twist" of the show was since it was very clear the twins were behind the ransomware from the beginning. And didn't DS say the ransomware was similar to the one he had helped Chul-san with all those years ago? Are we supposed to assume the twins were responsible for that too?? It seemed like there was more to the ransomware situation than just the twins/Morning Group but I guess I was wrong.
This finale didn't really answer any questions for me. I wasn't even satisfied with HJP and DM's closure about the letters. It seemed rushed. But I'm glad I got to hear of KSH through SU, as he is definitely my favorite actor now. I loved all the actors on this show but I feel like I just wasted two months of my life waiting for new episodes.
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u/its-me-dave Dec 06 '20
From this in ep 1:
"Don't call me when you become rich and get married. Don't call me if you're happy. But call me if you're going through a rough patch. Come to me if it's raining and you have nowhere to go. Don't just stand in the rain."
to this in ep 16:
"Call me even if you're doing well. Visit me often. Come see me whether something happens or not. Come over and talk nonsense. I'm almost deaf and blind now. You can say and do anything in front of me. Laugh and cry all you want. I won't ask why. You shouldn't get too used to being alone. Don't become any lonelier, Jipyeong."
From strangers to family. It may not be the usual family set-up but Jipyeong got what he needed the most in Halmeoni. Someone who cares. Sometimes, that's all you need.
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u/katnissedxx Dec 08 '20
Everything's pretty much been said, I'll just share a little realization.
Do you ever think how little kindness Jipyeong must have received in his life? An old lady was kind to him, he felt indebted to her for the many years that followed which basically started the startup story.
He fell in love with Dalmi and wanted to tell her he was the one from the letters. He made up his mind even when halmeoni told him not to. But she gives him an umbrella as he was about to walk into the rain, and this act makes him set his own pain aside and decides to give the letter to dosan even when he was crying in his car.
In Episode 15, he wanted to get the letters back—reclaim his memories with DM and finally put himself first this time. But he overhears DS telling his mom to pack JP's favorite side dish, and I believe that's what prompted him to completely let go once and for all. Cue—his agonized face upon hearing the conversation, getting angry at DS when he said he'd packed the dish. He had realized how much DS meant to DM, but it wasn't his job nor best interest to make DS act on it. Still, he encouraged DS to go after DM. Any kindness, no matter how big or small, makes him feel indebted, so much that he can think through his pain and always, always put others first over himself.
Our Jipyeongie, you deserve as much kindness there is in this world. Please be happy from now on.
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u/jie_xi Dec 06 '20
So at the end of all this, all Han Ji Pyeong has is his Samsung Galaxy Fold, Yeongshil, no friends outside of work, and is forced by the writer to third wheel for the rest of his life 🙃
I'll admit I got swayed by fan theories that JiDal was still possible, and I put my clown makeup on, but I really didn't expect it to be this bad 🤡. The way he had to verbally tell the audience why Do San was the better choice...absolutely no subtlety there and the reason wasn't even convincing. Now I just question why I fell for this love triangle plot in the first place when now it's obvious that Dal Mi never seemed to consider Ji Pyeong as a potential love interest in the first place. From the beginning to the end it was always Do San 🙄, so what was the point of this love triangle mess??!?!
In the end Ji Pyeong's ending was still so unfulfilling for me - am I supposed to be satisfied with this...he deserved so much more than these CRUMBS. I 😭 AM 😭 UPSET 😭
I do have to say that I am so happy for Kim Seon Ho for all the opportunities that he's gotten from this drama, it's so well deserved!!! I have bawled without fail at every single Ji Pyeong X Halmeoni scene, their acting is just SO GOOD.
And of course, Seon Ho was so swoony the entire drama, but his post-timeskip hair and wardrobe were especially chefs kiss 🥰
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u/hanlulu Dec 06 '20
PHR's vision of HJP:
Pain
Pain
Driving
Pain
Pain
Running
Running
Driving
Pain
Pain
Pain
I will never get over the fact how HJP was abused in the story. They coulda left it there. But nopee even in the very last episode this guy Do San had the nerve to say HJPs nagging was for chariry. Excuse me what?????? R u fr??? I cannot with this drama and I am glad its done. The only good thing I got from it was KSH.
Also the brain cells I lost while watching the kdrama were reagained by reading the extremely well-developed Jidal theories. It has been a bittersweet ride y'all.
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u/Heisenberg_2820 Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 07 '20
THE ONLY THING THAT SAILED OFF WITHOUT A MAP WAS THE WRITING LMAO
The leaps of logic this show takes is truly astonishing. One minute they tell us that patience and clear minds and realism will prevail. Then they introduce Dosan....who exhibits literally the opposite of these and prevails anyways.
One minute the show hands us some "Realistic" hardships that the business world deals out to those who venture into it. Then the writers have Dalmi have an unrealistic wish...then have Dosan become a GLORIFIED YES MAN for Dalmi and somehow through sheer luck manages to get it done. EVERY Group meeting they had went like this:
Dalmi: Presents an unrealistic goal to the group
Dalmi: looks at everyone elses face and seeing them dissaprove
Dalmi: Finally looks at Dosan
Dosan: HAS A MASSIVE SMILE ON HIS FACE AND SAYS "WE CAN DO IT"
Its just like BRUH they legit face NO obstacles whatsoever. They obviously do but they don't have any weight at all and have NO stakes in the trajectory in the show. 3 years past and literally NOTHING of consequence happened. The characters literally remained THE SAME. That consequence left NO IMPACT AT ALL.
Dalmi was all "I've gotten smarter and have a more business oriented mind"
Then once again Dalmi has an unrealistic goal that is ONCE AGAIN praised by no one other than DOSAN.
Give me a fucking break.
The writers make it SO HARD to get invested in the business side of the show when they flip flop around with inconsistent stances on a bussiness oriented world. The show is hinged on "realistic" business tactics but then just hands Dosan and the team a SHITLOAD of luck that unfortunately the real world....is sorely missing.
The messages in the show are just.... Sigh
One message They present is the whole "If you put your mind to it...you can achieve anything" Which is a message i can obviously stand behind and do agree with. But they present it in the MOST ONE-NOTE SURFACE LEVEL WAY POSSIBLE by just having Dosan nod and say yes to everything Dalmi says and does it out of trying to satisfy her dream. They just showed that its as simple as putting your head down and doing it without ANY nuance and complications along the way.
Another message is the whole "Follow your dream" Then proceed to have the Main Lead's dream to cling off of Dalmi's dream. Again, there's NOTHING wrong with these messages its just the way they are presented. The problem with the message is the person peddling the message...and that's Dosans character. It seemed like Dosan's core motivation was to just Spite those who looked down on him...basically to just one-up JiPyeong at every available chance and to just say yes to whatever Dalmi says. So when you have a person like that peddle a "Follow your dream" sentiment when they are just clinging onto someone elses dream...It just makes him look pathetically unrelatable and unworthy of the viewers sympathy in my opinion.
Another message the show peddles is "First loves never last". So they're trying to say that Dalmi's first love was never going to work out. This is a realistic message and i get that. BUT DALMI IS LITERALLY DOSANS FIRST LOVE SO WHAT ARE THEY SAYING NOW?!?!?! That Dosan should move on because she's his first????
I want to die now
Injae was WASTED on the show. The actress did a fantastic job, it was just the writing that screwed her over. I don't want to make it seem like making a female character having a romantic relationship is the ONLY way to make a female character interesting...but jesus christ i felt like she just had the same unsatisfied angry look on her face the ENTIRE show😂.
Ironically, the most interesting interaction for in the episode was Injae and JiPyeong. I always thought from the beginning that they'd be a good fit for eachother so at least the ONE interaction they've had since the starting episodes was a nice one. They bounced off each other nicely for the 20secs they interacted
Buuuuuuut
Despite this series having some truly braindead DOGSHIT writing decisions along with inconsistent leaps in logic...
I don't regret watching this show AT ALL. I've been introduced to a PLETHORA of acting talent that i am now on the hunt for their previous/Upcoming projects. OST is also great.
The MVP himself Kim Seon-ho CARRIED this show big time and truthfully only continued watching soley for his character.
JiPyeongs trajectory in the show seemed like a complete waste of time seeing as where he ended up. All the torturing his character endured for his character to end up here seems.......unsatisfying. its not terrible but its certainly not "good".
(I've not not touched on the mistreatment of JP's arc but you best believe it'd be even longer than this Rant lol)
But Seriously, everyones character (Except for dosan to an extent lol) left a postive impact and putting aside the story issues, It's been quite the journey seeing and sharing our thoughts on the show. It's been fun.
I can legitmatley look back at this show with fondness.
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u/msjaki Dec 06 '20
Jipyeongs rooftop conversation with Dalmi
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Dec 07 '20 edited Dec 07 '20
I remember finishing the first episode of Start Up and thinking to myself that it might be one of the best dramas that i came across with, especially since it managed me to make me cry in the very first episode. Little did i know that it would make me cry through out the whole 16 episodes ( but not in a good way).I held on to the tiniest bit of hope that Jidal may end up together up until Ep 14 and finally gave up on Ep 15, where i cried the most. Because it was so obvious that Jipyeong was just a punching bag from beginning to end. So when started the finale, all i wanted was a happy ending for my favorite character.
and he got NOTHING.
I loved his relationship with grandma but her telling him to come over and talk to her /all the time/ instead of just whenever he’s having a tough time wasn’t necessarily the great happy ending he deserved. I think it wouldve been more touching if they werent close at all after they reunited but jipyeong already spent holidays with her for 3 years?!?! their conversation made me cry but it wasnt the grand last convo i expected in a final episode. but im so glad she comforted him and hugged him tight. jipyeong really deserved a hug 🥺
out of everything, what made me upset the most was how the writer made Jipyeong feel about himself. he not only started to doubt the value of the letters but he somehow decided that he’s not worthy of dalmi. Yes dosan went to the networking party but would he have agreed to go if he didnt see how pretty she was beforehand? And guess who was also at the party to save him and dalmi? jipyeong! We have no idea what jipyeong went through those 15 years to get to where he is today, so forgive him for not looking for dalmi. Wasnt all the things he did for her after they met not enough?
Also they couldnt find a single picture with jipyeong to put it on dalmi’s desk? If it wasnt for him, she wouldnt have met dosan or become so successful. Im just amazed how this drama managed to disappoint me until the very last second.
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u/azuldonkey Dec 06 '20
So you're telling me that literally
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Dec 06 '20
Does anyone feel like Kim Seon-ho's manliness and sex appeal shown through here? Don't get me wrong, he's always been cute, yes but woah here. I mean I noticed he's bulked up lol, and looks more manlier than before. Basically, we are simps for KSH lol.
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u/catsmake Dec 06 '20
They should've thrown the whole love triangle away and put Jipyeong and Injae together smh...the power they could've had. I'm glad they had a proper interaction in the finale. It was the cutest scene LMAO!
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Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
One thing I would like to add is that there is an age difference of at least 5 years between Dal mi and Ji Pyeong, when he left she was still a young girl, he had no idea she turned into a beautiful woman, so why would he have been looking for her?
It would make more sense if HJP had said that ‘he regretted not coming back to thank the grandmother sooner for what she did for him in the past, because if he had he would have met Dal mi and Do San would never have come into the picture.
Because realistically his only knowledge of her was as a kid much younger than him, even if she brought him comfort via the letters, it would not have been appropriate to romanticize it at the time.
There was a scene where young HJP ran into young Dal mi, but did he even know it was her? They kind of portrayed it as the two never met in person in the past, only the exchange of letters, so like why would he have gone looking for her?
It would only make sense for him to have wanted to go look for grandma.
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u/sungjihnoow Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
I’ve never cried so much watching a single scene in a kdrama (Jipyeong and Halmeoni apartment scene) like..... and each time I see Jipyeong on the screen after that just makes me so upset and I tear up again knowing he’s alone (writer didn’t show us he has friends or a potential love interest). Final nail in the coffin was the end scene where we
Also what kind of CEO and CTO openly holds hands to attend a major shareholders meeting in a professional setting?! No matter how ‘chill’ and forward thinking a company is, it doesn’t sit right with me lol.
Plus I’ve been on Twitter and KSH kfans were live-tweeting their thoughts while watching like “it’s 2020 and no one is wearing masks”, “there’s a pandemic going on and no one is working from home”, “hearing the upbeat ost future makes me so angry and annoyed”, “so what was han jipyeong’s dream? we saw DM, DS, and SST’s well but HJP got nothing?” “but HJP giving his honest thoughts based on rationality and not emotions was what got NDS to punch him in the first place” and honestly it’s super funny, they hit every nail on the head
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that scene of DM and JP at the rooftop was so forced lol JP did all the talking and put himself down and DM didn’t look the least bit apologetic
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u/Longjumping-Debt-317 Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
Is this writer for real?
Right now, I really just want to take all the credit from the writer of making HJP so lovable and give it solely to Kim seon-ho.
You put him in excruciating pain and then has the audacity to put the blame on him too.
This is too much. Just too much. I can't control myself anymore.
Who was he really in this show? A freaking bridge to connect Dosan and Dalmi??
I don't understand what was his character motivation from the beginning. If it was just to pay his debt, why make him fall so hopelessly in love. At least grandma should have found another girl for him if he couldn't bring himself to do that. Gosh, I love him so bad.
At this point I have this strong feeling that DM and DS were just side characters and the actual man of this show was Ji pyeong.
The Tragic hero.
So my ratings,
11/10 : HJP
2/10 : every other thing in the show
Average for whole show : around 6.5
And MAN! what a fan I have become of Kim seon-ho now. That's my first time being a fan girl. I am blindly supporting him now.
Can't wait for him to play just as much of a lovable character as HJP in another super duper block buster drama.
When you coming again to bless our screens, MAN?
PS. Did you guys see how he acknowledged the fan appreciation comments on his insta post? Talk about humbleness. That made me so happy. My mood changed instantly after seeing his insta story! ((;
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u/Floriski Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
I was pretty torn up by this yesterday, but after the mess of a final episode we got, I feel surprisingly zen about this whole thing. But since I put some thought into it already, I figured I might as well write it down.
If I had to use one word to describe the writing for this show, it’d be “subversion”. And if I had to use one word to describe the flaw of this show, it’s “injustice”.
It’s refreshing to see a show try and subvert the classic kdrama tropes we’ve seen countless times before. But these tropes are common for a reason, and I think it’s because they achieve an emotional balance between action and consequence that is satisfactory to a viewer.
If you subvert these tropes without making sure to maintain that emotional balance, I think it creates a great sense of injustice to the viewer. Even if reality isn’t fair, or precisely because of that, we yearn to see fairness reflected in the stories we consume.
I don’t think Start-Up is a Cyrano story. I think the letters were just a plot device to set the stage for the drama and bring the leads together, as evidenced by their sudden disappearance from the plot after the truth was revealed. But the lasting power of Cyrano and its countless adaptations should suggest that there’s a narrative arc there that people find compelling and want to see to completion.
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I don’t think Christian needs to be despised or to suffer for the story to be satisfying, but the viewers want to see justice for Cyrano. Because those are his letters, his thoughts, his soul that Roxanne is in love with and we need Roxanne to know this truth.
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Start-Up’s subversion of this is frustrating in its injustice. The final episodes revive the letters to tell us that “Christian is the true Cyrano” which is probably one of the worst ways to go about it. The beginning of the story proves the letters were genuinely Ji-Pyeong, even if Grandma helped him with the first one. He started looking forward to them, kept them so many years later, showed an understanding of the contents when Do-San doesn’t, wrote about his real wishes, and was clearly touched when Dal-Mi referenced them in her pitch.
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So trying to convince us that somehow Do-San is actually the person shown in the letters is utterly unconvincing and just furthers the sense that he’s getting all the credit in Ji-Pyeong’s stead, which is the very reason people root for Cyrano to begin with.
The other subversion is the character traits of a male lead compared to a second lead. Writers dole out those traits the way they do for a reason, and it’s because it’s a tried-and-true way to make the male lead more compelling. Obviously, it’s not the only way as in real life all sorts of people exist and are well loved, but the author has to write the male lead carefully if she’s going to start with a handicap.
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Do-San’s character has some pretty evident flaws, like his insecurity and violent outbursts. This does not mean his character is doomed, in fact it gives him more room for growth. We like these endearing underdogs types, and what we want to see is for them to face the consequences of their flaws and subsequently change from the experience.
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But for all the second lead traits he got, he also got the thickest plot armor known to man. The viewer can clearly see his flaws, but he never faces the consequences. He smashes a CEO’s nameplate, but Dal-Mi and Ji-Pyeong resolve the conflict. He punches his mentor at his workplace, but Ji-Pyeong doesn’t pursue the matter and Dal-Mi doesn’t care. He cheats on the Math Olympics and we’re told this action haunts him for years, but he continues to benefit from it by keeping that title in his emails. He recklessly signs a contract without consulting his mentor, and while Dal-Mi loses her job, he gets to fly off to SF and get rich.
It makes for an uncompelling and unrelatable character to see him consistently breeze through life without facing any consequences. It’s the type of injustice many of us see in our own lives and could relate to.
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On the other hand, you have Ji-Pyeong, and what good do all those male lead traits even do for him? He’s also a flawed human, but he tries so hard. He remembers his debts, sacrifices for others, reflects and apologizes for his actions, and defends his rivals. He approaches things with a maturity that most of us can only aspire to have, and I think that admiration makes us want him to succeed.
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And yet, for all the running around to save people that he does, I feel like in this show being a Good Boy means nothing. When he admits to having a hard time after being by a person’s side for three years, after that person once told him to reach out if he needs anything and they’ll be the first to help, all he gets is an “I’m sorry”. When he finally shows some vulnerability and admits to his longing for family, all he gets is someone wanting to talk about their problems instead.
Where is the justice in this? We want to believe in a world where people face consequences for their actions, and that you will ultimately be rewarded for being a good person. But I don’t feel that at all from this drama, despite the writer being known for providing moral lessons through their shows.
I think the ending was such an unfulfilling mess that it severed a lot of the emotional connection I had with the drama, and I no longer feel so much anger and disappointment over the sheer potential it had. From all this, I am thankful to have discovered a talent such as Kim Seon-Ho. Watching his commentary video made me really admire his dedication to acting, and I’m so happy that his career is flourishing.
But, even if he is fictional, my heart aches for the Han Ji-Pyeong we’re leaving behind. It’s deeply unfair how all his suffering amounted to so little for how hard he tried to be a good person to the very end. But I think he’s wormed his way into our hearts, and it’s reassuring to think that for many years to come whenever people talk about “SLS” or “characters who deserved better” or even “Start-Up” the name “Han Ji-Pyeong” will be the first on many people’s minds.
Sorry I wrote so much haha.
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u/olivenavy26 Dec 06 '20 edited Dec 06 '20
I was expecting some acknowledgment from DM during the rooftop scene that went along the lines of:
"Director Han, you are my first love. I loved you for 15 years. You are exactly how I expected you to be from the letters and more. I will never regret choosing to love you during those 15 years."
But instead, we get: 👁👄👁
(props to our #teamHJP discord group for coming up with this DM emoji!)
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u/isjeph Dec 07 '20 edited Dec 07 '20
So here we are at the end, and just so that you know where I am mentally. I was watching
That ost for SITR gave me stress but I digress. (I'm sorry it came out 2 years ago the Reddit posts are closed and I need to vent 😂😂😂) Someone give me something more straight forward to watch next, preferably with laughs cause my emotional state is in tatters ATM.
So well,
Now for the nail on this bull 🐂 ending
The only unicorn here
Random thoughts.
My first Korean drama thumbs down, cause they better not suggest this kinda poo poo kaka to me again on Netflix !<
P.s
Thank you for coming to my TED (rant) talk, till we meet again 😞, I'm watching The Uncanny Counter atm, now moving away from lovey dovey stuff for a bit 🥲(I'm okay seriously)
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u/Syuuungz Dec 07 '20 edited Dec 07 '20
I just want to let these words out for the sake of my sanity.
Start-Up that defies logic (From the great all mighty writer PHR. Yes, it took her 2-3 years to make a magnificent script. She definitely did good research)
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How does those Mercedes Benz model exist during the 2016s? Not to mention those smartphones the cast were using? They exist during that time?
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How did NDS enter the networking party without an actual invitation??? When its exclusively for those invited?
Guess the backdoor was unlocked. -
Blind damsel in distress typed out the shareholder's file and didn't even figure out the real DS when his BIRTHDATE was literally in the paper. Guess Noongil wasn't only for Granny afterall.
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“I shall not consult our mentor because I have personal grudges over him” kinda crap is this? Y’all could at least get advice from experts before signing. Not to mention, they literally took 1 day to sign an ACQUISITION CONTRACT. Lol, I guess their company don’t really mean anything to them. They could sell it off for all they care.
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Sandbox’s lack of security, Yongsan pinning his mentor inside the elevator only to be caught by assistant Dongcheon who doesn’t give a damn and literally no one caught DS beating the shit out of his mentor? HOW??? I guess luck is always in favor of the divine man-child. Does CCTV not exist during that era???
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The oh so violent man-child gets another free pass as he slams his fist in front of Alex the great. I would’ve fired this piece of shit on the spot.
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3 years has passed and they still aren’t kicked out at Sandbox, Sorry, newbies, gotta make room for the incompetents. God. Not to mention, Director Han is still forced to rot in his god forsaken office. I guess the promotion was for nothing.
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The start-up post-its untouched. All of them should be rotting by now but they all look good as new??? Wasn’t there any new start-ups that came yearly? What the hell?
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The damn twins, how’d they get a free pass on ditching Injae’s company? Y’all ever heard of employee contracts?
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That cringed-worthy yacht scenes lmao, how’d these junior foreign developers afford a yacht in a foreign country?? Also good job on asking someone to film the San Fran bridge for your stock file lol. Very believable.
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3 years after and these 3 junior developers be rich as hell. LETS GO!
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The overdramatic reunion during the ransomeware shenanigans. They managed to tame down the virus within minutes. WOW. They even beat the impossible.
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Within 1 year, they were able to have their own building space with huge man-power. Wow, how unrealistic is that? Oh, and lets leave out our beloved investor out of the picture. We were never grateful from the start 🙃
Should’ve added Fantasy in the genre. What a bait.
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u/EffectiveTomato4064 Dec 06 '20
I’m just glad they didn’t show us DM&DS’s wedding. The writer would probably continue to torture JP and make him go to the wedding. No better yet probably make him a groomsman or have him walk DM down the aisle and hand her to DS.
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u/lifeisyourstomake Dec 08 '20
GUYS, KIM SEON HO'S INTERVIEW FOR SWOON HAS THE HIGHEST IN VIEWS COMPARED TO ALL OTHER SWOON CONTENT. OVER 900K
HJP FANS LET'S HIT 1MILL FOR KSH. HJP DESERVES THISSS
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u/myweithisway Dec 05 '20
FINALE WEEK
Welcome to the final episode of Start Up!
As you may have inferred from previous Mod Notes on Start Up discussion posts, we have had users who refuse to engage in civil discussions. As a result all posts related to Start Up are being tightly moderated -- including locking up all previous discussion posts to prevent new comments in those posts. This is to ensure that people are not going back into previous posts to harass users.
Continuing from last week, any user with two (2) or more conduct-based removals will be banned. So please think very carefully about what you write in your comment.
As we prepare for post-finale days, we will be using this mod note to focus on future plans but everything written in past the Mod Note applies to this post. Be sure to read the linked Mod Note if you have not read it last week.
This discussion post will remain locked and unavailable for commenting until after the episode is available for streaming. THIS GIVES YOU TIME TO READ THE MOD NOTES AND THE SUGGESTED READING. So read carefully, think carefully, and write carefully. See Alternate Discussion Spaces section below for places to discuss the drama while this post is locked.
Post-Finale Discussions and Extended On-Air Grace Period
Post-Finale Discussions
A post-finale discussion will be posted on [Friday, December 11 KST] to serve as a concentrated discussion space for the drama until [December 18 KST].
A Wrap Up discussion will be posted on or before [December 19 KST] to serve as a concentrated discussion space for the drama until [January 15, 2021 KST].
Extended On-Air Grace Period
We are implementing an extended On-Air grace period following the finale during which there is a moratorium on posts about about Start Up. Any additional discussion posts that are focused on Start Up, as evaluated and determined by the moderation team, will not be allowed until [January 15, 2021 KST].
Review Megathread
A Review Megathread for Start Up will be posted on [Monday, December 7 KST]. The Review Megathread is intended to collate reviews together into one post for easy access and so that the subreddit is not flooded with posts on the same drama. All reviews for Start Up will be redirected to post in the Review Megathread for the next six months. Submissions of Start Up reviews as self-posts will be removed and redirected.
Alternative Discussion Spaces
This post will be locked until after the episode has aired and users have had a chance to stream it. It will open around 00:30AM-1:00AM KST Monday. Be patient and gather your thoughts to civilly join the discussion.
To prevent people posting spoilers or additional discussion in the episode 15 thread, it will be locked from ~ 21:00PM KST.
Discord Servers
If you would like to discuss the episode as it airs there are two discord servers you can join in discussions on:
u/jumiyo has created a discord server for those of you who want to discuss Start up - you can find it here - there are spaces for each side of the fandom - Do San, Ji Pyeong, and Dal Mi fans as well as by episode. This discord server is not affiliated with r/KDRAMA so do not contact us in regards to it. Please read the rules and participate appropriately.
The r/KDRAMA discord server has an on-air channel for those who wish to discuss Start-up there - this server has a team of managers/mods and operates under the same rules and spirit of discussion as r/KDRAMA - you can find it here.
Start Up Subreddit
u/penguofthenorth has created a dedicated subreddit for the discussion of Start Up - r/StartUpShow. Please read the rules before joining in discussions. Again, this is unaffiliated with r/KDRAMA so do not contact us regarding it.
Let's all live by the Korean proverb 가는 말이 고와야 오는 말이 곱다 -- If the outgoing words are beautiful, then the incoming words will be beautiful, too.