After six weeks of an intense murder mystery and an even more intense romance, “IDOL I” finally came to an end in the most perfect way possible. Not only did the drama wrap up the murder mystery plot neatly with a bow on top, but it also gave the audience an entire one-episode-long epilogue to make parting with the story and characters a little easier. Here are five reasons why the “IDOL I” finale was perfect.
Warning: spoilers ahead!
The killer being found
A mystery K-drama that begins with a murder investigation is, of course, destined to end with the murderer being revealed; so the killer being found is neither the most surprising nor the best part of the finale. However, what is perfect is how the plot twist of Hye Joo (Choi Hee Jin) being the one who killed Woo Seung genuinely took the audience by surprise.
Even though Hye Joo was shown as an ex with a high temper from the very start, and, in hindsight, was clearly the killer all along, she managed to hide her crimes behind a somewhat misunderstood-but-not-evil facade.
The first time she appears in the show, she is seen watching Do Ra Ik (Kim Jae Yeong) from the back of the venue at his fan meeting, and she genuinely gives off the aura of an obsessed person. However, when she meets Do Ra Ik in front of Maeng Se Na (Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung), hugs him, and implies mutual trust, the audience is pushed into believing that maybe Do Ra Ik and Hye Joo’s relationship is simply a case of the right person at the wrong time.
Not to mention, the CEO of Goldie Entertainment looked like the perfect murderer. After all, why wouldn’t the killer be someone portrayed as greedy and notorious for exploiting the group to increase his own net worth?
These factors combined make Hye Joo’s reveal as the murderer quite satisfying. She also loses the last bit of sympathy from the audience when it is shown that, although her first murder was accidental, she consciously attempts to kill Jae Hee (Park Jeong Woo) while fully in her right mind.
Maeng Se Na’s father getting justice
The reason Maeng Se Na even became a lawyer was her father’s unjust imprisonment, which eventually led to his untimely demise. So seeing Maeng Se Na getting her father’s case reopened in an attempt to fight for his justice felt incredibly fitting. Plus, the entirety of the first 11 episodes revolved around Do Ra Ik and Maeng Se Na’s fight for his justice, so she truly deserved the final episode to focus entirely on her story.
Kwak Byeong Gyun’s much-awaited redemption arc
If there was anything the audience was eagerly awaiting besides the resolution of the main murder mystery, it was Kwak Byeong Gyun’s (Jung Jae Kwang) redemption arc. When his character is first introduced in “IDOL I,” he is portrayed as the typical snarky rival to our main leads. However, the audience is soon shown the tangled history between Maeng Se Na and Kwak Byeong Gyun, which significantly shifts the perspective on his character.
As the drama progresses, it is subtly revealed that Kwak Byeong Gyun is not inherently an evil person, no one truly is. Instead, it is his father who has been, for lack of a better word, forcing him to betray his instincts to seek the truth and instead simply pick a target. To everyone’s disappointment, Kwak Byeong Gyun goes along with this for a while.
Thankfully, the finale-week episodes finally give him the redemption arc he desperately needed, as he speaks out against his father and chooses to follow his own instincts instead.
Gold Boys’ comeback
This reason does not need much explanation; however, it must be said that the Gold Boys’ comeback felt more bittersweet than purely joyful. Woo Seung (An Woo Yeon) was the one who had been fighting the CEO behind the scenes to keep the group together and create new music as a team, yet he could not be there for their 10th anniversary or witness the achievements Gold Boys earned even after a decade in the industry.
Maeng Se Na’s unending fangirl life
One unspoken concern that every “IDOL I” viewer hoped would not come true was the abandonment of Maeng Se Na’s fangirling personality. Her being a fangirl was not only crucial to the plot but also fundamental to her character. She is an uptight lawyer at work but secretly a devoted K-pop fan. What purpose would it have served if this part of her personality had been stripped away by the finale?
Hence, seeing her be the epitome of a fangirl during the finale was perfect. Even though she has an idol boyfriend who can get her any merchandise she wants, she still camps in front of her screen, waiting for presales to open so she can buy merch herself. Being a fangirl is never about the photocards, magazines, albums, or merchandise, it’s about the experience of buying them and talking about them. And Maeng Se Na embodying this was genuinely great fangirl representation.
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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of clichés are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.
Currently watching: “Dear X” and “Positively Yours.”