Ep.11-12: 'When the Phone Rings' Ends on a Happy Note
Fans were waiting impatiently for the Netflix hit K-drama ‘When the Phone Rings’ for episodes 11 and 12 last week. When the episodes were released over the weekend, K-drama fans were over the moon.
Episode eleven shows everyone searching for Hee Joo and Sa Eon trying to figure out who might have helped the kidnapper take Hee Joo. This episode was good with a perfect buildup to the climax, which was intense with the viewers hoping for Sa Eon to find Hee Joo before its too late.
Fans also expected a final showdown between Sa Eon and the real Sa Eon and they got one in this episode. These developments in the plot were expected and necessary for the last stage of the story.
The last episode wraps everything up and Sa Eon and Hee Joo get the happy ending they deserve. This episode has a scene when all their friends have lunch with them in their new home, which is very heartwarming to see how the couple restart their life in a new home, which is bright and welcoming, contrasting with their cold and dreary apartment.
During the scene, Sa Eon announces that he has changed his name to Baek Yu-yeon, starting with a fresh slate, leaving behind the last element that connected him with his past.
However, episode twelve featured a sequence of Hee Joo travelling to a fictional country called Argan to find Sa Eon. She is kidnapped by rebels there, but she is quickly saved by her husband. They talk it out and reconcile, but this was a very unnecessary sequence. The creators wanted to create a very emotionally charged reunion after their long separation, but the scene does not have this effect.
This sequence was outlandish and did not complement the development of the couple’s relationship. It is meant to show that Sa Eon is repenting for what his father did to Hee Joo’s family, but he could have apologized to her profusely at the hospital. The sequence does not complement Sa Eon’s character either who has been nothing but desperate to do right by Hee Joo throughout the series.
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Other than this issue, Sang Woo and Yu Ri are also not done justice in this series. They get the happy ending they deserved, but they did not get enough screen time and a good subplot to show the arc of their relationship.
The actors Heo Nam Joon and Jang Gyu Ri have done a fine job with their characters, but they should have been given more space in the plot because with a holistic subplot their happy ending would have felt more endearing.
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Nonetheless, the last episode wrapped up various loose threads and gave viewers what they have been wanting since the beginning of the series: a happy ending for Hee Joo and Yu Yeon.
‘When the Phone Rings’ has been an emotional rollercoaster for K-drama fans. If you like romance with lots of mysteries and thriller sequences, this drama is for you.