From powerful lead-up in The World of a Married Couple’s last airing week on the Kapamilya Channel depicting a misfortune much deserved for a philandering Tony (Park Hae-joon) that really made viewers cheer on the gradual breakdown of his ties with Denise (Han So-hee), due to his habitual unfaithfulness, we have witnessed a fitting finale to this monumental tale.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES: Must see off cam photos of the cast of The World Of A Married Couple
Here we got to see how all the chaos, betrayal, and confusion led to Sandra (Kim Hee-ae)’s own desolation. And this is rooted on her still continued emotional connection to Tony despite everything he has done, and this includes his climactic, desperate misdeed of “abducting” his own son, Joshua (Jeon Jin-seo).
Tony indeed had it coming after Sandra rushed to her son’s aid when Denise suspected the boy of hurting her baby daughter. Joshua wanted his mom to take him back after the altercation, and when she did arrive to pick up her son, Sandra did not leave without confronting the woman behind her misery.
Sandra left Denise in utter shock after revealing to her that she indeed slept with her former husband, serving Denise a dose of her own medicine. And this disclosure led to a down spiral in Tony and Denise’s relationship, and they eventually separate. And their breakup really turned ugly for Tony. Not only did he lose his growing new family with Denise, he also lost his fledgling career that his father-in-law supported. And in one telling moment when Tony tries to get back to their home, he is locked out, Denise leaving with their daughter abruptly and her father and his assistants even taking his car away. Left with nothing, Tony would encounter Sandra, who despite her resentment towards Tony, still maintained a soft spot for him and left a small amount of cash as she drove off.
Tony, now remorseful over his actions had since been reminiscing about those happy moments he had with Sandra and Joshua before his affair with Denise. It didn’t take long before Tony had gone missing, with their townmates rarely seeing him in Gosan, assuming he had left the place.
After some time, news of Tony’s return reached Sandra, who seemed still to have deep concern for her ex-husband. But, when Sandra arrived home one day, Joshua went missing. Seeing her son’s mobile phone by the couch, she realized she might have been taken forcefully. And at that time, she knew Tony took him. Tony would then soon call her to confirm that Joshua was indeed with him, but clarified he had nothing evil in mind for their son. He only wanted to spend time with him.
Sandra remained fearful of what Tony might do their son, given his desperate state. She would console him and tell him she was on her way to talk things over. When Sandra found Tony and Joshua by a cliff, Tony at first explained about his longing for Joshua that made him do it. After Joshua went to Sandra’s side, he was surprised to hear his mom inviting Tony for a meal, which he resented. When they did arrive and settled at a restaurant, Tony begged for forgiveness and asked that they would start things over as a family once more. This angered Sandra and Joshua, who consider Tony as not having changed his ways. After Sandra asserted that it was over and nothing could bring them back together, Tony ceded and told his son not to follow his example and should always value and cherish people who truly love him, especially his mom.
When Sandra and Joshua were about to leave, they would glance at Tony looking at them from a distance before hastily crossing the street as a truck was careening towards him. As Joshua screamed for his father and the truck had stopped, as bystanders watched in horror, Sandra would approach the crossing, and expect the worst. She would then find Tony standing still and shaken as the truck stopped just in time before hitting him. Seeing Sandra going to his side, Tony would break down and hug his ex-wife, who was visibly relieved and thankful that Tony was unharmed. But her momentary joy quickly turned into anguish after seeing her son run away, dropping his mobile phone on the pavement, and leaving without a trace. Joshua was frustrated and heartbroken that his mom, despite all that the crimes his father has committed, still loves him.
She would not have contact with her son, who had since been missing for about a year. And while Sandra would wait for her son to come back, she would return to work for the hospital as a general practitioner. She would still stay in touch with Tony, who is struggling to get his writing career back. He would ask Sandra every now and then if Joshua had been found. Denise is also living her own life alone, seemingly resisting the urge to enter a new relationship.
And while Sandra awaits for her son, she would make a serious introspection and realization that the “world of a married couple” might lead to forever loving or hating each other for whatever the destiny they might face—but the truth is, that person is always part of you and will never be easy to cast away. In the end, Joshua indeed turns up suddenly at her home, with Sandra overjoyed seeing her son again, realizing further that she must forgive herself first and foremost to move on.
Watching the finale makes the show’s success quite understandable. Aside from the usual creative elements that made viewers stick to the narrative since the pilot episode, several winning factors come to play. Storytelling was emphatic and cunning, and likewise unexpected, leaving people totally clueless on the fate of the characters, not until you watch the final scene, which we did. Its pacing and character development were natural and relatable, making viewers identify with all the situations depicted on each scene. Exceptional direction and superb production design made the show a sight to behold, not to mention a musical score that really hypes up the intensity.
Yet nothing could top the impeccable performances of the actors who portrayed each character with superb texture, genuineness, and emotive soundness that made the onscreen impact quite effective. Kim Hee-ae’s Baeksang Awards Best Actress win is truly justified, as her deep connection with her character seems unbreakable throughout the series, making viewers both agonize and celebrate with her as she goes about her difficult yet fulfilling life.
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Netizens were likewise moved.