Mine finale review
The Korean drama Mine concluded on 27th June 2021, and the finale earned the drama their highest ratings of an average of 10.512% nationwide. In this Mine finale review, we’re going to share what we loved, and what could be done better in the finale.
If you’d like a recap on what happened in episode 1, click here.
What we loved
1. The killer of Ji-yong is revealed
Viewers came up with theories on who could’ve killed Ji-yong. Some of the suspects were Kim Seong-tae, the only male staff working for Hyowon Mansion, Han Jin-ho, Jung Seo-hyun, and Seo Hi-soo.
Seong-tae was the one who got Ji-yong to leave the event for the bunker, acting as if Jin-ho was the one who called him there. And afterwards, Seong-tae was being really suspicious. He locks the door behind Ji-yong and is spotted with a torchlight in the basement, pouring a strange liquid into the pipes that lead to the bunker.
Image adapted from: tvN
Other viewers suspected that the murderer was Jin-ho, because he was the mastermind behind Ji-yong’s death. However, he wasn’t present at the scene.
Jung Seo-hyun and Seo Hi-soo were also suspects of murder. The two were constantly making eye contact after Ji-yong left. But Seo-hyun left shortly to attend to Attorney Choi’s message, and Hi-soo unlocks her phone to reveal a photo that she wants to use to threaten Ji-yong to confess to his crimes.
Hi-soo gets sent a shocking photo
Image adapted from: tvN
It turns out that Head Maid Joo was the one who killed Ji-yong.
Head Maid Joo wielding a fire extinguisher and looking down from the staircase
Image adapted from: tvN
While Ji-yong was strangling Hi-soo, Head Maid Joo was seen picking up a fire extinguisher. She whacks him on the head from behind, causing both him and Hi-soo to fall from the edge of the staircase.
What a reveal – Head Maid Joo was the last person we’d expect to kill Ji-yong, knowing how loyal she is to the mansion and the family, so this was a shocking surprise.
2. Hi-soo reveals the real reason behind her memory loss
In the finale of Mine, we discover that Hi-soo faked her amnesia to protect her son, Ha-joon.
Hi-soo and Ha-joon
Image adapted from: tvN
Hi-soo wanted to let Ha-joon retain good memories of his loving father, Ji-yong, and didn’t want to ruin his memories because of Ji-yong’s death.
If Hi-soo told the police that Ji-yong attempted to kill her, Ha-joon would have a hard time processing that information. Perhaps ignorance – or in this case, faking amnesia – is indeed bliss.
3. Seo-hyun becomes the chairwoman of Hyowon Group
Image adapted from tvN
Seo-hyun gets her well-deserved promotion and becomes the Chairwoman of Hyowon Group. This moment defines female empowerment in male-dominated organisations – after going through hardships, Seo-hyun rose to the occasion and beat the odds to become the Chairwoman of the company.
Seo-hyun getting the job title she deserves
Image adapted from: tvN
4. Seo-hyun goes to find Suzy
Towards the end of the finale, Seo-hyun visits Hi-soo at her drama filming site. They catch up for a bit, and before Hi-soo begins filming her next scene, she asks Seo-hyun whether she has found what is hers.
Seo-hyun calling Suzy
Image adapted from: tvN
We’re guessing the “things” refer to the Chairwoman position in Hyowon Group and Suzy.
We’re aware that Seo-hyun has had romantic feelings for Suzy for a long time now, and since she’s in a position where anything is possible, she decides to visit Suzy over the weekends.
Her iconic “I miss you” was the Seo-hyun and Suzy crumb we’ve always needed, and we finally got to see it! Their love blossoming is even better than our wildest imaginations.
What could’ve been better
1. Lack of development of Yu-yeon and Soo-hyuk’s love line
Yu-yeon and Soo-hyuk
Image adapted from: tvN
Yu-yeon was previously one of the maids of the Cadenza, which is one of the main houses of the complex. Han Soo-hyuk, who’s Seo-hyun’s son, often crossed paths with Yu-yeon, ends up falling in love with her.
Soo-hyuk’s love for Yu-yeon was reciprocated and they began seeing each other in secret. After their relationship got exposed, Yu-yeon gets kicked out of the Hyowon Mansion. Soo-hyuk then reels her back into working in the mansion. In the finale, Soo-hyuk and Yu-yeon get the approval of their family and get engaged in Mine’s finale.
Some viewers of the show felt that their relationship was like a Cinderella story on crack. Redditor u/dancedreamlive felt that their relationship was “redundant” and didn’t make sense after seeing the small interactions they had throughout the show. They also felt that their relationship seemed “at best some kind of infatuation with no substance at all”.
2. Lack of build-up before Ji-yong’s murder
Image adapted from: tvN
The murder of Han Ji-yong was quickly resolved by the police after Head Maid Joo submitted a letter saying that she gave Ji-yong a deadly dose of sleeping pills, and the Commissioner General ordered them to close the case as a death by suicide.
It would’ve been better if we could see the chain of events that led to his death, or what was the final straw that made Head Maid Joo kill Ji-yong.
The actual reason why she decided to kill Ji-yong was left to our imagination. Could it be that she was also abused by Ji-yong in a manner that drove her to do the unthinkable? We’ll never know.
Mine finale review – episode 16 ends on a high note
The finale of Mine ended with a bang – the burning question of who murdered Ji-yong was revealed, and Seo-hyun finally became the chairperson of Hyowon Group. Seo-hyun and Suzy shippers also rejoiced when Seo-hyun rang Suzy up because she missed her.
Mine also did well in portraying characters such as Seo-hyun, who’s part of the LGBTQ+ community, and also strengthened the fact that strong women don’t need to be reliant on their significant other to get by.
All in all, we’re glad we saw these glorious women overcome their obstacles, and we hope this Mine finale review resonated with how you felt after watching the last episode.
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