High School King of Savvy has come to an end and what started out as a wacky comedy quickly became so much more. The last five episodes contained many plot threads, some which worked better than others.
Hyung-seok’s brief appearance and scheme to ruin CEO Yoo’s company were rushed. Although Seo In-guk was brilliant and completely convincing as both Min-seok and Hyung-seok, High School King could have explored Hyung-seok’s relationships more.
The brothers’ few scenes together were emotionally charged but unfortunately, Hyung-seok was never given that much depth. In fact, the reversal of his scheme seemed out of character from what little we had been shown of him. Grandpa’s death was the catalyst for his decision but even then, it seemed too easy.
“Too easy” is a phrase that could describe a lot of things in the drama such as CEO Yoo’s acceptance of Jin-woo and the revelation that Min-seok pretended to be his brother. I know this was supposed to be a comedy but some fallout would have been appreciated especially regarding the wedding.
After expressing some discomfort with our main couple, I decided to just go with the flow for the last few episodes. Obviously, the writers were pushing for these two to get together and I figured a sweet ending wouldn’t hurt. What I did not expect, however, was a wedding.
Not only was there barely any apprehension from their families and friends, but they actively encouraged it. They actively encouraged a marriage between a high school kid and a 28 year old woman while the child was still in high school.
In what reality is that okay?
This plot point was so ridiculous and so utterly asinine that it marred my whole viewing experience of High School King. I came into this drama expecting a light-hearted comedy and even when the show threw in some romance, Seo in-guk’s antics still made it enjoyable. But a marriage between a child and a grown woman is not something I can dismiss, even if it is “just a drama.”
At least High School King made better decisions romance-wise with Yoo-ah and Jin-woo. Yoo-ah’s feelings for Tae-suk were hinted at throughout the drama and developed naturally. Although Yoo-ah didn’t get much screen time, her growth and maturity throughout the second half of the drama were one characterization the writers actually got right.
Jin-woo’s new love interest thankfully wasn’t rushed and leaving it open-ended allowed the viewer to feel the same sense of intrigue Jin-woo did. Although he was not innocent throughout the show and even treated Soo-young badly, his arc was also one of the better written plot threads to come from High School King.
High School King of Savvy started out wonderfully and deftly blended comedy and emotion. Seo In-guk was fantastic as both a hot-headed high schooler and a mysterious, revenge-driven older brother. Unfortunately, High School King rushed through its plot arcs and tied things up a little too neatly. This wouldn’t have been a problem if not for the bizarre wedding between Min-seok and Soo-young. Sometimes dramaland takes things too far and ruins what was once a great drama and sadly, High School King was its latest victim.
Enjoyed the marriage? What was your favorite thing about this drama?
(tvN)
