Dream High 2 Recap/Summary: Episode 16

EPISODE SIXTEEN (The Freaking End!)

     Things open with Rian performing again, still no singing… After she finishes she goes backstage to greet her friends. Noting JB’s absence, she asks where he is and as she does he “coincidently” walks in. Yoo-Jin gives him the ol’ threat routine, telling JB that he better not chicken out. He still wants JB to kneel down to him. JB heads out onstage and walks on with a limp. His friends that are watching wonder what’s wrong. I’ll tell you what’s wrong, he RAN AFTER HAE-SUNG WITH A TORN ACL THAT’S WHAT!!!!! He trips during the performance and everyone talks in concern.

     Somewhere dark we find JB sitting all alone. Rian approaches him in tears. She says that he should have mentioned his condition and that she should have been nicer. No shit. JB tells her that he will no longer dance and gives her his shoes as a sort of way to seal the deal. He then tells her to live out her dreams, because she has put in more effort than him. Things cut to her onstage and she blabs about how people view her and her journey and JB and shit. Basically it’s a mini montage of the series. She proceeds by singing a song. I started zoning out.

     Yoo-Jin finds JB and chews him out, in the tough love kind of way. JB just wishes him a good performance, but he says he doesn’t need it because he always does well. Back onstage, Yoo-Jin closes his eyes in preparation and the scene ends in light.

Eight Months Later.

      All the Super Idol kids step out of a bus and a list of fans and reporters await them. Except, Yoo-Jin’s not with them, he is on the sideline. Things flashback, just about a minute into the flash forward, and it shows Yoo-Jin purposely screwing up his audition. He plays a few strings/chords/whatever and says nothing but “G-Minor”. He ends his performance by saying that that is all he is right now and that he will go out on his own. Backstage Rian lightly scolds him and somehow manages to get her arms around him in the process. He he. Shin Jae-In (the guy in charge of these damn competitions) tells Yoo-Jin that he is making a mistake, but Yoo-Jin replies that he isn’t. He walks away, Rian follows in glee, and Jae-In smiles. 

       In the now present, as in back to eight months later, Rian and Yoo-Jin are seen talking. They start off with some friendly small talk, but soon Yoo-Jin questions her about why she didn’t decide to go solo. Apparently she had won the random last minute competition. Rian replies that it’s all because of her friends. Yoo-Jin smiles at her sincerity, begins to make fun of her, and gets his hands on her face. Just as they semi-kind of share a moment JB walks in and asks if they are really going out. Yoo-Jin dodges this by asking if Hae-Sung is coming and JB says that he shouldn’t ask. Yoo-Jin complains that he can think of her if he wants. JB says that Hae-Sung was the one who liked him, as in not Yoo-Jin. The two bicker and Rian breaks it up by saying Hae-Sung liked her most. She dangles the famed pendent in front of the two. 

     The whole flash forward thing has brought us to graduation day. Some people give speeches, the students clap. Rian is brought to the stage and announces that she will be reading a letter in Hae-Sung’s place. Lame. A montage of Hae-Sung and everyone’s journey soon ensues. Again, lame. Another mini montage of their graduation plays.

Eight Years Later. Really?!

     JB is now in charge of making music and is sporting a really ugly perm. Why can’t we go back to the days when JB had the really hot bleached hair?? Someone is purposely sabotaging his looks, I just know it. Ui-Bong now instructs a dance class. Some of his students chatter about his looks. Just as he calls them out for a lecture, Lee Seul comes in and tells him to stop, they are a couple. 

     In a dressing room Teacher Yang (JYP) starts complaining about his outfit and dance moves, but his fellow teachers encourage him. The whole thing is teasing JYP (the real-life person) and his old style. To add to the funny, Teacher Yang is auditioning for a show that he is moonlighting for in real life. Meaning, JYP plays himself judging Teacher Yang. Okay, so I’m not the best at explaining this scene. In short, JYP is playing two roles, Teacher Yang and himself. The whole thing is supposed to be a joke (a very dumb one).  

     The Nana, Ji-Woo, and Hong Joo triangle continues and Ji-Woo is still at a loss. 

     Yoo-Jin is now a teacher of rock music and thank our lucky stars, he has a decent hairdo.

     Rian and Hae-Sung run into each other on a plane and the two have a small chat about what they are up to. Of course, they are both successful. During their talk they both discover that they have been called by Yoo-Jin. Getting to school they are happily surprised to see the new students dancing and singing to the “B Song”. 

      Somehow Hae-Sung ends up in charge of directing a play and she tells Rian that she must audition. The two end up laughing after some small bickering. JB and Yoo-Jin walk in and things start to get campy. Rian looks at JB and gestures toward Hae-Sung with her head, he just smiles.

     Backstage the girl playing Hae-Sung applies makeup, preparing herself for her role. Rian comes in and starts dabbing off the makeup, telling her that she must be “average, average, Average!” Hae-Sung enters and chuckles. Rian pulls out a ugly duck sweater and asks that the girl playing Hae-Sung wear it. The two laugh some more. Hae-Sung then proceeds to check out the props. At one point someone asks her about chopsticks and a spoon. Hae-Sung had forgotten, but thankfully she stills carries the chopsticks that JB got her.

     The play, that I’m guessing is a regurgitation of the drama, opens with Rian telling everyone that they are B. Things continue with the rest of the team giving heartfelt words and blah blah blah. A new rendition of the Dream High theme song is performed. I’m not a big fan of this version, the spark is gone. The drama ends with some parting words from the group. Something like, our dreams have changed, but perhaps we will become someone else’s dream. 

QUICK SUMMARY:

A bunch of montages, flash forwards, Yoo-Jin exits the idol world, JB can no longer perform, and everyone ends up happy. 

EPISODE REMARKS:

As an ending, this episode sucked ass. It was montages and happy scenes strung together. Yeah, it’s good that we aren’t left with some stupid last minute cancer or whatnot, but still…What I freaking HATED was that no one really got together, in terms of the main characters. It wouldn’t have been bad, had romance never been hinted at. However it was and I was pissed. Then there is the whole Rian and Hae-Sung thing. Good for them, they are all chummy, but why the hell didn’t the show play on that earlier?! It’s nice to not have a bitch character, especially ones that do 180 personality changes out of the blue. Although the show gave little answers and a big fat bow wrapped on everyone’s problems, the ending could have been worse. So…good for them I guess.

SERIES REMARKS:

I know I shouldn’t relate this drama to the first, but they gave me no other choice. What the hell am I supposed to think when I see the new kids singing the first Dream High’s theme song? On the acting scale, both had some wooden actors, though JB managed to double the damage. As for story, Dream High 2 managed to take a good concept and burn it to the ground; taking it to random music videos, lack of direction, and stupid plotlines. Oh, and the damn clichés. But if for some reason you disagree, let me know why. Maybe you liked them both?

Despite it all, I kind of liked some moments that the show had, RIAN AND YOO-JIN FOR THE WIN! 

COMMENTS AS THE WRITER:

I kind of rue the day I decided to recap the series, bad idea. But, I figure that it’s all about improving. It let me know how much time goes into this and how it kind of takes some of the joy out of just watching. I know I had a brief hiatus from the last recap, but life kind of took over and to be frank, I really didn’t mind not getting to the last episode. I can’t stress this enough, but PLEASE comment. It would brighten my day to know that at least one person is reading this, because site views are unreliable.  

Sorry for the long ass post, but hey it’s the finale. I did it!

-Alyssa