Korean Viewers Share Thoughts On The Final Episode of "The World of The Married"

On May 16, 2020, JTBC‘s sensationally hit K-Drama The World of The Married came to an end after successfully airing 16 episodes — and going viral after each.

Actress Kim Hee Ae on “The World of The Married” Poster

The final episode focused on how lives changed for the characters in a year’s time — especially for the son, Lee Joon Young, played by actor Jeon Jin Seo. While some became disappointed by the “anti-climactic” ending…

… most viewers came to realize that The World of The Married ended by shedding light on the pure amount of pain that gets inflicted upon the children, who are “also living in the same world with the married.”

I liked the ending. It was as realistic as a drama can get. It was bitter. It was insightful. I liked how the show captured all the complicated feelings that come from a failed marriage. I liked that it wasn’t entirely a “good prevails” ending. Because life doesn’t work out to a T like that, does it? It may not have been the most “satisfying” ending, but it surely brought up good questions to ask ourselves.

— Netizen

Viewers praised the production team for well capturing the complicated emotions that stir up for the “real victims of the battles that happen in the falling-apart world of the married“.

What an ending. I felt liberated when the son ran away to find himself outside the family that only uses him and abuses him. The scene in which Joon Young gives up on his family after witnessing his father trying to jump in front of a truck? That’s it. That’s the ending. The world of the married — completely shattered. He got himself out of the world his parents set on fire. I couldn’t be any more proud.

— Netizen

Viewers also shared that the final episode reminded them of their own traumas…

I grew up in a family exactly like Joon Young’s. So from the very beginning, I watched this from his point of view. I cried a lot. I left my family too and live alone now. And I’m sure my parents don’t understand why I ran from them. But I hope they watch this drama and learn what their endless fights ended up costing me.

— Netizen

… and concluded that The World of The Married surely taught this lesson, if nothing else:

Who belongs in the said “world of the married”? Just the husband and wife? No, that world must include the child that is solely a result of their lives merging together. I believe The World of The Married meant to speak on behalf of all the Joon Youngs in this world. The married need to look after their children. Protect the young souls that are wilting and rotting away — amidst the storm that the adults have created.

— Netizen

Meanwhile, The World of The Married became JTBC’s top rated K-Drama, with viewer ratings reaching an impressive 31.6%. What a wild rollercoaster ride it has been for 8 weeks!

Watch the numbing ending scene here: