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Crash Course in Romance viewers let go of the few loopholes present in the context of disappearing characters, but the latest episode has them bashing the show for rushed writing.
Warning: This article contains spoilers, read at your discretion.
The romcom-thriller drama released its second-last episode, number 15, on March 4 amidst much anticipation. The excitement was mowed down when viewers were just 25 minutes in of the 1 hour 15 minute long episode.
The reason behind their disappointment was Ji Dong-hui (Shin Jae-ha), aka the serial killer, killing approximately four people to “protect” Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho) and then jumping off the hospital roof.
On South Korean online community forums and even international Twitter, viewers expressed their frustration with the easy punishment Dong-hui received for his crimes. For many, his death in a suicidal manner seemed useless after multiple episodes of buildup.
"This part has loopholes": Fans call Crash Course in Romance episode 15 disappointing after it closes off Dong-hui’s storyline
Jung Kyung-ho and Jeon Do-yeon starrer Crash Course in Romance swiftly became one of the most trending K-dramas recently. The romcom story, written by Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo-famed scriptwriter Yang Hee-seung, was quickly touted as "one of the comfort K-dramas" as it blended a refreshing romantic plotline with a thriller story.
However, things went downhill when episode 15 was released recently; as the second last episode, it showcased the final confrontation between Chi-yeol, Haeng-seon, and Dong-hui. In the same episode, Chi-yeol learnt about Dong-hui’s real identity, his obsession with him, and even caught him red-handed trying to kill Haeng-seon in the hospital.
The face-off between the two was only for a few minutes, as Dong-hui ran to the roof, had a heated discussion with Chi-yeol, and jumped off the roof as he had nothing left to “protect” anymore. Dong-hui was a wanted man who had killed at least two people that the police knew of (otherwise he had killed four).
Viewers were heavily disappointed to see Dong-hui take his own life in a matter of seconds without any guilt. As one viewer pointed out, his reveal was implied to be the "final showdown" since the show's writers and directors built a murder mystery since episode 1.
Moreover, the rest of the episode showed a time lapse where it seemed that everyone had forgotten about Dong-hui, even Chi-yeol. Fans were also frustrated by this arc, as they discussed how the former was the only real confidante of Chi-yeol but he seemed to never mention him again, excluding the days he was depressed.
Take a look at what fans had to say about episode 15 of Crash Course in Romance:
Meanwhile, as expected, episode 15 of Crash Course in Romance recorded the highest viewership ratings for the show. As per Nielsen Korea, it hit 15.5% nationwide and 18.4% Seoul-wide. It shifted the gears of the show back to a family drama from thriller, as it had another conflict to be resolved -- the return of Hae-e’s biological mother, Haeng-seon’s elder sister.
The popularity of Crash Course in Romance was also evident through Good Data Corporation’s weekly most buzzworthy drama list; the romcom ranked first in the fourth week of February, making it top the list for the seventh consecutive time.
