I was loving this show up until about ep 10 or 11. It reversed some expectations. It was funny, it was light, it was heartfelt. The cast is brilliant. Jung Kyung Ho knocked it out of the park from start to finish. That being said, I didn't really feel much chemistry between him and Jeon Do Yeon... She's a good actress, but their relationship had "mommy issues" vibes. Anyway, the whole cast was great. The guy who played Jang Hui Jae, for someone who barely had any lines, was stellar.

I was really enjoying the humour, the plot, everything. I was invested in the stupid scandal being solved. I was invested in the education system plot. I LOVED that the "villains" (the mom group) had a strong motive and were believable.

So, what went wrong? Three things. It kind of went off the rails in 3 different directions in the last quarter of the show.

1. I felt the murder plot was unnecessary. That time would have been better spent fleshing out characters like Su-ah. They had so much material that they could have worked with in an engaging way... but they went the murder plot route, which cheapened the storyline.

2. Why bring back the mom for a brief moment? And why did Hae-e need to end up in a coma? This all felt so unnecessary. I would have really enjoyed if they used that time to better flesh out the dynamics of the teen group. That felt hurriedly wrapped up, which brings me to my last point...

3. Not everyone needed to be paired up in the last 10 minutes... that was awkward and unnecessary. Also, Nam Hae-e and Geon-hu had good chemistry, and it would have been sweet to see his hard work in school pay off with a kiss from Hae-e. Conversely, Sun-jae and her never had anything other than friendship vibes. Having Yeon-ju hook up with Jae-woo was just unrealistic. That whole last episode was bizarre and unnatural.

Actually, 4 things.

4. Not everyone needed a redemption arc and a happy ending! I was looking forward to seeing Su-a's mom unmasked for the jerk she was by her friend group. Yes, she had a messy scene and was shamed, but it's not the same. Instead, everyone ends up with their happy little ending, everything neatly packaged and wrapped up and tied in a bow. Su-a's mental/stress issues magically vanish and school is fine. Hui-jae goes into the army, etc. you get it. It just felt very hallmarky and kind of undersold how nuanced the story could have been.