REVIEW: ‘Crash Course in Romance,’ Episodes 15-16

We have now reached the end of Crash Course in Romance. If you’ve been following along, it’s been a bumpy road for the characters and the overall execution of the series’ various plot points. With no episode preview to give viewers a taste of what will take place in Crash Course in Romance Episodes 15-16, we’ve been left to speculate. Will the series end with a bang? Most importantly, will all storylines get wrapped up?

Crash Course in Romance Episodes 15-16 are a mixed bag which, if you’ve stuck it out this long in watching the series, has been par for the course. The first half of Episode 15 focuses on resolving the murder mystery plotline, and while it is resolved, it feels abrupt. The handling of Ji Dong-hee (Shin Jae-ha) ‘s arc wrap-up is notably tragic in that the character’s motivations align with the end result. But it also reads as if they needed to cap the storyline to make time to wrap other storylines.

Given the emphasis on Dong-hee’s significance and immersion into Choi Chiy-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho) ‘s life, the more compelling choice would have been not to accelerate to this storyline’s natural conclusion but to have it carry to at least Episode 16. We’ve spent this long investing in the mystery component as much as the romance and educational components of the series. As it stands, Dong-hee’s ending, while inevitable, just reads as sudden given that we have an episode and a half left to go at this juncture.

The focus then shifts to a more recently introduced storyline. While  Nam Hae-yi (Roh Yoon-seo) was in a coma, her birth mother, Nam Haeng-ja, showed up out of the blue. The polar opposite of her sister, Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon), and armed with numerous examples of bad mothers in Crash Course in Romance, viewers can quickly grasp that Hae-yi lucked out having Haeng-seon as her surrogate parent. While I understand why the team felt it was necessary to include the storyline between Hae-yi and her birth mother in a series that has already struggled with tone and juggling its various storylines, it felt unnecessary.

That said, the storyline between these two does get wrapped up satisfactorily. After experiencing an abrupt change in Hae-yi’s treatment towards her, Haeng-seon takes her sister to the market to shop for things she’ll need for Hae-yi once she takes over parenting responsibilities. For Hae-yi, this pushes things too far, and they argue. After keeping things bottled up, Haeng-seon lets Hae-yi have it.

Overhearing the conversation, Haeng-ja finally feels shame and realizes what impact her selfish actions this time have had on both her sister and her daughter. After dropping off her daughter at school for the first time, she leaves her again, only informing Hae-yi via text of her decision and writing a letter to Haeng-seon to let her know what’s up. Things are amicable between the three moving forward.

Speaking of school, how about the educational storylines? The most satisfying part of the wrap-up of the educational storylines is that we see the parents face the consequences of their actions which I’ve honestly been dying to witness. Jang Seo-jin (Jang Young-nam) faces severe repercussions for the cheating scandal surrounding her son, Lee Seon-jae (Lee Chae-min). She is suspended from work and has to pay a serious fine, but the threadbare facade she’s been keeping up is completely tattered. This is the final splash of cold water she needs to see how her ambitions have destroyed herself and the ones she claims to love.

In the same vein, we see Jo Su-hee (Kim Sun-Young) receive her own dash of karma. After protesting in support of Seon-jae’s expulsion and being publicly embarrassed by Haeng-seon over it, she runs into her cheating husband with his lover at a restaurant. A video of her beating her husband goes viral, and she’s left scrambling to figure out the next steps. Su-ah (Kang Na-Eon) overhears a conversation between her parents about maintaining face so as not to distract her, which prompts her discussion with her mother later on, telling her that she’d be fine. Where Su-hee ends up by the series end is unsurprising, but it will also make you giggle due to Kim Sun-Young’s natural comedic flair.

Crash Course in Romance Episodes 15-16, most importantly, wraps up the romance storyline between Haeng-seon and Chiy-yeol, reminding us all why we stuck around. We see how they are strengthened after the final showdown with Dong-hee, with Haeng-seon refusing to allow Chiy-yeol to completely shut away. Even when a cheating scandal threatens to blow everything up, they see beyond the silliness, and both arrive at the same decision – bring forth the ring!

What has been the most rewarding part of this series (and the reason why I haven’t entirely tapped out) has been the natural ebb and flow of Haeng-seon and Chiy-yeol’s relationship. From clashing enemies to lovers to life partners, Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Kyung-ho showcase through their performances the subtle nature of romance as well as the maturity of coming into love at a later age. Their characters have been through so much prior to the series start, and by Crash Course in Romance Episodes 15-16, we’ve witnessed the trials they’ve experienced in the year or so the series covers. They have earned this.

It’s no secret that Crash Course in Romance has struggled in its journey. It has had an inconsistent flow and feel throughout, with its numerous different storylines. Begrudgingly, we see this all the way through to its final episodes. Despite everything, Crash Course in Romance Episodes 15-16 manages to wrap up all its storylines, albeit with some questionable ending points. What matters is that we get to see the romantic happy ending that many have been dying for.

The entire season of Crash Course in Romance is now available on Netflix. To read our overall thoughts on the series, check out our full-season review here.