REVIEW: ‘Tastefully Yours’ Episodes 9-10

Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 rightfully pivot the plot back to the Hansang family restaurant drama. With these being the series’ final episodes, there’s a notable absence of Mo Yeon-joo (Go Min-si) while she grapples with her feelings post-Episode 8. Han Beom-woo (Kang Ha-neul) must contend with the emotional aftermath of the truth bomb that got dropped, and, because his mother cares only for business, he must scramble to save Yeon-joo’s restaurant after a pivotal revelation makes it a target for his mother’s ire.

From a romance timeline viewpoint, Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 is best summed up as the aftermath of the “Crisis” point, where the two leads lick their wounds before coming back together. This takes longer for Yeon-joo, rightfully so, since she was dealt with a major betrayal. She spends the first half of Episode 9 distracted, making rather egregious mistakes in the kitchen. Jin Myeong-sook (Kim Shin-rok) helps her save face, catching the mistakes before anything serious happens, but Yeon-joo realizes she needs time away from cooking.

As for Beom-woo, he retreats to Hansang, where the company’s three-star victory runs hollow. In exile from the company, he’s learned about the human side of cooking. In pursuing the growth of the company and seeking his mother’s love (which, frankly, never comes), he forgot the people behind Hansang’s success. That is, until he met Yeon-joo, Myeong-sook, and Shin Chun-seung (Yoo Su-bin), and learned more about the heart behind cooking. Knowing this, his decision to continue to reject the company has firmer footing.

The Hansang company, mostly Han Yeo-ui (On Min-ae), loses a lot in Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10. The coveted three-star ranking and the exclusivity of being the only Korean restaurant with that ranking are lost due to the impact Yeon-joo’s cooking had on the Editor-in-Chief (Xavier Liaudet) of the Cooking Guide, who also awards her restaurant the three stars. Yeo-ui tries to salvage things with a mighty promotional cook-off to determine the real winner, but it blows up in her face.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 features growth for all, even if somewhat diluted.

This opportunity, orchestrated by her, also proves how far Myeong-sook and Chun-seung have come. Their growth throughout the series has been subtle, but they both get a chance to see the results of their hard work in Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10. With Yeon-joo still missing and given little time to prepare, Myeong-sook takes on the chef role in the competition and excels, with Chun-seung’s and Beom-woo’s encouragement. Had Yeo-ui played fair, Myeong-sook’s cooking would be proven three-star worthy.

Chun-seung’s core desire as a character is to win his father’s approval. Through his time working away from his father’s restaurant, he has cultivated his skill set in brewing Makgeolli. He’s been able to test what customers like and dislike while working for Yeon-joo. With cameras rolling during the competition and his father, one of the influencers invited to participate in the show, Chun-seung gets his moment to shine and gets the approval he craves. It’s heartwarming, with Yoo Su-bin’s highly expressive face hammering the moment home.

While all this is happening, Yeon-joo spends most of Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 back at the temple. It’s a much-needed break, giving her time to process. However, considering the time left in the series, the time spent with her in this location is longer than necessary. The absence gives time to spend with other characters, but this series forgets it’s on limited time. And her absence is felt, particularly as things barrel toward their end.

However, when she does move away from the temple, Yeon-joo’s answers about Beom-woo, his upbringing, and such allow her to compartmentalize enough to return to the restaurant. Here, it becomes painfully clear that Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10’s strongest components are when it focuses back on the competition with Hansang. In general, the series benefits greatly from the Hansang storyline, since it is integral to many character storylines, and this focus hammers how much time has been wasted on more distracting plot pivots in previous episodes.

Go Min-si’s absence is noticeable and honed in on the weakness of the series.

That said, Yeon-joo proves the superiority of her cooking to Yeo-ui in a direct challenge after the Hansang owner refuses to accept defeat. Taking what she has learned about Yeo-ui, which the audience is also shown in flashbacks, Yeon-joo pieces together a meal for a family. It’s another touching moment, almost breaking Yeo-ui’s steely resolve, but she’s too professional for that. It is a meal that ultimately saves Yeon-joo and her business.

From here, Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 sees everyone’s storyline receive some resolution. It’s almost an immediate drop from the dramatic competition, making it seem less like a finale and more like the end of an arc. However, closure is mostly achieved. For chef Jang Young-hye (Hong Hwa-yeon), doubt over her abilities and skills has plagued her throughout the series. Even after acquiring the coveted three-star ranking, it was due to a recipe that wasn’t hers. She quits Motto and strikes out on her own, accompanied by Lee Yu-jin (Bae Yoo-ram).

Beom-woo’s brother, Han Sun-woo (Bae Na-ra), at least, better understands his mother’s and brother’s motivations. Rather than being on opposing sides, their union in Episode 10’s final moments is a nice touchstone. However, given how little time is spent with Sun-woo during the series, a bit more development throughout would have helped add extra dimension and depth to this character’s development. It’s okay as is, but could have been developed further.

As for our couple, Yeon-joo hashes it out with Beom-woo, and then things seem okay. It honed in on the couple’s maturity level, and the conversation is short once Yeon-joo gets a moment to have it. However, it’s too brief a moment for Beom-woo and viewers to let it sink in. The conclusion moves on to a series of final updates that are typical for the genre but ultimately fail to satisfy.

With less time for character beats, Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 prove the series needed more episodes.

One of those final updates is a fun nod to Weak Hero Class 2, which Yoo Su-bin and Bae Na-ra were in, when Park Ji-hoon’s Eun-jae pops into Chun-seung’s father’s restaurant. There’s a delightfully tense stare-off between the two after Chun-seung asks what high school Eun-jae attended. Traces of Ji-hoon’s Weak Hero character, Si-eun, come out in his gaze until the moment passes. It’s a nice Easter Egg moment in an otherwise so-so conclusion of scenes.

Shorter episode orders are becoming more common with KDramas. It’s a shame because, like other TV shows, you can always see what gets sacrificed to accommodate the shorter length. In the case of Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10, while it follows a pretty standard, by-the-book romance formula, the shorter episode and runtime count result in less time with the characters, making some of the final episodes’ moments resonate less strongly. Which is a shame since a lot of Tastefully Yours is supported by its strong cast.

And so, with Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 mostly taking Yeon-joo away and secluding her, it is a missed opportunity with little time to catch up and see the romance develop past its crisis point,. With another episode or two, writer Jung Soo-yeon could have fleshed out a stronger reconciliation moment for the lovebirds. Ultimately, this could have made the ‘happily ever after‘ better. Unfortunately, it’s a somewhat loose bookend moment instead.

Tastefully Yours Episodes 9-10 doesn’t feel like a finale despite being one. The storyline reads more like the end of an arc rather than a complete stop. While our two lovebirds reconcile and get back together, the delivery is underwhelming and unimpressive. Had it not been for the strength of its cast, the series may not have been worth it.

All episodes of Tastefully Yours are streaming now exclusively on Netflix. 

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