No Gain No Love finale, episode 12 review: Shin Min-ah and Kim Young-dae’s show ends on a bittersweet note

Story:

Hae-yeong is still in mourning, when she pushes Ji-uk away. He moves out of Korea, till years later, they reunite. While they try to figure out their love life, Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon’s story also moves forward.

Review:

Episode 12 of No Gain No Love begins with as much grief as the last episode ended on. Shin Min-ah's Hae-yeong and Kim Young-dae's Ji-uk are in mourning. Their eyes, followed by the flashbacks this episode brings, works well for the series.

Hui-seong (Joo Min-kyung) and Han Ji-hyun's Ja-yeon join in, and everything that follows is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Min-kyung as Hui-seong really wins you over in the scene. Of course, Hae-yeong and Ji-uk also share a heartwarming moment there. With it, the finale begins.

The start of the finale episode is slow, and even if slightly beautiful, the scene drags on longer than required. The drama created from Hae-yeong's side when it comes to her relationship with Ji-uk makes this drama a painstaking watch.

The scene shifts at random but brings in a much-needed change to the show. The scene involves Lee Sang-yi's Gyu-hyun with his team, including Go-wook's U-jae.

Hae-yeong's sudden appearance is confusing but still delightful. Ms. Eun-young (Kim Hye-hwa) is just as amazing as always, even in her brief appearance. A big revelation related to Ji-uk is made after. This comes as a huge surprise.

Master Jang (Yoon Seo-hyun) appears, but Bok Gyu-hyun breaks him off. Of course, Ji-uk shines brighter among them. This is just one among the many confusing things we see in this episode.

Choi Jin-ho as Bok Ki-ho appears briefly and leaves you delighted, but when the scene between Master Jang and him is the one that will get you rolling on the floor laughing. Not just that, Jeong-a (Lee Il-hwan)'s savage behaviour in front of her husband will surely make you chuckle again. Il-hwan is amazing in the episode. She is power itself, and the turn her character takes is just how you would like this character to unfold.

Flashbacks are what work best with this episode, but they are overused for one episode. The finale plays around, back-and-forth in time. The concept gets too distracting, especially when there's a lot of uncertainty about what really went down in the time period.

Hui-seong thinking and behaving like Hae-yeong in a pivotal scene comes as a welcomed surprise. Heo Jeong-min's appearance as Yoon Tae-hyeong is equally fun. His character is super adorable, even if the actor is only fairly good in his role.

Secretary Yeo (Lee You-jin) has a whole new avatar and it's his best he has looked throughout the series. You will never guess why is he the way he is. When you get to know who is the reason behind his makeover though, the story becomes clearer.

In Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon's story, while he gets insulted from his parents and a blind date, she is out to build her career. Like you slightly expected, Ja-yeon becomes central to the story. She faces two heartbreaks at once. For one though, there's a lot that happens without them actually saying the words. Han Ji-hyun nails the scene through her actions. Of course, the focus with camera angles all work in her favour. Their love story takes a funny turn but the two are still as adorable.

Hae-yeong in her 'end it' phase with her sisters is absolute love. Even then, Ji-uk ends up becoming important. Kim Young-dae leaves a huge impact with his appearance later. Him speaking in English is as adorable as him overall. The mystery around Ji-uk is played well, and helps build the character from the future.

The scene of Hae-yeong and Secretary Yeo with Gyu-hyun comes at the perfect time, for it makes you laugh out loud. Their actions elevate the scene to a whole new level.

Hae-yeong did what she originally set out to do, and the journey was too long, to say the least. Her expressions in the scene is exactly how you feel.

Sang-yi wins you over as Gyu-hyun throughout the episode. Whether with Hae-yeong, her sister Ja-yeon or even him claiming back his power in front of his parents, he's a darling to them all (setting couple goals too).

The locations selected for the episode bring a lot to the scene with Sang-yi and Ji-hyung's chemistry already taking the limelight. And there's a sweet proposal you did not exactly see coming. With that, Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon set off for a spin-off of their love story.

Ji-uk and Hae-yeong reunion is one filled with mixed emotions and uncertainty. There's a lot of pain involved with the two, and both the actors express it perfectly. Hae-yeong revealing the truth behind the one aspect that connects them is a scene well-built.

Ji-uk and Hae-yeong eventually bring a lot of warmth but with a lot of pain. And it is a happy ending for them, but with happy-and-sad tears to accompany you.

Verdict:

No Gain No Love did deviate a lot from what it set off to be. While all the actors perform well, the script did not give them the opportunity to shine as much as they should have for a finale episode. All hopes are now on the spin-off series featuring Bok Gyu-hyun and Ja-yeon’s love story.