We’ve finally reached the end! It seems like my life got shortened by two years from watching this show. This D-Day sign made me feel both relieved and sad that the show was ending, that Jang Taesan’s journey of suffering was finally ending, for better or worse. Overall, I was very pleased with this show and it’s definitely going into my list of Top 10 Kdramas. The top-notch acting, great writing with twists and turns in every episode, plus the nice balance of action and emotional scenes in this show make this worth a rewatch. Oh, and how could I forget the sizzling, fluffy cotton-candy, “awww”-inducing chemistry of this year’s unlikely kdrama couple — Soojin and Taesan!
My verdict:
Overall: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
[Warning, spoilers ahead!]
Some thoughts…
I think amongst the 3 villains, Moon Ilseok’s character was the most well written from start to finish. We have a very complete picture of Moon Ilseok as a character — we get a glimpse of his past. how he managed to become the powerful mob boss he is today, his proud and vengeful personality, his fluctuating level of intelligence that ranges from stupidity in emergency situations to moments of intellectual brilliance when he is able to sit down and think in the comfort of his office. Even the events leading to his downfall and his eventual punishment were well written and satisfying. In the last two episodes, we see Boss Moon being forced to go on the run, and he looked momentarily lost and panicky like how Taesan did in the earlier episodes. It is clearly not easy to stay calm and think logically when one is on the run, and for a story about a fugitive, I think this drama really demonstrated this point very well. It was satisfying to see Boss Moon get a taste of his own medicine and go through what Taesan had experienced. Even seeing Boss Moon getting shocked by Taesan’s sudden appearances were oddly hilarious. Strangely, I felt kind of sorry for him at the end even though he deserved it. Maybe because I did not expect the writer to deal him with such a severe lifelong injury as punishment besides a prison sentence. His final scene where his corn got stolen by an inmate was really karmic comeuppance delivered in a subtle yet satisfying way. I admit that I had totally missed out this detail when I was watching the episode and I only realised the significance of that scene after reading the Dramabeans recap. So a big thumbs up to the writer for including that scene.
Moon’s shocked expressions made me LOL
As for the other two villains (Killer Kim and Jo Seo Hee), I felt that their characters weren’t as properly fleshed out. I wish they had explained more as to how Killer Kim came to work under Boss Moon, and if he could remember his childhood moments with his dad, how did he end up becoming a killer? At least the resolution to his character was somewhat logical. As for Jo Seo Hee, she was always painted as the Big Bad formidable villain from the start, but the events leading to her arrest seemed rather simplistic and lacked the punch. The evidence linking her to the auction and drug dealings seemed kind of weak. How about the memory chip from the original camera? Since the police discovered Boss Moon’s secret basement room, did they managed to retrieve the memory chip that Taesan had wanted to steal?
I was surprised that all the villains were brought to justice within the first 30mins of the last episode, which made me wonder if a hired killer was going to pump in that last fatal bullet into Jang Taesan at the last minute. Thankfully that did not happen. All the relationship stuff were nicely wrapped up in the remaining half hour, although the lack of action made the episode move considerably slower. But how could I complain about having those precious happy scenes of Jang Taesan and his family? I was all prepared for some deaths in the final hour, so I’m really happy that all the good guys survived and got their own happy ending, albeit an open-ended one.
After watching several Lee Junki dramas, I’ve come to expect open endings for his shows, and Two Weeks is no exception. The good (and bad) thing about open endings is that they are subjected to many different interpretations and the viewer is free to choose the preferred one. The show could have ended with Taesan and family sleeping together in the tent, but why was that final scene of him walking and Soojin calling out to him from behind included? I think the beauty of the final scene is that it made a big difference to the ending despite being barely 5 seconds long. This show is not one to include unnecessary scenes that do not serve a purpose, so what could be the writer’s intention to include that final scene? My initial interpretation was: Taesan is walking out of the campsite the next morning, but Soojin calls out to him from behind telling him not to leave, so he decides to stay behind and not leave after all. But on second thought, this seemed too simplistic, so here is my final conclusion of the ending: Taesan is embarking on a long journey (the tree-lined road seems to have no end) to become a better man and father. The Soojin that called out to him is a figment of his imagination. Just like how Imaginary Soojin was always there for him during his dark, lonely moments while on the run, Imaginary Soojin will continue to be his beacon of light and hope as he embarks on this new journey. Although apart, his family will always be there rooting for him, and they will be welcoming him back with open arms when he returns.
A new journey! How about a sequel?
Daegorr 
Two weeks was equally adorable and thrilling….loved every bit of it 🙂
Yes! It’s unique in many ways too, and it’s the first time I’m seeing a kdrama where the father-child relationship is the main focus. I’ll definitely be rewatching this drama.
They did such a good job keeping the pace up all the way through to Boss Moon’s capture. (I agree he was the most fleshed out villain. Jo was the least. And, frankly, Kim could do with his own drama to answer all the questions there — though it’d be a bleak one, I think.)
And then came the quiet after the storm where everything’s resolved but not too tightly. I really liked it. 🙂 I like your interpretation of the final shot. Tae-san’s walking to a bright future, but Su-jin (and In-hye) are right behind him, giving him support. As far as I’m concerned, they’ll be a happy family together in no time.
This was such a fun watch! 😀