Our Blues ending explained: The anthology ends on a deeply moving note

Our Blues, partly an anthology series that aired weekly on tvN, has now come to an end, and it is on a note which leaves viewers moved and affected. The show has so far depicted the tales of the Peureung town of Jejudo. One by one, the audience learns about the individuals who make this village what it is, and their lives are put under the spotlight.

Through these people's lives, the show addresses issues that people face, and the topics range from teenage pregnancy to depression. The ways in which friendships are mended and what it takes to be a part of a working relationship is something that Our Blues depicts with beauty.

The relationship that gets explored in the span of 20 episodes of Our Blues is not limited to romance. There is one story about the dynamics between a terminally-ill mother and her son who has disowned her, and then there is one about fathers and their children. The fabric of this show is highly intriguing as it intersperses individual stories to fit a larger tapestry.

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Our Blues roots for reality and authenticity all across the series

In its treatment of relationships, especially that of a pregnant teenage daughter and her father, Our Blues emulates authenticity. It is not aided by melodrama, but the nuances of complex relationships shine through, thanks to solid writing. The show's screenplay, in particular, adds tremendous value to the overall treatment of the K-drama. The episodes are divided as if they were chapters in a book, and each chapter spotlights one relationship.

Even as this relationship takes center stage, a bit of the other relationships are teased on the sidelines. Audiences get a peek at what is to come while being engaged in the present. Each relationship ends with a sense of closure, which may not exactly be on the lines of a happily ever after, but it does bring peace to an otherwise restless mind.

Thoughts that have been buried for years — of mistrust and borderline hatred — surface in Our Blues, only to be resolved satisfactorily. As earlier registered, it is not all rainbows and clear skies. Take, for instance, Yeong-ok and Jeong-jun’s (Kim Woo-bin) love story. It had been clear from the beginning that the two were attracted to each other. However, certain rumors about her, and the incessant calls she would get hindered their relationship.

Truth does come to the surface in Our Blues, and it is nowhere close to what the village people had imagined. Yeong-ok has a twin sister with Down Syndrome, and all the money she earns as a haenyeo (sea woman who harvests oysters) goes towards taking care of her sister. Jeong-jun is a good man, and is also madly in love with the woman he has come to know over the days of their relationship.

He does his best to make Yeong-ok comfortable enough to let him interact with her sister and this instills trust. His parents also take his side and are empathetic toward her struggles, which ends up being extremely new for her. She is moved to tears by Jeong-jun and his family in Our Blues.

Then there is Ok-dong and Dong-seok — the mother-son duo — whose story concludes this show. Ok-dong’s husband and her eldest daughter died at sea after setting out to work as sea men and women.

In a moment of desperation in Our Blues and in need of providing food and shelter for her son Dong-seok, she decides to move in with a man as his mistress. This man’s wife is unwell, and Dong-seok’s mother takes care of her and her two sons. All this while, he is bullied by the sons, and his mother too distances herself from him. He is hurt by her, and this transforms into hatred well into her old age. The conflicts in their relationship are addressed in the present after Dong-seok learns that his mother has a terminal illness.

He opens up about his struggles with her in Our Blues, and she does too after initial hesitation. The resulting conversation tugs at the heartstrings because it doesn’t glorify toxic parenting but seeks an apology for it. It doesn’t negate the struggles of a young man, but addresses his trauma, to heal him in the hopes of a better future.