[REVIEW] SBS' Rooftop Prince - Final episode

Capture image from SBS' Rooftop Prince's last episode [SBS]

The world of "Rooftop Prince" is undescribable solely with logic and common sense. This is not just because the story revolves around the time-slip theme. As if the show is succeeding the typical format of trendy dramas in the 1990s, every character in the show was given clear roles that represent either the good or the bad. With this dichotomy way of portraying the characters, "Rooftop" gave more power to the main characters by controlling the bad guys' greed. As the story continues to near the second half, the evil characters began to rave with fury to lead to a more dramatic storyline. The secret behind birth, which was a crucial key to explain what has been happening in the present time, lost the meaning on the course of the drama's run and Hong Sena's (played by Jung Yu-mi) behaviors were left unexplained. In the earlier part of the drama, meanwhile, Lee Gak's three courtiers seemed like they are going to show their own lifestyles once moving into the 21st century. However, the three were used as comical elements in the story and soon, were all achieving their dreams, like becoming an actor or writer, in such a short period of time. These all show that the drama has followed the path of easily telling a story.

Despite all that, what made the drama's last episode near-perfect was the producers' sense of comedy and the ending that has been predicted from the Joseon Dynasty's scene. The mystery that was left unanswered was an explanation to the characters' reincarnation and the grounds for romantic relationships, as well as the answer to the overall event. Lee Gak (Park Yuchun), who held Park Ha (Han Ji-min) tight with a photo from their vacation, comforted her with a letter from 300 years ago. In a world where love needs to be proved and checked, "Rooftop" tells people how to love someone with memories and trust. Thus, it is meaningless to guess whether Park Ha's true love is Yong Tae-young who replaces Lee Gak, or 'the' Yong Tae-young who has the memory of the crown prince. Park Ha's love exists in the whole process until she marries Lee Gak and as long as she believes that memory is true, her love will not go anywhere. Without any intervention of historical events or a child being born between the couple, this becomes Lee Gak's way of repaying Bu-young for her love. This seems just about right to make an elegant and responsible ending for the series. It has been a long time to see a drama like this to stick strong to the show's message till the last episode.

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