What Happened in the Start-Up Finale
And the friends we made on the way
The following is a spoiler-filled discussion of the Start-Up finale, proceed at your own risk.
Netflix’s Start-Up came to a close today, and the finale has left many people, including myself, with feelings of disappointment and wasted potential.
Dalmi spends episode 15 picking tarot cards and asking for advice on whether she and Cheongmyeong Company should submit a bid for The City of Seonju’s Smart City project.
Jipyeong and Dosan get into a bit of an argument regarding the situation, and they bring up the recurring “sailing off without a map” concept. Dosan claims that sailing off without a map is wonderful, in reference to Dalmi’s letter to Jipyeong. Jipyeong, who believes that sailing off without a map would get you killed, tells Dalmi that submitting a bid would be a waste of time and energy.
Dalmi decides to hear Dosan out, leaving Jipyeong standing alone.
Episode 16 begins with a revelation: the twins were the ones who planned the ransomware attack on Cheongmyeong Company.
They go into an interview with a reporter, orchestrated by Morning Group, who asks them about the situation ahead of their bid.
Han Jipyeong, upon hearing the news of the reporter, rushes over to Sandbox’s meeting room in order to save them from embarrassment. He is too late, but Dalmi has it covered. It is here that he seemingly realizes that she doesn’t need his help anymore… or does she?
The final move for Cheongmyeong Company, then, is to search for investors and expand.
To bring everything full circle, Injae goes to Yoon Seonhak of SH Venture Capital. There Yoon decides that her company will propose an investment themselves, only, she wants Han Jipyeong to propose it himself.
He reluctantly gives an offer to Dosan. Dosan, who realizes that this is finally a legitimate offer from the investor, happily accepts.
After betting various things on the decision of the bid, including a shaved head and a proposal, they come out victorious against all odds.
With the love triangle finally closed, and many tears shed, Start-Up comes to an end.
The love triangle may have had a resolution, but I cannot help but question it.
Especially in the scene with the rainbow where Dalmi and Dosan are bickering about basing your actions on superstitions or facts, Dalmi realizes that because Dosan doesn’t think in the same way she does, and can be the facts-focused brains of her operation, he can fulfil her dream of making the world a better place, where she can dream freely.
This is, perhaps, the biggest inconsistency in the drama. Dalmi repeatedly changes her mind on her beliefs, despite asserting that she has never regretted a decision. Why then, after the time jump, did she decide to be more careful in where she takes her business only to come right back to being impulsive?
If “sailing off without a map” is the moral, then this really isn’t a business drama. What sort of advice is that? Go forth in business even if you know very well it is a waste of time and energy.
I am aware that it wasn’t actually a waste for the leads in the end, but what was the message, then? That you shouldn’t stick to your beliefs if they are based on superstitions?
The drama’s attitude toward love is the most weak of all. The leads have almost no chemistry and very little in common. Dosan doesn’t understand Dalmi and the way she dreams. When he gets caught up in his insecurities, even after Jipyeong tells him to give up his insecurities and go to Dalmi, he asks Dalmi what she likes about him. She can’t even answer, but instead they share a kiss.
What was interesting about this drama was the business background and the potential for a mind-blowing twist in the love triangle. Both were left in the name of mediocre chemistry and wavering minds.
I did not know where this was going at any point in this journey. For better or for worse.
This drama has left far more questions than answers. The writing was incredibly inconsistent, and started off with the potential to say something very interesting and exciting about following your dreams and love. These two topics are commonly covered in K-dramas, especially, but somehow the writer took this and created something far more immature and naive than could’ve been imagined.
While I have many criticisms concerning the writing of the drama, I really do have to commend the set design and the OST for holding the drama together.
Sandbox looked like the cool start-up land of my dreams. It added a fun personality to the story and held up on its own as the center for most of the events of the drama. The combination of contemporary abstract art, neon signs, brightly colored glass, and a swinging animation served as a constant, uplifting reminder of what is possible.
The OST for the drama included the bright Future by Red Velvet and the beautiful Day & Night by Jung Seung Hwan. I always love hearing Ailee’s OSTs, and Blue Bird is no exception.
As far as the acting goes, I personally did not believe the leads had chemistry, however I do think that there are positive things to be said for the actors.
As someone who dearly appreciates Bae Suzy’s charm in her acting, I was slightly disappointed. She made me hate her character in a way I can only respect. I never once understood what Seo Dalmi was thinking, and unfortunately I think that the poor development of her character held Bae Suzy back.
Nam Joohyuk took a one dimensional character and clearly did everything he could to bring more to the table. While I especially did not like the way Nam Dosan was written, Nam Joohyuk consistently made me feel for his character even when my mind told me not to.
Kang Hanna didn’t get as much screen time as I had hoped, but, in the little she did get, she shined. Her portrayal of Won Injae was something to look forward to. I only wish her character could have been explored more.
Finally Kim Seonho, the obvious star of the Start-Up fandom, blew me away. His portrayal of Han Jipyeong is one of the biggest redeeming qualities of the show, and is probably the only reason I would recommend it to anyone. He gave so much emotion and complexity to his character, and it really caused the viewers to love and root for him even though he was destined to stay on the sidelines.
Many Twitter fan accounts, Tumblr users, and Redditors, often coming from a love of Kim Seonho himself, developed theories on their respective platforms. These theories gave an immense amount of depth and feeling to the places the writer left without thought.
The greatest amount of excitement I felt while watching this drama was in the possibility of these theories, even if the possibility was only 1%.
There are so many amazingly thoughtful theories to read on the internet, comment your favorites if you like; I truly love reading them.
My favorite part of watching every episode was reading what people had to say on Twitter. I felt like, for the first time in my years of watching K-dramas, I have found a community that I love and am excited to connect with for future dramas.
It is a sadness that we didn’t see any of these theories come to fruition, but the friends we made along the way may just be the greatest joy to come out of Start-Up.
