Finale of ‘Descendants’ ends short of expected ratings
SEOUL: It didn’t end at the much expected percentage after all the buzz it generated, especially in China.
The season finale of the runaway hit drama Descendants of the Sun on Thursday was watched by 38.8 per cent of viewers in South Korea, yesterday’s data showed.
The result was just 1.2 percentage points shy of the much anticipated 40 per cent mark. Reaching it would have made the show the first weeknight series to do so in the country since Moon Embracing the Sun in 2012.
In Seoul, where the show has been more popular, 44.2 per cent of viewers tuned in Thursday night, data by Nielsen Korea showed.
In the 16th and final episode, Dr Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) reunites with Army Capt. Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki), who went missing a year ago and had been presumed dead, in Uruk, the fictional war-torn country where they worked as a volunteer doctor and the captain of the South Korean special forces, respectively.
“You should come find me in your next life,” Kang says at the end, to which Yoo replies, “I promise.”
Meanwhile, the cast worn by Yoo in the drama turned out to be actor Song Joong-ki’s real-life injury, according to local media outlets.
Song was injured during filming for the drama on Nov. 23, 2015. The injury left him with a fracture on his right arm along with a cruciate ligament rupture which needed eight weeks of recovery.
In the 13th episode of the drama aired last Wednesday, Yoo was severely wounded from a gunshot and was hospitalised. Even after being discharged from the hospital, Yoo continued to wear a cast on his right arm.
The cast may have simply looked like a prop used to make the drama seem more realistic. However, it was actually a reallife cast of the actor.
Reportedly, Song returned to the filming scene in only two weeks, managing to complete the 15th and 16th episodes of the drama on time.