Happily Ever After
Dinner Mate hasn’t always had the smoothest rides and the middle portion of this series in particular has really suffered from some tonally confusing melodrama. Having said that though, the final two episodes bring everything back to those feel-good vibes, rounding things out with a lovely conclusion and a satisfying finish for every character. The season finale of Dinner Mate begins with Hae-Kyung feeling pain in his ribs midway through kissing Do-Hee. Sensing her dinner mate is in pain, Do-Hee tells him to get some rest. After tucking him into bed, she agrees to stay for 10 more minutes until he falls asleep. Not long after, she stays at A-Young’s house where she reveals that Keanu has left and they’re no longer together. In the morning, A-Young focuses fully on work and demands some proposals for new material from her workers. Do-Hee manages to slip away for long enough though to drive with Hae-Kyung to her Mother’s house where they discuss what will happen in the future if they’re to get married. The conversation then turns to Do-Hee’s Mother and how she believes it’ll be “exhausting” for him if she ends up liking him. Eventually they arrive and Do-Hee talks to her Mother privately about their relationship. With Hae-Kyung and Do-Hee’s story rehearsed beforehand, the duo nervously try and guide their way through this minefield without being caught out. She clearly suspects something more though, especially when Hae-Kyung lets slip that they visited Jeju Island in the past. In the aftermath of this rocky dinner, Hae-Kyung talks to Byeong-Jin at the clinic about his fears that Do-Hee’s Mother hates him. While he contemplates his next move, Do-Hee heads home and talks to her Mother about her relationship. After what we’ve seen in the past, No-Eul turns a corner and ends up doing a photography shoot with Jun-Woo, hopeful for a new beginning. Speaking of new beginnings, Jae-Hyeok returns home and tells No-Eul that she looks good. As we see from a flashback, he and Keanu finally patch up their differences and allow both of them to finally turn a corner. Hae-Kyung and Do-Hee run into Keanu while out walking and they sit and have dinner with him at a nearby restaurant. Midway through eating, A-Young arrives and Do-Hee guides her into the room. She and Hae-Kyung quickly bolt, leaving the duo alone to walk down the street together. Back at 2N Box, Im So-Ra finally realizes who her secret admirer is and looks at Producer Park in a different light as he gets her another coffee. When Hae-Kyung arrives there, not long after speaking to Do-Hee’s mother, he’s clearly nervous about what he intends to do. Do-Hee takes him up onto the roof where he asks outright if she’ll marry him. Thankfully, she says yes. She’s not the only one getting married either and with the whole group gathered together, Keanu and A-Young announce that they’re married. This gets our cute couple thinking about the future and as they sit together and eat by the shore-side, they both agree to eat dinner with each other every night, which is where the episode – and series – ends. Thankfully Dinner Mate brings it all together at the end to produce a pretty satisfying finale. All of our characters had good endings, including A-Young and Keanu who finally seal the deal and get married. No-Eul and Jae-Hyeok predictably look like they’re about to get into a relationship together too while Do-Hee and Hae-Kyung are now ready for the next chapter in their lives with a happily-ever-after finish. While it’s unlikely to be regarded as one of the best dramas of the year, there’s enough here to enjoy nonetheless and Dinner Mate bows out with an ending well worth waiting for.
