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| Hwang Jung Eum as Bok Jae In and Kang Ji Hwan as Lee Cha Don |
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I loved Incarnation of Money. From the very beginning it was an exciting ride filled with laughter, action, and romance. The final episode was jam-packed with these features also. In the last episode everything comes to a head. The bad guys, Ji Se Gwang (Park Sang Min), Kwon Jae Gyu (Lee Ki Young), Eun Bi Ryung (Oh Yoon Ah), and Go Ho (Lee Seung Hyung), receive their punishment, and the good guys end up happy.
In a strange way, I was relieved that Ji Se Gwang remained evil and unrepentant all the way to the very end. I find it nauseating when the villain suddenly realizes they were wrong the whole time and then everyone becomes friends. If you've watched this final episode like I have then you'll know Ji Se Gwang was no where nearing becoming Lee Cha Don's (Kang Ji Hwan) chingu. Se Gwang was publicly outed as a murderer and nearly killed by his accomplice Kwon Jae Gyu when he made his last attempt to escape and finish his revenge by killing Cha Don (aka Lee Kang Seok). In the end Se Gwang was killed by poison administered by Bi Ryung just like Cha Don's father. Honestly, I felt a bit bad for Bi Ryung at the very end because she was just a dumb, materialistic woman who got caught in Se Gwang's trap.
Even though this drama's title alludes to the religion of those who worship money as god, I think the major ideological theme is about the fine line between righteousness and corruption. Many of the characters involved in the plot of the murder, and the sins that followed it in order to cover their tracks, were people who held power and the trust of the Korean population. It seems the deciding factor between one being righteous or corrupt is their ambition. How far is a person willing to go in order to obtain power and, thus, people's trust? Is that person looking to succeed for evil or selfish purposes (Se Gwang)? Or is he trying to find justice (Cha Don)? In this drama the root of the corruption is centered on one man (Se Gwang) while in reality it's not as simple. Generally corruption is a large-scale issue involving the morals of society. This is where money comes in. Because Cha Don's father treasured money more than people, the entire revenge plot began. Here's the kicker, though, Se Gwang ended up becoming more like Cha Don's father than Cha Don himself. Se Gwang lost sight of the importance of family, friends, and love and became a heartless man without a hope for redemption.
Now, on the lighter side, Cha Don and Bok Jae In (Hwang Jung Eum) were married in the end! God, I loved Jung Eum as Jae In. Instead of her normal ditsy character, Jae In transformed from a spoiled girl into a strong business woman. Cha Don, Jae In, and her mother were all able to learn what Se Gwang never could, the importance of people. Jae In loved Cha Don, but took care of her own problems regarding the business and her family. This drama proves that an OTP can be formed without the cliche falling-in-love scenes that too many Kdramas use. I currently have no negative criticism about this drama or it's final episode. The wedding in the end was a sweet union between a man who learned that through tragic events can come happiness and a woman who realized her own value as an equal to the man she loves.
