A quarter beautiful, a quarter encouraging and a quarter uplifting – Thirty Nine took us to the most heartfelt definition of friendship that respects and endures.
Inherently capable of an expressive narrative, the top-notch portrayals of the characters coupled with its beautifully poignant story make the series one of the best Korean dramas about love and friendship.
- Main Cast: Son Ye Jin | Jeon Mi Do | Kim Ji Hyun | Yeon Woo Jin | Lee Mu Saeng | Lee Tae Hwan |
- Streaming Site: Netflix
- Overall Rating:
- Romance/Healing/Addictive Meter:
- Rewatch Value:
- Dramas of Similar Vibe: Fantastic | It’s Okay That’s Love |
abbyinhallyuland watches Thirty Nine on Netflix
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03| 04| 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | Final Episode + Series Review |
Thirty Nine Episode 12 Key Moments
The inevitable arrives for Chan-young. Before that, she has made sure to settle everything before her departure – for her parents and her best friends.
Giving a list to Mi-jo of friends she should contact when she passes away, Chan-young heartbreakingly gets a surprise to meet them before she crosses the afterlife.
Life goes on for the loved ones she left behind. Her friends and lover continue to visit her parents. They also meet up to enjoy good food. Joo-hee and Hyun-jun move into a romantic relationship while Mi-jo and Sun-woo are set to get married.
Thirty Nine Plot Recap
Friends, since they were 18, Cha Mi-jo (Son Ye Jin), Jung Chan-young (Jeon Mi Do) and Jang Joo-hee (Kim Ji Hyun), have shared beautiful moments together. However, an inevitable separation happens when Chan-young was diagnosed to be terminally ill.
While spending the numbered days of being together, they also come to terms to find love and pursue personal dreams and closures.
Thirty Nine Series Peak Points
A Realistic Picture of Lifetime Friendship
As you get older, the saying that your circle gets smaller holds true in Thirty Nine. In this series, we meet a character whose life changed in a single deafening instant. Instead of wallowing in despair, together with her best friends, she embarks on a project to be the “happiest terminally ill person.”
Endearing friendship memory flashbacks seamlessly blend with the present concern of the trio. It further fortifies their strong bond tested by time and secured by beautiful memories.
Notably, the friendship story highlighted not just explored their growth together, but how becoming part of each other brought out the best of them as a person.
From a simple friendship story, the strength of the series was magnified by the cast. The storytelling chronicles the unadulterated emotions of the characters in the story. Impressively, the layered humor also helped cushioned the expected agony.
Profound Lessons On Love, Career and Life
Albeit targeting middle-aged viewers, Thirty Nine brims with encouraging lessons that youth can benefit from. It’s the kind of drama that would give you different realizations if you watch it at different stages of your life.
When a story drives faint negativity, it is easy to digest its value. In the narrative, the disappointing notes are pictured to deliver strong messages.
Accordingly, the series intersperses lessons on self-worth – on claiming inner peace that the three featured friends rightfully claimed and deserved.
Just like how Mi-jo stands by her decision of letting go of a blood relationship that disappoints. Choosing to return the blessing of being included to her loving adopted family is a reality that there are family bonds worth giving up for a person to be happy.
On that note, her relationship with Sun-woo which was disapproved by his father leaves another pondering point about marriage. In an age where marriage considerations are plenty, family approval must not be a cause for a couple in love to reconsider.
Joo-hee and Hyun-jun represent an inspiring sketch of how owning a personal dream might take a while to happen. Sometimes, it might force us to give up something important or go for a life-changing decision. Nevertheless, the reward is worth the wait.
Lastly, Chan-young and Jin-seok revolutionized the “vague relationship” label with their utmost devotion to one another.
Heartfelt Character Portrayals
Emotionally gripping in their roles, the main cast of Thirty Nine remarkably brought to life a stellar script. Owning their characters well and marking moments that viewers can resonate with. It’s hard not to notice the nuanced portrayals of the entire cast, especially in those quiet scenes packed with agony.
The series brings you to multiple episodes of crying mess. The kind that you would belatedly notice because you are so immersed in the story, but you’ll feel the tears silently pouring on your face. With a superb and talented cast pairing, viewers were gifted with heart-rending moments that also emphasized meaningful lessons.
In particular, the series is strong in sketching heartbreaking scenarios in a simple setting but with affecting lines.
Thirty Nine has not vaunted heavy crying scenes, but you can feel the genuine emotions in the harrowing scenes. One perfect example is that scene when Mi-jo and Chan-young found each other at the subway station and trace back how their friendship has since grown.
Similarly, Jin-suk has quite a few emotional scene-stealing moments worth applauding in the story.
Thirty Nine Series Musings
Running a heartening afterglow that coursed through the story, Thirty Nine loops in your mind and is definitely an inspiring memory.
While incorporating concerns common for middle-aged people, its funneled narrative to the weight of friendship in one’s life makes the story an ideal healing series.
Mi-jo’s internal pain being an adopted daughter sheds light on how we normally encounter inner conflicts of achieving whole happiness. Despite having a successful career and loving friends and family, she goes through episodes that she can never be enough.
Thankfully, she acknowledged the fact that she can never be fully happy and content in life. A ruminative lesson that we can all learn from because there’s no such thing as complete happiness.
Through Chan-young’s story, viewers were given a subtle pondering moment about what to be done when face with the same predicament. Her decision to not prolong the agony and live the little time she has to the fullest with her loved ones reminds us to be grateful for the given time for us to share our presence as a blessing.
Meanwhile, Joo-hee, represented an employee who emancipated herself from toxic work. Dauntless that she will start a career life in her 40s, she committed to her decision. She becomes her own boss and enjoys her own work.
A Celebration of Life’s Shining Moments
Time, as we grow older, seems to run never enough to our own busy days. Placing paramount emphasis on friendship, this series also ruminates on making the most out of the time that we have to lead a happy meaningful journey with our loved ones.
Aptly choosing the age range of the late 30s to 40s to be an important phase in one’s life, this drama is a great recommendation to share not just with middle-aged people but with young adults too.
It gives a resounding message that prioritizing care for our health and well-being is also showing how much we love the special people in our lives.
Ultimately, we truly had a K-Drama gift witnessing the stories of the characters in Thirty Nine. Taking a tamed but poignant narrative route, the series taught a lot about patience and compassion.
In the shared highs and lows of Mi-jo, Chan-young and Joo-hee; we were reminded of the gift of friendship and family.
Photos: JTBC
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