What Happens At The End Of Meteor Garden 2018?

If you haven't watched Meteor Garden (2018) yet, turn away now.
…
You were warned.

So, I made it to the final episode! Episode 49 (on UK Netflix, although it's episode 50 elsewhere, not sure why I only have 49 episodes to watch but the same content, If anyone knows please let me know). I was trying to sparingly watch the last five episodes after a binge last weekend. But I watched three last night and the last one this morning, so that didn't work.

Anyway, I saw online that a lot of people struggled with the ending of this series. Some thought it was confusing, others didn't like it. However, I like analysing shows, so here is my analysis of what happened in the final episode, and hopefully it'll be of interest to some of you. I actually liked the ending, and here's why.

We are going to start with an analysis of the end of Episode 48 which ties into the start of the final episode.

The End Is Near | Episode 48 (UK Netflix)

So, after the montage of the Daoming empire building up Si's new business initiative, we see Shancai go to see Lei before he leaves. Only the building is shut and on the phone, she is told that Lei left yesterday and she broke up with Si. She turns around, goes to run off but runs into an old man before fainting.

Here's my take on this.

• This is a plan F4 have come up with all along, Lei isn't actually leaving yet, but it was a chance for them to get Shancai into a place where she could be tricked into being knocked out (by the old man who she walked into who was probably an associate of F4).
• I reckon they were planning this alongside the new business proposals.

She wakes up in a random room in a wedding dress.

• Si is then there, acting like old Si, so Shancai can see how he has changed. This is also a homage to their origin.
• This is all about Shancai choosing. Si has always pursued her and now he wants Shancai to make a public choice.
• It's exactly like the time he forced her to admit her love for him, by faking memory loss.
• Shancai also never actually said yes to marrying him. So this is his way of pushing her to do that because she is too shy and reserved to say the words that she wants to say in her head.

Si's sister Zhuang then does a dance to Bishop Brigg's River.

• This is an expression of the world that Shancai is about to enter. A world full of powerful businesswomen like Daoming Zhuang, Daoming Feng and Xiao. But could you imagine Daoming Feng doing that dance…………………… *shudder*.
• She is showing Shancai her future with Si through the dance. That she needs to be a powerful woman as part of the Doaming group.
• But it is also a homage to Shancai's spirit throughout the show.

Zhuang then casts a 'spell' and instead of summoning Si, she summons F3.

• Then the F3 turn up, to try and get her to CHOOSE Si one last time.
• They want her to admit that she wants to spend her life with him.
• We know she wants to marry Si, but she hasn't exactly said so!
• Si usually makes the statements and Shancai gets all teary then they hug. We know she loves him and he knows that but this time he wants her to SAY IT.
• Si likes games, and he couldn't help but play one last game before they are married.
• It's like his bachelor party and her hen, mixed with initiation into F4 and the Daoming group. If you see it like this, the ending makes a whole lot more sense.
• At the beginning of the show, he gave her a joker card, so, now he is challenging her one last time, to be brave and say YES to him.

The End | Episode 48

We jump back into the scene with F3. All the F3 ask Shancai to be with them. They play up their strengths because they want Shancai to choose one of them.

• Si doesn't want Shancai to be with him because she feels that no one else will have her. So F3 give her those options, so this time she really is choosing Si because she loves him and because she has made up her mind about their future.
• Ximen proves that this is not all a dream when Shancai mentions Xiaoyou. He tells Shancai that she's 'being annoying' because she is telling him off about loyalty when she should be playing along with their plan. But Shancai is Shancai, she doesn't ever play by the rules.
• When Ximen tells Shancai that he loves Xiaoyou though it's so cute.
• They leave Lei to last as he is the hardest choice for Shancai. She has chosen him over Si before and now they want her to choose Si over Lei.

After she rejects them all, they gather around her and Lei holds out his hand to her. This is their way of giving her away to Si without their parents in attendance.

About that…

• I believe that the parents aren't there as F4 didn't want anyone else to stop Shancai and Si getting married.
• It's obvious that Doaming Si's mum didn't support them until she was forced into listening and it's hard to completely forgive what she did to them throughout their time together. They didn't want her there to give her the chance to ruin everything again. She might have changed, but we don't really see evidence of that until later.
• Shancai's parents are also not there, most likely because they would be worried and want her to wait until there was no more conflict with Doaming Si's mum. And Si probably didn't want to worry them, especially as he thinks of them as his own parents now (that episode melted my heart).
• Also, Shancai asked her parents to let her deal with her matters with Si alone, she didn't want Doaming Si's mum to disrespect them anymore. And god knows what would happen if they were put in the same room together. Shancai's parents had already given her away to Si when she asked for them to let her go this alone, and I am assuming Si knew this and that's why he decided to elope without any parents there.
• I assume he only wanted those around him that had been by their side the whole time, and even Shancai's parents tried to split them up at one point.

And the other guests…

• I know that some people also don't like that Xiao was there, and right at the front of Shancai's wedding party. But in the way I see it, she disobeyed her family to give Si back to Shancai. That is a big act of friendship and loyalty, especially as Xiao had feelings for Si, but let him go anyway. She deserves to be there!
• Also, some people are annoyed that the F3 are not groomsmen and instead Thomas, Quinghe (and some other guy I couldn't place) walked him over to Shancai. But I believe that F3's role was more important than groomsmen and this scene made me really happy. They gave Shancai away like her brothers, giving the couple to each other. They have been there since the start so it was nice to see them in such an important role.
• The only person missing was Mrs Yu. That made me sad. She deserved to be there just as much as everyone else as she was on their side from the start. But she seemed to disappear. This was one of the main negatives of this episode for me.
• It's nice to see Thomas there though as he did play a part into pushing Shancai and Si closer. Once as a jealousy aid, and again helping Shancai find Si in London.

Then Si gets down on one knee…

• Finally a proper proposal instead of one in a restaurant over a bowl of ramen, which is what Shancai dreamed of. This also gave her the chance to actually say yes this time, although that doesn't actually happen which was another negative.

Their friends interrupt Shancai to tell the couple their wishes for their happiness.

• This is a lovely touch, as they have had so many people against them from the start and now their guests are publicly showing their support to prove that there are no obstacles left. They can get married and live their happily ever after at last.
• Also, it makes sense that the couple eloped, because Si is so in the spotlight now with the rest of F4 that no wedding would ever be private if they were to properly plan and organise it all, and Shancai would have hated that.
• Si also knew that if he had told Shancai his plan to elope, she would have gone shy and avoided the wedding and proposal.

F3 then tell Shancai, she's easy to fool, and Shancai announces 'you all lied to me!' So yeah, definitely a game! Not a dream!

Before Shancai gets a chance to say yes to the proposal, Si's sister kicks Si in the back knocking him forward.

• She is getting impatient and want's them to get on with the wedding in true Zhuang fashion.
• But she is also fed up with F4 messing with Shancai as she likes to look after her like a younger sister. So she wants to get them to stop teasing her.
• But the kick is also reminiscent of Shancai's actions towards Si for most of the series as well. It's how they met after all.

Zhuang officiates the wedding, another thing a lot of people found odd.

• I actually thought this was a nice touch.
• It's nice that Si's sister officiated, showing that his family support this match in some way.
• Also, Zhuang's been a great help to the couple since the start and she's always been on their side.
• I reckon Zhuang potentially works for one of the Daoming hotels, and as part of her job, she is a marriage officiator. A lot of fancy hotels are also wedding venues after all, and the Daoming empire is built on fancy hotels.

Then Shancai FINALLY agrees to marry Si as they say their vows (which is a moment too short I'll have to admit, but their kiss makes up for it!)

• It's amusing how Shancai and Si have sort-of swapped positions. Si was walked down the aisle with groomsmen, like a bride, and then he's the one to throw the flowers.
• This could be a reference to the original manga; Boys over flowers. Or it could be a reference to Shancai's strong personality.

We skip forward to their first dance…

…and straight into their married life together. (I'm still not sure why the girls that tried to kill Shancai on her trip to Canada were invited to the wedding though…)

Then we see Si's mum Doaming Feng, cooking.

• Doaming Feng knew she wasn't welcome at the wedding after what she did but by cooking food she is showing them that she wants to make up for what she did to them both, her way of saying she accepts Shancai.
• This way she is also saving face that she might have lost by actually being at the wedding. She isn't outright taking back her words and actions or apologising to them, but she is trying to make up for it by her future actions instead.
• BUT WHERE IS MRS YUE.
• It's nice that Mrs Doaming wants to take a break and travel. This must be the first time she has relaxed since her husband died. But she can now, knowing that the company is in new sensible Si's hands. And she included Shancai in her words about letting them take over the company, finally realising that she makes Si a better person, which is the greatest gift for them. Hopefully, Zhuang can find love next now her mother is more placid about it all. She deserves it!

Honeymoon Stage

• The new married couple spend their time drawing on each other and play-fighting.
• The drawing is a homage to the first time they really enjoyed being in each other's company, so it was a cute addition to the conclusion.
• This is a continuation of the fact they are still a little shy around each other and they seemed to want to keep the show innocent in a way which I really liked about it. I like that it was more about hugs and sporadic kisses compared to the kind of honeymoon that would have been depicted in a western show.
• We can just imagine that it happened at some point now they are married, but I assume they both waited until they were ready, which was a nice message to put into the show. It's okay to wait.
• Also, Shancai and Si had to fight so hard to be together, that now they need to learn what it's like actually BE together, and as a married couple at that. So it makes sense for the honeymoon to be more about their love and them learning about each other, than them taking the next step. they want to enjoy this stage in their lives first.
• The crushing amount of product placement in these honeymoon scenes annoyed me though. I wanted to see more of Shancai and Si now they can actually be together, not what brand of shampoo they use.

We skip to when they've been together for 3 months. THEY ARE STILL SO ADORABLE TOGETHER!

Where if you notice, she is wearing the same coat that Si was wearing in her dream in London when she dreamed they were back together again.

It's nice to see that they got a happy ever after. And It was lovely to see what the others were up to now too. I like the idea of Thomas and Xiao potentially starting something. It was a really adorable meet-cute as well.

All of the characters in that last scene look up at a sky full of meteors which is a lovely sentiment, saying wherever they are they are all looking up at the same sky. It's a sequence full of so much hope for the future that I thought it made a lovely conclusion to the series.

And then, in the end, the fourth wall is broken a little but done in a way that really concludes the show well. I love that they got Harlem Yu in to sing the original Qíng Fēi Dé Yǐ from the 2001 series. It was a nice sign of respect for the previous show that fans love so much (and I need to watch). Everyone gets together for a good sing and it's a really happy way to end the series.

I really loved this show, and I liked the ending too, I thought it was a rather satisfying conclusion. I just wish I could get the show on DVD (but alas) so instead, I just pray that Netflix never gets rid of it so I can watch it all again someday.

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What Happens At The End Of Meteor Garden 2018?

Source: https://racheleanne.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/meteor-garden-2018-ending-analysis-spoilers/#:~:text=The%20End%20Is%20Near%20%7C%20Episode,she%20broke%20up%20with%20Si.

Posted by: koellersalict.blogspot.com

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