Goodbye, Earth

Goodbye Earth’s finale sees the people of Woongcheon left with only 52 days left before the asteroid hits. Most of the villagers are in church learning to sing Ave Maria. Miryeong makes a grand return after visiting her family. Everyone is happy to see her.  

A few minutes later, Yoon-sang brings in Father Baek; for a moment, we think he is there to apologise to his parishioners, but nop! He is no longer mentally fit and has no memory of his transgressions. He gets to the altar and starts addressing the audience like a regular Sunday service. He then veers off-topic and starts asking why things are different and demanding Mr Choi to increase security for the town as it is getting too noisy. Everyone is shocked, but they still treat and address him courteously. Sung-jae and Yoon-sang hurry to take him home.

What happens to the people of Woongcheon?

As the days of the asteroid attack approach, the villagers turn to each other for support. They have little food and no medication. Most of them are keen to dress warmly to avoid getting a cold. They all deal with helplessness in different ways. Jung-soon and Su-dong try to starve themselves to death but later change their minds. On good days, the villagers meet up to play football and take their minds off things.

Jin-seo and his dad take in Ha-yool to help her avoid her dad. Young-ji joins Sister Chae-hwan and Myeong-ok in service and volunteers at every opportunity. Once in a while, she runs into Hyun-jae, and they seem to like each other. Too bad the asteroid won’t let their love bloom!

Soon, the days dwindle to 20. The Deputy Mayor cautions the people to stay indoors as the trafficking of kids is prevalent. The criminals, led by Sergeant Kim, are no longer hiding. They are doing their business in broad daylight. For one to get a ticket to the last ship, they are supposed to bring kids.

Unfortunately, In-ah resigns from the military and says goodbye. She finally talks to her mom about all the painful feelings, and in the end, they don’t make up for it, but they part on good terms. In-ah also bids Se-kyung goodbye and gives Yoon-sang a loaded gun and more ammunition. The weapon is to protect Se-kyung, as In-ah knows she will get into trouble. In-ah feels it is time for her to stop feeling responsible for everyone and do something for herself. She says her goodbyes and drives out of town.

She is one of many who leave, and other villagers like Mi-ryeong, Dae-han, Ji-eun, and her husband also leave town. Time continues to tick, and most streets and houses are empty by the ten-day mark.

What happens to the kids?

The government continues to make qualifications to get access to a safety zone. Only Hae-chan and Woo-chan are qualified to go, and Gye-hyang worries whether she is doing the right thing, sending them off. With a broken heart, she and So-min pack the kids’ things and try to convince them it is the best option. Se-kyung is also wary but she convinces Gye-hyang that the two kids will have a better chance in a safety zone. 

Jin-seo, Ha-yool, and So-min shelter together and avoid leaving the house, and Sergeant Kim is looking to kidnap children to take on the last shipment. He even had the guts to text Ha-yool, asking her to bring her two friends and promising to treat them well. The kids try to hide this information from Se-kyung, but she is a step ahead of them. 

What happens to Se-kyung and Yoon-sang?

Se-kyung joins forces with Oktokki to spy on Sergeant Kim and his men. Se-kyung realises that she must step up to save the kids Sergeant Kim has taken. She slowly plans her attack, but it might as well be a suicide mission.

She quietly gathers information and gets ready, but Yoon-sang secretly keeps tabs on her. Before going on the suicide mission, Se-kyung visits Mrs Kim. The two women talk about different things, and even though Mrs Kim is sick, she listens to Se-kyung. Se-kyung admits she sometimes thinks about the what-ifs and feels that their choices led them (humans) to this moment.

On the other hand, Yoon-sang talks to Sung-jae and says he feels peace knowing he will be with Se-kyung till the end. At this point, Yoon-sang knows the end might not be the asteroid attack.

How does Goodbye Earth end?

With only ten days left to leave, Se-kyung attacks the gang before they leave. She takes the gun and ammunition In-ah gave Yoon-sang and heads to the port. At this point, we return to Yoon-sang’s nightmare, where he is in a forest and tries to go after her. A big hole separates them, and Se-kyung slowly walks away. This might symbolise that Yoon-sang has to venture into the darkness to be with her. Ultimately, Yoon-sang decides to chase after her. He makes some bottle bombs and heads to the port, too.

As she drives to what is possibly her end, she says goodbye to everything and everyone. In retrospect, she realises she missed a lot. Her goodbye gives a utopian vibe. She imagines her loved ones in a perfect world where they smile as they wave goodbye.

Upon entering the ship, she sees the criminals having a good time burning money and partying like Diddy. She opens fire and shoots two men. Sergeant Kim draws his gun, and they stand there, momentarily looking into each other’s eyes. 

The scene cuts to Yoon-sang cycling as hard as he can while crying. He finally arrives at the ship, and a gunshot rents the air. We don’t know if Se-kyung shot Sergeant Kim but what we do know, is that the asteroid will hit Earth in 10 days!

The Episode Review

The cliffhanger ending is just too cruel! Why do writers make us watch 12 episodes and still not give us a decent ending? Now, we don’t know if Se-kyung saved the kids. We highly doubt she got out of the ship alive, but still, we can hope, right? 

It is painfully frustrating that this show leaves viewers with even more questions than when it started. We understand why Se-kyung made the choices she did. In our eyes, she is a dark hero. With the world ending, she figured there was nothing much to lose and stepped into her villain era with no remorse. On the brighter side, we must give it to Yoo Ah-in. His acting in this show is outstanding, and he conveys his emotions well and intrigues us. The cast did a phenomenal job taking us through their journey as they count down to the end of the world.

This show has taught us a lot about human nature. Let’s hope no asteroid comes knocking any time soon. Based on this show, we are in for the worst of times.