Episode 12
My Stand-In Episode 12 brings us back to the hospital room where Ming waits by Joe’s bedside. As his heartbeat slows, Ming cries his name and Joe watches from outside the room. He walks toward the door to escape his body and recalls all the things people have said to him, reminding him of his battles on earth.
Opening the door, he feels Ming grab onto him from behind and recalls their sweet moments together. Now from the hospital bed, Joe opens his eyes, choosing the same life again because Ming waits for him. The Seer says that once Joe chooses his own life, he’ll no longer be a stand-in.
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Flashback to Ming receiving the call about Joe’s accident back then. Immediately, Ming wakes in the hospital at Joe’s bedside next to Joe who also wakes. Wut, Yim and Sol visit him and Sol takes a moment to speak to Ming, sharing his backstory with Joe. He asks Ming to promise to protect his friend.
Ming’s mother and Joe’s mother meet outside the hospital room, Ming’s mother acknowledging their sons’ love. So they visit their sons together. That evening, the guys wish on shooting stars and Ming apologizes for all that’s happened before.
At the hospital, Jim picks up Joe, taking him to meet Ming’s father who threatens him with a gun. He says it’s not because Joe is poor or male but that his previous crazy love nearly killed Ming. He asks Joe to promise not to leave Ming.
At a family dinner, to which Joe is now invited, Joe is accepted, Ming gets his business back and Tong’s debts are paid. Afterwards, Tong thanks Joe and promises to give him credit on the movie, making up with them both. Tong and May reunite as well, she not having signed the divorce papers and realizing he was protecting her.
With Ming’s agent, Joe is invited to be a producer on the movie they’d previously discussed but Joe wants to choose the director and audition properly for the role, without the director knowing his greater involvement.
Visiting Wut, Joe confesses that he’s officially with Ming but Wut is happy for him after everything. He then meets Sol who’s heading back to Korea to avoid all the sweetness. Yim, who’s part of his fan club, gives Sol a ride.
At their apartment, Ming makes dinner as his mother drops in to see their place, trying to convince Ming to move but Ming says they have too many memories there. While Joe visits his mother who’s back in her house, Joe promising that now he can afford to keep it for her. Her good news is that she’s found a kidney donor. When Joe arrives home shouting out pet names, his mother-in-law answers the door and the three have dinner together.
Later at the press conference, Joe speaks to the director who’d blackballed the original Joe. He chose Joe because he felt badly about how things had gone previously and this Joe reminded him of the old Joe. On stage, they speak to the press about the film, My Stand-In.
At the release, both families watch the movie as Joe relives his past, happy he didn’t give up when given the choice. Returning home after a successful evening, they eat ramen together. Now that their contract has expired, does Joe still wish to be with Ming? But Joe wants to start over – and Ming agrees as this time he’s holding the right person. They seal it with many kisses and now, Ming says, he’d like to face Joe. And we wrap on a table-shaking sneeze.
Ending Explained
How does the old Joe end up in the new Joe’s body?
When Joe falls from a cliff during a stunt, he somehow – 2 years later – ends up in the comatose body of another Joe who had an accident on the same day.
What happens to Joe’s original body?
After his accident, Joe’s body isn’t found. Two+ years later, the body is discovered in the mountains and identified, so Ming has it cremated.
What’s the final straw between the original Joe and Ming?
To help Tong, Ming prevents Joe from attending a press conference where he’s then blackballed from the industry by the director. Ming blocks Joe by chaining him up and by the time he gets away, the press everything’s already happened.
Why does Joe choose to return to the cycle of his life?
It’s less about the ‘cycle’ than he chooses Ming. Even in a different body and with all the facts, he still chose Ming again and again.
Why does Ming change?
Ming’s big change is in realizing that the back and shoulders he fell in love with at the movies wasn’t Tong but the original Joe – who played the stand-in for Tong’s first movie but wasn’t given the credit.
Why does Tong take the stunt credit a second time?
We might argue that he’s being petty because Ming won’t help him with his debt or because he can get away with it. Professionally, having claimed to do the stunts the first time, perhaps he thought he needed to claim it a second time as well.
Why does Ming’s father relent?
Ming’s father doesn’t say exactly why but after everything, it seems he believes that this Joe will make his son happy. The threat is just to seal the deal. Has your father ever threatened a date? Mine certainly has…
The Episode Review
Halfway through this episode, everything cleans up ridiculously easily. Couples are reunited, families reinstated, friends remain friends and Mike keeps Jim as his man. Admittedly, I hate when a show wraps up at the very end and we don’t get much air time with the happy couple together. However, after the cliffhanger-fest that My Stand-In has been, it feels a little flat that things have sort out so easily. Suddenly Ming’s family welcomes Joe and accepts their relationship. Ok, it’s probably because Joe sacrificed for both Tong and Ming. But they didn’t show us that. They showed us a gun and then leapt ahead to the resolution. I only rant because I’ve loved this show so much. What do you think?
As the finale progresses, more and more we see visuals of the new Joe’s face – in mirrors and on posters. Like the Seer said, he’s no longer the stand-in. Now that Joe is in the driver’s seat, he gains all that the old Joe had wished for – Ming as his man, a family, a career as an actor, respect for his work. So maybe, contrary to what the author indicated, a higher being wasn’t just messing with him but giving him a chance.
Such a big story all in 12 episodes. Loved, hated or indifferent, we’d love to hear your thoughts below.
Have you fallen for My Stand-In? Anyone else awed by this well-developed story? It’s time to confess in the comments below. And before you go, be sure to check out our interview with the actors behind Joe and Ming.
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Episode Review
yes, yes, YES!
Hi Christine, though I absolutely wanted more from the final ep – and expected more based on previous chapters – I was happy to see a happy Joe. Yes, that sneeze ;)
Thanks for reading & for commenting!
I am happy about the ending. I know the finale felt a bit lacklustre, but knowing Ming and Joe are together was all I cared about. On another note, though, ending the show with the famous Joe sneeze was wild! LOL!