The Winning Try’s ending marks a delightful send-off for the characters of this show. While we have to say goodbye to them, it’s nice to hope for the best and know they’ll do better from now on. The show’s been both a light watch and somewhat motivating because it is, of course, a sports drama. The show’s ending is a positive one, with all the characters getting what they deserve, especially the bad guys. The show’s definitely been a bit on the dramatic side though, especially with Ga-Ram’s illness and everything, making it seem like he’s nearly dead in episode 11. The show is a great advocate for teamwork and also reminds us of how hardworking an athlete really has to be. The final episode just feels like the victory round for our main characters, and I’m down for it. So with that said, let’s jump straight into episode 12.
Spoiler Alert
Is Ga-Ram okay?
The Winning Try’s finale episode 12 begins at the nationals, a little before Ga-Ram shows up to watch the rugby finals. The big issue for I-Ji so far has been that she’s not had a chance to fully be an athlete or take on the role of the coach seriously. She’s always had something come in her way, specifically Nak-Gyun. In episode 12, U-Jin doesn’t even greet Nak-Gyun in front of the press, which makes him mad, but there’s enough evidence to have him fired, and somehow Seong decides to do it during the nationals, when U-Jin is meant to be shooting (make it make sense). Seol-Hyun informs I-Ji about what’s happened, and instead of finishing her game, especially since she’s likely to get the gold medal, I-Ji decides to go to her student and coach her, because she needs her. This is her ultimate sacrifice, which I didn’t appreciate very much, because right from the start that’s all she’s done. Anyway, U-Jin wins the gold medal thanks to I-Ji showing up to coach her.
On the other hand, the rugby final is against Daesang, their biggest rival, but the Hanyang team is more ready than ever this time around. In this final match, everybody fulfills their roles in the team, and Hyeong-Sik even gets terribly injured, needing stitches during the match. The team only consists of 6 people minus Hyeong-Sik though, so they clearly can’t play without him, since they have no substitutes, and Hyeong-Sik also knows that, so he continues to play. But Ga-Ram’s game plan and coaching are enough to get Hanyang the nationals victory. In the end, they use the maul technique to get the team across the line, but this is especially great because it shows how far the team has come in all the time that Ga-Ram has been with them. It shows that if they work together as a team, they will definitely achieve anything they want to, and this technique visually depicts what they should be thinking. Ultimately, it’s not just the team that wins, but Ga-Ram too, because he’s come so far with them, and they’ve proved him right after all this time. The winning tries turned into a win.
What Happens To The Bad Guys?
Now, if someone’s cheated once, it’s likely they’ll keep doing it, even if they don’t need to. Nak-Gyun’s case is something like that. Nak-Gyun has given Ga-Ram evidence against Vice Principal Seong as well, and Ga-Ram is not going to go down without a fight. Ga-Ram uses the evidence against Seong to threaten Seol-Hyun’s father. But Ga-Ram tells her dad that he doesn’t want the athletes at Hanyang just to try to win. He doesn’t want them to be upset about losing, because even trying is important. He doesn’t want them to be frauds either, so Ga-Ram requests Seol-Hyun’s dad to help. Ultimately, Seol-Hyun’s dad brings the department of education around for a sudden check, and Seong is removed from his post. But fortunately, Kang Jeong-Hyeo returns to the school, and everybody is delighted to have her back, even going out for drinks. Seol-Hyun’s dad coming through is a big deal, because the girl wasn’t the problem; it was always his expectations, the same with U-Jin. When the girls focus on themselves, they don’t need anybody else, but unfortunately, coaches don’t understand this.
On the other hand, Ga-Ram proposes to I-Ji and gives her a ring, if she’ll have it. She says yes despite all the trouble she’s been through because of this man, uff, but I guess she likes him too much. On the other hand, Seong-Jae also asks U-Jin out, and it works out, she says she’ll be with him if he’s okay with long-distance relationships. On the other hand, a good amount of time is spent on Seong-Jun’s application, which nobody has the courage to check. After all of this, we finally find out that he’s been accepted into Yonhee University. It also looks like everybody is healing and making progress in their game and careers. For Seong-Jun and U-Jin, it had a lot to do with their parents and their expectations, but those conflicts are handled early on in the show. For U-Jin, it’s through finding the perfect coach in I-Ji, and for Seong-Jun, it’s Ga-Ram refusing to send him off to college for sports education rather than to play rugby.
In The Winning Try’s ending, a new set of kids will undoubtedly join the rugby team (especially since 3 members are going to be leaving). Tae-Pong returns in an unexpected epilogue, and while the team’s first act was annoying and fake beating him up, they’re actually delighted to have him back. On the other hand, the two “contract” workers have their contracts renewed thanks to Kang, and everyone is happy. They’re likely full-time employees now right? But to make things even better, Ga-Ram is reappointed as the rugby team coach. With his disease out in the open, there’s nothing left for Ga-Ram to hide. Ga-Ram manages to win the hearts of not just his team but many teams and students in the process. Now it seems the surgery went fantastically, and he will get to live a long and happy life. The ending of the show is positive and reminds us that working in a team and working hard will give you the victory you deserve. The team’s next goal is to win the nationals yet again, and if I were to guess, I think they’ll manage it.
