["It's starting—the final episode."]
["Please, let writer Su Yan give us a good ending."]
["I binged episodes 1 through 9 last night on sakuraNet. I sobbed the whole time."]
["Is it true this writer likes tragic endings?"]
["'To the Moon' is already a tragedy. River died. Johnny is the one left behind, struggling to live."]
["The idea that this entire story exists just to let Johnny die peacefully is so painful. Why couldn't Neil and Eva have come a few years earlier? Then River would've known Johnny didn't forget their night together—that it was all the meds!"]
["Are there really people like River in real life—autistic and unable to express themselves when it matters most?"]
["Su Yan, you'd better give us a perfect ending tonight. No more three-for-three heartbreaks. You can't keep breaking your fans like this."]
Before the final episode aired, discussion about 'To the Moon' exploded online, sending it to the #1 spot on the trending list.
People in the industry were watching too.
It was rare for a B-tier drama to reverse course and rise to the top of the season's viewership rankings—something that happened only once every few years in Xia Nation.
Su Yan had pulled it off last season.
If he did it again… his value and status as a screenwriter would skyrocket.
Cao Peisheng sat in his living room, feeling conflicted as the ads ended and the theme song of 'To the Moon' began.
As a middle-aged man who had lost his wife to illness, this drama had struck a deep chord in him from the very first episode.
He'd never understood why some online viewers claimed the story dragged in the middle—
He hadn't felt that way at all.
He'd cried more times than he could count.
What he wanted most…
It was to see Johnny fulfill his dream.
Episode 10 opened once again with Johnny and River.
In preparation for the moon landing, they were practically living at the space center—training together whenever they weren't eating or sleeping.
Slowly, day by day, the two began to fall for each other.
The story showed their growing bond with restraint—
But it was exactly those subtle moments that stirred Cao Peisheng's heart.
Yes—this was how it should be.
In the memory simulation, months—or maybe a year—had passed.
But in the real world, Johnny, lying in a hospital bed, connected to machines… had likely only experienced a few minutes.
The machine was building his new life at a rapid speed.
Every heartbeat translated to several days inside his memory world.
The drama carefully portrayed the evolution of Johnny and River's feelings at the space agency.
From strangers to trusted partners, their connection deepened through shared tests, joint evaluations, and silent understanding.
Eventually, they were selected to be the astronauts for the moon mission.
The plot wasn't complex—
By now, even Cao Peisheng could guess what was coming.
But that didn't matter.
By this point, everyone watching had the same hope:
Let them go to the moon together.
Let them fulfill the promise they made as children.
[If we get lost, then we'll meet again on the moon!]
Tears welled in Cao Peisheng's eyes.
In the memory simulation, Neil and Eva watched silently as the world fast-forwarded to its climax.
At last, the machine completed its task.
With Johnny's brain fully engaged, his memory world reached that moment.
Outside the launch site, under a sunset-stained orange sky—
A nation held its breath.
From nearby cities to the whole country, people watched the news.
Johnny and River had become national icons.
They were about to carry humanity's hopes to the moon.
On a city bridge, Johnny's loved ones—
Even his deceased brother Joey, his mother, and everyone important to his life—
gathered to watch his departure.
It was the perfect world.
Johnny's perfect dream.
There were no regrets between him and River.
His mother loved both sons.
There had been no accident.
His friends were healthy and carefree.
And now—
He was about to achieve his dream.
To go to the moon.
Cao Peisheng, now openly crying, was overwhelmed.
He was moved by Johnny's happiness, even if it was only in a dream.
Part of him wished such a machine existed in real life.
If it did…
He wasn't sure he'd ever want to wake up.
In the real world, Neil exited the memory simulation and initiated the final sequence.
Johnny's body was failing.
They had to finish the memory loop before he passed.
And then—
The show's most expensive scene began.
Months of preparation. Stunning visual effects.
The rocket's fiery engine ignited.
Johnny and River sat inside the shuttle.
As acceleration pushed them back into their seats, they soared through Earth's atmosphere and into the vast, star-studded sky.
Toward the moon.
Cao Peisheng's heart pounded as he watched them leave Earth.
Inside the ship, Johnny and River gazed at each other.
Real-life memories flashed—
Their childhood promise on the moon.
A movie night in middle school.
Therapy sessions on horseback.
Their wedding.
They slow dance by the lighthouse.
One by one, these moments faded.
All that remained was the two of them, hand in hand in the silent void of space.
They were on their way to the moon—together.
The soundtrack played 'To River'—
layered with the beeping of Johnny's real-world heart monitor.
Beep… beep… beep…
The intervals slowed.
Johnny began glancing around the cabin—
trying to locate the source of that eerie beeping.
But that sound only existed in the real world.
River looked at him, her expression warm.
Then, without a word—
She reached out…
And held his hand.
Cao Peisheng's eyes flew wide open, tears flowing freely.
She didn't say a single thing.
But her eyes—her smile—told him everything.
Johnny's anxiety faded.
He turned to the girl beside him.
And in that moment, nothing else mattered.
As their fingers interlaced, the heart monitor registered one final drop—
They had reached the moon.
The shuttle touched down, kicking up dust.
They had made it.
But neither of them looked at the lunar surface.
Their eyes remained locked, hands clasped, smiles shared—
Smiles filled with love and quiet joy.
Beeeeeeep—
A flatline.
The machines around real-life Johnny blared in warning.
He had passed.
In the real world, the elderly Johnny, played by Qiu Junlin, passed away with a peaceful smile.
Cao Peisheng was now openly sobbing.
[What if we forget, or get lost?]
[Then we'll meet again on the moon, silly!]
The final ending theme began.
But this time, it wasn't a black screen.
The scene cut to the second year after Johnny and River's first meeting, during a local festival.
The same tree stump.
The same spot.
River waited, hugging the platypus plushie Johnny had given her the year before.
In the original timeline, he never showed up.
But here—he did.
He kept his promise.
She scooted over, made room for him, and smiled, inviting him to sit.
They watched the stars together—again.
Was it just another false dream?
Or… had River's soul waited here after death?
Waiting for Johnny to join her.
A final dream.
A symbolic ending, crafted by the screenwriter.
But this happiness—
It broke down millions watching across the country that night.
Even though they'd prepared themselves—
Even though they knew what was coming—
They couldn't stop the tears.
The final shot:
A lighthouse.
Next to River's grave—
Johnny's grave, resting quietly beside hers.
Eva picked up a call.
[A new patient?] Neil asked.
[A new patient,] she confirmed.
They smiled and walked away.
The camera lingered on the graves beneath the lighthouse.
['To the Moon' — The End]
Cao Peisheng leaned back, dazed.
This ending—
This was the best ending he could have imagined for the series.
River and Johnny reached the moon together.
Johnny died, happy.
But his heart felt hollow.
Like something had been carved out.
The emotions—so heavy, so overwhelming—kept building.
He found himself thinking—
If only the real Johnny and River had gotten an ending like this.
The thought chilled him.
That's when he understood why the pain hit so hard.
He had always known the story was fiction.
That the memories, the moon trip—all of it—wasn't real.
But he still hoped.
Hoped they could be happy in their dream.
And when they finally were—
Only then did he realize—
It wasn't enough.
Johnny died happy.
But what about River?
What kind of pain did she carry with her to the grave?
Even this—the most beautiful, most "complete" ending—
Was still, at its core…
A tragedy.
Cao Peisheng's nose burned. Tears threatened again.
"Su Yan… that's the writer's name, right?"
He turned on his computer and logged into sakuraNet.
He knew he wasn't sleeping tonight.
He had to write a review.