Just finished the last one.
Apparently co-creator Ins Choi was happy with the final episode.
He had nothing left in him and was 'dry' (I assume out of ideas)
www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-the-abrupt-end-of-kims-convenience-why-did-cbc-cancel-its-beloved/
Now, given the fact I read the play and it is really really short (funny but one act) it doesn't surprise me that much. Funny scenes ended up in the series but it was mainly Appa/Janet. They did a very good job adapting it tbf especially Umma's part but not sure how much legs it still had from Ins's point of view.
play spoiler
In the play Janet is with Alex the cop. Her potentially being gay is mentioned once as a one-sentence aside as to potentially why still single in a scene between Umma and Jung.
In the play Jung has a baby and is unhappy in his relationship.
At the end, he asks to take over the store and Appa agrees.
tvspoiler
Janet possibly being bi is briefly touched upon in one episode. I assume had season 6 happened they could have explored that angle further.
Jung and Shannon split (Shannon is in a spin-off so assume this allowed for that). Jung has been in limbo career-wise since season 2 but rejects the offer of running the shop/extending to a garden centre in the finale.
That difference is interesting because I think Ins probably wanted Jung to take over, as was the play's ending. This would also have explained why Jung didn't have the character arc/career ambitions Simu Liu complained about. Potentially, they even changed the script if cast disagreed taking over the store would be a positive move/also where would season 6 go unless looking at Kims' retirement/meddling with Jung's new ideas.
Given how much Paul Sun-Hjung Lee gave to the role, it's a huge shame that Choi felt the need to ghost him by the end. It just sounds like he wanted out, wrote the final episode as near as he saw fit, left a few loose ends in case season 6 happened anyway but heart wasn't in it anymore.
Hope that the remaining leads (Paul, Jean, Andrea) can move on to new things. Closure must have been very hard especially as it seems the cancellation came out the blue.
Add the lack of Korean representation in the writers' room, the stars not having had pay rises, the arguments about authenticity and cast not feeling empowered - it all casts a shadow on what's gone before, which is a real shame.
Have thought about this far too much 