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Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 5

This show continues to rock my world. It’s fantastically moody, so artfully designed, and directed with a flair for suspense that keeps me riveted. We get some major answers in this episode about who or what people are… only to raise a whole set of new ones about our heroine and what exactly might have been in the fine print on that contract with the king of heaven.

 
EPISODE 5 RECAP

After losing Arang in the big chase and seeing Joo-wal help her over the wall, Eun-oh wonders to himself if the guy really doesn’t recognize his ex-fiancée. But he decides that was not a look of recognition on Joo-wal’s face, and shakes it off.

Dol-swe comes running after master to know where he keeps dashing off to, and then kicks up a fuss when Eun-oh says he has to go do something else. He whines that they were supposed to leave town straightaway, and accuses him of making time with his new honey.

Eun-oh balks but Dol-swe says he can tell that’s exactly what’s going on, but his biggest heartbreak: “How could you not tell me?! What else don’t I know about you?!” Oh you big lug.

Joo-wal walks away reeling, but he looks just as confused by the run-in as well. He doesn’t seem to recognize Arang and yet there’s a flicker of something… More importantly, she makes his Ring of Mystical Whoozit burn bright red. Not a good sign…

Eun-oh goes running back to his room where he told Arang to stay, and there she is, right where he left her. She’s fast. He yells that he told her not to come to the funeral, but she swears she doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

He searches frantically for the clothes she must’ve changed out of, getting handsy and looking all around… and lifting her skirt thinking they must be there… only to find her bare legs. Hahaha.

She screams and SLAPS him across the face on reflex, and then they both freeze, stunned. She leaves a giant red handprint on his cheek to highlight his embarrassment.

She stammers, “I’m so-rry…” and he says “I’m… something similar…” and they scramble to get out of the awkward moment. He asks if she’s really back to find out the truth about her death. He asks for the hairpin, and she says she left it in the afterlife—not by choice, since she was forced to come here naked.

He flares up in anger—she came here without it? She argues that it’s not important anyway. Eun-oh: “That hairpin is far more important to me than a demon like you!” She looks at him with pained eyes, “Demon? How many times do I have to tell you I came back human!”

Eun-oh: “So what if your shell is a person. Do you know a person’s heart?” She says defensively that she does, but even she’s not convinced at her answer. He mocks her so-called beating heart at the sight of Joo-wal and says she sure picked up how to act like a person.

She glares, “You awful bastard.” And then she gets him right where it hurts, eye for eye: “You were an awful bastard to your mother too, weren’t you?” Ooooh. He gets up, trembling in fury and tells her to shut up.

She congratulates him on his quick wit and sharp tongue that knows how to pierce a heart. If he can say such words to her, what wouldn’t he have said to his mother? “Is your mother really missing, or did she run away from you?” Ouch.

He runs out and the argument leaves them both reeling. Arang’s eyes glisten with tears, and Eun-oh runs into the woods to scream and take his anger out on a tree.

Flashback to the moment he was separated from her as a child, when he cried and screamed for her but she never once turned to look at him. And then the last time he saw her, when he said it would have been better if he never had a mother.

Predictably, a wicked tongue. Arang wasn’t wrong, which is of course why it cut so deep. He slumps down to the ground in tears, his hand bloody from banging it against the tree.

Arang sits up till nightfall, still sniffling back tears.

And Joo-wal sits staring at his drawing of Arang in her guard’s uniform. Okay, clearly this is the guy you should’ve hired for the ghost sketching. And then he takes out a mysterious black cloth inside a mysterious box and looks at it mysteriously.

Eun-oh sits on the mountainside all night, and is still in the same position by morning. He makes his way back home clears his throat before opening the door. Arang is sitting up too, now with big dark circles under eyes.

She wonders if this is what happens when you’re human and don’t sleep, and he laughs, mollified by her equal suffering and funny face.

They sit far apart and she murmurs that she did go kind of far yesterday, and says they should just both say I’m sorry and move on with it. He remains stubborn about never saying “I’m sorry,” so she says fine, they’ll just both bury it in their hearts then.

He finally tells her that the hairpin was one he gave to his mother, and asks that they combine their efforts to find out what happened to Lee Seo-rim and to his mother, both missing and/or dead exactly three years ago.

She’s not convinced that helping him will help her, but he says it’s too much of a coincidence to be ignored, and the answer is locked away in her memory. She asks, “Is that why you helped me before…because of that?”

He says with his back turned, “Yes. I told you that I might be brave, but I’m not warm-hearted. Don’t go around saying you know how to read people anymore.” She storms out in a huff, wondering if she can trust him to keep his word.

The Bang Trio returns in good spirits, now that their days of being stuck between the magistrate and Lord Choi are over. Arang passes them in the courtyard and they jump, asking who she is.

She’s like, “Me? I’m Arang.” They meant more like who are you and who gave you permission to be here, and she sneers, “The magistrate! And why do I need permission to go somewhere with my own two feet?” Love her. She lurches at them like the thug that she is, and then goes on her merry way.

Dol-swe flips out at the news that they’re staying longer than expected. He whines that he wants to go home, and demands the reason why they’re staying.

“It’s because of that woman, isn’t it? How could that woman be more important than ME?!” Hahaha. Dol-swe, you have much to learn.

The Bangs drop their jaws at the news, as Eun-oh tells them he’ll be staying for the time being, and so will the girl, who he says is his teacher’s daughter.

Dol-swe searches his brain and realizes it can only be one teacher he means, that quack way up in the mountains. He reminds Eun-oh of all the trouble he went through to find him up there after a year, and Eun-oh says he did learn martial arts, after all.

He already resented Arang, but now that she’s that master’s daughter? He hrmphs that Eun-oh can do as he likes, making his disapproval clear.

Lord Choi is not happy at the news that the magistrate is staying, and sends his servant to his father’s house to find out what Eun-oh’s deal is.

Bang-wool wanders the streets aimlessly, and then happens to cross paths with Dol-swe, muttering to himself about his plight. She zeroes in on him, figuring until the day her shaman powers kick in, she’ll have to make a living her usual way.

Dol-swe pours himself a drink and Bang-wool comes by, noting that she can sense his broken heart. “A woman is the problem.” He nods—how’d she know? Okay, this cracks me up—he’s heartbroken over master, but she assumes he’s got lady troubles.

She says she’s had a similar experience—they say they’ll go but they just come back, go, back, go, back. Hee, she’s thinking of Arang, and he’s like, “Yes! That’s what happening!” Now that he’s hooked, she asks for payment, and then pretends to read her palm, saying that it’s the full moon so her powers are at their best.

She tells him his worries are over—that person doesn’t have long to live and will go to the afterlife. She laughs, asking if he doesn’t feel great, assuming of course he’s angry over an ex. He grabs her, “WHO DIES? My master?!” He shakes her in fury, and she hightails it out of there.

Night of the full moon. Trouble.

Arang sits in Seo-rim’s room, thinking over Eun-oh’s proposition. She tells herself it’s not a bad deal, since she was going to ask for his help anyway. She looks in the mirror and asks Seo-rim, who smiles back at her. Okay, that creeped me out. I know it’s just her smiling at herself, but still.

She finds Eun-oh pacing in the courtyard and agrees to his deal. He says their partnership has officially begun then, and offers up a pair of peaches to seal the deal. She shrinks back in fear.

He has to remind her that she’s a person now, and holds it out to her. She shuts her eyes and slowly reaches out her hand. It hovers above the peach in a lovely moment as the music swells…

She touches it, and opens her eyes in surprise. No cuts, no scars. She really is alive.

The way she lights up just kills me. She grabs it in each hand just to be sure, “I’m really a person!” Eun-oh smiles and wonders how he believed her when she didn’t believe it herself.

She takes the most delicious bite out of a peach ever, savoring the taste of being human.

He goes to take a bite out of his when she asks, “How long have you been a mo-mo-dong-ja?” [Literally “mama’s boy.” HA] She says he’s always like ‘mommy, mommy,’ kind of like an overgrown baby who doesn’t want to stop breastfeeding. Hahahaha, are you really saying this as he’s sucking on a peach?

He barely has time to get over his shock and yell, “HEY!” before she skips away, leaving him speechless.

Joo-wal goes to see the mysterious gisaeng. The doors swing open on their own and she asks if he’s prepared. She says she’s anticipating whoever he’s prepared this time. Interesting. Perhaps all of this is a sacrifice of some sort?

Whatever he’s up to, it’s not rainbows and kittens, ’cause he picks up a knife, and the music tells us it’s a Knife Of Doom.

And then, we see Arang asleep in her bed. Uh… I don’t like this…

Eun-oh continues to pace in the yard, thinking over Arang’s words. Another flashback to his youth shows us that his mother was always stoic, just shut up in that room. He ran to her one day and she said it was the memorial day of her entire family’s death.

She said that they all died together, all except her, because of “him.” She swears that one day, she’ll get her revenge, and destroy him. Hm, so maybe her disappearance wasn’t just about giving Eun-oh a better life, but her personal vendetta.

The full moon continues to rise over the dark clouds. A mysterious figure clad in black jumps over the wall and into the magistrate’s courtyard… and right into Arang’s room. Aaaaack!

It’s Joo-wal, who looms over her. HOW DID YOU FIND HER? Was it the ring? Or did you recognize her? Can you smell her? WHAT?

He inches closer and takes out his knife…

She turns in her sleep, murmuring about peaches, and he hesitates.

We zoom in on Eun-oh’s back in the courtyard. Please sense something’s wrong… Please sense something’s wrong…

Joo-wal gathers himself, winces… and STABS her in the chest. She wakes with one pained cry.

Eun-oh turns. Did he hear it? Please for the love of peaches, tell me you have bionic hearing or something.

There is something so frightening about the close-up on her eyes, open and awake, her killer looming in her pupils.

Joo-wal pulls the knife out and waits, as she falls unconscious. He puts a talisman on her neck, and it disappears into her skin. WUT. And then he picks her up to carry her away.

Up in heaven, the Jade Emperor stops playing his gayageum, sensing something amiss. “It has finally begun.” Hades sighs that he doesn’t know if they did a good thing or not, and the Jade Emperor betrays a worried look. I don’t like that look. What’s that look for?

Eun-oh makes his way to Arang’s room, moving so slow it nearly gives me an aneurysm. He finds it empty and scoffs that she still thinks she’s a ghost, assuming she ran off somewhere.

He’s just about to shut the door when his eye catches the pool of blood in her bed, and he goes back to get a closer look. Yep, blood. In her bed. So why are you still staring at it? RUN. RUUUUUUUUN!

He finally tumbles out and picks up the trail of blood from her body being dragged away, and takes off running. But the trail ends where Joo-wal picked up his horse, and Eun-oh stops in panic at the fork in the road, screaming, “AMNESIA~!”

Joo-wal rides into the woods carrying Arang’s limp body, and stops at a tree marked with that black cloth. He carries her body into a creepy house, and lays her down at some kind of altar.

Okay, sufficiently creeping me out, guys.

He takes off his mask and lingers over her body. He reaches out his hand to touch her face, and then pulls away and runs out. Is it recognition? Did you kill her once before? Did you love her? Or do you just regret having to kill a pretty girl for your demon ritual?

We finally get a flashback to his past, and some answers. The mysterious gisaeng approaches him as a child, and puts the ring on his finger. She tells him that from this day forward, he is Choi Joo-wal. Hm.

She says that every full moon of the leap month he is to bring a girl with a pure soul. The child asks how he’ll know, and she says the ring will tell him. Dude, how many girls have you killed? Though I guess we still don’t know if he actually kills them or just brings them to her, nearly dead.

Back to the present. The gisaeng approaches, shrouded in black. He bows and says it’s done, and she lifts her veil…

IT’S MOM.

Well, now we know why Eun-oh’s got supernatural powers. What the hell are you, Mom? She looks up at the full moon with a smile, saying she’s waited a long time. And then she friggin’ licks her chops in anticipation of seeing the girl. Omg, do you EAT THEM?

She says she’s especially excited to see this one, and asks if she really has the body of one who was already born. Joo-wal says yes. So he does recognize her. This makes things more interesting.

He takes her to the altar, and Mom looks up in anticipation… as her face changes from smiling to angry. Eek, you do that really well. *chills*

Joo-wal jumps out of his skin. The altar is empty. Ohthankgod.

Cut to Arang running through the woods, clutching her chest and gasping for dear life. This is terrifying. Flashback to minutes ago, when she woke up screaming in pain. Not dead yet, or dead and alive again?

She flees in terror.

Mom asks what happened, and Joo-wal stammers that he left the corpse right here. Ah so you did think you killed her. Or… maybe you did? He goes running out after her, wondering how she’s alive, panicking that this can’t be.

Arang races through the woods, tumbling down hills and barely breathing. She finally gets to town and can’t go on any longer, and pauses. Suddenly a hand clamps over her mouth and grabs her…

She screeeeeeeams bloody murder, hysterical and so frightened it chills me to the bone. But it’s Eun-oh, grabbing her into the shadows. Oh I can finally breathe.

He tries to get her to calm down, but her legs finally give out once she sees that it’s him, and she collapses in a heap. He asks what happened, and she can barely get out the words: “…someone stabbed me… I thought I died… left me in the mountains… I ran away… I ran away… I ran…”

She faints in his arms.

He carries her back to his room and lays her down. He looks at her bloodstained clothes and wonders what on earth happened to her.

Mom waits by the altar, turning the purple ring on her finger inwards as Joo-wal returns. He stammers that she’s gone, and Mom slaps him across the face, cutting him.

Bewildered, he swears that he killed her, and left her body right there. “I killed her. She was dead…” If he’s that sure, then things are weirder than ever. Did the Jade Emperor give her nine lives? Is she un-killable in that body?

She slaps him again, demanding, “Where is my soul? Where is the soul I must have tonight?!”

Soul-eater it is. But why? He swears it’ll never happen again, but she’s beyond that, livid that he hasn’t kept up his end of the bargain. She’s given him everything—riches anyone would be envious of, and the life that he asked for, letting him “live like a person.”

That wording is curious, ’cause like everything surrounding this guy, it could be metaphorical… or literal and beastly. He’s seeming more human though, if what he really wanted was wealth.

She calls him golbi-danji, meaning roughly nothing-but-bones, and asks if he wants to return to that, which terrifies him. She calls him a useless bastard, and he falls to his knees, trembling.

Flashback to his past, as a young boy, so poor and hungry that he ate from the troughs of livestock. He had no name, so the other children taunted him, calling him skin-and-bones.

So he’s human after all. Just desperate enough to be used for evil.

Eun-oh wakes up in the morning, having slept sitting up by Arang’s side. He peels back her collar to check her wound, and finds it healed over.

He gapes, “What… are you?” A question we ask a lot around here.

Bang-wool sets out bright and early, planning to get a good spot today and have better luck, only to have set up her mat right where Dol-swe spent the night after drinking.

He chases after her again, asking if what she said was true, and gets doused with water by a nearby shopkeeper, mid-chase. Suddenly it turns into a slo-mo beauty moment, as he shakes the water off. Haha.

Bang-wool starts to see Dol-swe as some manly hunk, which cracks me up because mostly he just looks like a wet dog. But she gulps and watches him go, practically drooling.

The Bang Trio brings Eun-oh the only women’s clothes they have on hand—from when there used to be female officers around. He asks about the mountain where Arang said she was taken last night, and they say it’s the Abandoned Mountain, rumored to be filled with ghosts.

He leaves the clothes for her in the room and puts her shoes outside on the stoop, when Dol-swe comes home and sizes up the scene. He goes tearing past Eun-oh and into the room, and gasps to find Arang sleeping there in his master’s bed, as suspected.

Eun-oh has to drag him back out to keep him from screaming, and Dol-swe blubbers, “D-d-did you sleep with her?”

Eun-oh just gives up arguing: “Yes.” Dol-swe gaaaaaasps and says he’s going back home this instant to tell on him (HA) and Eun-oh just snaps at him to follow.

They go up to the Abandoned Mountain, and he follows Arang’s trail backwards, searching for clues. Dol-swe’s still stuck on the other matter, and asks how far he’s going to go with Arang.

Eun-oh: “Till the end,” meaning his investigation, of course, but Dol-swe says that marriage is out of the question—doesn’t he know his father?

But they come to a full stop at the sight of the mysterious house. They creep up cautiously, surrounded by dense fog.

Eun-oh opens the door to find the strange altar, and sees the recent blood stain. This is where she was. Dol-swe begs him to leave this creepy mountain he’s sure is filled with ghosts, but Eun-oh says that’s what’s weird: “There are no ghosts.”

Okay, why does that freak me out?

Like whatever Mom is, she’s so scary that ghosts are afraid to go near her.

He thinks to himself that none of this makes sense—why of all people would someone attack Arang, when she has no attachments to anyone here? He shakes away the thought that someone could have recognized her, and then something catches his eye.

He reaches into a corner to pick up something wedged behind a cabinet, and finds… his mother’s hairpin.

 
COMMENTS

Well now I’m suddenly interested in the mom storyline, whereas before it was just weepy backstory that I didn’t care about. Kudos for making her the big bad, ’cause the way they were pulling out all the stops for the Eun-oh sympathy, I didn’t expect we’d end up here. I never even expected to get an answer as to why Eun-oh can see ghosts, but now there’s so much to explore there—is his mother a shaman? A demon? Does she eat souls to stay alive? Powerful? Beautiful? For all we know she could be a thousand years old.

Now it seems clear he inherited her supernatural powers to some degree, but it’s freaking me out that they might, yunno… be EVIL powers, ’cause then that’s a whole new can of worms for him to deal with. Man, I love a show that keeps me guessing. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.

I found it hysterical that the drama calls Eun-oh out for being a mama’s boy, ’cause he is strangely obsessed with his mother, and I thought it clever that Arang says what we’re thinking out loud. Like dude, get over it. But now that we know Mom is evil and trying to eat Arang’s soul, I’m all over this mom story. Let’s go, mama’s boy. Track that soul-eater down!

And how creepy is it that she sort of replaces Eun-oh with Joo-wal, raising him like half son, half minion of evil, to do her bidding? There’s still the question of Lord Choi—was he just the conveniently nearest rich man around, or is there a reason he was targeted? How did she convince him to raise Joo-wal as his own? And he seemed aware of Joo-wal’s full-moon obligation, which means he’s in on it to some degree. Perhaps it was the promise of riches—they both benefit if Joo-wal keeps his end of the bargain?

But the kicker is, what the hell did Arang return as? Is she human or not? Human but immune to stabbings through the heart? I don’t think so. But she ate the peach, so she’s no longer a ghost, and not a reaper. (Did anyone else think of Buffy? YOU CAME BACK WRONG.) This is a twist that makes me suspicious of the Jade Emperor, because there’s obviously a whole lot he’s not telling us, or Arang, or Hades… He seems to be using her to uncover a bigger mystery, which I expected since it hardly seemed likely that he’d let her go back just because of Seo-rim’s wrongful death. But I’m wary that it seems too good to be true—that she can’t be killed. Because as Mu-young said, there’s nothing in the world that is infinite.

So what… is she?

It’s going to plague me, and you know what? I LOVE THAT.

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Thanks for the recap!

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GF you know how to recap a ghost drama well lol. Thank you so much <33333333.

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Ha I was tensed reading too! But seriously, the mom gives me the total creepies. Her expressions scares the beejeebus out of me!

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seriously. botoxed out. *shudder*

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It's possibly the best usage of an over-botoxed actress in a role. Who knew the plastic texture of botoxed skin could capture the creepiness of a soul-eating monster so perfectly?

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Ikr.
Apart from her creepiness, her over-botoxed face was all I could focus on.

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thanks for the entertaining recap! You`re great.
I love to watch Arang and the Magistrate. But when I'm reading the recaps, I really, really want to watch Girlfriday watching the next episode. Wonder why...

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This was a totally creepy episode and I love how GF wrote it. Equally moving.

On a side note:
How great is Shin Mina? HOW GREAT IS SHIN MINA? From her lovely hands when reaching the peach, her lips when she bite on it, the her face when she woke up from "dying", the way she ran through the woods, her tired screaming, HOW GREAT IS SHIN MINA?

And here I was thinking were getting Gu Miho 2.0, I am totally pleasantly surprised we are not.

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Me too, me too! Thank you very much.
I watched it first, but I like reading recaps afterwards, they make me see new angles of the stories. But now, while reading your recap, I had one of those lightbulb moments - one of the afterlife gods said in one previous episode that a 400 hundred years disequilibrium is going to be solved or something, which I remembered when I read that "mum could be 1000 years old" part. Well, not excatly 1000, maybe just 400. Well, we shall live to see.

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Yeah, I thought there might be a connection with the 'incident from 400 years past' with Mom. I also wonder if 'him' when mom mentioned the death of her family was one of the gods... Maybe the jade emperor??

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I think it might have to do with the reaper actually.

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Love this drama!! thanks for the recaps!

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omg thanks so much! ive been loving this drama more and more!

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Thanks for the recap!!!

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Whoa. Thanks for the recap!

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Well, I was thinking about watching this episode tonight, but I think I'll just wait until daylight...that screencap of Mom is enough to give me nightmares on its own...
Anyhow, thanks for the recap! I'm loving this show so much!

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Yeah the mom screencap gave me chills *trying to shake off goosebumps*.

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Yeah, the mom is freaky deaky!

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yes, prefer watch it in daylight. i watched it last night and all this creepy thing make me scare like a little child (my dogs barking added the sensation too ) lol

and thank you for the recap dramabeans ;)

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lol at the dog barking, must have felt spooky ;-)

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haha u know, i have to look on my back almost every 5 minutes and cover my eyes when Eun Oh come into the creepy mountain house (just incase something creepy happened lol). the fog make the creepy scene creepiest. tsk.tsk.tsk..

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lollllll

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The mom IS creepy. Man, I was chilled watching this. *shudders*

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Good Lord. This is intense. I've never been so hooked onto a drama before. Nonetheless, thank you for the recap!

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Thank you GF for the recap. This drama IS-SO-GOOD!!!

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Eun-oh’s mother creeps the fuhh out of me.
And that usually means the actor/actress is doing a great job for their role.
*shivers at the memory of her face*

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a marvelous job. I'm not sure I've ever come across a female character that creepy before. Very well casted!!

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Loving the drama more and more.
This is the lighter side to balance with the dark Gaksital.

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How is this the "lighter" side? LOL

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LOL. aknow.
for me, lighter side is something more like haeundae lovers. but that's just me. hehe

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Speechless! This was a freaking fantastic epsiode! Full of all the things that I love! The Korean Dead like Me but about the souls not the reapers! I'm loving this tremendously, can't you tell?

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This is soo Dead Like Me-ish! I love it!

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Wow amazing plot twist! I did not see that coming at all. So many questions that needs to be answered!

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Thanks for the recap. So many shows to watch and so little time. I love the comedic side of this show more than the mystery so far.

Also, Mom has so much plastic surgeries on her face 8O But she does look scary.

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HAHAHA. my sentiments exactly! the firm skin, the lips... plastic surgery it is. :D

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That may be why they cast her—she's middle-aged, but looks younger than she should. In a creepy way.

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She is an example of plastic surgery gone wrong but she is perfect for this role. I like it that her face is not perfect like Queen Ravenna after devouring young maidens because her quest is not for beauty but for revenge.

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err unlike Queen Ravenna

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It's funny you said that because I find I like the dark supernatural mystery side of this drama a lot more than I like the comedy. I find the comic side sometimes cheesy and a bit too cute (if there's such a thing) but the mysteries and twists keep me so intrigued. This was definitely my favorite episode so far. I can't wait to find out what the deal is with EO's mum and how it's relates to arang and the jade emperor.

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As if I wasn't creeped out enough before I came to read this... D: I hope my roommate comes back soon T-T

That said, this show is so interesting. So very interesting.

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Yo, mom is one scary bish. I enjoy the women in this show. This episode was good. First one where I didn't feel like I was watching the same show over and over. Actually I was bored until Arang was murdered and The Magistrate's mom came to eat her soul. Like, WTF? Truthfully I already knew that she was killed by her fiancé and that the Magistrate's mom was the woman who was in that big black hat. However I did not expect her to scare me so much. She is definitely the star tonight. This is how you do creepy.

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I know I am not the only one who feels like I am watching Ilijimae. I mean seriously. The magistrate's flashbacks are the exact same as his role in Ilijimae (which I really enjoyed, and which is why I started liking Lee Jin Ki). That was particularly why I was not really caught up in the show. He seems to be playing the same character. He even has the same mannerisms, same everything.

However, Shin Min Ah, really rocks my socks off. I could feel her fear while she was running. Now I am going to have watch all her dramas. I am going to wait until this is over though because, I would hate to find that she too is playing the same person over and over. This would ruin this show for me.

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You're the only one to think like that. The plot is totally different, also his character & acting styles. He can always make the viewers to be impressed with his brilliant acting which can show the perfect roles, and choosing great scripts.
He's the Hero Sherlock Hommes for this wonderful drama. Lee Joon-gi, fighting~!!

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Agree with Jewel. Arang has no resemblance to Iljimae at all. Arang is about supernatural gods, ghosts, demons and powers. Iljimae is a robin hood story with the hero wanting to take revenge for his murder & destruction of his family. In kdramas, flashbacks seem to be the norm, even Goryeo generals with electricity superpowers have no end of flashbacks.

LJK is also playing a totally different character. In Iljimae he is a rough, cheeky and playful hooligan. In Arang, he comes across as elegant, aristocratic, serious and acerbic. Even his manner of speaking is totally different. And his chemistry with Mina is sizzling compared with Hyo Joo which was just sweet.

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*"the" murder.

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I agree. The only thing that really reminds me of Iljimae is the jumping-over-walls thing. But he does it different here. LOVE Lee Jun Ki!

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I am talking about the flashbacks. Being parted from his mom. The story is like a combination of him and the other guys story. Have you ever watched Ilijimae? I watched it a month ago, and it was the first thing I thought. I am not the only one that thinks that either. From his mother sending him to live with that guy, to him getting beaten up at school and told to not come back.

He also does play the characters the same way. Same mannerisms and everything. It might not be the same role, and it is a different story. But he plays them the same way.

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Shin Min Ah is good in anything she does imo but she excels in this. Wow! Scene when they fight: super. Scene when she is stabbed: super. Scene when she is running away in panic: incredible.
And you don't have to be afraid of her playing the same person over and over: Her Gumiho was similar, but definitely not the same and she is playing a completely different character in i.e. 'A Love to Kill'. I'm pretty sure that goes for 'Devil', which I don't know though.

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yeah, u r not the only one. been thinking that ever since they introduce that plot. but, if im not mistaken, in Iljimae, it's Park Shi Ho's character that got a similar storyline with Eun-oh. Lee Junki's character is the boy of the nobleman who got killed. heee. i have just finished Iljimae last month.

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That's what I am saying. It is like a mixture of him and his brother (remember they have the same father). The mom, who is poor, giving up her son to be raised by some rich man, getting beaten up at school, coming to visit his mom, and she always ignoring him or sending him back.

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The background story of Eun-oh may a little similar with park shi-hoo's but JG plays with a lot of different mannerisms. In Iljimae, he's a mischievous boy in day, and a smart hero at night. In A&M, Eun-oh is an abrasive magistrate and genius at the same time.
This is only the start of the drama, just wait. Joon-gi never fails the viewers to attract in challenging new characters and always perfect. He is one of the best talented actor ever~!! ^^

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Thanks for the recap .. wow, did not see that coming, his mom being the big bad wolves, lol ... that really brings this up another level.

And it is a lot more interesting that both the Jade Emperor and Hades are invested in this one is super suspicious ...

There must be a connection between the brother and Eun-oh mom. I wonder if she was the problem that Hades had mention 400 years ago about the lost souls and that the Jade Emperor was suppose to fix but never did.

And if her grudge is against the heavenly brother vs. a certain human..

So much question!!

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Ohhh, I think you're onto something there, Lyna. Veeery interesting. It'd be ironic if both the mom and Arang had axes to grind with the Jade Emperor...and he ends up using one to catch the other.

Was I the only one who was screaming (internally) at Doel-swe when he was sitting on the ground outside the creepy cabin-in-the-woods, "Don't leave your back unprotected! Something's gonna sneak up on you! Move, move, move!!!"? Needless to say, I was sufficiently freaked out. @_@

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Ooh maybe. I hope so lol. I did suspect that the mom was the evil woman behind the curtain so to speak, but i'm loving that!!

The look on joowal's face when he laid arang on the alter, he looked so distraught. I don't think i've ever felt simpathy for a guy who just murdered someone before. Lol props. I like the feeling that he isnt all eeeeeevil. I do wish that he hadn't turned out to be completely human, I was hoping he was like an animal or something lol. He's just doing this for money.... laaaame (in fantasy terms)

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you had all the right questions GF. I loveeet, it keeps me hook. I just wonder what would mama's boy eun-ho feels if he knows what's his mom made of after all! Am sure it hurts like hell!

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Lee jun ki is v cute.

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A thought that crossed my mind was that the reason Arang doesn't remember her past is because her soul was eaten by Mom. Which would also explain why Arang doesn't call herself by her given name. Instead, she refers to herself as a third person. But, if that's true, I have no idea as to explain what (or who, for that matter) she is, since don't we need a soul to be considered human?

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I think Arang refers to herself as the 3rd person, Seo-Rim, because she doesn't feel like she's Seo-rim. She doesn't have Seo-rim's memories and by all accounts, Seo-rim's personality was nothing like Arang.

I wonder if her soul was truly eaten. I think she - as Seo Rim- may have escaped being eaten, but died anyways. The ring reacted to Arang, which means there's got to be a pure soul in there.

And her body was found pretty far away from the temple and seemingly buried. I wonder if she escaped but fell into a sandpit or whatever. In the flashback, it looks like he leads the young girls to the site. But with Arang, he stabbed her dead first. Maybe after Seo-rim, Joo-wol just kills his victims to make sure they don't escape while his back's turn.

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No i doubt that is true.

Seo Rim is stabbed. remember arang said she felt pain on her chest. I think she been killed but no answer yet how come her body still remain the same. Maybe because of the hairpin?

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Definitely liking that "hair pin" angle.

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Did they do an autopsy on her body? Are there any stab wounds on her body?

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i don't think they did an autopsy but it's sure that she was stabbed in the heart are. just look at these screen caps and you'll know what i'm talking about.
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd503/kaze-asa/arang/arang15.png
http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd503/kaze-asa/arang/arang14.png

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@sabohee

Oh, wow! I never noticed those blood stains before! :O
You're pretty observant. :)

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whoa I didn't notice them either! Awesome catch! When she said she had felt pain there, I had always assumed it was her heart breaking or something because of a betrayal.

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thanks for the recap.
I read Gaksital and come here thinking fluffy and rainbows bla bla but it turn dark and twisted. Now I need fluffy...
But mom's face scares the shizz of me. *shivers* I wonder how Eunoh would react once he found out his mother is that....thing. I foresee major mental breakdown in the (near?) future.

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"Eun-oh just gives up arguing: “Yes.” Dol-swe gaaaaaasps and says he’s going back home this instant to tell on him (HA) and Eun-oh just snaps at him to follow."

lol i love it when Eun Oh answer yes to Dol-swe. lol. lol. lol.

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This drama just keeps getting better and better. The story and concept are so engaging. Though I was able to piece some things together, it's not entirely predictable. And I love the scenery and the fantastical elements this drama has. It's def. already one of my favorites in 2012 and it isn't half-way done yet. Thanks again for the wonderful recap! I love reading them. :)

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Thanks for the recap.

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Part of me wonders if Eun Soo's Mom was like a pure soul possessed by demon thing/evil/gumiho thing (maybe the "demon goes body hopping?") But that would be sort of a let down outcome..much cooler for his Mom to actually be evil (but hopefully also complicated and contradictory and like too evil. Like I hope she still loved her son and was not just shooing him to his father's for the veiled purpose of going out hunting for some pure souls/revenge). hmmmm wonder why the hair pin was there. If Mom is really not Mom, would kind of make sense why it was lost..GAH I soooo want more clues!!!

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*not too evil

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If the mom isn't really mom, then I think the mom may have been a weakened soul whose hatred towards the man who killed her family made her an attractive vessel for the demon to possess. It would be a symbiotic relationship. Mom gets to exact her revenge because of demon powers and the demon gets a home or gets to feed off her darkness.

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I agree with you. I think mom sold her soul to get revenge on the person who killed her family. I'm thinking the jade emperor and what happened 400 years ago. Also I think the head reaper is related to her as well in some way. Think the family were shamans or something. Could be that she was trying to protect her son and thus sent him to his father's.

I also think that Arang although killed had that special talisman sucked into her which keeps her soul intact. Therefore she is still alive. Meaning that mom should have gotten there faster.

I love the side characters in this series. Love the young shaman and DS. They are the perfect comic relief to some of the more serious and intense scenes.

Looking forward to how the drama unfolds.

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I wonder how she has the Special Ring like the Jade Emperor and gave go Joo-Wal?

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Arang and Eun Oh bickered like a married couple this episode, it was fun to watch. I also like how their clothes complement each other. Eun Oh with blue colors and Arang with pink. And now next episode they switch! :)

Mom being the Big Bad didn't surprise me though she definitely creeped me out. So many more questions that were raised in this episode! I've never been so stimulated like this by a k-drama in a long time.

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Yes, I love the colour coordination! How cute is that.

Haha.. and Arang seems to need a new outfit almost every episode because they are either destroyed by fights and running away or being left in the underworld!

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Or torn by a knife stabbed right into her heart!

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I don't mind seeing her in different outfits every episode. They look lovely on Shin Min Ah. :)

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omigod, this is getting more and moooore interesting. Thx for the recap GF!

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Love, love, love the creative fantastical twists in this drama. Keeps you guessing and so intrigued. Sorta guessed the Mom was not going to be only a memory to be pursued, but did not expect her to make her CB so chilling. They found the perfect veteran actress for the role.

I'm so curious as to what the Jade Emperor is really trying to test. Human/spiritual power? How far an imbalance of the world can go? And there must be a connection between all these players here. Ah, love the intrigue! Definitely best chemistry-filled, written and directed drama airing currently.

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This episode was solid.

Poor EO. Your mommy is evil momma's boy.

Sad and disgusting JW. How could man? You have the use of two good arms, legs and a brain so you can get a job doing something to survive. Murderer!

I just think the JE will not allow Arang to die before the three months have elapsed.

It looks like the writer may deliver on an exceptional ending. *crosses fingers*

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"I just think the JE will not allow Arang to die before the three months have elapsed."

kudos to this.

If not for girlfriday, and the others, I might not have realised that freaky shaman is EO's mom.

Brings the stakes up a notch.

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Great recap, thx. Even after watching I still come here to read because I really like your insight. However I think you are mistaken in something. Since the beginning both Hades and Jade were sending her back due to this mystery, not because of her wrongful death. Last ep they comment how they don't care about it and also how they are concerned about the problem with the missing souls. So both Hades and Jade knows why she went there, I don't really think he is keeping the reason from his brother however I do think he knows more about Arang and possibly her connection to the magistrate than he is letting on to his brother by placing his bets on her being able to fulfill their deal.

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Speechless. That was intense and intriguing drama i have watched in these past years.

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Thanks for the recap, girlfriday! I was definitely thinking of Buffy when Arang was resurrected a second time. And man was that mom scary. I was watching her very intently, waiting for her face to morph into some demon-vampire face with fangs. But I think it's even freakier that her face remained human and she was licking her chops to get at Arang.

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hahaha exactly the same what i thought she would. i'm anticipating EO mom's change her true form before she goes inside the mountain house. and it's the creepiest moment in this episode. lol.

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I am enjoying this drama so much, though I have been staying away from period type drama. but this one is an exception. I am enjoying the comedy and suspense side. all of the actors are doing an awesome job, even the shaman and deol hwe "the sidekick" what I want to know is why is MOM became "pure soul" eating monster. thanks for this site where I can express my love for this drama. Keep it up! fighting lol

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holy crap. i watched this episode in the evening, when there was still plenty of light, and was sufficiently spooked out by eun-oh's mom. now i'm reading the recap before bed, with the lights out, and that picture of mom spooked me again... i think i'm off to go hunt for lee min-ho pictures in faith. i'd rather dream about him than spooky mom.

but brushing my wussiness aside, i LOVE this new turn of events. arang feels like a proper mystery now. thank you!

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I think Jade Emperor send Arang back to unravel the mystery..
and to end what is happening.. (the soul/body sacrifice of a pure soul)...

I am now interested as to what is Arang now also.. she must be like a Gumiho or Cat with 9 lives.. LOL!!! :)

The most thing I am fearing is that EO will be hurt once he knew that his mom is the soul-eater or the bad one doing it..

DS and the other BW can be a FUNNY couple! :)

Thanks for the recaps :)

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Thanks for the recap. Love it.
This is the first drama after TK2H that I'm seriously considering watching till the end. Watched ep 4 of Faith and was kinda bored, but this drama is intriguing, funny and warm.

I started watching this show because of SMA, and I must say that she's going a fantastic job as Arang. She's even better here than in MGIAG, because the range of emotions she's expected to show is more and she's able to carry them out. In MGIAG, it was Seunggi's role and acting that made me cry, but here it's her acting, not that she was not good in MGIAG.

I also used to think that the hanbok was one of the most unflattering traditional costumes I 've ever seen. I used to think that it was loose and shapeless, but I have changed my mind now. Seeing SMA running around in hanboks and looking so pretty in them has given me a totally different perspective of them. It think that they are very flattering now and even sexy! The colours in the hanboks worn by SMA really brighten up her face and she really makes them look so good. In fact I think she looks better in them than in modern clothes. There's also an aura of innocence and sweetest that is very charming when she wears them.

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I jus wanna say that I totally agree w you on 'the wet dog'. hahahahaha.

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i just have TWO question;

1) why EH didn't called a doctor when he found she hurt badly?
and just sleep till morning like that?

2) how old is the differences between EH and JW?

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i was wondering the same thing. i was like, "what are you doing/waiting for?? get a doctor or maybe take care of that wound yourself. why are u just staring at her??"

did i miss anything?

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Me too! I was yelling at my screen 'check that she's alive, check that she's alive!' but he just WENT TO SLEEP!!! WHAT???

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LOL about the doctor thing. I was thinking that too! He should at least have checked to see if the bleeding has stopped or if her breathing got back to normal. Or maybe clean her up.

I did manage to explain it away to myself. Perhaps he just didn't think she was human so he had no real cause for concern. In the beginning of the episode they had a fight where he referred to her as a demon. Insensitive much, Eun-oh? And I don't think he so much as gone to sleep, as he had fallen asleep while watching over her.

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Can the cinematographer/director/costume designer/set designer/special affects person for this show be that person for EVERY SHOW EVER? I can't get enough of the shots, the colors, the everything. Every pixel on my screen looks like someone was making a CHOICE to put that color, design, texture, or angle there. The shots convey such a gorgeous mood for each scene. It's brilliant and blowing my mind.

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I agree :). I loved EO's scene when he ran out after their arguement. His white outfit mixed with all that green, then we see the gorgeous landscape below him....so beautiful I could kiss the person behind the camera.

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That was actually the very scene that did me in! The white and the green were just beautiful. Glad y'all agree! Yes, kisses for the camera folks!

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Me too. Love, love, love it!

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You are entirely right. You can just tell that they didn't settle for less in filming this. Everything flows so nicely.

I just have to say this show is beautiful. In so many ways. And delightfully creepy. I seriously need the soundtrack. Every piece of music I've heard is just~<3

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You can get all the soundtracks from youtube beib, i have had it all, even the instrumental musics, love it to the 9th cloud!!!

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Ok, I'll kiss final edit. Awesome job!

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Thankyu so much :)

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With too many dramas to watch i just found a way to wait the subed episodes and not reading recaps lol heehe because I don't have patient but I'll endure now so Fightinnng for self controlling :P

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Oh my god, I just have the feeling, mysterious gisaeng was MOM after all~!! *shock*

As to what she is...hmmm...kinda like resembles Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian...all without the Faustian contract to a master. But the end of the deal wherein the demon eats the soul.

Hmmm~...mystery~...

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Thanks for this recap. ^____^
This turned out to be a spoiler for me but i still really thank you. I was very desperate to know what happened in the 5th episode. English sub is still nowhere to be found >.<

Thanks.

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Eps 5 is already fully subbed at viikii.

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thank you but unfortunately viikii isn't available in our region. :(

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thanks for the link...
but i was able to see it in the other site. ;)
^____________^
DO you know where i can watch episode 6 with english sub now?...

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not all drama is not unavailable. arang is available in most region

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they are up in dramacrazy.

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Oh, this sounds like it's going to be a really great episode! I love it when they're loads of Arang Eun-Oh interactions! But like someone else said, that Mom screencap was scary! She looks really evil.

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Gee... What happened to e bell?!? Thought arang should hear e bell whenever her murderer is close to her?!?!?

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I think that the bell will only ring when she finds out the truth about her murder. Even if she sees her murderer, it won't ring until she figures out exactly what happened on the night of her death. That's my take ;)

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I think she will hear it when her time is up.

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Mawiie is right :).

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based on the eng subs i read and watch, the bell will only ring if her murderer is dead.

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Wow I wasn't expecting that!

When I first started Arang, I thought that it would be some kind of star-crossed lovers story (which I love), but nothing more. So I was pleasantly surprised that it's much darker and complex than what I originally thought.

This drama is so different from your usual k-drama, yet, it brings me back to the shows of my childhood. I grew up on fantasy dramas with shape-shifter, mythical creatures and demons roaming the world. So I'm very glad to be able to revive it through Korean dramas!

Thank you for the recap GF!

P.S. Was I the only one who thought about Gumiho when Arang ate the peach and screamed "mashita!" with her big grin? xD

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No I totally thought of that too. I even laughed.

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I just have to saw this show is beautiful. In so many ways. And delightfully creepy. I seriously need the soundtrack. Every piece of music I've heard is just~<3

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I also LOVE the sountrack.
It reminds me of Sandglass for some reason.

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Jade Emperor in Heaven has the power to know everything. No need to send Arang back to find out the mystery.Also, when I say the Jade Emperor played by a flower boy, I could not stop laughing. Well, the writer has very good imagination to make up the story. Very creative.This drama is simply for fun. Period.

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It has been mentioned about the rotten moon (full moon of leap year) when the hades and jade emperor cannot see what happen in the earth and during that time evil take places.

Also, the main reason why they give arang the chance is not to find the truth but to solve the mystery of losing 400 soul during full moon. They have mentioned while talking together. They have plan that not reveled yet to the audience. They used arang for the other purpose and said, finding the truth is not important but the issues behind it.

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There is more to the plan that the Jade Emperor hasn't revealed yet. Sending Arang is the first part of the plan.

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First things first. What the hell!? There is no way Eun Oh could have known Arang would self-heal. Arang has stated time and time again that she has become human. So how can Eun Oh just sit and watch Arang bleed to death from a stab wound without trying to help her? Berate her with questions until she faints, then bring her back to your room? Meanwhile, I was praying the entire time for the Jade Emperor to please let Mu Young fly down and save Arang. Dammit, Eun Oh, have some sense of urgency!

Everything about Joo Wal bringing Arang's dead body and laying it on the altar reminds me of a cult offering. Eun Oh's mom is like a reverse gumiho feasting on virgin souls instead of male livers. I think Lord Choi is the man who killed Eun Oh's maternal family, and Eun Oh's mom had Joo Wal raised in his house to avenge her family's deaths. I feel so sorry for Joo Wal. T_T In the course of one episode, Joo Wal's backstory has effectively managed to bring me over to his side. And jealous Dol Swe is too cute.

Thanks for the recap, girlfriday!

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you're right panshel, it's weird he just sits there and then is surprised she's healed in the morning. seems to be bad writing - at least I hope so! If it's by design to show us a bad side of our Magistrate (like he seriously doesn't care at all and doesn't thin of her as human) then I definitely don't like it

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i was wondering the same thing. ack! i want to punch Eun Oh! hello?! a girl's just been stabbed and you do nothing?!! *kill me*

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the other really weird thing (bad writing?) is that Joo-wal knows where she is staying and goes STRAIGHT to where she is sleeping. Ok, if he thought she's an officer and if officers all sleep in the Magistrate's house, then that could be excused - but how does he know it's her by just looking at her sleeping there?! he should at least have touched her again to check with the ring, no?

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I agree on that. eun soh is a not so deep character. the preview for ep 6 shown the same selfish character of him.I thought during ep 5, he will show a deep concern when he run for arang. bad writing a bit there.

as for Joo Woll, i do not sympathy at ALL. for someone to trade himself for demon just for bad childhood is unacceptable. i read about this is koalaplayground. we are talking about murdering people here. hello...

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The sympathy for his character comes from two things

a.) He obviously feels some semblance of guilt over his actions
b.) He was a starving kid looking for a way out. It's likely he had no idea what he was getting and was being groomed since childhood. If humans have been known to resort to cannabilsm during periods of intense/starvation drought, why is it so hard to believe a kid would be taken in (probably under false pretenses and half-truths as well) by a demon person?

Remember, this isn't a guy who started murdering as a self-aware grown adult, he started out as a pawn, a very impressionable kid who likely had no idea what he was getting himself into.

BTW I'm not excusing his actions either, I think their deplorable; but he has a reason for doing them; its not like he took this job as an adult; he's been obviously stuck in this place for a long time and if he refuses to do it anymore who knows what Eun Oh's mother would do to him.

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yes, Joo-wal is really well played and a complex character. While it is just terrible that he (has to?) murder humans (if they are?), which makes him a murderer, the writers managed to give him a tragic side, which wasn't there before. He is not an evil mastermind, but very much to be pitied. It helps that Yeon Woo-jin is doing a fantastic job in showing parts of this conflict. I guess they will make him even more likeable in future episodes and it will be super sad in the end.
Actually, after this episode, I fear it's gonna be a super sad ending anyway.

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" its not like he took this job as an adult;"

No, he just kept it as one....

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That's like telling a depressed person to stop being depressed, or an alcoholic to stop being an alcoholic. He was a kid, a kid who probably did anything to survive and had no formal education or healthy life experiences during his first years when he took the job, A.K.A he was groomed, or basically "born" from the time she took him in.

He has no means to "stop" what he was doing, he's being baited by Eun Oh's mother in many ways, probably has no healthy life experiences, and this "job" seems to be all he's ever known-prior street life. Again, I'm not excusing his actions; just pointing out that the situation isn't black and white. He can't just say 'Hey, I'm going to stop being a murderer today!' Life doesn't work that way.

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The drama is addressing a murderer trained from youth who kept at it long into adulthood.

As for any eduction, his adopted father would have seen to it as he was a noble and that was in keeping with wanting "the good life" promised him....

As for sympathy, it walked out the door when his deeds where disclosed. One's desires can get worst of us even from youth. It may prove to be a good thing for him that Arang made him a promise to help him if he needs it. :) If so, I will accept it.

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I'm not sure about it being long into adulthood. He's like what... nineteen, twenty? And carefully sheltered away and kept under the thumb of people who (seem to?) want to keep him doing what he's doing. (At least, I get the impression his "father" knows what's going on.)

What Concordia said about him being "groomed" -- that's what keeps me sympathetic. Not excusing, not clearly seeing that he's doing something horrifying and wrong, but seeing that he's a victim, too.

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When he started he looked around 8 or 10 and the number of skeletal remains looked to from 5-7 girls for every leap moon year, which comes every three or four years. He's an adult and will soon replace his "father". *shivers*

Perhaps the prospect of sleeping with her will be justification to quit rather than having sex with...his...mother?

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Oops! I hit the button too soon before edit.

If there were only 5 bodies in that grave multiplying the leap moon year (at every 4 years) that's at least 20 years he's been doing this work since the age of 8 or 10.

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@mskololia: WHAT bodies? WHAT grave? I'm only on ep 5, and I have yet to see any of this.

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Of course he is wrong to murder people, but I feel sadness for what has driven him to it. He wasn't just a poor child. He was a child who was biologically human, but was never treated like one (even now, the way his "dad" and the evil lady treats him makes the audience think he's not human). Living the early years of his life without a name and without any bit of human kindness is pretty darn sad. No one will even share cow slop with him. And the only person to actually humanize him was this crazy lady, who took him aside, gave him a name, and gave him a sort of identity. He had a purpose. He was, in a twisted way, useful and wanted. I don't think he's keeping this job because of the wealth. He doesn't seem to get off on power and money like his "dad". I think he fears being thrown away. Someone needs to hand him a nice, juicy peach.

And the actor who plays him is doing a good job of eliciting sympathy from me.

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I was surprised when I watched that too. How could Eun Oh not call a doctor?! Is he afraid it might draw the killer's attention to them. He should do something about her wound, clean the wound or something(!!) instead of resting beside her in his chambers?

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EO may have another ability we have not seen yet.

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Ooooh! Like that. There is more to his previous experience with his crazy oma that we have not seen...

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Thanks girlfriday!

LOL, Mama's boy. I love that Arang said that, 'cause that is sooo true. And I am loving all the mysteries at the moment. I really hope the show delivers on them in the end and doesn't fail me. So far, so good though!

AAAAHHH can't wait for the next episode!!!

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I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

cant wait till Eunoh has to face his mother and really wanna see that cruel looking mother manage her face infront of her only son!!!

this is will be dilemma story for Eunoh, LOVE or MOTHER!!! Kkkk let me hug you my sweet big mama's Boy^^♡

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