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Faith: Episode 2

This is a show that can turn on a dime—from sweeping to hilarious to heart-stopping—and so far I’m cheering at every turn. It’s surprisingly witty, and what I enjoy is that for a story with such large scope, the moments between characters feel very small in a nice way. We pause for each relationship, giving us color and nuance in the exchange between two characters, and already in two episodes it tells us so much about who these people are and all the delicious conflict that lies ahead for them.

 
EPISODE 2 RECAP

We backtrack to the moment when King Gongmin gives the order and Choi Young bravely steps into the portal to heaven. You people sure have a loose idea of paradise. This time we watch from the B-side, as second-in-command Choong-seok leads the men—their priority is to protect the king.

Dae-man (the little Dragonball-Z guy) jumps out to say that he can’t let their leader go alone, and he’ll follow after him. Aw, are you going to be Choi Young’s Abe? Every good hero needs a loyal puppy.

Choong-seok advises the king that they need to return to safety, but the king refuses to budge; he will wait here until Choi Young returns. He says they’re supposed to be here praying anyway, so that’s where they’ll stay. Shows of loyalty all around.

But as soon as he vows not to move, the portal opens back up again and Choi Young returns with Eun-soo in tow. Aha, Time Travel Corollary Number 1: Time is tricksy. A moment here could be a day there.

He presents the king with the divine healer he brought back from heaven… and everyone stares at her like, that doesn’t LOOK like a god of medicine

She squirms free from his grasp and makes a run for the portal, and Choi Young just sighs and drags her right back. I love that he treats the so-called heavenly healer like a stray kitty.

He takes her to the princess, where Jang Bin tells the doc about her condition. Eun-soo just looks around her quizzically and then bursts out: Oh I get it! This is a drama set and you’ve had an accident, and you don’t want it reported!

She decides that won’t do because she could lose her medical license, and suggests they just call emergency. She picks up her phone—she’ll even call and put in a good word. She inches toward the door, only to be blocked by the wall of men standing before it.

Choi Young leans in close and asks through gritted teeth how many times he’ll have to say it for it to stick—she heals the princess, he takes her back home. He gave her his word. She finally sees no other way out and starts to prep for surgery.

Of all her newfangled devices, I love that the flashlight-glasses are the thing to freak them all out. Eun-soo and Jang-bin work while Choi Young sleeps, and when it’s done the princess’ lady-in-waiting runs out… to meet a scary-looking man with a scar. Eep, she’s a mole!

The men ask if the princess will make it, and Eun-soo tells them she can’t say for certain, but she needs bedrest and spews a litany of other medical terms in English that just make them gape.

She tries to make another run for it and Choi Young stops her of course, and she sees him bow to the king. King Gongmin asks after the princess and Eun-soo reminds him that this patient is not legally her responsibility.

Gongmin calls her “the one from heaven” and declares that the fate of his nation rests with the princess’ survival—if heaven sent her, then can he believe that this nation is under heaven’s protection?

Eun-soo’s eyes dart back and forth. She turns toward Choi Young and squirms under her breath: “That guy’s even weirder!” Haha. She pounds her head, desperate to wake up from this dream.

Meanwhile, the men left guarding the portal see it start to shrink, and worry that at this rate, it’ll close up by the day’s end. Ruh-roh.

Advisor Jo Il-shin tells the king it would be foolish to send the divine healer back to heaven—they all saw her heal the princess with that god-light coming from her forehead (HA) and with her power, he’ll secure his kingdom.

Choi Young literally pushes Jo out of the way to remind the king that he gave her his word, as a Goryeo warrior. “Your majesty might not know, but the cost of a Goryeo warrior’s word is his life.”

The king protests—for the sake of a nation, aren’t there more important things than the word of one man?

Choi Young: For country, a senior statesman like this will tell you to throw your promises to the dogs. And I, as a warrior for my country, will kill people by the sword. But a king… a king should be different from us. That is what I believe.

Niiiice. Badass AND the moral center? I’m already swooning.

In the capital city, we get introduced to the very lush world of our baddie KI-CHUL. He’s surrounded by endless wealth, but always plotting for more power. It seems the entire royal court is like a buffet of political puppets for him to pick and choose from, as well as remove from.

He cryptically tells a minion to “finish what they started,” as his flute-playing brother CHUN EUM-JA demonstrates his ability to make a cockroach keel over and die by the sound of his flute. (Note: he also plays non-killing music on the thing, so it’s not always a death note.)

Meanwhile, rumor of the princess’ death spreads throughout the palace and the ministers worry that Yuan will surely blame their country. Does this mean the end of Goryeo?

Back at the border town, Eun-soo is held captive in a room. After failing to find a cell signal, she bribes the lady-in-waiting with cash, offering her amounts in currency that have no meaning here.

But the girl opens a door without a word, giving her an exit. Choi Young leaves Dae-man in charge of the doc, and by the time he checks in on her, she’s down in the street making her getaway.

She runs into the marketplace and starts asking people where she can get a taxi, and if they speak English or Chinese, because they don’t seem to understand what she’s saying.

She asks over and over for a telephone, wondering where on earth she is that she can’t get a damn cell signal. She notices Dae-man on her tail so she hides, and we see that Scarface is chasing her too.

The mole gets dangerously close to pulling a knife on the princess… but gets interrupted before she can do it. Whew. Stop leaving her alone in there!

Dae-man sends word to Choi Young that the doc has fled, and he sets out to find her, with the police shield strapped to his back. Ha. I love the incongruity of it. And also the way his men marvel at the hunk of plastic like it’s a god-shield ’cause it came from heaven.

Choong-seok protests that the general can’t leave them at a time like this, but Choi Young just tells them to guard the princess first and foremost. And the king? He gives his characteristic half-assed: “Just… you know… guard him well.” Off he goes.

Dae-man shows him where Eun-soo is hiding, only to find that she’s traded coats with the woman in the shop and run off. She climbs to the top of a hill and gasps, “What kind of drama set is this big?!”

She makes her way through the village knocking on doors and asking for help, when Scarface and his minions get to her first. She fights back using her shoe as a weapon, but they knock her out and carry her away.

By the time Choi Young finds her shoe, there’s blood on the ground and she’s long gone. He deduces right away that the same men who came for the princess last night must’ve taken her. But how did they know of the divine healer?

Dae-man chimes in to say that means there’s a mole. He wants to run off to interrogate the leak, but Choi Young knows there isn’t time for that—they don’t even know who the mole is.

He starts at the beginning—who’s the person responsible for the boats that stopped running so suddenly yesterday? Dae-man takes him to the man and Choi Young drowns him in a barrel of water till he talks.

That leads him pretty quickly to Scarface’s hideout, but he sees Choi Young coming and gags Eun-soo. They hide her away at knifepoint as Dae-man arrives to search the place, and he doesn’t see her.

Choi Young waits downstairs, when a man attacks from behind with a sword. I love that he takes him out without a weapon. He sticks the minion’s face near the fire, and he squeals that he’ll tell them everything.

He shows them the stash of chemical weapons they’re using against the king in their next attack… happening right now. Crap. They race back to the inn…

…where the attack is already underway. Choong-seok paces the inn and calls out routinely to each of his posts, and all but one answer back. He blows the whistle to sound the alarm and everyone readies his sword.

But they get gassed out by smoke grenades, forcing them out of the inn. Except every exit is covered by bow-and-arrow snipers at the ready. Eek! Just then, Dae-man swoops down on a rooftop to take out some men.

Inside, Jang Bin carries the unconscious princess, and the lady-in-waiting sees an opportunity to separate him from the group. The king notices that the princess is missing and runs off after her. Ack, now everyone’s split up!

Jang Bin puts the princess down to fight off some attackers… with his fan? No way. He’s got some ki-lightning powers of his own, because he can zap people with his fan and they just go down. So… not just a pretty accessory then.

But his mistake is in trusting the lady-in-waiting, because she uses the opportunity to raise her knife to the princess…

Princess Noguk stirs awake and opens her eyes, startling the girl long enough for her to be knocked down by… Choi Young’s police shield, which he throws at her like a boomerang. HA. Okay, that made me laugh out loud. That is not a use I imagined for the heavenly shield.

The king runs up to find the princess safe and awake. Choi Young asks again—she was saved by the divine healer, so will the king allow him to keep his word?

We don’t hear his answer, though it might not make a difference in the end, as the portal grows smaller and smaller by the minute.

The ministers in the capital argue over what they’ll do when Yuan demands that they take responsibility for the life of the princess. They’re certain Goryeo will lose its sovereignty over this, and just be turned into a Yuan state.

They know that Ki-chul is behind this, and argue that they have to do something about him before the king arrives…

But Ki-chul is already a step ahead, and has them gassed and killed en masse.

Choi Young and Dae-man head back to Scarface’s hideout to figure out where they took the healer, and find the place empty. Choi Young balls his hand up in a fist, his anger literally shooting out of him like electric energy. Cool.

Just then, a strange voice calls out, “Feed me! Feed me!” The man holding Eun-soo hostage jumps back in fear—it’s her cell phone, running low on battery and demanding to be fed. Ha.

It brings them out of hiding and the man threatens Eun-soo with a knife, but Choi Young doesn’t even blink and chucks a knife right into the man’s chest, knocking him down as Eun-soo screams in terror.

He unties her hands and her gag, sighing that she sure is a troublesome one, making him run about to rescue her, like he’s upset about it cutting into his naptime more than anything.

He lifts her chin to check her face, but she pushes him away angrily, throwing her other shoe and hobbling about toward the door. But she stops when he tells her that the princess is awake, and he’ll take her back now to where she came from.

She wails that he can go ahead and TRY to take her elsewhere and he just picks her up in his arms to shut her up. He warns that she’ll break if he drops her, and she finally stops complaining.

He smiles to himself as he carries her away. Why so dreamy?

And from the shadows, Scarface comes out from his hiding place and watches him carry the healer away.

He brings her to the portal, and she says she remembers this place, but she’s just fuzzy on how they got from Kangnam to here, exactly. He instructs her to go in that door, before it closes forever and he has no way of getting her back.

She doesn’t get the how, but that part she understands. He bows respectfully and epically (I seriously don’t know how, but it’s an epic head-bow), saying that he troubled her immensely.

She heads toward the portal… when Jo Il-shin’s voice rings out for her to stop. He shows up with guards and decrees that the divine healer cannot return.

Choi Young steps in between Jo and Eun-soo, shouting: “I, Goryeo warrior Choi Young, am sending her in my name. WHO DISRESPECTS MY NAME?” Oh damn.

He draws his sword. Everyone takes a step back.

He tells them to go ahead and try. Jo orders the men to stop Eun-soo, but they hesitate, not wanting to defy their general. But he screams at them that it’s a royal order. They regretfully draw their swords.

Jo: “Woodalchi Choi Young, I said it’s a royal order.” Crap. It’s the magic word. As Woodalchi, he cannot defy the king’s orders. He stops and looks back at Eun-soo, who starts to make her way towards the portal…

He runs after her and holds her back. Noooooo! He sticks his sword in the ground and holds her as she kicks and screams, and you can see the anguish in his eyes, as he goes back on his word in service of the king. Augh, it’s just horrible and heartbreaking.

The portal to heaven closes, and then he lets her go. She scrambles to the base of the statue, but there’s nothing there anymore.

He walks back to face Jo and says with tears brimming in his eyes, that he has followed royal order and stopped the healer. Eun-soo calls him a bastard, screaming that he promised—he gave her his word.

She yanks his sword out of the ground and cries that he’s a psycho and a murderer. “I’m going to kill you!” She weakly runs toward him holding the sword out in front of her, and Choi Young deliberately runs himself into the sword.

OH. MY. GAAAAAAAH.

Everyone gapes in horror and then he puts his hands over hers, and pulls the sword in further, all the way into his chest. HOLY CRAP.

He winces from the pain as she cries, “Why?! How? You could have gotten out of the way! WHY?” He whispers, “Is this enough?”

Omg. For going back on your word?! Will someone please tell Captain Literal that she doesn’t actually require his life in payment?!

But clearly Choi Young’s life (or at least his honor) is something the king was willing to sacrifice, as Princess Noguk points out with disdain.

As Choi Young collapses to the ground, Eun-soo goes from shock to doctor mode, asking the men for something to secure the sword to his body like this so they can stave off the bleeding while they move him.

But Jo Il-shin says they don’t have time to treat him—they have to hurry and bring the healer back and get the king away to safety. When they refuse to budge, the bastard even asks the barely conscious Choi Young what he would order his men to do, and the noble general tells them to go. NO! Don’t listen to him! He’s delirious!

Eun-soo tells Jo that she won’t leave him here—this makes her a killer and she won’t abide that, so then Jo figures fine, HE’LL be the killer then, and yanks the mutherfuckin’ sword out of Choi Young’s chest.

WHAT THE HELL, MAN?

Eun-soo freaks out and orders the men to compress the gaping wound and sends Dae-man to get her surgical tools. She’ll just have to operate here.

Jo is still screaming his head off at the men to take the heavenly one away, but finally Choong-seok yells back that the heavenly one is the one ordering them to hold the wound, so that’s what they’re doing! Well thank goodness for you.

Dae-man races through town like the wind and forces his way into the king’s room to get the medical supplies. They ask what happened and Dae-man barely gets out through his tears that their leader is dying and needs to be saved.

The king gets up, furious, “Did Woodalchi defy my order?” He assumes that one of the men cut him down because he refused to obey. Dae-man makes it clear that they could never cut their general, and no, he did not defy the king’s orders. He obeyed, and that’s why he’s dying.

He pleads with them to be let go. The princess intervenes and says that Choi Young saved her life. By the queen’s authority, she allows him to go, and tells Jang Bin to accompany him. It leaves the king reeling, and the princess asks belatedly, dripping with sarcasm, “Is it okay if I give orders, your majesty?” I like her.

In his haste, Dae-man drops a little bottle from the bundle of supplies and steps on it. Oh dear. Why do I have a feeling that was the morphine? Oowwwwww.

The men carry Choi Young through the woods on a makeshift stretcher, and Eun-soo pleads with him not to lose consciousness. He’s bleeding everywhere, but he’s got enough of his senses to grab her by the collar and beg for her to just leave him behind.

He swears that she wasn’t the one to stab him—she couldn’t if she tried—and that he’ll somehow manage to stay alive on his own.

Eun-soo (in English): “Shut. UP.” He’s like, whaa?

Eun-soo: “Shut your mouth! Listen, here’s the order: first, I save you, then you can go wherever you like and live or die as you please. You just go ahead and TRY to die before that!” Hahaha.

They finally get him inside and prep for surgery, and Eun-soo looks around frantically for the little bottle, which turns out to be an antibiotic. Guess they’ll have to go without and risk sepsis. Eep. She asks if there’s anything they can use as an antibiotic or a painkiller, naming drugs that of course Jang Bin has never heard of. Er…

Meanwhile, the rest of the men guard the king and ask that he stay put for his safety. He’s left alone with the princess, and takes the opportunity to tell her that she can’t give orders. She is not to do anything—even take one step—without his permission.

He knows that she must hate going from Yuan princess to queen in a foreign land, and that she must resent him greatly. But this is the law she must follow. “Why are you not answering me?”

Princess: “You did not command me to answer you, therefore I cannot.” Pffft. She’s so awesome.

Back to surgery by candlelight. Eun-soo asks why this anesthesia is taking so long, but Jang Bin asks how it’s supposed to go any faster. He says that the general can handle an enormous amount of pain but she says it’s not actually helpful if he fights against pain while she’s trying to operate. Well phew for that.

But by the time she’s done arguing, he’s unconscious, and she gets ready with her scalpel. Jang Bin grabs her hand in horror—why is she treating a man with a knife wound by cutting into him?

She explains that she has to cut open his whole chest to know what kind of damage there was, but Jang Bin eyes her in disbelief, “Can I trust your words that you’re going to save a man that you stabbed to kill?” Well when you put it like that…

Eun-soo: “You say that I’m from heaven! So trust me.”

 
COMMENTS

We seriously need to send this show to Cliffhanger Academy, (What is it with Lee Min-ho dramas and the slow learning curve for endings?) because I have no idea why both Episodes 1 and 2 had sharp would-be cliffhanger endings that turned out to be third-act openers (them facing the portal, her stabbing him), only to then add a whole arc and then leave in the middle of a scene like it just trailed off. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have wondered if the show was written for a 45-minute timeslot and got reshuffled for an hour at the last minute. So weird.

In any case, that plotting issue aside, I really love the fusion fantasy world, and the sharp wit of all the characters. There’s an insanely large number of them and we’re just barely getting to know the main players, but already I’m interested in a lot of the side characters, who each get their moments to shine. Second-in-command Choong-seok is already an intriguing favorite, and stuttering loyal Dae-man is a fantastic sidekick for Choi Young. The king and queen have a great conflict from the get-go, and I really enjoy the dynamic of the immature king and the feisty queen who finds herself suddenly foisted on this foreign kingdom.

I actually find Eun-soo’s insistence that she’s just in a foreign country and can’t figure out how she got from Kangnam to here so logical and funny, because she refuses to give up that grasp on reality. So even when she’s willing to go with portal-will-take-me-home, she’s still like, but why can’t I get cell reception here? It makes for such a funny and more realistic transition into the world that she hasn’t once asked when she is, only where, and why everyone around her seems a little odd. For now I’m content to watch her play the fish-out-of-water, because it’s hilarious and there’s plenty of heightened drama around her. I’m hoping the drama isn’t going to feel the need to be surgery-of-the-week like Dr. Jin, because I don’t much care about the actual doctoring so much as the wit of everyone thinking Eun-soo this divine healer from heaven when she’s just… so not.

And I know I’m screaming in the moment for Literal Man to stop being so rash, but I actually find his absolute moral compass and his code of honor so moving. When he tells the king he should be more than men, it tells us so much about his character. He understands the larger purpose he serves—he fights by the sword so that greater men may rule. And regardless of whether the king lives up to his end of the bargain, the warrior does his job faithfully. Not necessarily in an idealistic way, as we learned from his honest confession in the last episode, but in a practical sense—this is the definition of what a warrior is. It’s all the more heartbreaking (and brilliant) to have the naïve king choose power over honor, because we understand that Choi Young has no such choice. He is his honor.

His complete and utter willingness to die by the sword tells us he knows of no such thing as a dishonorable Goryeo warrior. You’re either a warrior, or you die. I’m sure I’m going to be yelling at him constantly because of it, (I can’t have my hero filleting himself on account of his honor all the time) but I’m deeply moved by it too, and I want so much for his king and his country to live up to that code. I also can’t wait to see what happens when love throws a wrench into things—when Choi Young has something to live for and can’t be so cavalier about being a human shish kabob.

 
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Dont like the king why he pick a short guy I cant say I like the drama its too early to tell but I think Iam the only one here who doesnt like ep1 I think Minho is acting great but the story is kinda shaky and all over the fantasy n reality How can Minho got his power? And the girl eventhough shes really pretty n awesome cannot see any chemistry bet them I love The Legend I think its one of the best saguek fantasy ever except I dont fancy the lead actress I like the younger one thou here I dont know the drama is too hype and not impress with the first episodes just being honest but I will still keep reading As Ive said its early to tell but I feel dissapointed

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While the surgeries I laughted my heart out. The surgeon who put her wavy hair in the wounds and "nurses" who touched the instruments with dirty hands. I thought Dr. Jin was bad, but this utterly ridiculous.

At least this Drama has a lot of eye candy and at least one sassy woman (I adore the princess). I really hope our heroine will stop her annoying featherbrain ways. Whiny Damsels in distress like her always let me feel sorry for the hero.

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They are in "Middle Earth" where hair caps don't exist. How the hell can she get a hair cap? I mean, I'm a nurse, I know safety precautions too, so your comment just points out no shit, sherlock kind. This is a drama. That's like telling people that Grey's Anatomy is fact by fact. It's not. I mean, most of us just take it as it is, and don't take any of those medical stuff in drama seriously.

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Yeah, I was wondering why she didn't tie her hair back for the surgery, and why she didn't sterilize the tools. I know it's only a drama, but too much inaccuracies like this completely destroys one's suspension of disbelief. It's basic Good Writing 101: Do your research.

I actually like the heroine. If a random weird guy kidnapped me to a strange place and forced me to perform life-saving surgery I'm not properly qualified for (she probably hasn't done non-cosmetic surgery in years), I'd be freaking out too. Plus she's a modern material girl in a land with trained warriors and magic users. There's no way she can realistically stand up to them in a fight.

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Yeah, she really needs to tie her hair back lol

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LOVED IT when Eun Soo yelled at Choi Young not to lose consciousness and he replied "How to lose consciousness when you're touching me all over like this?" LOLOLOL

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JB, GF, or someone who speaks Korean, I just wanna clarify something. Are the actors/actresses speaking sageuk speech? Like the intonation and all that? They don't sound like what I'm use to hearing when watching a joseon era sageuk so I'm wondering if they're speaking in goryeo speech or something because it sounds like modern speech to me. If they are speaking in modern speech, then why?

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You're right on the dot~~ I was totally thrown off when Choi Young spoke to Eun Soo in modern speech, BANMAL actually!! That made me realize all the characters were using modern speech, with sageuk terms thrown in, like 전하 (jeonha), basically "your highness." I've heard other characters use banmal too.

I guess we just have to remember that this is a fantasy world where there are wormholes and divine healers and a plethora of historically inaccurate elements. Examples: costumes, haircuts, technology, etc.

But when Lee Minho spoke in banmal to Kim Heesun I was reminded of that fortune teller dude telling Eun Soo that she'll have a fated re-encounter with someone from her past. That opens up a lot of questions. Does that mean Choi Young is originally from modern times but transported back to the past and lost all his memories? Or is he like a demi-god, a descendent of Hwata, that can time travel back and forth? I have a sinking feeling our OTP will get a happy ending :(

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u don't want them 2 have a happy ending??? :-)

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Woops, some clarifications~~ All the characters do use sageuk speech. What I meant is that I've heard a lot of characters use truncated/informal speech, which I'm pretty sure is modern... I don't think I've ever heard truncated speech in other sageuks... Oi, I'm starting to get confused myself. I agree that their intonation isn't as dramatic as, say the ones in TMETS. Especially Lee Minho's. Maybe it is because it's set in Goryeo. Wow, someone please add their thoughts.

However, I'm still 99% sure I've heard Choi Young speak in modern banmal to Eun Soo on more than one occassion. I just can't remember the specific situations because I'm guilty of watching Faith while multi-tasking. I think one of the times was in the hospital when he was carrying her and he annoyed at her about something. It also makes sense, because Choi Young, according to the fortune teller, is from Eun Soo's past.

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If I'm not mistaken, the fortune teller just wrongly interpreted what he saw/read..

it's like he read that ES will meet someone from the past... but the fortune teller interpreted it that ES will meet someone from HER past... since it will be ridiculous to tell someone that she will meet a guy from a way back years and so... :)

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That is what I thought to and in Viki the first time he said that she would meet someone from the past... Going with the whole time travel thing how cool would it be in LMH was from the future? no 2012 future but future future where all the power that he as is normal?

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He could be her ancestor...

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THAT would be wrong considering they are the lead ( romantic?) pair

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Waah didnt know i had this much patience! Havent watched it yet cuz its not subbed so i cant even read recaps! Proud of myself cuz i had absolutely no patience with city hunter and used to watch it RAW then read recaps....life of a LMHoT's fan hey?!!
Am soo looking forward to his accent ; )

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First 15 mts into the drama, I got reminded of Harry Potter, LOTR and Star Wars!

And thats not bad in my book, as long its inspired and not a fake imitation!

Lee Min Ho is in it is just the BEST part of it!

I know the drama is good, but it would never have made me watch without subs if its not for him! :P

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It's interesting to see the two camps on here - many seem to adore this show already (though it's only been two episodes) and others seem in a very determined mood NOT to like it (though it's only been two episodes) ... :)

LMH is a phenomenon, that's for sure! He really can't be called a good actor - not even by his die-hard fans, or am I wrong? - but there is a certain something about him that makes this show a different show from what it would be if there was another male lead. I'm not sure what it is (apart from the obvious, the PWETTY)... maybe a certain... phlegmatic stillness around him? I don't mean this in a bad way at all. He is just different from many other actors his age, with a different screen presence.

Anyways, this show has great potential and it seems to be well-worth watching, but two episodes is usually not enough for me to make up my mind. I need 4 or even 6 episodes to know whether I'm hooked, half-hooked, or meh-ed.

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Phlegmatic stillness is a good description. Reminds me of Gong Hyo Jin lately, although she can act when she chooses to.

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oooh I like

None of the promotional material really gripped- heck I didn't even press start on the trailer but I am so intrigued and entertained.

Lee Min Ho has a weird affect on me, I wouldn't call myself a fan as I don't religiously follow his projects or his celebrity life outside of dramas and movies. But when hes on my screen I get drawn into his character and by the end of it I am swooning.

Argh so much to watch with Lee Jun Ki and Joo Won headlining dramas -and those two are my crazy fangirl loves.

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Its hilarious to find the people around EunSoo claiming here to be divine-healer without knowing she is from Future.And yes The LOW BatteRY alarm is really Funny.This Drama is Wanna-Hook For along With wittiness,Loyalty;and JusT like Alice In Woderland but difference is that all are humans no animal or incest talks.And Yes there power(ki) and magical powers with different colours to indicate

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So, I'm playing fortune teller hear, so I'm going to predict that, The doctor girl is going to have to do mouth to mouth on our Goryeo hero, because he went into shock and his heart has stopped.

All the while being witness by the Goryeo Doctor. Then they'll say that he was saved by the breath of the heavenly doctor.

ha ha... that would be awesome!!

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Lol!

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Would that be before or after our Idiot Goryeo hero falls for her?
Coz i can see a loooonnnng line of guys wanting the life saving breath from the heavenly doctor all the time while the Idiot Goryeo hero is beside her scowling or chasing the guys away..

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This fusion fantasy world kind of reminds me of certain Western fantasy realms for reasons I can't really explain. For example, I couldn't help comparing Faith's inn scenes to the inn scenes in the Fellowship of the Ring, especially when Choi Young's entourage were wearing hooded dark cloaks like Strider (Aragorn), Nazgul or Death Eaters. Maybe it's because the score has Celtic influences, medieval choral music, and some themes really similar to the ones in Pirates of the Caribbean/LOTR. It's an interesting juxtaposition. The anachronistic technology is also something I don't think I've seen before in fusion sageuks.

I agree that the editing is really choppy at times. I think the post-production was working on these episodes up until the last minute because there were some technical glitches as well. For example, I noticed there was really uneven sound mixing in the scene with the mole and Scarface. I could barely hear their dialogue over the super loud background music. That kind of makes me worried for future episodes that will have even less time for production. Which probably means no more cool animated scenes :(

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Actually the music bothers me most about this drama. It sounds like cheap PotC rip-off, with some changes in chores... Sometimes when that part which sounds exactly like He's a pirate starts playing the scene goes unnoticed to me 'cause the music bothers me so much, lol.

Also I'm calling LMH sidekick a hobbit because he reminds me of one, lol.

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I so agree with you. The music's spoiling the show to me. I cringe each time I hear that PotC-copied theme. I find it surprising that they music movie&drama composers don't understand that this theme has to stay PotC's. It's not because everyone (and including myself) loved it that they have to copy it and rearrange it about in any new movie or drama.

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This drama is as ridiculous as I suspected and the only comparison to LOTR is that both are fantasies. Hope everyone else enjoys this one but I spy a trainwreck...

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funny that everyone sees LMH dramas being loved by many because he is just hot or because he is just so pretty..

is being PRETTY and HOT a scene?!!!

Can't they see LMH's acting skills?!!! There are many actors I mean HOT korean Actors with dramas that failed because the story sucked... and if we observed all LMH's dramas were well-received by many... meaning, its not just his hotness that magnetizes people to watch.. its because of the story of the dramas he chose and the way he acts,,, his talent/acting skills.... :)

I am ALL IN in this drama!
thanks GF and JB for loving this GREAT drama :)

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I know many dramas that had decent acting and had good ratings. Eyecandy can make a crap drama get lots of ratings, see BOF that drama is just a crap and messy drama and the acting is also not good but it did well.

Eyecandy helped a lot of it.

So don't come saying that eyecandy don't help because it helps.

See Dream high 1 it had good story, the characters were likeable and all, but the acting? Aside KSH and the teachers the acting was passable and did well in ratings.

I think LMH's acting is passable/decent, people say amazing, but I really wonder, if he was with a ugly hair, with black teeths plus doing a weird role would he be sucessful in his role?

The fans would all complain about it wanting a sexy LMH.

Admit it, most of people aren't here to see LMH's acting but LMH's hotness/charm. Instead of saying ''LMH acting in this scene is .....'' they say ''LMH IS SO HOT OMG''

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its an add on.. YES.... BUT still if acting is a TOTAL CRAP or the storyline is CRAP MANY will drop a drama and will not watch it.. BUT again, compared to LMH's drama, it's because of the good storyline/script that people watch his dramas and together with the acting....

pretty face/hot + Good Acting + good storyline/script = a drama worth watching for :)

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i have to agree with otchosais. some actors are just good to look at but when they started to throw lines and emote.. you can't help but go waaaaaaaaahhhhhh/ what the?? ehhh??

with LMH, he's a total package. he's presence is there every time he's on screen. he's in character whether he's the one doing the acting or the receiver.

well i can go on and on commending his skills, and to think that i am not an all season fan of him. (occasional only LOL)

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In terms of Lee Min Ho's acting, I think hes good, but I feel like none of his projects have allowed him to extend his emotional range as an actor.

Actually the scene I always remeber was his break down scene- or his very controlled anger in BOF in one of his confrontations with his mom. That scene wowed me with his acting, but his projects since haven't given me a scene where I am genuinely impressed.

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funny that everyone sees LMH dramas being loved by many because he is just hot or because he is just so pretty..

is being PRETTY and HOT a sin?!!!

Can't they see LMH's acting skills?!!! There are many actors I mean HOT korean Actors with dramas that failed because the story sucked and acting SUCKED... and if we observed all LMH's dramas were well-received by many... meaning, its not just his hotness that magnetizes people to watch.. its because of the story of the dramas he chose and the way he acts,,, his talent/acting skills.... :)

I am ALL IN in this drama!
thanks GF and JB for loving this GREAT drama :)

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Thanks for the fast recaps, girlfriday!!!

So far I like the show, the characters are interesting and the story entertaining. Loved the nice balance between funny and dramatic scenes.

However I spot a huge problem coming here, that is: the music. Some of it is great and cool (like when the first time our hero crosses the portal), and it makes great atmosphere. However the main theme shocked me 'cause it's really too similar to the one from Pirates of the Caribbean (@DB5K: I am happy to see that I'm not the only one who noticed!).

Don't get me wrong, I loved Pirate of the Caribbean's music; but since then, there have been a lot of movie musics which just copied its style, and to me it just doesn't do it. Here the music is already scratching at my nerves. I hope they will give us a larger variety of music...

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u know, i was taking a break from korean dramas and got really into thai lakorns recently, that i completely forgot about Faith's premiere this wk and checking dramabeans :-( I'M SUCH A TRATIOR!!!!!!!

but man, i'm loving lmh character's as the most senior and laziest and how he is so literal. still laughing over the thing w/ the monk, on how he gets on his cell and ask if they're filming a prank, lol

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i'm gonna go back and read the recaps again

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oo and the guy hung up on him! that was hilarious!

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Thx for super fast recaps. And i also enjoyed reading everyones rants n raves here.

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I already can't wait for next week; Usually it takes more than a couple of episodes to get me into a drama, but this one looks fun.

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I wish it had better ending too. But the chemistry of two leads is so good, I almost forgot their age difference.

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I've never been much of a fan of LMH and I went into this drama with no expectations but the first two episodes were pretty fun to watch. There were a few head-scratching moments, but I try not to think too hard or nit-pick when I watch dramas, unless it's one that I really like that doesn't live up to expectations.
And I think I'm starting to get what all the fuss is about LMH =)

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"Badass AND the moral center?"

Annnd.... Kryptonite! *Joins you (all) in the swooning!*

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I'm not sure how I feel about this drama. Right now it's like a jumbled mess of fantasy, treason, medicine, action, and humor. They all don't fit together too well at the moment but we'll see how everything will turn out. I'm gonna keep watching.

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Great review and I am happy you will be recapping this drama here!

I don't know why but I like the first two episodes so far maybe I am in the mood for battles and armor or is it because I see so much potential with this story and the ways the writers can really develop these characters.

I will continue watching to see where they are going with this story and so far the secondary characters have really drawn me in making we want to know what makes them thick.

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I don't care about the plot holes, the somewhat annoying actors/characters, or the weird endings. I like the first two episodes of this drama a lot already and that is because of two things 1.) the story and 2.) the two main characters/actors, they are both doing WAY better than I expected at this point. Will most certainly tune in and watch the rest of this drama.

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No offense meant but I think I should just stick to reading girlfriday's recap of Faith rather than watching the drama itself. When episode 1 recap came out I decided to watch it and give it a try but alas! I can't bring myself to finish it and I just can't stand watching it. :(

In my pov LMH is a good actor but there is something lacking in him here in Faith. He doesn't have that saguek feel. idk. Plus I agree with the other opinion here that LMH and Kim Hee Sun don't have chemistry at all. Because you know there are dramas when you saw the lead and you automatically see the spark but with these two argh! Need I say more? :(

I miss LMH the city hunter.

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I agree, no SAEGUK feel for LHM, he's too handsome, his beauty really stands out of the rest. and the Doctor, hmmm too old for him. but i'll stick around, just to stare LHM! hhahahah!

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I DESPISE the king. Because of his insecurity and weak character, he finds himself stuck in a dilemna of wishing for a loyal subject who will follow him even to death and wishing for someone who is morally weak like him. His order is basically a death sentence on Choi Young. Later, he forbids the queen to give orders even though she is the QUEEN. I think his insecure character will drive him to do even darker things further down the series, and as much as I dislike him, he's a rich character to have in this drama.

Also, when Choi Young tells the doctor to leave him alone and he'll survive by himself after he's been stabbed, I wonder if he's just saying that so that she'll leave or whether he wants to be free from serving the king. The situation suggests the former, but I wonder if there's any of the latter in his motivation.

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SUPER..!!! my beau is back....start to read dramabeans again..:-)

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I still can't believe that a goryeo warrior is that handsome, perfect white teeth, smooth skin and so young for short , yummy. ! It si just so wrong, really wrong for that SEXY Man to be there.! "sigh", if he's the doctor Jangbin, maybe, but WARRIOR! they shouldn;t be so clean shaving, toussled hair, reddy lips, white bright eyes, clean hands and nails, aahh, what am I thinking!

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I will say that Lee Min Ho spurred my interest and that I've watched all his dramas post BBF. However, I think this drama would still be good and entertaining with an equally capable actor. So I'm not *just* watching for LMH, he's just like the whip cream, cherry, and sprinkles on top.

The show keeps ending and I'm like "Wait, that's it? You're ending *now*?!" They really need to work on that. It's like me posting my comment in...

...mid sentence! It's just not right!

And with that, I WANT MOAR!!!

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I'm interested with what I see so far, but I'm not really connecting with Kim Hee Sun's character. She's shrieky and overacting. Let's hope she gets better as the series progresses.

To be frank, I'm more interested in the possible love line between the King and the princess. The king's character fascinates me.

Another gripe is the soundtrack. Does anyone else think the action theme sounds like a rip-off of Pirates of the Carribean? That was the first thing that came to mind when I heard it.

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I will definitely keep on watching this drama1 Lee Min HO is my favorite!!! love it!

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absolutly AHmazin its an awesome drama im definitely going 2 be readin this, ive found my drugs for the month ie Faith and Arang and the magistrate they both rock. Lee min hos character is very intersting and its hard not to love him, I havent seen the girl before but you can barely see the age difference between them so its okay.
I visited ackola'c site and her reviews are not nice how can she not LOVE this drama?
girlfriday kamsamnida :)

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enjoying the action scenes, LMH has this smexy way of fghting he must have brought from City Hunter. other than that i am quite bored if am being honest, that Kim Hee Sun lady is killing me, is she a good actress or is it all hype with her? i dont know let's see the next 2 eps but so far, she's boring me to tears, not believable at all!

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I justed watched this with sub twice. And i totally agree that the bow is epic. This is a real warrior's bow. That maybe touched on shoo's heart somehow she did not make her move quick.

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The drama didn't really turn out well for me though.... sorry to say but i found it abit boring and kind of lacking in its ability to arrest attention. Felt too unrealistic to the point that i just couldn't watch on.... Normally i do love fantasy, but this one was just a little cheesy and i felt that the "scope?" of the drama wasn't wide enough....it was very centered around its characters, lacking in interactions with the "outside world". But it wasn't rotten, just not the drama for me.. Guess thats what i feel after watching romance saeguks like the princess man, moon/sun and the awesome awesome time-travel saeguk fusion Queen Inhyeon's Man. It just didn't reach the expectations, i was looking forward to be drawn in like how it happened with the other dramas but it didnt happen ):

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Watched both eps and enjoyed them so far, I agree the doc not going through the portal why they were arguing about her not leaving made no sense.

I did think it made perfect sense that she would not be accepting of a time jump and thinks she is on a movie set the same way he thinks he went to heaven.

I can't wait to see how the realization of where they are and where they have been comes about.

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Lee Min Ho-sshi, deadly and still with permanent hairstyle... :D And cute (so cute). But if he fires current (lightening?) out of his hands ----- is he a disciple of force? Lee Min Ho-sshi... May the force be with you just as I will be with this show... (btw. if you need an advice, just call me, I can be your Ayu Mu Kenobi :D) (-.-)

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Just finished watching both episodes subbed. I am drawn to the secondary characters presented thus far, but dropping this mainly because of the two main leads. I love LMH in BOF--he definitely got GJP right and he was ok in Personal Taste and CH.

In this drama, I am not buying his general character because I think he lacks sageuk presence, his voice is too soft, and his is too pretty--which is fine but I am not sensing that menacing quality I usually associate with great warriors of the past. So, LMH acts like a warrior and he looks somewhat like one, but I am just not feeling it.

Despite some over the top acting by KHS, I find the female protagonist a hoot. However, I don't want to spend at least another 22 hours watching KHS act. She is gorgeous, but I don't find her that arresting.

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Still not gaga but it was an improvement from ep 1. Still not clear on all the conspiracies. Guess I will have to wait for more character building. But girlfriday, you hit it right on the head with "We seriously need to send this show to Cliffhanger Academy" Again, another what???!!!! baffling ending!

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Goodness this did not grab my attention at all and I really thought it would.

I think Lee Min Ho is like Cha Seung Won for me - I really don't get all the craziness about them and I think Lee Min Ho is merely a passable actor. Lee Jun Ki is more situated for sageuks and I don't want to take part in any fan wars or what not but Faith was just...bland. The Queen needs to hightail it out of there and find herself a new man.

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We should have a drinking game for every time Choi Young doze off in the show. He seriously likes to sleep! :)

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ok now i get why all those die hard Jaejoong fans were cheering for him and saying how oppa was so cool in Dr Jin and all i could do was roll my eyes like, 'is y'alls blind?!!' cuz i don't care what anybody says, LMH aka The General is hawt!!! am totally digging his conflicting personalities, one minute he's too lazy to arrange the king's security issues and would rather sleep and the next he's rushing into a sword cuz he broke his promise, like am mesmerised and intrigued...def tuning in next week...sadly tho not for KHS, she be terrible ; (

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The power Lee minho is demonstrating is called Thunder gong(i.e. gong fu). It is a kind of matrial art that use qi gong to concentrate the electricity of human body and navigate it through palm.

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His thunder gong got more powerful in the 2012 seoul because the presence of electricity of the city.

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sorry of the typo. because of the presence of electricity in the city.

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human shish kabab!! haha,who wld hv thot of this in such a gory accident?lol

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I watched the first 2 episodes, and I thought it was a such bore, I couldnt help stop yawning. I thought Lee Min Hoo and Kim Hee sun so miscasted in here. I will give it another try ep 3 and 4 see if I will stick with it...but Lee Minho's face is a bit too big in here?

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"Will someone please tell Captain Literal that she doesn’t actually require his life in payment?!"

^ ROFLMAO!!! too epic =]

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I'm not a big fan of LMH and I never actually understood his appeal (so many people love him) but I'm actually enjoying his character very much and the storyline is just what I was craving for.

A little fantasy, a little romance, a little comedy and some fights in the middle...I'm pretty hooked!

Can't wait for the next two episodes :D

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While I am generally not floored by his acting or how the way he sported his warrior outfit in preview pics did not make me think he "owned" it, LMH is definitely a handsome man and I am intrigued by his character in Faith. His honor in sticking to his word despite his other flaws - or maybe because they're mixed in there together - is keeping me in!

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girlfriday admit it, no LMH fan will hurt you if you just say it: this drama is cr**! Seriously...

No chemistry between the leads, it reminds me of the 90s Power Rangers series (AND it more entertaining then Faith!!), the acting is lacking...

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