Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 15
by girlfriday
The truth comes barreling through town today, and flattens everybody in its path. Eun-oh comes face to face with Mom, Arang starts to regain some crucial memories, and Joo-wal… oh Joo-wal… He breaks my heart even more, and… is possibly way more evil than we imagined. Or not! He could not be, right? Riiiiight? *whimper*
EPISODE 15 RECAP
Eun-oh follows Mu-young down into the lair… and finally comes face to face with Mom. She doesn’t seem to recognize him, and despite the fact that he calls out, “Mother!” she looks at him curiously.
But before Eun-oh even has a chance to wrap his head around the moment, Mu-young takes out his knife, determined to attack. Uh… do you think maybe if you were going to do that, you should’ve warned your buddy there, and maybe walked him through the emotional trauma you knew was coming??
Mu-young just lunges with the knife, and of course, Eun-oh rushes to defend Mom. So then Eun-oh and Mu-young are just fighting each other, because grim reapers are bad planners.
Eun-oh stands between Mom and Mu-young with his fan pointed at him. Mu-young finally says, “Kim Eun-oh! That is not your mother!” Eun-oh doesn’t understand, but Mom’s about to help him along, because she starts to raise her demon army behind him. Oh crap.
The demon reapers attack, but Mom gasps to realize that her minions are losing this fight. She makes a break for it, and Eun-oh runs to stop her…
And she raises a dagger at him. Oh no, the puppy eyes! He looks at the dagger and then at her, so distraught and confused, and she either changes her tactic or not even demons are immune to the puppy eyes, because she softens. “You are her son.”
He searches her face, and then Mom drops the dagger, as she starts to convulse. Suddenly Mom’s soul starts to materialize, struggling to get free. She cries out, “Eun-oh-ya!” Oh noes, as if it wasn’t going to be hard enough for him already!
Mu-young sees his opportunity to strike while Mu-yeon is weakened, and pushes Eun-oh out of the way to attack with the dagger. Mu-yeon gasps and trembles, and Mu-young declares that getting rid of her is the entire reason for his existence (aw sad) and he presses the dagger into her heart.
But… a mystical force creates a barrier between her and the knife, and both of them look at it in shock. Whaaaaa? He struggles to stab using all his strength and both his hands, but it won’t budge. She starts to smile.
Eun-oh jumps back in between them, and Mu-young tells him again, “That is not your mother!” He asks what that means, but Mom acts first, pushing them both down with her black smoke of doom.
She then raises more jar demons to keep the boys busy while she makes her getaway.
Joo-wal is nearby, and comes to check out the commotion. Mom stumbles out of the lair gasping for him to help her, and he hears Eun-oh’s voice screaming from down below, “Mother!” Ruh-roh. She urges him to hurry, and he leads her away.
Eun-oh and Mu-young fight off the demons, and Eun-oh goes running out to look for Mom. Mu-young stays behind to collect all the demons in the jars. Well yay for that. At least she’s one demon army short now.
He vanishes, just as Lord Choi comes down in his search for Mom. He reels to discover the dungeon that’s been sitting under his estate all this time.
Eun-oh runs through town screaming for Mom, but Joo-wal has led her up to an abandoned house in the mountains, where he hides her away.
Arang paces in her room, thinking over that demon’s request for her body, wondering what she is and why they’d want it if she’s just meant to go back to the afterlife. She fixates on Eun-oh’s fan, and searches her memory for why it looked familiar to her…
Finally she remembers that symbol – the same one that Bang-wool took her to when they were searching for a portal to the hereafter. She darts up and heads to Eun-oh’s room.
She’s surprised to find that he isn’t home, and roots through his room looking for the fan. She finds his mother’s hairpin instead, and remembers that he said his teacher gave him both the fan and the hairpin.
She thinks it through now, realizing that it all began with that hairpin: If she hadn’t been wearing it, Eun-oh never would have saved her. Ah, so maybe the purpose of that hairpin was to connect them to each other, and nothing more.
Eun-oh stumbles into the room in a daze and sinks down to the floor. Arang asks what happened, and he can barely say the words: that he met his mother. But then he sighs that he needs to rest, so she leaves him alone, tucking the hairpin away in her hand so it doesn’t stir up more grief.
She wonders what happened to make him react that way, when he’s been wanting to meet his mother more than anything all this time.
Eun-oh’s head swirls with questions—why his mother was down there, looking that way, and could she… could she be the one raising those demon reapers? Why? What happened to her?
Joo-wal is asking the same question, and Mom spits back that this is all his fault for not bringing her the girl sooner. She then decides that it’s “that woman” – if she hadn’t forced herself out like that, she wouldn’t feel this weak. Hm, interesting.
Joo-wal asks, his voice shaking like a leaf: “I heard… the magistrate call you mother…” He wonders a little too hopefully if he heard it wrong, but she says if he said it, it must be true.
Joo-wal asks hesitantly, “Who are you? No… what are you?” I can’t believe it’s the first time he’s asking this. He asks what her true face is like, and she says that she’s a being that a human could never fathom. “My name is Mu-yeon. And I am a fairy from heaven.”
Mu-young returns to heaven and reports that the Jade Emperor’s knife didn’t work. Hades reminds him that a reaper can’t kill a human. Oh right. Wait, so that dagger was useless to begin with? WTF, Jade?
Mu-young asks the same (with fewer expletives), and Hades says Jade gave it to him as a test of his will. Grar. Damn fogeys. He does offer up the real use for it though: it can be used to kill Mu-yeon, once she’s outside of a human body.
He figures that Mu-young would’ve figured out by now why the Jade Emperor has kept Kim Eun-oh on ice.
That night, a mysterious figure creeps into the magistrate’s compound. All we see is the edge of a skirt floating by in the dark. Arang stirs awake at the sound of an eerie voice calling her Lady. Eeeeeeee.
And with her nerves of steel, she gets up and follows the sound. I know you were once a ghost, but aren’t you a little scared? She follows the creepy voice all the way to Seo-rim’s room, where her maid is standing in the dark, her face to the wall. Gah, I don’t like this one bit.
The maid turns around… and her face is pale and ghostly. They recognize each other, and then Arang looks down to see signs of a bloody knife wound. She asks what happened, and the maid says it was Lord Choi.
He had her brought here to confirm Arang’s identity, and then had her killed. His minion did the stabbing, and she snatched his identification tag, which she shows to Arang.
The maid asks what she’s doing here and what happened to her, and Arang says she’s lost her memory. “Then have you forgotten Master Joo-wal as well?” She thinks that’s perhaps a good thing.
Arang wonders what she means, shocked to find out that Lord Choi’s family broke the engagement. Her maid says that Seo-rim wouldn’t eat or sleep, and went to that spot where she first saw Joo-wal every single day, hoping to see him just once.
“I learned then that if love is deep it is also painful.” She muses that even a man she loved that much is nothing when memories are lost.
Arang promises to avenge her death, and the maid tells her where she can find her body. They share a warm, tearful goodbye, telling each other they’ll end up in heaven. And then she turns to go and disappears. The tag in Arang’s hand vanishes with her.
In the morning, Dol-swe continues his officer training and the Bangs complain about the noise. One of them says he had a nightmare where Dol-swe was wearing the magistrate’s uniform and ordering everyone around, and they all shake that thought away. I hope for your sakes it comes true.
Eun-oh wakes up, still sitting in the same spot since last night. Arang comes in and gasps to find him still there and asks what happened and why he didn’t bring his mother with him. Did something bad happen to her? Tell her!
She urges him to tell her, but he refuses, and rushes back out. Argh, why aren’t you telling her?
We hear his inner thoughts as he walks away from her, saying that he promised to solve her murder and send her to heaven… but why is his mother the one at the end of that road?
Lord Choi decides that he’s earned enough in this bargain and it’s time to cut ties. He burns a talisman and then drinks the ashes. Eun-oh returns to the lair and finds it empty, but Lord Choi comes in just behind him. Eun-oh grabs him by the collar and demands to know if he’s the one raising demons here and who that woman was.
Lord Choi says he didn’t know about this place, and all he did was let that monster live at his house, and nothing more. Oh yeah, that’s super convincing. What, did you have a demon sublet special?
Eun-oh fixates on the word monster, and Lord Choi picks up on his reaction—what, didn’t he know she wasn’t human? He adds that come to think of it, Eun-oh doesn’t exactly seem like a regular joe either.
Lord Choi admits that he let her stay here in exchange for curing him of his illness. Ah, so that must’ve been his deepest desire that she answered. But he’s washed his hands of it now, and tells Eun-oh to take care of her, since he’s the magistrate and all.
He growls that he’ll do just that, swearing to uncover the truth, and storms out. Each of the men mull over what they just learned from the other: Eun-oh found out that Mom is some kind of monster, and Lord Choi was told there were demons being raised in that place.
Lord Choi orders his minion to burn and bury Mom’s lair and post guards at the house.
Bang-wool wakes up from a nightmare covered in sweat, and wails at her ancestors for letting her be beaten up by spirits that she can’t even see… and then the ghost of her mother appears.
She can see ghosts now? Bang-wool’s eyes widen, as her mother nags her to put out better food for her memorial. But then we realize that in exchange for seeing ghosts, she’s lost the ability to hear them. Ha. Poor girl. Always half a shaman, never the full deal.
Arang comes by to witness the moment, and comforts her to perk up—she’ll get there eventually. She searches through a book and finds the same symbol they used to make the portal and confirms her suspicions: it’s the symbol of the Jade Emperor.
Up in heaven, the Jade Emperor smiles as Hades asks if he’s been using Kim Eun-oh. Jade doesn’t answer, but assures Hades that he’s got another move left to play.
Hades guesses that the move is Arang and Eun-oh meeting each other, “But we’ll have to wait and see, if that’s a good move or a bad one.”
Eun-oh goes to see Bang-wool to ask if a being were strong enough to break the divide between this world and the next, could it inhabit another body? She figures with that amount of power, why not?
Trembling he asks, “Then the body’s original soul… what happens to it?”
She consults her books, and finds that the soul must remain inside for the body possession to remain intact. Ah, that explains why Mom is weakened every time the other soul tries to leave the shell.
But then she reads on to find that the soul isn’t exactly alive either—it’s neither alive nor dead. He asks if there’s a way to save the soul in its original body, but she doesn’t find anything in the books to indicate that there’s a way.
The Choi men share some info, or rather Joo-wal shares some info and confirms his suspicions that Lord Choi doesn’t know very much. He says that Mom is actually a fairy, and Lord Choi laughs at the reversal, having expected her to be some kind of burrowing hell-beast. You and me both.
Joo-wal says she’s also Eun-oh’s mother, or her body is, and Lord Choi is floored yet again. He in turn asks about her condition in a threatening tone—she must be weak after missing her last full moon meal, no?
Joo-wal calls his servant in, and says there’s no one else he can trust with this task, and asks him to stop in and take care of someone who’s ill. The servant surprises him by asking if he means the woman who lived behind the house.
The servant says he knows about everything, even what Young Master does every full moon. Eep! Joo-wal tenses up, but the servant assures him that he understands—he grew up just as poor, and knew the day Joo-wal entered this house that he would protect him as his own.
He adds that he’s the one who let that woman into the house in the first place, though back then she was called Seo-sshi. Flashback to her entering the house as a servant, just to find the opportunity to poison Lord Choi’s food. So this is definitely human Mom on her revenge mission.
She was caught and faced certain death… but then a day later, the servant was shocked to find that she had become the woman who lived behind the house. Mu-yeon must’ve used that opportunity to claim her body somehow.
Joo-wal says that the woman is the magistrate’s mother, and the servant gapes.
Arang wanders through town trying to puzzle out the Jade Emperor, and runs into Joo-wal. They both freeze in their tracks for an awkward moment. They sit down for a drink, and she finally answers his proposal for her heart. She shakes her head and says it’s not a request she can say yes to.
He doesn’t seem surprised by her answer, and says, “Then promise me one thing: in any moment, that you’ll never give yourself up in order to gain something that you want.” Aw, he breaks my heart.
Also, this confirms our suspicions about the extent of Mu-yeon’s powers of possession: she cannot possess without consent, hence the deals in exchange for one’s deepest desire.
His request surprises Arang, but she smiles and says he doesn’t know her very well: “I don’t know about anything else, but I won’t ever give up on myself.” That seems to reassure him a little.
Arang: “You’re a good person.” Oof. That’s actually worse than if she called him a rat bastard. He looks at her with pained eyes.
She says she has something to give him, and he waits outside her room. She comes out with Seo-rim’s journal and hands it to him. Aw. She says it was his fiancée’s and she came across it, and there’s a lot about him in it.
Arang: “You said that the two of you didn’t know each other, but that wasn’t the case for her. I didn’t accept your heart, but I hope you’ll remember that there was someone who liked you deep within her heart.”
That’s so beautiful and heartbreaking. I love that she cares that someone will remember Seo-rim with love. She adds that it’s a relief that Joo-wal is a good person, which just twists the knife even further.
Eun-oh trudges home, barely standing, and finds his least favorite picture waiting for him: Joo-wal walking away from Arang’s room.
He scowls and prepares for a confrontation, but Joo-wal is so lost in his own emotional turmoil that he just walks right past him and out the door without a word.
Eun-oh storms over to Arang, who’s sitting on her stoop and sighing. He asks what he was doing here, and she says she gave him Seo-rim’s journal, because he should know how she felt.
Eun-oh sits down next to her and sighs with his head in his hands. Aw, it actually seems like he’s trying to keep his conflicted brains from spilling out of his head. He asks if she really felt that was necessary, and she says yes—it was never hers to keep.
He asks if she’s done now, doing everything she needs to do as Lee Seo-rim. She nods yes. He lets out a little sigh of relief.
She looks up at the sliver of a crescent moon, and he looks up too.
Eun-oh: “It feels like the moon is playing with us.”
She agrees. He shuts his eyes and leans toward her, until his head rests on her shoulder. She turns to him in surprise, and he just says with his eyes still closed, “Just for a little while, let’s stay like this, just a while.”
She looks at him, and thinks to herself, “There were so many things I wanted to say to you today…”
They sit like that without a word, and she lets him rest.
Joo-wal braces himself and then opens up the journal, and starts to read.
By morning, Lord Choi has reinforced security at his house, and Eun-oh storms out in uniform, convinced that he has to begin again at Lord Choi’s house. He has to figure out how Mom got there in the first place.
Arang paces in the yard with the hairpin, going over it again and again. Suddenly something strikes her. A memory?
In flashback, Seo-rim walks through the woods at night, intending to take another peek at Joo-wal. But what she sees is Mom wearing the hairpin, and meeting Joo-wal on that bridge. He greets her and they walk away together.
Arang puts together that it was Eun-oh’s mother that Seo-rim saw that night. But why would Joo-wal be with Eun-oh’s mom?
Eun-oh goes back to first place where his mother stayed when she came to town, and the woman apologizes for not telling him the whole truth last time—she didn’t know he was the magistrate.
She says that his mother asked about Lord Choi while she was here, and swears that’s all she knows. She and her husband both quake at saying anything against Lord Choi, and Eun-oh counters that he can’t help people if they don’t tell him what’s going on.
The man asks if he’ll really do something about it, and Eun-oh smiles and promises that he will. He tells Dol-swe to send a courier to his father, because he’s sure that Mom came to Miryang because of Lord Choi. He also tasks him with finding out Lord Choi’s list of crimes in this town, directly from the people.
Arang wanders to that bridge in her memory and wonders over the connection, when Joo-wal walks up, on his way to see her. He hands her the journal, saying that he can’t accept Seo-rim’s heart, because he doesn’t deserve it.
She looks down at the diary in her hands and asks if he wasn’t curious to find out how Seo-rim died. He says that’s part of why he doesn’t deserve her feelings, because he just believed the rumors and figured she ran away with another man, never once giving her the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t belieeeeeeeve you!
He says that maybe if he had known her heart, he might’ve acted differently. Arang asks where he was on the full moon, and he guesses here, since the view of the moon is quite nice from this bridge.
Arang remains on the bridge long after he’s gone, pacing back and forth. She decides that there might not be a connection between Joo-wal and Eun-oh’s mother after all, because he doesn’t seem like someone who would lie or hide anything from her. Oh honey. You’d think a girl who’s been to hell and back (or at least its front door) would know a thing or two about lying bastards.
She decides they could’ve walked together by coincidence, and then starts to walk away… when something strikes her.
Another memory? This one sends a chill down her spine.
Flashback to Seo-rim calling out, “Don’t leave!” as she pulls the pin out of Mom’s hair. Mom walks away from her, and the background comes into focus…
It’s Joo-wal who leads the way out.
COMMENTS
Eep! This is the discovery I’ve been waiting for, more than the Mom-is-possessed-by-an-evil-fairy one. And it comes at just the right time, when Arang is convinced that Joo-wal is a good person who just missed his chance at love. The best part is, Joo-wal is such a conflicted character that even though I know he’s a killer and I’m dying for Arang to find that out as well, my heart still breaks for him and I want him to have the chance to do something right. It won’t make up for his choices, but that character arc is still really satisfying, even if he remains a tragic figure till the end.
Joo-wal so chilling in that flashback too—suddenly cold and in control, the very opposite of the heart-on-his sleeve young man who confessed his feelings and has a hard time finding his words every time he’s with Arang. It’s probably worse that I find him adorable after seeing him stab people, but there’s something so simple about the things he wanted, like a mother and a home and food in his stomach, that it’s hard not to find him pitiable. Especially when he’s now in love with Arang and stuck between having a mother and following his heart, which means facing his conscience.
Eun-oh’s arc in this episode was a little frustrating, in that we’re already a step ahead of him in knowing what he finds out, and what we want is for him to talk it out with Arang. But he’s keeping his trap shut, which is making me crazy. I understand it’s because he’s scared to find out how the two lines intersect, but they’re actually starting to impede each other’s investigations, which is counterproductive and just dumb. I’m pretty sure there’s no time for secrets when you two are just starting to chip away at the real evil around here.
There’s something about the way Arang treats Seo-rim—respectfully, as someone who deserves to be remembered—that really speaks to my heart. Her quest has shifted from simply finding out how she died to finding out how she lived, and better yet, trying to find some remnant in this world that says Seo-rim was here. It’s such a universal wish as a human being, to leave a mark in the world no matter how short or long your life is, and I love that Arang thinks it important to make that mark now, and seek Joo-wal out so that someone can know and remember that Seo-rim loved him. There are about a million reasons why Joo-wal is right that he doesn’t deserve to accept Seo-rim’s feelings, even now as part of the past, but my heart still sank when he returned the journal.
And then the last memory flash she has throws everything into question. Is he unable to accept Seo-rim’s feelings because he murdered her after all? Is he the world’s best liar and is loving Arang a con too? Say it ain’t so Young Master!
RELATED POSTS
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 14
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 13
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 12
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 11
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 10
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 9
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 8
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 7
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 6
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 5
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 4
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 3
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 2
- Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 1
Tags: Arang and the Magistrate, featured, Lee Jun-ki, Shin Mina, Yeon Woo-jin
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
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1 MhsC
October 3, 2012 at 8:12 PM
Thank you !
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Dominique
October 4, 2012 at 11:31 AM
Nah.
This was a filler episode that let the great momentum of its previous episode drop but instead attended to some housekeeping matters for future episodes. Very slowly and boringly. I suspect the next episode will hit all the right spots. But must it take the drama one whole episode to move from one peak to the next?
Why does anyone waste pity, sympathy or romantic hopes on Ju Wal? I gather that the drama meant him to be a villain/love interest countering Saddo. But the drama failed miserably in this department. All it has given us thus far is a meek, slow-witted and soft-spoken wallflower with zero sexual magnetism. I am still waiting to feel chills moving up and down my spine by him merely breathing on screen. Or some latent carnal attraction between the bad guy and our heroine.
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Ennayra
October 4, 2012 at 9:37 PM
I agree with your take on Ju-wal. Is the character or is it the acting? Could be both, I guess. Either way, I'd hoped he would be an exciting character when we first saw him go all ninja, but that's mostly faded away.
Timeline confusion: Ju-wal was a kid when evil-mom found him in the body of Eun-oh's mother. But she's only been in that body for 3 years. The actor who plays Ju-wal is in his late 20s. Stretching, I could put Ju-wal's age at early 20s. This still doesn't give him time to grow up from being a 12ish beggar kid in 3 years.
Is this a mistake or a clue? The writers might have used the same actress as Eun Oh's mom in that flashback so the viewers didn't guess that she was possessed. If so, very poor planning, writers.
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yaya
October 7, 2012 at 3:02 AM
I've noticed that part too.... but after watching Ep 16 .... I begun to understand....actually Ju-wal memory has been erased several times...so he kinda confused... it makes sense that he thought EO mom ...brought him there. He doesn't remember that LSR had followed him ... and how she died....
I was as curious as you ..before.
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Kiara
October 7, 2012 at 11:50 AM
You migh need to go back and watch this show from the beginning. That woman with JW was not Eun-oh's mom. You can only see a side shot of her face and you might have missed it.
There is no mistake there. Just you.
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Ella Zala
October 15, 2012 at 12:17 AM
the evil fairy jumped into Mom's body 3 years ago. before that shes in another host~
Joowal has been doing the bidding since he started joining the evil fairy's club when he's 12...
2 anastassia
October 3, 2012 at 8:22 PM
Thanks!! Been refreshing not knowing for so many times!
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3 Joongirl
October 3, 2012 at 8:25 PM
Thank you, Off to read :)
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4 Biscuit
October 3, 2012 at 8:29 PM
I find myself suddenly strange and creepy to ship Joowal and Arang together, but jeez send me to a hospital, I do. What this drama does to me............. I don't think I can handle the next episode if any more revelations are revealed.
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Lizz25
October 3, 2012 at 10:58 PM
hahahaha.... I'll send you to hospital..... ;D
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5 Lizzy4e
October 3, 2012 at 8:34 PM
Omo, this show ROCKS! The fight between moo young and our hero was thankfully short or they might have ripped a hole to hell because it was so intense. Thank you for the recap! I am loving this drama.
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6 hallyuholicmom
October 3, 2012 at 8:34 PM
my reloading dilemma is finally over. thanks for the recap. i just find the story kinda slow (just a bit, though im still digging arang). when should the couple talk about their own slice of the pie? i mean, eon-oh please be honest already...
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7 yaskina
October 3, 2012 at 8:36 PM
Thanks!
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8 edge
October 3, 2012 at 8:39 PM
thank you =D
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9 saranga
October 3, 2012 at 8:40 PM
the scene with arang's former nanny/maid—i was momentarily convinced that mu-yeon had somehow managed to possess a dead woman's body in order to trick arang/capture her. was reminded of inferi in harry potter too. lol. but that girl should really stop wandering around at night. nerve wracking for us viewers, it is.
i want moar moar moar on mu-yeon's backstory.
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:39 AM
I wondered why the grims hadn't come immediately to take Nanny's soul, but I suspected the Jade Emperor allowed her to talk to Arang for a while.
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10 cv
October 3, 2012 at 8:43 PM
Thanks for the recap!
I'm enjoying this ep alot! ^_^ It's progressing along nicely. :)
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11 JK
October 3, 2012 at 8:46 PM
Thanks, gf for the great recaps! Always enjoy reading your comments.
I think it's precisely because we are one step ahead of EO in knowing that his mom is inhabited by the ex-fairy-turned demon, in knowing that he's the unwitting candidate chosen by the Jade Emperor, in knowing the great heartache waiting for him ahead that we can identify with his pains so much. It's such an impending pain that we can see coming but can't do anything absolutely to stop it that wrenches our hearts.
At this moment, I feel like putting a punch to Jade Emperor's face or clawing at his pretty face - how can he be so understanding in the delicacies of the human heart when it comes to MY but seemingly none for EO? If MY is having trouble putting away his kinship between himself and his sister that was a thousand years expired, then what had led to the Jade Emperor in believing that a young EO who has never been loved by his mom and yet craved for her love be able to able to sever that kinship that is so current and has never been given a chance to bloom? As Arang comes to the realisation that her meeting with EO was more fate (literally, as in determined by heaven) than chance, I really dread the ultimate moment when our two characters have to face together: what do they do now, save EO's mom but sacrifice Arang? So forgive me, just thinking about it makes it traumatic for me. Certainly, this is not just about sleuthing anymore, this requires some heart (as opposed to hard) thinking. I'm all for EO to calm his stormy heart before he bares it all out to Arang about what he found out at the cellar and the truth about his mom because there's only more pain at the end of that road.
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ar
October 3, 2012 at 10:21 PM
1. I wonder if the Jade Emperor is using Eun-oh's presence and his stubborn mommy-issues to expel Mu-yeon from the mom's body, at which point it is okay for Mu-young to stab her.
or
2. The Jade Emperor is using Eun-oh presence to pressure the Mu-yeon to seek out Arang's body asap. Since Arang's body is special and not human, Mu-young may be able to kill her that way.
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12 Jilly
October 3, 2012 at 8:49 PM
Y'know, if you read Girlfriday's recaps at night, alone and really fast, you can actually scare yourself out of a good night's sleep O.o
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jomo143
October 4, 2012 at 6:58 AM
I know.
I used to watch this at night, but have learned that first thing in the morning, when the sun is comfortingly shining is way way better.
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13 tarquinthetiny
October 3, 2012 at 8:55 PM
Great recap, JB, followed by insightful reading, as usual. Thanks!
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tarquinthetiny
October 3, 2012 at 8:56 PM
Oops, I meant GF!
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14 drmjs
October 3, 2012 at 9:01 PM
Thanks GF! I agree, Joo wal is such a complex character and I'm waiting to see how he will eventually evolve.
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15 yumii
October 3, 2012 at 9:03 PM
Thanks for the recap.
Can someone explain what a fairy is is Korea?
What is a western equivalent--or is that a stupid question?
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boingboingracquet
October 3, 2012 at 9:31 PM
Not too sure if Korean fairies are the same as those in Chinese ancient folklores, seems pretty similar in this case..
Don't take my word for it since I'm no mythology expert, but it seems there are different types of fairies..there are those who are born to the Heavenly Kings (aka fairy princesses), and also those who have gained immortality through accumulation of good karma in their good deeds and earned the right to stay in heaven. In most Chinese mythological stories/movies/dramas like 'Journey to the West', these fairies have a 'dedicated job scope', like tending the holy peach tree, or dancing to entertain the Jade Emperor and other heavenly beings. I would say a lot of them have been depicted as ladies-in-waiting, although I'm pretty certain some of them have more important contributions (like Nv Wo, the fairy who made humans in the world out of clay). One thing's for sure, they are always seen to be extraordinarily beautiful, and always graceful, floating along on clouds and ribbons etc.
As for Western equivalent...hmmm..couldn't think of any, Western immortals seem to be simply gods and goddesses but in Asian mythology the hierarchy is much more defined like societal classes. Fairies are definitely lower ranking than goddesses and gods..
Which makes me wonder why our dear Mu Yeon is giving up her immortality to live wretched lives in the bodies of mortal women...dissatisfaction in her occupation in heaven, perhaps? (As we recall her fellow 'colleague' was brewing herbs or tea for Jade for the last 1000 years)
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yumii
October 3, 2012 at 9:54 PM
thanks.
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ar
October 3, 2012 at 10:52 PM
Brewing tea for 1000 years for two guys who waste their days playing badook....definitely boring! No wonder the surly fairy is...well...a surly fairy.
I think Mu-yeon is trying to have it both ways. She's not really giving up her immortality. She definitely wants to keep that since she is angling for Arang's immortal body, but she also wants to chill here on earth. I don't get why she's here either. Doesn't seem like she likes humans all that much anyways. Maybe she's just a psycho who likes to have power over people and lord it over them. Or maybe she loves peaches and kimchi?
Someone needs to teach these guys go-stop.
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Stardust
October 4, 2012 at 2:55 AM
I believe in the recent episodes the chinese subs mentioned that Mu Yeon did something terribly wrong in heaven, and Jade banished her to earth so that she will still disappear soon after - this is her ungrateful interpretation of his actions, sparing her from a one way route to hell. But as she will become nothing after roaming the earth, she found a way by possessing humans to continue to live.
Thank you for the recap girlfriday! lol I enjoyed this episode so much because the truth from different sources just all came in at one go, and if only they all sat in the same room... they will all go.... Aaaaaaaaah....
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ms.auggie
October 4, 2012 at 4:57 AM
Its bcoz she did mistake (s) and punished to the hell (somewhere not heaven). On the way there, Muyoung who accompany her lost her. She escaped and posessed a dead woman body, and that's how she knew how to use it. Its in the previous episode I think.
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sparkskey
October 3, 2012 at 11:25 PM
A fairy would be like a celestial being in Asian culture. The closest western equivalent would be an angel.
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Kiara
October 4, 2012 at 8:42 AM
Western equivalent is Tinkerbell lol.
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yumii
October 4, 2012 at 9:52 PM
That makes sense. Tinkerbell was a bit of a stinker too.
I don't think Western fairies get to heaven though.
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16 Village Mrembo
October 3, 2012 at 9:08 PM
For once i got to watch this early, tnx to viki and some not so legal technicalities that let me watch despite the block! (sorry, anyone offended!)
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17 Miss rain ENgineer :P
October 3, 2012 at 9:08 PM
Thank u for the recaps :)
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18 boingboingracquet
October 3, 2012 at 9:09 PM
Everytime I see Mu-Yeon scowling in Mom's body, I feel like her eyeballs are just gonna pop out of her sockets with the menacing death-stares.
I'm wondering, really, Jade, why can't he just brief Eun-Oh and Arang properly to accomplish their tasks quickly and get on with the loveys instead of leaving them flapping helplessly like fish out of water?? And Mu Young. Can't he just tell Eun-Oh what he knows so they can at least concoct a demon-banishing gameplan? Is it because that 'heavenly secrets must not be revealed'?
Whichever way I really feel like beating someone up, looking at our Magistrate trying desperately to put the pieces together (and being too slow about it) but at the same time not sharing his dilemmas with Arang. Gah!
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SaucyScribe
October 4, 2012 at 12:36 AM
"Mu-Yeon scowling in Mom’s body, I feel like her eyeballs are just gonna pop out of her sockets with the menacing death-stares."
Agree. So. Hard. My husband and I laugh whenever she's on the screen. I mean, the actress is just so BAD. She pulls me out of the world of the work whenever she's on screen. We use her head-tilted, bug-eyed stare now whenever one of us is playfully mad or scolding the other for a silly mistake.
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Kiara
October 4, 2012 at 5:29 AM
I hate to be so critical but she is terrible. Worst villain ever imo. She is so bad at being bad.
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boingboingracquet
October 4, 2012 at 7:03 AM
I completely LOL'ed over this!! Must do the same to my bf the next time he forgets my valentine's day flowers.
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19 Jen
October 3, 2012 at 9:10 PM
Hi first time commenting here BUT I just want to say how much I really love Joo-Wal as a character in this drama! Am I the ONLY one who wants more screen time for JW? The actor (what's his name?) portrays JW's tormented soul so well and I just love how torn and sad his character is!
Sorry OTP, but I really want to see more on JW and how he continues to love and treat Arang from now! Totally smitten by JW and his hunger for a SIMPLE human life - house, warm food, MOTHER.... It pains me to watch him being toyed around by "mom" (MONSTER!) every time, watch how he quivers and shuddles at every word this "mom" says, and watchiful like a hawk whenever he sense Arang in danger of his "mom".
Is it possible (pureeeeeeeeese!) to give JW a "good" ending? I know he doesn't deserve it, after killing so many girls, but I want to see him repent for his sins and get to be on the GOOD side at the end!
Thanks to girlfriday for the recap! I've been a fan of your wirting and many of the writers here for a while but haven't commented here before.
As oppose to what some comments I read recently on the recap of TTBY, I do like it that the writers here are SUBJECTIVE, have their own thoughts and minds, are not afraid to scrutinize and criticize. A writer does NOT have to like what he/she recap about. To me reading ANY kind of comments is a pleasure because it could be a whole new different way to think (for me to learn or absorb). I don't have to agree with everything anyone says, but I love to read opinions that are diverse and especially different from mine. The world is a huge place people!
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sally_b
October 3, 2012 at 9:21 PM
Hi Jen.... I also want a good ending for JooWal. The actor has done a superb job of showing his torment and ...for lack of a better term....broken-ness.
His whole life has been pitiable --- he's been manipulated by a monsterous-force of supernatural BAD since childhood...and NO, he shouldn't recieve a *get out of Hell free card* , because he IS a killer~
...but I'm thinking perhaps he could be assigned to a lesser-hell for a few hundred years, then get re-assigned as a Reaper who gets to court pretty Fairies.
Or even MORE amazing would be if JooWal is actually the one to stab Evil-Fairy-Mom with the hairpin. I believe the words 'mother's heart' are inscribed on it --- that's what he's been committing the murder to obtain.
So how awesome would it be if Jade Emperor actually had a 3rd or 4th option to kill the beast....JooWal as the last hidden card up the sleeve of JadeE's fancy hanbok! ha!
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sally_b
October 3, 2012 at 9:27 PM
OH....totally forgot to mention.....I think the Bad-Fairy has some sort of memory-blocking or erasing capabilities. Humans...even evil ones, can't be fully trusted by such a creature as HER. That gives rise to my suspicion that she places some sort of *blurry* voodoo on her hunters so they don't freak out in a moment of humanity and BLURT her whereabouts or doings. (just my two cents)
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anais
October 3, 2012 at 11:24 PM
Re: memory wipe - I forget when she says it. Perhaps it was the preview, but she says that she erased Joowal's memory at his request so that he wouldn't remember the details of his crimes.
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Jen
October 4, 2012 at 12:49 AM
Wow thanks! I didn't know that.. can't remember that part.... Sigh this means that JW intentionally does not want to remember his own evil deeds, which consequently also means that he obviously knows those deeds are evil and bad.
I so want a redemption for JW, the poor lost, broken and tormented soul.
Yes some might say they don't understand all these pity for JW as a character coz he definitely did a lot of evil stuff. But just like a lot others also said, those deeds are "cultivated" and "nurtured" by the MONSTER since he was a child, starved for family and love. I hope the writer-nim continues to write his character excellently to let us feel even more heart-bleed from now coz I just love this character as he is!
Jen
October 3, 2012 at 9:36 PM
Hello Sally_b and thanks for "siding" me in my "more Joo-Wal" quest! *___*
Yes it would be wonderful if JW can find a way to "redeem" himself from all the wrong he did, in an unusual way (not the bad guy turns good kind of way but maybe a lost-boy-turn-good with a twist kind). AND the idea of pretty Jade Emperor having more than 1 way to kill MONSTER under his hanbok just cracks me up! YES! So far, JE hasn't been totally honest/clear about what he knows and wants. It would be great if JW is his final card to get rid of Monster ooooh I would LOVE to see that!
Its the first time I see this actor (JW) in a kdrama and I really find him GOOD! I hope we get more plots unveiled tonight and I definitely look forward to salvation for JW!! PUREEEEEESE!
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sarang
October 3, 2012 at 9:45 PM
I was actually bothered by all the JW&Arang on today's ep. But then again, it was certainly needed. I'm not too sure I want to see more of it though. Right now, Arang and EO still need to figure some things out and if JW gets in the way, it will be a total mess. I do hope for a good ending for JW, just as long as it doesn't interfere with my OTP. (lol)
And in the preview for ep 16, was it revealed that JW did in fact killed LSR? Because JW asks Muyeon if he killed LSR and she answered, "Yes." Ah, what a twisted fate!
To have been the one to kill the person who has loved him.
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Jen
October 3, 2012 at 10:51 PM
Ha ha hi Sarang! Understand that you are our OTP-shipper! I like our OTP too, just that I want more screen time for JW......
Hopefully we BOTH get what we want on tonight's episode!
Cheers!
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Kiara
October 4, 2012 at 5:43 AM
I would have liked to see more of JW but he seems to have the same facial expression through out the whole drama.
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:44 AM
Yes, I'm hoping Joo Wal has a good ending as well. I know that we just can't forgive the past just because a serial killer had a bad childhood...and in real life I don't know if I'd be so compassionate to Charles Manson, Hitler, the like...but dang! this is ART! And in storytelling, there's gotta be some way for the guy to redeem himself. If he can't get a good life in this life, I am hoping that in the afterlife he will just not be consigned to hell. It'd be the classic case of someone whose life is so bad that it would be better if he had not been born. It's just too sad to think about. Born in sorrow, living in oppression, dying in sorrow THEN going to hell. No, please, writers! Be merciful to my dear Joo Wal.
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Arang2
October 4, 2012 at 12:01 PM
@Carole:
I do agree with you...plus I think Mu Yeon is more comparable to Charles Manson, Hitler, and etc...so I don't mind if she just vanished into thin air...ah no, I take that back..she needs to go to hell and serve Hades FOREVER! On the other hand, if Joo Wal really repents on everything he's done, hopefully he can get a second chance, maybe not in this life time but maybe he can be a reaper or goat's caretaker...or something :D
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Waiting for episode 16. Anything to lessen Joo Wal's evil/guilt will be highly appreciated. Am trusting these writers.
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20 KRush
October 3, 2012 at 9:18 PM
Thank you.
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21 whimsicalnet
October 3, 2012 at 9:31 PM
the reason y i don't usually watch a show till it end its run is episodes like this one...
the suspense is killing me!!! argh.... can tmr come faster... n next week as well please...
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22 childboo
October 3, 2012 at 9:40 PM
Really confused as to how anyone could possibly feel bad for Joo-wal. He's been murdering little girls, teenage girls and young women since he was a child.
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childboo
October 3, 2012 at 9:43 PM
the only way i could see him paying for his crimes is if his storyline ends where he chooses to sacrifice himself for arang and spends his afterlife in hell.
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sally_b
October 3, 2012 at 9:46 PM
@chidboo - It is exactly because he was indoctrinated as a child that I find him pitiable.
All over the World, right now....there are children doing horrible, unfathomable deeds ....because they were raised/trained to do exactly that. I place my *primary loathing* on the creator of the situation ...and 'allow'myself to feel sorrow for the fate of the ones manipulated.
Never have I thought JooWal should escape punishment - but I do believe those who TRULY turn-around should have the chance at redemption.
Does that help with the confusion? :)
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childboo
October 4, 2012 at 12:32 AM
even if he was a child his victims were also children most of whom probably had families just like arang, their burden/sadness outweighs any sympathy i could ever possibly feel for joo-wal.
its not as if he just took the girls to mu-yeon, he was actually stabbing/killing them first. He is also no longer a child, and knows what he is doing is wrong. so nope still confused.
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ditto
October 3, 2012 at 9:49 PM
It's because they pity JW and his absence of love. I agree, it still does not justify his reasons for killing all those innocent girls. He may be protective of Arang now, which is sweet yes, but it's still irks me how anyone can still want Arang with JW after knowing he killed her once AND he possibly killed Seo-Rim (according to ep 16 preview)
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Kiara
October 3, 2012 at 10:11 PM
Madame Evil should answer for his sins. She taught him to kill from a very young age. She used and abused him for her own evil purpose. What would you do if you were in his shoes?.
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ar
October 3, 2012 at 10:32 PM
Like others have said, it is because he has started this route as a child. It is sad that he traded his soul for something as simple as a home and to be seen as a human being (he was seen as less than an animal)- pretty much the basic needs of a human being. His only human contact was people jeering at him. And the mom took advantage of that. How happy she must have been to get such a great deal out of that kid.
I also do think that the only way for him to pay for his crimes is to do some sort of sacrifice for arang (after all, he killed her twice). Maybe if he helps put Mu-yeon away, the two gods will be lenient and give him some sort of job in Heaven. Maybe he can be the first male fairy? (he seems too pretty to be a reaper).
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anais
October 3, 2012 at 11:39 PM
It's hard not to feel pity for Joowal. Had he been born to a different set of circumstances - yangban parents who were noble and loving - he might have turned out fine. Had he even had poor yet loving parents, he might again have turned out fine. But he was born to such abject circumstances, an orphan beggar. Even among the outcasts of Joseon Confucian society, he occupied the absolute bottom rung.
Then, for him to meet Muyeon who has no scruples whatsoever, it's a wonder that he has any shred of humanity left. It's so easy to manipulate young children and exploit their desire for love and stability.
It's so evident from Joowal's interactions with Arang that he - at his core - is loving but that Muyeon had thoroughly twisted the object of his desire. It's heartbreaking to witness his discovering for the first time that he could have turned out differently.
Joowal brings to mind Sudanese boy soldiers, the rehabilitation of whom must be agonizing, not the least because the boys themselves must wrestle with the fear/doubt whether they can be or deserve to be rehabilitated.
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:49 AM
Exactly right about the child soldiers.
I think the biggest issue with Joo Wal is that he never saw the humanity of those he murdered. When he realizes he killed his true love, I think it will dawn on him what humanity is all about. Joo Wal has never had to learn scruples or identification with the sufferers. He was probably encouraged not to, because he was trying to escape from poverty and mockery and being called "skin and bones"...but now, he will see. Poor Soul. He will at least die enlightened about love and the importance of all life. Dang, I'm gonna cry for my Joo Wal.
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Arishia
October 4, 2012 at 1:11 PM
This is really a long stretch, but So Rim's body never rotted or went through rigor mortis, so... If JW can redeem himself, maybe So Rim can come back to life and they can live humbly ever after. And our otp can move back to EO's dad's house and make lots of babies. As for Mom inside not-Mom, meh... she can sacrifice herself for EO and get some redemption that way. As long as she's out of the picture permanently. I feel bad for JW too. Having never experienced human warmth, how would he know the value of those lives? Lol, as long as we get plenty of otp babies, I'm good with whatever the outcome.
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:23 PM
I'm kinda thinking there was Seo-Rim, then Arang and am thinking Arang is already in love with Eun Ho. Although I suspect the Seo Rim part of her will somehow merge into the new Arang when she gets all her memory back. She will accept herself as both Arang and Seo Rim and will be a new third version of herself. Dead or Alive.
Arang2
October 4, 2012 at 1:24 AM
Heard of the phrase "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her"?
I agree that what Joo Wal did in the past were all wrong - there's no question about that. His desires are to live in a warm house, eat foods like a normal being, and have a mother -- that may sound crazy to other people that he killed innocent people just for that?! However, we also know that he's a broken person - grew up in a harsh environment where the only person (ex-fairy) who's suppose to help him out made him to kill those people. He didn't live in peace which is why he wanted to erase those memories because he is not really a psycho - he's got conscience. I believe that he also feared for his life which is why he's always afraid to disappoint *Mom* and that fear is how his *evil mom* using/manipulating him to do the things she wants.
I really felt bad about him. How can he repay all his bad deeds? Probably when he'll find out that the only/first person who really loved him died on his hands and there's no way to turn back the time to undo all the bad things he did in the past. Is that enough for the family of those people he killed? Probably not. Can he still redeem himself? I think so. Who am I to judge?
As of now, I'll just wait and see how this drama will unfold - will he stick to his old sorry self and blame his sucky life to other people or will they turn Joo Wal into a brand new leaf and be part of Jade Emperor's badook strategy - since he keeps saying that he believe in human's heart. Peace people :D
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 6:01 AM
Wouldn't it be totally neat if Joo Wal was the one to kill Big Bad, his own kinda spiritual mom? But unfortunately, he's not related to her by blood (Eun Ho) or by spirit (Mu Young) so he can't redeem himself in that way. But I'm hoping the writers will redeem him. On the one hand, they have made him such a good character and such a "good" soul -- in his split personality kinda way-- that I feel they might like him as well as us and try to find a workaround that could save him and still remain true to the plot. (Cause we don't want to mess up the plot simply because one likes a character) But on the other hand, if he is being used to be a symbol of tragedy and a cautionary character, then even though they like him they will go ahead and let him suffer in this life and the life to come.
I generally dislike characters suffering but I gotta say that cautionary characters, placed in a story to warn potential evildoers, are often powerful. And they ought to come to a bad end so future serial killers (or other near-baddies like marriage-breakers or women who toss off their beloved in order to marry rich old men) should take note and not belief life will turn out well in the end.
So if Korea has its own version of the Hollywood Hays Code where no matter how much you love a bad character he has to go the way of all baddies, then my poor Joo Wal has a mean future awaiting him. Even so young would-be serial killers will get the idea and his story life will not have been in vain.
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jomo143
October 4, 2012 at 7:08 AM
Actually, Carole McDonnell, I think maybe JE's last move has to do with JW.
The writers gave us a HUGE HUGE possibility by saying that the person has to be blood related.
We know that EO's oma had family killed by Choi, it could very well be that JW is a cousin or nephew whose family members were also killed by Choi's.
THIS would make my heart happy.
If someone HATES her the most, it is JW. I can see either EO and JW working together, or JW jumping in when EO cannot do the final stabbity.
I don't think JW will get out alive, though, but he could be an awesome Reaper chatting up the Fairies in boring heaven.
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 9:00 AM
I hope so. Anything to save my sweetie's soul and redeem his evil confused life. Cause I am definitely wondering what the other plan might be that Jade has up his royal divine sleeves. I'm a bit nervous though cause the preview seemed to hint at something Eun Ho didn't want Arang to see.
Kiara
October 4, 2012 at 9:24 AM
I wonder how Choi came to meet Mu Yeon. He looked young in ealier flash-back. I hate him but he may be a victim too in the beginning but continued to be by his own lust for power.
JW I hope he will come to feel remorseful for what he did. I've always felt that he was a victim from the beginning.
Arishia
October 4, 2012 at 1:15 PM
JW can jump in between Big Bad Mom and Arang and get killed in her stead, thus getting a portion of redemption. I still want JW to live with the reanimated body of SR.
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:25 PM
i hope so.
23 Bakachild
October 3, 2012 at 9:45 PM
I honestly think Joo-wal doesn't know or realize that he killed Seo-rim. Maybe Mu-yeon put a block on his brain or something? I just feel liek something happened that night that caused both him and Arang to go into memory loss mode.
Also Joo-wal makes my heart bleed. I won't be satisfied unless he repents(probably with his life if they're going that route) but seeing how it's going now, this'll make a great character arc.
And also i found myself yelling at the screen when Eun-oh didn't tell Arang what was happening. I know you're scared but you have about half a month left. No time to dilly dally. I understand him, which is a must or I rage, but that doesn't mean I like it.
Thanks for the recap!
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boingboingracquet
October 3, 2012 at 9:53 PM
I'm guessing though, that he wasn't the one to kill her. Perhaps Old Man Choi, since he recognized her face as JW's fiancee..as possibly recognized her as the girl with the pure soul he killed??
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ar
October 3, 2012 at 10:14 PM
I don't think Joo-wal ever paid much attention to Lee Seo-rim or to any of the girls he had killed/led to their deaths - so I think it is very possible that he just didn't realize that Lee Seo-rim is one of the girls he has killed - though I would think Lee Seo-rim would have yelled "i'm your former fiancee, Lee Seo-rim. Don't kill meeeee!!"
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CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 6:03 AM
LOL. Oh my gosh! My first big laugh of the morning. Actually, my first laugh as well. Nothing better than lung-clearing laughter in the morning. Thanks.
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anais
October 3, 2012 at 11:41 PM
Muyeon says to Joowal that he erased his memory of his murders at his request. Perhaps it was in the preview for Ep 16. Anyhow, that's presumably why he doesn't remember, if he did kill Seo-rim.
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Joongirl
October 4, 2012 at 12:38 AM
(spoiler) Preview of the 16 episode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CvObWdod6U&feature=youtu.be
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Bakachild
October 4, 2012 at 3:10 AM
Oh that makes sense o: i was waiting for viki to fully sub before i watched the episode and preview. That would also make sense as to why his conscience hasn't caught up to him and he's been able to live with being a murderer for so long. He just doesn't remember what he's done so that takes some of the guilt away. Like he can pretend it was another him and not him.
Still doesn't forgive his actions but I feel like his situation makes more sense like that.
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Joongirl
October 4, 2012 at 3:34 AM
I feel sorry for Joo Wal, for being him, in the way like I feel sorry for you but I couldn't help you T.T
Maybe Mu Young feels the same towards Mu Yeon, he feels sorry for Mu Yeon's life but he could do nothing for her... it's too late for JW, he has passed his turning point and now he is helpless
Kiara
October 4, 2012 at 6:44 AM
I'm guessing thats Lee Jae Yong playing Eun-oh's dad. I cant wait for today's episode.
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jomo143
October 4, 2012 at 7:10 AM
I was gonna guess him, too!!! Was he in the preview?
Kiara
October 4, 2012 at 7:41 AM
Yes very briefly and just a side view of his face. I had to play it back a few times. I watched all his sageuk dramas starting from Emperor of the Sea so I know his voice but he didnt say anything.
24 amberscube
October 3, 2012 at 9:45 PM
I feel really sorry for Lee Seo Rim...
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anastassia
October 4, 2012 at 12:45 AM
Me too.
How painful she will feel when the man she once love is the one how killed her twice! (maybe) and the man that she thought as a good person.
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25 Riri
October 3, 2012 at 9:46 PM
Ok, so I somehow still hope that by the end of this Arang still gets to live in this world.
Maybe as a reward for this whole debacle, she may get to stay. Both Arang/Seo Rim and Eun Oh have been deprived of love and for once I want them to be able to live being loved and giving love back. But that's just mainly because I want my OTP to be together. :(
But I still love this drama...too bad I'm a sucker for happy endings. Poo.
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26 sally_b
October 3, 2012 at 9:51 PM
@Bakachild - RE: "And also i found myself yelling at the screen when Eun-oh didn’t tell Arang what was happening."
me too...and also
I wanted to yell at the screen when the only OTP action was Eun-oh leaning his head onto Arang's shoulder.
That is not a hug.
That is not a hand-hold.
That is not a gently stroked away tendril of hair ~
It's a lean...of exhaustion. Even my co-workers occasionally do that to me....It's NOT romance.
arrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. (flips a table)
then calms down. ;)
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ar
October 3, 2012 at 10:11 PM
I yelled at him when he kept on dodging Arang's questions. Dodging her once for some tension is acceptable. But twice?! such a kdrama trope to blatantly manufacture tension.
I actually did find the head on the shoulder really romantic and sighed a happy sigh - maybe because my co-workers don't do that to me. my friends don't either because I get ticklish and start fidgeting like crazy. It's not romantic in the sense of the early stages of love, but it's like an old married couple gesture that I found sweet.
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sally_b
October 3, 2012 at 10:16 PM
hey there @asianromace -re: "It’s not romantic in the sense of the early stages of love, but it’s like an old married couple gesture that I found sweet."
yes. very true...it is that kind of sweet.
except....we haven't had the previous years of the married couple (honeymmon phase) to smooth us over to the waning days of old-married-ness. There's not yet been one mutual passionate kiss.....want. WAAAAAAAANT.
hahaha!
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Arang2
October 4, 2012 at 1:31 AM
Am I the only perverted soul in here? LMAO! The next scene after EO leaned his head to Arang's shoulder, they showed a lighted room and my mind went nuts! I'm like wooohoo what are they doing inside that room....only to my huge disappointment they showed Joo Wal about to read Lee Seo Rim's diary...*heavy sigh*
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D
October 4, 2012 at 8:27 AM
hi...
i don't remember meeting you in the gutter, kekekek.. i was disappointed too...
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Arang2
October 4, 2012 at 11:37 AM
Hello D! I might have missed you in the gutter...I'm usually in & out real quick :D
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27 ar
October 3, 2012 at 10:06 PM
Thanks for the recap, girlfriday!
While I'm loving the stride that Arang and the Magistrate has hit (equal parts romance and mystery) and enjoyed the developments in this episode, I was really frustrated with Eun-oh. I'm like learning into the screen on my phone, awaiting with bated breath for Eun-oh to tell Arang about his mom being this demon-woman, and then he's like "later". Uggh!! I hope we can have Arang and Eun-oh sharing their findings in tomorrow's episode.
Anyways, I loved the whole Arang, Seo-rim, and Joo-wal scenes today. I agree with you that it is beautiful how Arang is taking such care with the memory of Lee Seo-rim, getting to know her and conveying her feelings towards Joo-wal. And Joo-wal, my heart bleeds for him, especially when Arang was telling him about how she wants to remember that there was someone out there who really, really liked him. I wish we can somehow resurrect Lee Seo-rim and give her to him.
Did anyone else think it was hilarious when Lord Choi found the underground chamber and was pretty much like wtf? when did this get built?!
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Bakachild
October 4, 2012 at 3:15 AM
lol yeah I laughed at his face XD
he must be happy to be clear of knowing about any of that crazy shit and being able to cut ties. He was still the murderer before Joo-wal and a huge assshole so we hate him but at least he's not involved with this mess anymore. Now it's just his treatment of people that'll disgust us. Yay?
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28 nabithoj
October 3, 2012 at 10:07 PM
For some reason I don't feel like watching this episode...sigh...I just wanna watch the ending now. I've gotten to the point where all I want to do is watch the first two to three episodes then watch the ending and then I can pretty much guess what happened in between....
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29 Kiara
October 3, 2012 at 10:13 PM
Thank you GF <3 :).
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Kiara
October 3, 2012 at 10:37 PM
I cant wait to see a show down between Eun-oh's daddy and Lord Choi.
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30 panshel
October 3, 2012 at 10:13 PM
Everyone was so forthcoming today -- Mom, Lord Choi, Joo Wal's servant. If only Eun Oh could be as forthcoming with Arang. Grr, freakin' tell her already! At least Arang figured out the Jade Emperor was Eun Oh's teacher. Our poor magistrate was emotionally spent the entire episode but had no one to share his troubles with (only has himself to blame for that).
I love how Joo Wal made Arang promise to never give herself up. I hope when that day comes, when Mom approaches Arang to grant her deepest desire, Arang is reminded of this moment and understands Joo Wal's hidden meaning. I was expecting Eun Oh and Mu Young to break some urns during their fight, but it was even better that Mu Young took the souls back. No demons for you! NEXT!
Thanks for the recap, girlfriday!
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31 opheliadrowning
October 3, 2012 at 10:24 PM
This episode belonged to Joowal and lee Seo Rim. While I was disappointed in progress for my OTP, I think we had to get closure for LSR...at least emotionally. In a way maybe that is what is freeing Arang from her amnesia? And it also frees her from the weight of once being LSR. She is all Arang now, and as she remember what happens, Arang will not confuse her feelings.
I think redemption for JW does not mean that we also forgive him for the evil he has done. Rather, we pity and understand why he beame the way he did. Forgive the person but not the crime. I was surprise how moved I have been by his story this second half of the run, and Arang giving him LSR's diary was the kicker.
It will be interesting how his interactions with Evil mom go now.
As for our OTP--a little frustrated with Arang now just because I'd like to see her resolve crumble a bit around EO because I am starting to question it a little bit if she does love him, or if she's still learning how to love someone like that. Not sure if this is purposeful, but if it is, I hope episode 16 brings a huge explosion of emotion from her in the same way we saw EO when he kissed her.
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Arang2
October 4, 2012 at 1:38 AM
I do agree with you. I wish to see Arang's reciprocating's EO's feelings toward him. Maybe now that she's done with LSR, hope that she'll be able to tell EO's how much he means to her - maybe a tight hug -- with a kiss, if possible, maybe I'm asking too much ey?! LOL... but at the same time, how much pain it will coz our EO if he finds out that the person who killed Arang is his mom? I hope he'll realize that it's that crazy ol' ex-communicated fairy that did that to her -- or so I hope :D
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32 mchall
October 3, 2012 at 10:27 PM
Ohhh Lord Choi, even if he is not the "big evil" in this drama I just want to slap him across the face every time he appears on screen... He is my new Koiso...
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sally_b
October 3, 2012 at 10:33 PM
HA! you want to slap him....I want to hand him a tube of Chapstick. (dude has some ashy lips)
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33 LyArisa
October 3, 2012 at 10:28 PM
In this episode, my heart bleeds for JW~~ And for a while I fall in love with him especially when he pleads to Arang to promise him that she will never give up herself for anything~~
At that particular moment, I realize that JW is actually a good person but had been manipulated by Evil Fairy for numbers of years.. Due to his sins, he's unable to get the heart of the woman who used to love him deeply.. Just like what Arang had said, it is such a misaligned fate.. Arang do not address herself as LSR anymore..
When Arang handed over LSR diary to JW, she also told him that it's hard for her to give her heart to him.. I'm not sure whether she intended to give her heart to EO..
While I feel sad for EO for finding up his mother is possessed by an evil soul, feel sad for JW heart break and also sad for nanny's death. I'm frustrated that PD-nim only give us that subtle lean scene for a lovely scenes between our OTP.
Although the scene is beautiful, sweet and keep lingering in my mind, I'm hungry and greedy for more romantic and intimate scenes between EO and Arang..
Sigh~~ Le us wait for ep 16 tonight.. Im crossing my fingers and toes to watch more romantic scenes ;))
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34 Maya
October 3, 2012 at 10:29 PM
I have a question, maybe a dumb one as I might have missed something.
I remembered that when JW first met the Evil-Fairy, she was already in Mom's body. But according to the servant, he was the one who brought in Mom to the house... 3 years ago... and I think he also said something about how JW might not remember but the woman was not always in that body since he was still young (but he's not that young 3 years ago that he couldn't remember people's faces). So did the Evil-Fairy actually do something to his memory or what? Because I find it odd as well that he didn't recognize Arang, esp after that last scene.
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anastassia
October 3, 2012 at 11:26 PM
If you look probally it is not. The woman who gave a ring to Joo Wal when he was a kid is not Sato's mother. You can see clearly from k-what blog.
However I have the same question, didnt Joo Wal remember before three years ago that the demon is still not yet in Eun Oh mother's form? ( During his talk with his servant)
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Maya
October 4, 2012 at 5:32 AM
Hi anastassia, yeah I checked that episode again, and the face of the woman was never shown to us, I guess it because it was revealed in the same episode that the evil woman was EO's mom so I've been thinking it was her all along.
Yeah, he should be called memory-loss no 2 if he really can't recall that the woman was not always in EO's mom's body.
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35 amie689
October 3, 2012 at 10:31 PM
First time posting..
I look forward to your recaps after every episode.. I just love the way you elaborate on the nuances and you ad-lib comments .. you do it so well. And for this one I agree and love everything... except for the small bit about EO..
I would say he was shattered.. emotionally and physically exhausted with his brain scrambled and his heart bleeding from all the unexpected thrusts and explosive revelations he just can't grasp much less digest......and the only one he can turn to is the person who is most affected, one he swore to protect.. and the one who still at the last episode as far as he knows, rejected his love..
Just have to patient a bit more.... but I sooo can't wait...
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36 ck1Oz
October 3, 2012 at 11:12 PM
I've watched the raw but just reading the ghostly part still freaks me out. Luckily this is a romance, thriller and not a straight out horror movie. Otherwise, I would be having nightmares for months.
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37 leni1965
October 3, 2012 at 11:21 PM
thanks for the speedy recap. been waiting for this since this morning. you just made my day. thanks so much!
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38 Aden01
October 3, 2012 at 11:23 PM
I thought this drama would end at ep 16. but we still got like 5 ep left? yay!!
thank you for the recap! really than you :)
and i just knw from wiki, this drama's rights has been sold to japan for over US$3.5 Million. awesome!
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Kiara
October 3, 2012 at 11:27 PM
Thats more than Moon/Sun. I think Lee Jun-ki is very popular in Japan.
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Jen
October 3, 2012 at 11:31 PM
Yes it is scheduled to air here in Japan on cable TV (KNTV) from 27 Oct every Sat and Sun from 10pm!!
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39 JK
October 3, 2012 at 11:53 PM
Finally after several episodes of seeming inertia from Arang, she's moving into action in this episode, behaving more like the Arang we had come to know and love.
Since Arang started on her journey to find out the truth about her death, I couldn't help but get frustrated at times with her about her plain refusal to budge when the truth is out there (e.g. her hesitation to venture into the hut when EO pressed her to do so, and again when she didn't ask JW what he knew about LSR the first time she set forth to do so). I concede that human emotions must have confused her and the truth is sometimes worse than the blessed bliss of ignorance, which I think our OTP right now only know too well.
This episode is dedicated to Arang, which I think is a leap in character development for her. In ep 3, when Bang-wool quipped that memory is the ultimate living proof of a person's existence, Arang had counter-argued that existence isn't important to her. But in wanting to learn about the truth of LSR's death, Arang has learnt that what she had wanted all along is to know about herself, the person she was and the kind of life she has led. Existence - it seems, can only be determined if it can be proven and that is by way of another person's memories of herself. Which is why the diary played an important role here in shaping a more three-dimensional character for Arang - first, it presented memories of herself through her own eyes that she has fallen in love before, and then the death of her nanny from whom she learnt that she has been loved as a daughter.
Arang giving the diary to JW was particularly symbolic. It showed that the memories which she had deemed to be unnecessary and worthless in the past were in fact the only reminiscence of a past LSR that has faded into oblivion whose memories can only be relived if it were passed on to someone living and who knows of LSR. The fact that she wants LSR to be remembered shows that she's finally understood what it means to have existed. And she wants LSR to be always remembered by the person LSR has loved.
In parallel, this can be taken as a kind of foreshadowing. While we are still unsure of Arang's true affections towards EO given her inertia and resistance, there are some signs that Arang may have finally realised the need to acknowledge her love for EO quickly before she has to leave (e.g. she turned down JW knowing that he was the one she used to love, she had wanted to tell EO but was stopped short by EO who only wanted to lie down quietly beside her.). I only hope that Arang gets the chance to do so before EO tells her about his mom. In terms of foreshadowing, Arang's realisation of existence and remembrance may hint at a certain ending that's awaiting our OTP. This, together, with the foreboding plea from JW asking her not to give herself up readily, does not bode well for EO and Arang.
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Baji
October 4, 2012 at 12:47 AM
Lovely analysis!
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anastassia
October 4, 2012 at 12:47 AM
Well said!
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anastassia
October 4, 2012 at 12:48 AM
Can I share on soompi's thread ur comment please?
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JK
October 4, 2012 at 1:08 AM
@anastassia, sure, just kindly quote that the comments came from me. Glad that you like it! :-)
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anastassia
October 4, 2012 at 1:40 AM
Thanks in advance!^__^
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40 eternalfive
October 4, 2012 at 12:08 AM
“Then promise me one thing: in any moment, that you’ll never give yourself up in order to gain something that you want.”
*heartbreak* Oh Joo-wal.
Thanks heaps for the recap, GF. :)
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41 Fabmari
October 4, 2012 at 12:21 AM
"...not even demons are immune to the puppy eyes, because she softens. “You are her son.”
Hahaha...GF, you are on fire!!! Such witty recap today!
It is even better than the show!
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boingboingracquet
October 4, 2012 at 7:06 AM
Agreed 100%!! Even though I watched the episode already with chinese subs I had to visit to see GF's take!
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42 Jadetaia
October 4, 2012 at 1:34 AM
Have we considered the possibility that Muyeon took over Joowal's body back when she was on the bridge with Mom? That perhaps that is why he is so calm?
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43 rhiaa
October 4, 2012 at 2:00 AM
I have a feeling that the Jade Emperor is actually Eun Oh's father. (Was his name Lord Kim? I cannot remember.)
Or maybe this is just the me who's fascinated with Greek/Roman mythology talking.
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jomo143
October 4, 2012 at 6:07 AM
That is the last part - other "move" that Hades and the JE were talking about.
Someone else is on earth who can facilitate the killing of EO's Oma's body, so her soul can escape. I don't think that EO's Oma will get out alive.
So who IS EO's father? I am curious which big name actor will be playing him, too.
Park Sang Won, maybe, Jun Kwang Ryul, who has the charisma if not the height. Kim Gab Soo would be great, but my hope is Jo Sung Ha because he is adorable and made me fall in love with him as Handsome Gangster in Romance Town.
Either EO's father shows up and tells EO things about his mother that he has never heard making it easier for him to stab the body, or makes EO's oma WANT to be stabbed. She could lift herself out and plead with him to end it all.
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44 hanie
October 4, 2012 at 2:25 AM
Thanks for the recap.
There are a lot of revelations going on in today's episode but to bad Eunoh didn't share anything with Arang. However, I understand him. In his POV, his mother may the one behind Arang/LSR murder. How could he tell her ' I think my mom is the one who killed LSR and she also the one behind all those nasty demon-reapers'.
Looking at LSR's memory, I wonder what kind of person Joowal actually is. We've been feed with conflicted, in love Joowal but Joowal in that memory doesn't seem like that. And I was surprise that Joowal slave(?)/helper know with what going on with him, what he did every full moon bla bla bla. wow.. to bad he is loyal to Joowal, he is to-go man for Eunoh to get some answer regarding his mom.
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45 sweetmery
October 4, 2012 at 4:30 AM
thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks 4 the recaps <3 another intense episode my pooooooooooooooor Euh an :(:(
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46 Village Mrembo
October 4, 2012 at 5:05 AM
Am prolly the only one hoping Arang and EO will die(again) and go to heaven and become reapers or whatever and the servant, as feared by the 3 Bangs, becomes the new magistrate (with his shaman wife by his side he he) Call me heartless but they can do whatever they want with JW, not bothered!
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anastassia
October 4, 2012 at 5:29 AM
Not only you. We at Soompi's thread hope too. At least they are together no matter where!:)
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47 anastassia
October 4, 2012 at 5:32 AM
Havent' watch fully yet with the subs BUT several scenes really tugged my heart.
I crying and have a very heavy heart during the moment with her nanny.
I just curious two thing:-
1) Wasn't Joo Wal remember before three years ago that the demon is still not yet in Eun Oh mother’s form? ( During his talk with his servant) so why he is surprise when his servant mentioned in previous EVIL MOM in on that body yet (Eun Oh Mom). Arent he grown big enough three years ago to know and remember that the lady keeps changing her form of body?
2) Secondly, I curious why Lord Choi is all happy and smirking. Arent he the one who has to worry the most if Satto discover the truth since he has also murdered soooo many peoples?
I really sympathy with both Arang and Eun Oh personally because of their conflicts. I can't bear to watch when Arang remember the one who killed or involve in her death is her first love (in previous) and the man she trust and thought as a good person (now as Arang).
I think what made her lost her memory is utter/impulsive shock during her killing. IF she had been killed by Joo Wal, the immense shocks/deathly experiences can cause one's memory lost in real life.
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48 CaroleMcDonnell
October 4, 2012 at 5:34 AM
Oh gee, call me a relentless hoper but I keep hoping Joo Wal didn't do all those murders!YES, YES I KNOOOOOOOW he did them but -- silly fool that I am-- I am so hoping he kinda was in a guiltless fog when he did them. Yeah, I know...silly, no?
I thought JaeJoong's tragic not-quite-aristocratic lord was sad in Dr Jin. But Joo Wal's not-quite-aristocratic lord tragedy is just way way way more heart-rending.
I suspect the reason Arang gave Joo Wal the diary for two reasons. Yes, to honor Seo-Rim so Seo-Rim's heart could be known...but also to heal Joo Wal's heart to make him know that although she (Arang) doesn't love him that he was greatly loved by someone else.
Poor Eun Ho. No way to save mom who is between living and dead. If he releases her from her body, he has to release her to death...but she will love him because of whatever he will do with the hairpin. If the fan is so powerful, that hairpin is probably super-duper awesome.
So we need Eun Ho and Mu Young to double team Bad Fairy? One has to kill her while she's in the body and the other to kill her while she's outside the body. Our two heroes have to kill mom and sis. Ah, gee...mega-sorrow for all the guys except for Dol Swe....uh, unless Dol Swe is gonna lose Eun Ho in the end as well.
Am delighting in the similarities between both arang and faith-- lovers resting their heads on each other's shoulder (although Arang still hasn't leaned on Eun Ho's shoulder yet) and folks dealing with memories. I really like the way both these shows use amnesia.
I so hope Joo Wal doesn't kill himself. Were they hinting at that in the preview? Darn it, i hate suicide.
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49 jomo143
October 4, 2012 at 7:34 AM
Thanks for the recap! Always good, always funny and insightful.
I am starting to appreciate, for lack of a better word, the romance in this story, as much as I am frustrated with its slow pace. What the writers did a good job with is making sure the OTP's actions are in line with their characters.
Arang is in a constant state of confusion now, looking for ways to learn what she needs before time is up. Previous to that, she lived for 3 years simply surviving - starved for food, for comfort, for hope.
None of those facets of her lives disappeared after meeting Sato. For her to give her heart openly to Sato, after having spent all that time protecting it wouldn't make sense.
And her personality has never been warm and loving. She's brusque even if she cares.
So when Sato comes home from his fight with Oma, and lays against the wall, I wanted her to reach out and put her hand on his cheek, stare into his eyes, and tell him it was going to be all right. Later, when he put his head on her shoulder, I wanted her to pull him tighter and let him snuggle. But she isn't that person. She's hesitant, not confident and she herself doesn't feel she has the right to be loved by Sato. As much as she is trying to help JW with his similar worries, someone needs to tell her the same words.
And on the one hand, I am afraid of what Bad Fairy will offer Arang for the body, on the other, why would she believe anything Bad Fairy says? Arang would have to really really accept that the JE has eviler intentions than Bad Fairy.
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50 Hooliah
October 4, 2012 at 9:18 AM
Thanks for the recap as always! It looks like Arang is finally thinking about doing something again--yay! I have been getting so tired of her sitting around with that confused look on her face. Up until she realized that EO was in love with her, she was always about action and defiance, but after that she just stopped doing anything and became confused. I liked it at first, because the fact that EO's confession knocked her flat shows that it was a significant event for her, but I think she's spent too much time wallowing. Even if she isn't going to admit she likes him, I'd like her to start moving things along again.
It frustrates me that she isn't sending any clear signals to the audience about how she feels about EO. I'm starting to think maybe she really doesn't like him, because she doesn't even give any _covert_ signs of liking him. No longing glances or anything. Today's head-on-shoulder moment was the perfect time for some classic Kdrama longing hover hand (Ju Wal did some of that earlier in the show, so I know it's a device the writers are familiar with), but Arang didn't do anything at all to suggest that she was into it, just stared up at the sky wistfully.
I hope in the next episode she finally is forced to make a clear decision about how she feels about EO. I want her to love him, of course, but at this point I would be happy with whatever as long as she just started actually moving that plot point forward again.
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namcha
October 4, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Yeah, Arang needs to stop moping around and do something. She hasn't done much in the last few eps.
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