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Faith: Episode 18

It’s time for our good guys to turn the tables for once, and actually deliver some major blows to the baddies. Young finally starts acting like a general (whooo), though it throws him into a tailspin about his place in the world. If there ever was a reluctant hero, I swear.

 
EPISODE 18 RECAP

Young storms the almost-a-wedding party and plants a big swoony kiss on Eun-soo. It would be slightly more romantic if Ki Chul wasn’t clutching his pearls behind you, but that’s also the fun.

Eun-soo reels from the kiss (Can you blame the girl?) while Young turns to Deok-heung to make the point of the kiss clear: it makes this engagement null and void. That seems to be skipping a few steps, but basically he’s saying that he’ll get drawn and quartered to save her, yeah?

Deok-heung fumes and orders Young to be locked up, and he just gives Eun-soo a tiny reassuring smile before handing himself over to the guards. Please tell me that’s an I’m-just-gonna-break-out-anyway smile.

Meanwhile, Ki Chul’s army raids Gongmin’s humble makeshift palace, dressed as bandits. I don’t know why they expend a whole bunch of energy to shoot arrows into an empty courtyard, but they do, and then the Wonder Twins lead the way in.

The place is empty, but the tea on the table is still warm, so they give chase. At the same time, the king and queen’s carriage is being led into the mountains by the Woodalchi. Gongmin is a nervous wreck, but he holds Noguk’s hand to try and reassure her. Aw.

Young sits in his jail cell (I’m thinking we should just go ahead and move your bed and clothes in there.) and one of the guards joins him. It’s the guy he’s been trying to convince to jump ship back to Gongmin.

Young tells him that the king is in danger, and tells him to gather up as many men as he can to meet the entourage. He hems and haws about moving without royal orders, but Young points out that he so quickly defied royal orders when he and his men accepted bribes and turned on Gongmin, which the guard agrees with sheepishly.

He tells him to hurry, since the king has a list of their names and crimes – Young will clear them of mutiny, but they have to be on the winning side in order to do that.

I do love how casually Young sits in jail, giving orders and strategizing to protect Gongmin without moving an inch. It’s a nice parallel to Gongmin being the king despite the change of address – Young is still the general, even here.

He sends the guard away, and a few seconds later, the door to his cell opens, and Young just saunters out. Hee.

The king’s carriage gets stuck, and at the same time they get word that Ki Chul’s army is closing in on their location. Choong-seok says that some of them will have to stay behind to hold the line, and says to Joo-seok: “I can only give you ten men.”

I love the moment, because you just know ten men are not enough, but Joo-seok bows and upholds his duty without a word.

Choong-seok and the remaining warriors lead the king and queen deeper into the mountains on foot.

Ki Chul asks Deok-heung for the doctor now, because they’re running out of time and there’s no telling when the door to heaven will open. Deok-heung muses bitterly that Young knew they wouldn’t harm Eun-soo, and so pulled that stunt figuring he’d be the only one to land in jail.

Deok-heung is still nervous about handing over his last card without having secured the throne, but Ki Chul reminds him (in an awesomely exasperated tone) that he’s got 400 men after Gongmin and Young’s locked up in prison: “What more do you want?!”

Ki Chul says through gritted teeth that he’s played along because of the doctor, but his patience is starting to wear thin. Frankly, given your temperament, I’m surprised you lasted this long without killing the man. He gives Deok-heung a day to hand over the doc, and storms out.

Deok-heung goes to see Eun-soo, furious that she ruined their plan to have all of Goryeo. Dude, you’re missing the whole part where she was never in on that plan to begin with.

He pins her against a wall, and so she pulls out the swift moves she learned from Young, and whirls around with a dagger to Deok-heung’s throat. Nice. She holds the knife there and brags that she learned well, “But… I only learned up to here…” HA.

So she pulls back and just tells him not to come any closer, “Because I don’t like you.” He calms down and tells her that Young escaped, to which she smirks, “I knew he would.”

And then he asks… for her to save him. Huh? To the woman wielding a knife at you? He says that if he gives her to Ki Chul, he has no more cards to play, and wasn’t she planning on running away from Ki Chul anyway in the end? She can’t deny that.

He asks her to run, and to Choi Young of all people, because he’ll protect her best. I’m still failing to see how this will benefit you, but so far I like the plan. He asks her to hide just long enough for him to be crowned by Yuan.

It’s a plan she has no problem agreeing to, since it involves her running away with Young and she knows this guy won’t be king anyway, at least according to her history. So she quickly says okay.

At that, he gets up and pricks her wrist – another poison, this one milder, but an insurance policy so that she’ll come to him when called. *headdesk* AGAIN? So. Tired. Of samey sameness.

With his aunt’s help, Young goes to arrest the contingent of the royal guard that isn’t on their side. They fight back, making Young snippy about being on a schedule.

Hwasuin and Eum-ja reach the king’s carriage, but find it empty. If there are really 400 men in this army, could we at least see more than twenty of them?

Joo-seok and the ten Woodalchi attack, but they’re not strong enough to hold the line. Poor Joo-seok goes down, and Hwasuin and Eum-ja walk on through without even lifting a finger.

He darts up at the last moment to go after Hwasuin, but she stabs him clean through the chest, and smiles as he falls dead. Poor heroic Joo-seok. For your sake I’ll imagine that this whole sequence was directed better.

Choong-seok leads the king into a hideout, and Gongmin asks after Joo-seok, remembering him as the Woodalchi who delivered news of Young when he was accused of being traitor, offering up his life to do so.

Gongmin says he remembers Joo-seok, and all the Woodalchi, who have been with him all this time. He frets that Young holds all his men dear, and if anything should happen to them, he couldn’t bear being responsible for losing Young’s men.

Just then, Dae-man scurries in to say the enemy broke through, and Flute Boy and Firestarter are on their way. Damn.

But that’s a sign for Choong-seok to go with Plan Z, as ordered by Young. He tells the king and queen to take off their robes. In walk two warriors, prepared to be their body doubles. Aww yeah.

Gongmin understands what he means, but refuses to comply and let these people die in his place. Choong-seok says his orders are to take the king and queen into the palace, while Young cleans house and prepares for their arrival.

He makes it clear that if Gongmin won’t come willingly, he’ll carry him there. Ha. I’m nursing a major crush on Choong-seok right now. They start to disrobe the king and queen, and Choong-seok orders the remaining warriors to hold this position for as long as they can.

Meanwhile, Young is busy collecting royal guards, which basically consists of: See those traitors over there in the ropes? Wanna join them, or join us and be cleared of your recent bout of mutiny?

It’s rather effective as far as persuasive arguments go. There’s even a handy visual aid of the guys who refused, kneeling in ropes. Mostly he finds the process entirely too slow for his liking, which makes him say everything in this droll tone that I love.

Gongmin gets led through the woods in plain clothes, and he keeps looking back, thinking of all the people who are dying in his place. We see more Woodalchi fall, and then the doubles for the king and queen, cut down soon after.

Choong-seok stops the group when he hears someone approach. They freeze, and then a group of royal guards comes out. The Woodalchi draw their swords… but then the guards kneel, “We have been sent by Choi Young to escort the king to the palace.” Excellent. The boys smile for the first time in days, relieved to hear their leader’s name.

Someone comes by to whisper some news into Young’s ear, and it sends him running. Aw, he’s running to Eun-soo, isn’t he? He bursts into the hospital where she’s waiting to see him, and he runs up to grab her in a bear hug.

He asks why Deok-heung let her go – she didn’t make some other deal, did she? She pouts, “I cried.” Young looks at her incredulously, “You… cried? And so he let you go? Because… you cried?”

She nods and swears it’s true, the lying liar, and tells Young to hurry and get back to work to receive the king. She says she just missed him and wanted to see his face, and he promises to come see her later.

Hwasuin returns to report from her day of king-chasing, and Ki Chul gapes, “It wasn’t the king?” She confirms that she checked the dead bodies and it was definitely not Gongmin and Noguk they killed today.

Ki Chul finds all of this bothersome, and waves away his minion’s concerns. The only thing he cares about is Eun-soo, and he gleefully announces that he gets to take her from the palace tomorrow.

By now Eum-ja and Hwasuin, and even his loyal minion, all start to see Ki Chul as slightly loony. He in turn can’t fathom why everyone isn’t as excited as he is about the chance to go to heaven, like it never occurred to him they wouldn’t want to step into some portal to the unknown.

Deok-heung rushes to hide Hwata’s artifacts under the floorboards, and prepares to make a run for it. But Young meets him for a face-off.

Each of them charges the other with his crimes… but the guys with the pointy swords are on Young’s side. Soon Deok-heung is surrounded, and we can all clap and put on our party hats.

By morning, Gongmin and Noguk arrive safely, where Young is there to greet them. Gongmin just says to him somberly, “I’m sorry,” before walking inside.

It’s only afterwards that Choong-seok tells him why: twenty-four Woodalchi, fallen.

Young takes in the news and swallows back his reaction. The others can’t and start to cry, but the way Choong-seok and Young remain the stoic leaders breaks my heart more. Young flashes back to the day he sent Joo-seok with a message to the king, with a half-joking apology in case he dies.

Jang Bin checks out Eun-soo’s dose of poison in her arm, and says they’ll have to try and make an antidote. He wonders if she’s not going to tell Young, but she says she can’t possibly add to his worries at a time like this.

Young sits by his soldiers’ memorial altar numbly, not even realizing that Gongmin has walked in. They launch into an argument right away, each claiming responsibility for the lost Woodalchi.

Gongmin says they died defending him, but Young argues that he should’ve been there, and they died because he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Dude, you can’t be everywhere at once, saving everybody all the time!

He blames himself for being locked up and not being at his post, “And that’s why your majesty had to leave the palace, and that’s why my children died.” He obviously means children figuratively meaning his boys, but I love that he calls them that.

Young adds that Gongmin asked him once, who mattered to him most. “She was always first.” Whoa. Should you be saying that?

He continues that he doesn’t really know his true heart for the nation of Goryeo, and that the king shouldn’t keep such a person who’s thinking such thoughts by his side.

If you’re warning the king about the threat that you might pose, then aren’t you still protecting him? He really doesn’t know how to be any other way, does he?

Gongmin eyes fill with hurt and disappointment, and he asks what he should do about it then. Young asks for him to let him go. Noooo!

Gongmin tells him to show up tomorrow when they’ll charge Deok-heung and Ki Chul with their crimes, and postpones the rest for later. I like that Gongmin’s strategy with Young wanting to leave is always to say he’ll decide later. I wonder if he’ll get a lifetime of service from him by saying, “Later.”

Eun-soo makes herself a calendar and starts crossing days off. She smiles when Young comes to see her, and wishes she could offer him a beer, but tea will have to do. She shares what Deok-heung told her – that something would come from Yuan in ten days’ time, which would make him king.

He asked her to hide for that time and not get caught by Ki Chul. Young asks if this is her idea of hiding, and she just cutely answers that if she’s discovered, “someone” can protect her.

She knows he must be having a hard time with the loss of his men, and she holds up sheets of papers, saying that this is from a movie. Is she going to Love Actually the Woodalchi? Who can’t read hangul?

She starts to read the pages aloud as she holds them up, but then we see that there’s a twist – she’s written him a message but isn’t reading aloud what she wrote.

Message: It’s okay / Eun-soo: It’s okay
Message: I’ll be by your side / Eun-soo: Don’t worry
Message: Until that day / Eun-soo: Everything will go well
Message: Can I do that? / Eun-soo: Right?

He smiles and answers yes. He gets up to go, promising to keep her safe here while he figures out a way to keep Ki Chul at bay, “And then I’ll take you there myself, to heaven’s door.”

Ki Chul storms into the prison, furious at the turn of events. He demands his doctor, insisting that the envoy from Yuan will be here in a few days to give Deok-heung what he wants.

Deok-heung wonders if maybe he can’t spring him from jail in the meantime: “There are no books here, and no badook.” Pffft. Are you really that simple, or are you just pretending to be a simpleton in front of Ki Chul?

What’s even funnier is the way Ki Chul finally blows a gasket, with a comical Oooooft! He very nearly swears too. I hope you’re regretting the choice to join forces with this guy, ’cause I don’t even like you and I wished better things for you.

The queen sighs that Gongmin hasn’t slept a wink since they’ve returned, and she decides she doesn’t like this palace. She finds him lost in thought and urges him to rest.

He tells her that the things he has to do tomorrow are weighing on him: He’s going to take a bold step, but the cost will be the lives of his people, just like the Woodalchi who died to protect him.

Noguk guesses right away that he means to wage war with Yuan, and he asks if she’s okay with that—it’s her country. She says that it was her country, and he asks if she means that Goryeo is now her nation.

Noguk: “Forgive me, but it doesn’t much matter to me what the name of my country is. If it is the place where my husband can rest peacefully, that is enough for me.”

He smiles and says that Young said the same thing to him once—that he’d go where his heart led him.

Gongmin gathers his advisors the next day, and presents records of Ki Chul siphoning off the state’s money for personal use. Well that’s not even a surprising accusation for anyone, is it?

And then he says that he was attacked on his way back to the palace, and calls in a member of the royal guard who reports that twenty assassins have been captured, and they have confessed to being Ki Chul’s men.

Ki Chul still isn’t deterred, and feigns surprise that members of his private army would do something like that. He promises to capture and punish those responsible. Young speaks up to say they’re already on it, so he needn’t help.

Gongmin delivers the true blow: while they investigate, Ki Chul is sentenced to house arrest. Okay, that’s perfect. It’s the thing that puts him over the edge, because all he really cares about is taking the doctor to the portal. He whines, “But! I have someplace I have to be!”

Eun-soo tries to look for any secret messages in her diary pages, holding them up to sunlight and candlelight, but no dice. She’s clearly been at it for hours, because her hair-o-meter is at Deep Thought.

She’s so frustrated she falls backward in her chair, but of course Young shows up to tilt her back into place, and just nonchalantly tells her to carry on. He puts his feet up to read (Eun-soo: “You can read?” heh) and she freaks out that he might mess up her antidote experiments.

He nags her about her hair again, but that’s when he notices the bandage on her arm. She tries to hide it but he unwraps it and freaks out. The tiny pin prick is now the size of an egg. Ruh-roh.

He demands to know what this is, now realizing that she’s doing antidote experiments for herself. Young: “Why didn’t you tell me?! Am I still that far away?! That you don’t feel the need to tell me these things? Am I still that far from you?”

She of course says the same logical things we’d all say: that last time was the king’s seal, so what would Deok-heung demand this time? And how many times is he going to be captured to save her? She says with tears in her eyes that he’s too important a person to be doing things like that.

Young: “Is that why… you’re so far away?” Aw.

He turns to walk out, and she calls out after him to wait. She runs up behind him in a backhug, and asks him not to turn around.

Eun-soo: I’ll ask just ask one thing. Should I… not go? Can I stay? Can’t I?
Young: Even after being poisoned, how can you say such words?
Eun-soo: Then I’ll ask it this way: The remaining days, I’m going to like you the way I want, day by day. Can you forget once I’m gone? Not living aimlessly, sleeping aimlessly, but forget it all?
Young: Forget?
Eun-soo: Promise me you will.

She cries into his back, as he stands there sighing, not knowing how to answer.

The Suribang boys do some recon for the mysterious person’s arrival from Yuan that Deok-heung is waiting for, but get attacked and scamper.

Ki Chul breaks some pottery to calm his raging anger and orders Eum-ja to break Deok-heung out of jail and bring him here alive… so that Ki Chul can kill him with his own hands.

Meanwhile, Gongmin has Deok-heung brought up to see him, and asks him a question: Is there anything more important to him than the nation of Goryeo? Deok-heung wonders if Gongmin likes his answer, he might let him be king.

Gongmin agrees sportingly to do so. Deok-heung thinks about it, and answers, “There is. Myself.” He asks if Gongmin likes his answer. Gongmin: “I do. Because it means I make a better king than you.” Ha.

He lets Deok-heung go, when Young storms in to tell Gongmin about him poisoning Eun-soo, and asks him not to release the bastard. But Gongmin insists he has his reasons, and lets him go. Drat.

Young asks why, and Gongmin explains that a royal attaché is headed here, bearing the Yuan emperor’s nomination for Deok-heung to be king. Any act against him now would amount to waging war against Yuan.

He knows the explanation is disappointing to Young even as he gives it, and Young just bows and says he gets it, and walks out. Flute Boy and Firestarter arrive to fetch Deok-heung, but he sees them and flees the other way.

A mysterious letter arrives for Eun-soo, and Young takes it inside. She jokes that if it’s a love letter he’ll have to write her reply for her, and asks him to read it. He does, and then looks up at her with a look that worries me…

Young: “We have to run away. The envoy from Yuan wants… you.”

 
COMMENTS

Get in line, mister! Who doesn’t want her? And does this mean that we’re just going to do another round of Everybody Wants Doc, with yet another player in the game? I hope it points to an escalation of conflict, say between the two countries, rather than a just another spin on the same ride. When Gongmin said that killing Deok-heung would lead to war, I actually thought: That’d be awesome! Some excitement around here!

I thought that Gongmin had the most interesting story in this episode, and really wished for a little (okay a lot) more grandeur for the king, both in the attack on his warriors and in his return to his rightful place. Thankfully the character is played with depth, so I feel the sense of growth from him. The parallel between Young and Noguk putting love before country was a nice moment for him, because he seemed mad that Young chose Eun-soo over him (aw, bad day for bromance), but then when Noguk chooses him over Yuan, we get the sense that he finally understands.

I actually wondered at Young’s request for Gongmin to let him go, because he finally seemed like a general to me in this episode, doing the smart thing by staying put and giving orders. I feel like every other time, he’s done the stupid and rash thing by having to run off by himself and save the day all alone, for no apparent reason other than it’s the only thing he could think of at the time. So then is he reverting back to that? And is it because of the deaths of his men and his guilt that he wasn’t there to save them?

Eun-soo’s outburst in this episode was a nice reciprocal gesture to Young’s kiss, because so far, she hadn’t shown him that she felt the same way. They always talk with this pretext of saving each other or protecting each other, but rarely do they actually speak of romantic feelings. So it was great to have Young push a little, by asking why she’s always so out of reach. And though she says it in a roundabout way, I thought the sentiment was really lovely—that she’s afraid of loving him freely because then leaving him might make him revert to the way he was when she met him, and he’s too important to history to be left that way. The problem is that the feelings are already there, so there’s really no undoing that. There’s just preparing for the other thing, and bracing for impact.

 
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Thank you for the recap. I love this show so much and hope for a happy ending but I guess it won't happen.
The OTP moments in this episode are bittersweet.... I love watching them together but can't feel sad for them.

I'm also not happy with Joo-seok dying :( so sad.. So many problems for the imja couple. Ohh.. and a new powerful baddies...:(

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even tho im enjoying this drama but i ish to see LMH in something that doesnt hv jin pyo + yoon sung similarites in it..like when he was in run mackerel run...

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I hope they will go and look for ES's diary and ''the third item' before running away. Why they forgot to seach that uncle's body and the palace when he was in prison. I think the diary and that 3rd item will help them make the right decision.

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While I'm iffy on this show, the Choi Young/Eun Soo couple may be the moving depiction of love I've seen this year. There are more winning, more entertaining, more hankie K-drama "couples", but the nuance and subtext of their relationship (with a little Stockholm syndrome, a little noona "how can I save my baby" love) enriches the story.

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has anyone seen I'm Sam??
Is it good??

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Thanks for the recap, Girlfriday. Your Arang recaps are way better, but I can't blame you. Watching Faith is slowly becoming a tedious task. Maybe recapping it has become a little dull too, now that another Doc-grabbing person is coming to the story.

War is something that I would love to see in this story, but it means killing more of the Woodalchi. I'm not yet done mourning for Joo-Seok and the others and the bromance amongst the boys is one of the very few things that keep me from ditching this show. If viewers are getting attached to some characters then that's a sign that people are still watching it right? I hope they keep the remaining Woodalchi alive. It's kinda difficult to believe that they are very strong warriors if they'll die just like that.

I've given up completely on Lee Min Ho after that back hug scene. It's so frustrating because I want that scene to better. But I didn't connect to the scene emotionally. It's just bland, which is so sad.

The Deuk hong storyline feels like filler episodes. I don't get it, and it's getting tiresome what with the repeated use of poison and all. Maybe the real problem is that the drama is pushing the story to unknown territory and it's not doing a good job on hooking the viewers. Not knowing what will happen next is a good thing, but not caring to know what it will be is a bad thing.

Anyways, thanks again Girlfriday for the recap. I salute you and Javabeans for your dedication.

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grasp the fact that Deuk Hong is a snake. period.

snakes have no legs, no arms meaning they can't run fast. their only weapons are inteligence and venom.

it's what he does...and tbh...he does it well even if it is all smarmy and spineless and repetitive.

i think it's interesting that we only see badduk (sp?-the boardgame) being played by him. so this whole drama is the boardgame. moves based on strategy.

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I LMHO at your words, esp :

"grasp the fact that Deuk Hong is a snake. period."

HAHAHA!!! How amazingly appropriate!!! He IS just like a snake!!! Thanks for the spot-on analysis!! ;)

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Love faith :(
sure the directing for this episode was choppy.. but...
im so focused on the characters and the story.. directing doesnt really bother me at all..

i used to hate faith (sorry) BUT im now a slave to it! KARMA!!!

love reading the recaps btw~ thanks alot :)

so my theory is:

-ES goes into the future because CY dies during the trap!! making her realize her loss and love for CY! Thus in a months time she goes back to the future to go back into the past to save CY.

-She can't control time so she goes back further than when CY was born.. thus HWATA appears and her goal is to save CY from his death... thus they can end up .. happily ever after.

-i think the king will make it so that everyone in the world thinks they died so they could live happily ever after?!?!?!?? (that would be so nice :< )

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but the dude Choi Young was very famous in heaven's history -- so the king can't pretend his death

nice try...keep hoping.

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I like your explaination, but for one part, he cannot disappear because he is such an important part of Korean history

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GIRLFRIDAY--help!!!

i need some LOVE ACTUALLY help....please!

so imma little rusty on my korean letters/hangul etc.

compound that with the fact that the team over at viki.com translated what Eun Soo was saying but NOT what was written on the cards, leaves me clueless and not feeling the LOVE.

can you please translate the cards for me? using my 1940s Korean Dictionary for Dummies [unabridged version] is gonna take forever to translate the cards.

much appreciate it.

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omg--imm feeling STUPID ACTUALLY.

just went back through your post and noticed you already DID TRANSLATE it.

thanks for the LOVE.
i love you more.

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"omg–imm feeling STUPID ACTUALLY"

HAHAHA!! Awe, you are simply AWESOMEly adorable!!! Just chalk it up to being so in love with Faith and the cast that your mind momentarily went into 'stupid' mode...hehehe...

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lol KDL...

you wrote: "your mind momentarily went into ‘stupid’ mode..."

ACTUALLY i wish it was only 'momentarily' OY!

hehe

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Hahaha!!! Join the club!! I am right there with you, Awe!! When it comes to Lee Min HOT, my mind and body just refuse to behave in any way, shape or form that is even CLOSE being 'smart' because its like I am transformed into this moronic, smiling, grinning FOOL just gazing, gaping enrapturedly at his too-perfect countenance...hence the 'stupid' part...hehehe... ;)

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Thanks for the recap.

Big, huge, love for the characters in this show, especially Choi and Choi, and The Queen.

I really like that Choi and the Doc can read each other, she calls it about his brooding before coming to see her, he calls her out on why she can be distant some times. Well, except they seem to be able to lie like rugs to each other hahaha.

It was worth watching this episode just for the scene with Eun-soo standing behind Choi. What a pretty, pretty scene.

On the baddies- Anyone else kind of wish Flute Boy would gank the lot of them and take over and decide to give Choi a run for his money with Eun-soo? See through shirt, a little rain, some beautiful non deadly like music, hello. Just saying.

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Yes O-O
That would be a nice alternative too >////<

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greets Mar---

i get what you're saying.

seems to me that Flute Boy is getting a little fed up with Ki Chul and Flame Hand's antics. he seems bored with it all.

i keep praying for his soul that he might get the courage to play Swing Low, Sweet Chariot to the whole Ki Chul clan and thus gain him acceptance into WUDALCHI clan.

doing all that in a see through shirt would make even the baby Jesus smile!

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Awe-Gees, glad I wasn't having a beverage as I was reading your post on account I cracked up and would have probably spewed on my laptop! That could be hilarious, and perhaps create a new offshoot genre of fusion sageuk, oh my.

If he wears the see through shirt, Choi gets to wear the black peek a boo shirt from the -City Hunter goes to the vet for bullet removal- scene. In the rain. Again, just sayin.

Maybe he and Choi are long lost bros as they both definitely seemed to have a bored now attitude. Flute Boy is a tad more surly. I'd be surly too if I had to spend all my time with the Heat Fisted Hoochie. That guy needs a shot of soju, a massage, and a heart to heart with Anakin Skywalker about hanging out with the wrong crowd. And Eun-soo probably ate all the cookies from Hair Clip Guy's house so everyone is going awol from the dark side anyway.

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Oh my, Oh Mar---

so funny. wonder if any of the kdrama writers read our posts--seriously---there is some good material here!

and, ok. i give you the see through shirt WITH rain. you go, girl!

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Thanks for the recap!

I dunno why Faith really have grown on me, which is kind of surprising because I used to find its beginning disappointing. On the contrary, I loved Arang and the Magistrate since ep1, but suddenly stopped watching it, I have no idea why...now I'm late and have to catch back the eps I missed...

I feel that Faith, even with all its flaws, is such a heartfelt drama, I really can feel for the characters. The actors are doing a great job! I even feel for Ki Chul, which is funny because he used to annoy the Hell out of me. I have to say, though, that I still don't like his cliched minions. The pipeling is ok, just boring, but the fireling is just augh, she's got the highest mark in cliched villainy. Seriously.

I still adore the Woodalchi, Gongmin, Nooguk, lady Choi (she rocks!) and even the little we get to see of the royal doctor and his mute aid.

But I have to say that for now what's holding my breath and breaking my heart is the OTP. I've grown to love CY, seeing him with ES's eyes, and I've grown to love ES as a heroin I can totally empathize with. I loved how poignant was this conversation with the backhug: ES confessing she loves him and wants to stay with him, CY wanting to turn around but being forbidden to by her, and with tears in his eyes, forcing himself to answer that she has to go back.

I really hope that they'll get to kiss more in the next episodes, however I found that the few skinship we got from now was perfect because it permitted to highlight their feelings. I loved the expression in their eyes.

Some of you have commented that they should have kissed in the beginning because the drama was boring, but I do not agree, because I feel that these feelings wouldn't have been as strong if they had been rushed. Also, at the beginning CY is ES's kidnapper, so it would have been a little disturbing to me if she had fallen for him at once. And as for CY, he still had his first love in his heart. So yeah...I want more kisses, but I'm very satisfied with the way their romance is portrayed.

About the time-travel thing, I still believe that ES is already part of history and she's not changing anything, even the part about her diary doesn't mean that she had done it wrong the first time. I think this way because ES didn't end up in Goryeo by accident, like in Dr Jin. It's CY who came to get her. Which means that if she hadn't been the past, Queen Noguk would have died, and then the history would have been different than how she learnt it. To me, everything already happened. Her future self wrote the diary as a guide to herself because she remembered the diary being there, and then somehow she left it in the past. She's most likely Hwata, but she may be also all his disciples he's supposed to have sent every 300 years. She may have come to the wormhole each time it opened, trying to come back to Goryeo, for example.

Augh, I do hope this drama will have a happy ending!!!

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Hi Waca - I completely agree with you, thanks so much for your comments. In spite of its flaws, I am loving Faith (mind you I also like political machinations which a lot of commenters don't). I started out with Arang and I LOVE the two leads a lot so was looking forward to it hugely - but just couldn't stay with it after a few episodes and have even dropped out on the recaps now.

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Thank you for your thanks!
I still love Arang, but I need a pause; I suspect it has something to do with Evil Mom's face, overall I love the rest...^^
I am currently rewatching the whole Faith series, and really enjoying it more than the first time, 'cause I don't care about the flaws anymore (even if I wished they would stop chopping up the music with each scene), so I can concentrate on the characters more. I am watching how much the characters changed and it's real great to see!

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Fantastic comment, Waca! I totally agree with every point you made! Thanks for sharing! ;)

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Thank you! I am glad 'cause I don't write big comments often! :)

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Oh, you should continue commenting whenever you can, because having read your other comments, I am very impressed by your insight and keen intellect. ;)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your other comments as well, so WELL DONE and keep it up! ;)

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Thank you! ^^

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hey waca, xine, kdl

i agree with you guys.

the character development and relationship development in this drama is very mature and realistic.

i hope this is a turning point in kdramas--less makjang more Castle. any of you watch the [american] drama called Castle?

and yes, imma bonehead for wanting a happy ending, but really enjoying the ride getting there.

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Castle, you asked? Absolutely!! It is one smart programme...along the lines of Criminal Minds including Criminal Minds, everything under the Law & Order series including L & O : Special Victims Unit, L & O : Criminal Intent, CSI (including CSI : Miami, CSI : NY) Person of Interest, just to name a few...I am an avid follower of those programmes!!

And I am DYING to know the ending because I so want a happily-ever-after for everyone in Faith...and I am so with you about thoroughly enjoying this fun, funny, engaging ride... ;)

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oooops!! a typo!! it should :
Criminal Minds, including Criminal Minds : Suspect Behaviour

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I love your comment, Waca! Your opinion is exactly what I think. Thank you!

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Thanks to you too! I didn't expect so many answers from my comment! I am glad other people think like me! :)

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Waca--

you know what's happening here?

all of us have been "JINned". as in, dr. jin.

expect eyes bulging and rooms shaking.

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CY learns early that ES is no ordinary woman who has a mind of her own. You can make her very angry and vicious when you kidnap her. They may be sizzling with sexual tension as the story progresses. CY doesn’t know his feelings are reciprocated. He has said: “this woman has no feelings” (episode 17?) and “she prefers going back home to heaven”. Kissing her at this stage or earlier would be premature- not a mutually consensual event in the eyes of CY(?). Kissing could amount to going against her will and earned him a slap. May be he cares so much for ES that he doesn’t want her hurting in heaven by herself having gone through the lost love process himself. By not having them kiss highlights the coolness of CY. He has learned to respect her, careful not to prejudge her will- unlike KC and DH who think that anyone (women) can be made to submit. We learn as did the King in exile that girl trading was prevalent in Gorkrea. CY is truly outstanding as a model man on how to treat a woman.
CY performs the public kiss with an apology first. It appears as a possessive gesture, but it is intended to stop DH from trampling on ES’s will. KC warns DH that to proceed would be scandalous. It’s not that the villains acknowledge ES as belonging to CY. If CY had been possessive, he would have grasped ES’s wrist and fought his way out.
It would be good to see CY liberated and inspired by ES’s love to become a great general (a total reversal from a lacklustre and lethargic person he used to be) even after ES has left for home (say compelled to have her antibiotic treatment in modern Korea). Modern Korea can sing their praises of CY and ES can feel contented for experiencing love from a great man.
The operational philosophy of a good martial art is “ikken hissatsu” in Japanese- which this drama fulfils. Then again, Jackie Chan’s style of drawn- out fighting appeals to the populace. It’s hard to please everyone.

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I love your comment! Here I was wondering why CY got to me so much, but know I understand perfectly well: it's his respect for ES. You're right, he really respects her. I think it's really refreshing to see a male drama lead not dragging around the female lead by her wrist all the time like she's not able to think by herself. ES is clumsy but still strong and CY acknowledges that.

I had not noticed how important it was that CY would apologize before kissing her, so thank you very much for pointing that out. :)

I think that scene where ES asks him if she can stay with him, if she can like him as much as she would like to, is a very strong scene because as we were seeing ES through CY's eyes, we were believing just as he did that she had no thoughts of staying in Goryeo (however, contrary to him, we knew ES loved him ^^). I really did not expect ES to ask him if she could stay.
And then, it's all the more heartbreaking because CY, who was saying that she had no feelings for him and only thought of going back to heaven, realizes that he has to answer no to this. That she has to return to heaven no matter their feelings.
I wish they wouldn't have cut the scene like that, though. I wanted to hear his answer to the "promise me you'll forget everything."

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I second Waca! Outstanding insight, LT!! I am truly impressed! I can't agree with you more!! Thanks so much for sharing!! ;)

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O dear - coffee spray: 'and we can all clap and put on our party hats.'

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'her hair-o-meter is at Deep Thought.' - keyboard will never be the same

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right?

GirlFriday is a wordsmith freak! hair-o-meter reminded me of Choi Young dragging Eun Soo to the mirror and asking her to fix her hair. i wanna guy like that. too cute-o.

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EXACTLY!!! A wordsmith!! GF is that and more!!! THANK YOU, AWE!! YOU are awesome enough to come up with that word!! And every recap will have, without fail, sparkling GEMS of wit and humour by the incomparable wordsmith GF and JB... ;)

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just be thankful coffee went out instead of up your nose like it did me when i inhaled to laugh with a mouth full of java.

gives new meaning to 'burnt coffee' when your coffee cremates your nose hairs!

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HAHAHAHA!!!!

"gives new meaning to ‘burnt coffee’ when your coffee cremates your nose hairs!"

Awe, thank you for the comic relief!!! I sincerely hope your cremated nose hairs have not incapacitated you in any way so that you can continue to enjoy watching Faith and laughing your head off reading GF's and JB's recaps with their trademark, incomparable wit and humour!! hehehe!!! ;)

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Does anyone else love "Carry On" by Ali on this drama's OST? I don't usually get into OSTs, but I'm in love with this song right now. Love, I tell you.

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YEah. me too i love the song.

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Yes, I fall in love with "Carry on" too!

I also love Younha (윤하) Teardrop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lmSeSl0ci4

Shin Yong Jae (신용재) [4Men] Walking Slowly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pixJTTR7qyQ

Sung Hoon (성훈) - 그대를 봅니다 (I See You)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3nFzy617cMc

Jang Hye Jin,MC Sniper - Bad Person (나쁜사람) is also ok
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuT9-G-qOFg

Faith OSTs are fantastic. I plan to buy the OST as soon as it is released.

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I love it too! Also, J-min's song Stand Up from To The Beautiful You is good.

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Like both Arang and Faith for different reasons. I am not going to rank them. They even out for me. Different time periods, different themes and different tones. Different story aims.

The romance does have a similar edge to it (Arang has a time limit, Eun Soo has a time limit and both men are trying to restrain themselves and failing miserably. =D), but that's about it.

Watching both and enjoying both. No ranking.

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I agree!!!

The only show I think we could compare Faith to is Time Slip Dr Jin because of the time travel and the doctor thing...and haha, Faith would be the winner without a doubt! :D

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may i ask? so, i used to watched dr.Jin bcoz of their Glorious actor (SSH n Jaejoong), but then i stop watching it at ep 5.
I kinda want to finishing the drama, but i dont have that much willing to do so.
so, Dr.Jin whole story is pretty much crappy? or.. ?

Thank u

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Well, it IS crappy, but you can still watch it while reading the fantastic recaps just for the laugh!

To be honest, Dr Jin's scenario and directing sucked. And when I said it sucked, it really sucked. It sucked so badly it got to the point you hesitate between wanting to bang your head against your computer or rolling on the floor laughing your guts out. Seriously.

As for the actors, I did not see SSH's other dramas so I don't know how well he acts, but from the comments I saw that many people who liked him were very disappointed in his acting. I thought he acted ok in the beginning, then it got really bad imo. But I've got to say his character was crappy, so I'm not surprised SSH wouldn't be motivated in acting it well.
However, the other actors were very good imo. If you wanted to watch it for Jaejoong, you still can because he improved a lot during the drama, and was the only reason (with Jin Yi Han) I kept watching the show later on. He brought me to tears many times and had very good scenes. I got really attached to his character and got extremely angry with the ending.

So you can finish the drama if you want. You can read the recaps so as to skip the boring scenes. As for understanding the plot, it was such a masterpiece in WTFery that I'm still not sure I understood it all... The comments in the recaps said that the japanese story was much better so I intend to watch the japanese drama one day. ^^

Thinking of it, I do have two things I can thank Dr Jin for: 1- it made me discover Jaejoong and Jin Yi Han.
2- the recaps were fantastically hilarious and the comments just priceless, so I actually had I great time during the broadcasting of this show! :D

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Please do not waste your time with Dr. jin, It is to date the worse, please feel free to list all th adjectives that describes something that is so bad that simply thinking of it gives you hives and you still will not fully appreciate how bad this drama was

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Was disappointed with the Woldachi once again. How come they could fight in 1st episode versus trained assassins but not against KC's household troops. I could see if they got killed by Firestarter and Pied Piper. I'm curious to see who is riding in the cart. Why can't the Queen get any help from Yuan? Isn't she a Yuan princess? Would have been fun to see Uncle and KC locked up in that cell together w nothing to do but conversate and get on each other's last nerve.

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Hi MICKEY--

here's my take on it----

In this episode, Wudalchi didn't have as many as episode 1. KC's troops numbered 400, so they had to break up into squads to give the King's squad more time to run further away. Each squad (group) only contained 10 Wudalchi.

We have been speculating on the CART Peeps. Still an unknown.

The King doesn't want help from Yuan. Queen keeps offering to get help from Yuan but the King equates help from Yuan as weakness. Plus, King is trying to sever ties with Yuan, as demonstrated with the NEW Goryeo Royal Seal.

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I love your response to these types of comments :D

It's logically explained throughout the duration of this show that the Wooldachis don't have many people and they are at best loyal but not all that powerful, especially not with 50 men in their rank, Yuan is seen as the overlord of Goryeo, the country is weak with little loyalty and lots of corruptions, Gongmin is working to become a real leader, ES and CY are learning to live and love. For some reasons, some viewers just can't seem to accept the story given to us. Always looking for reasons to dispute the plot.

It kind of reminds me a little bit of past episodes where there were a bit of complaints about spies in the palace and lack of security, when the show went out of its way to tell viewers that they don't have security and do have a lot of spies. But some just can't seem to accept the story for what it is, instead they are looking for something that is just not there.

I understand that viewers want certain things to play out in the show, but at the end of the day, this is not written by viewers, it's Song Ji Na who is writing this story. Why don't we let her tell this story of Faith and judge when we have a complete picture.

I can understand why people are complaining about the directing or editing because the technical flaws are there for all to see.

I can understand if people complain about the lack of logic in the show if there is a case for it. E.g. take the palace scenario as a case study, if at the beginning Gongmin arrived at the palace with much fan fare and adoration along with tight security, then it would NOT make any sense for me to see how spies and KC's guards could enter the palace at will. BUT we know the palace is not secured, so why dispute something that is clearly explained to viewers.

I was going to comment on the story itself, like how far Gongmin has changed from that first episode or how CY is entering another phase of transformation, or how the baddies or maybe goodies can affect future plot development, but eh I'll do that next episode.

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So, I'm waiting for upcoming episodes and your next comment! ^ ^

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The scene where Wudalchi #2 in command could only give wudalchi #3 in command 10 warriors to stay behind and buy time while they moved the k&q to a hiding place was so moving. You could see in their eyes, and in the eyes of the k&q, they knew it was a suicide mission for the cause. It made me feel deep pangs of love for their loyalty! Weren't there only @ 70 wudalchi to begin with? Sometimes you just can't go up against the odds...Still, in the end, the mission was accomplished the cost was too many wudalchi children. Epic.

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Love faith even more now.
Just read the recap.

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In terms of "forbidden" love, Arang has succeeded better in making me feel their pain . I think credit goes to both the director and Lee Jun Ki. His eyes.....oh wow! But I feel that Lee Min Ho has improved too

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@Awe, are you serious about the cell phone??? or are u just especulating about the wedding pics?? please tell me because I need to know!!! please! :D

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@Awe

Are you serious about the cell phone??? or are u just especulating about the wedding pics?? please let me know because I need to know!!! please! :D

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I am a sci-fi and all it sub parts freak, But the writers have made it so that the female lead in "faith" has tested my mettle eg. up to a certain point she wouldn't even allow the general to touch her hand and the next scene she started acting all lovey dovey and the romance started. Also, her reaction to her diary was so annoying. I thought that it was obvious that in that time-line she did go through "heaven's gate" and regretted it, which is the reason why she left a note to herself that when "that" person" asks her to do something she should say yes. The times of the gate openings simply showed how hard she tried to get back to the general, but apparently she never succeeded. As a last resort she left the diary in the past hoping to catch up with it in the future, but it is her future, she cannot remember what is as yet not done. There were more "hints" in the pages that the prince destroyed,( or did he destroy them?) The general will ask her to stay, she will remember her message, say yes and they will live happily ever.

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Superficial comments - I hope this means the end of Eun Soo's court hairstyle, because I was not a fan. Also, I missed Choi Young's outfit change - when did that happen?

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Great recap, great comments... thank you girlfriday !

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Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! That's all I have to say!. I will erase these two episodes from my thought process!

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I suspect the title “Faith” may not be the correct translation of the Korean title. Faith is the belief or trust that something will be true or will eventuate like the certainty that JB and GF will always deliver on time their recaps. The drama thus far is more about faithfulness/supportiveness/ allegiance rather than faith. The ex-Woodachi leader offered his body as a shield against the ex-king’s sword- incredible display of faithfulness to his daughter and the ex-king at the same time. In his dying moments he urged his followers to give their total commitment to the crazy king before them. CY obeyed his leader and therefore the command from the ex-king to escort back the new king and queen to Goryeo. He entered without question the wormhole as commanded.
CY gave ES his total support. We see him catching ES’s fall, once down a slope and another time backward on a chair.. ES told JB, our oriental doctor not our faithful recapper, about CY’s omnipresence. She only had to call him and he would be there, with more certainty than I could summon Carole King who had been chanting for decades that she would come running. ES while departing, on the other hand, turned around in response to Lady Choi’s news that CY (losing his reason to live) was on his suicidal mission. She helped abort the mission.

More can be said about the “stand-by you” attribute of the good guys. The villains, however, were shifty and opportunistic in their supportiveness/allegiance. DH, the King’s uncle, is aptly described by either JB or GF as a man of dubious allegiance (except to himself, he told us in episode 18). Anyway, we get the drift. I won’t elaborate more except to say that it’s interesting for ES to call for a partnership with CY in helping the King and so on. She sees mutual responsibility in faithfulness/supportiveness and so on..

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Yeah! Get in line, Mister Yuan!!!
She's Choi Young's Imja!!!!! :)

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They shouldn't have made Lee Min Ho play the part of Young if he (young) is really going to die, I love him soooooo

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Ye gads, what a sad episode, but a cool one. I don't know why I find it sad, but I do. Maybe because Joo-seok died, and he was so brave, and all those other Woodalchi died too. I loved it when Young called them his children. That says a lot about him and the relationship he has with his men.

I'm so glad Gongmin is back in the palace, and he's finally taking steps to bring down Ki Chul.

Young and Eun-soo have such a sad story. How can they possibly have a happy ending? I don't foresee one. But 6 episodes left, and a lot can happen.

Thanks for the recap, Girlfriday!

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In the back hug scene, I don't understand why Choi Young didn't flat out ask Eun Soo to stay with him. She was so close to it. She just about said it herself, didn't she? It seemed to me all he needed to do was turn around, hold her close and say, "I need you. Stay here with me." and she would. But there are still 6 episodes to go so maybe we have to wait. I'm probably headed for a fall, but I so want a happy ending. I don't think I'll be able to stand it, if there isn't.

And I know that there are 3 more episodes out there I haven't yet watched. I expect to get caught up this week and be ready for 23 and 24 when they air. I'm being very good and restraining myself from reading these wonderful synopses until after I watch the episode.

Thanks so much for these and all the excellent comments.

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I just read through ALL of the comments
for Episode #18, and nobody mentioned
this.....

Given an important message, Choi Young
starts walking along the covered pathways
of the palace. Then he starts running fast
to be with Eun Soo.

DID ANYBODY NOTICE THE LOWER-LEFT-HAND
CORNER OF THE SCREEN....WHERE YOU CAN
CLEARLY SEE THE METAL "RAILROAD TRACKS"
USED FOR THE CAMERA DOLLY, AS LMH RUNS
THROUGH THE SCENE?

This only lasts for about 5 seconds, but still....
This has to be an outrageous example of the
sloppy work done on the production of "Faith"
despite the brilliant job done by the entire cast,
and the lovely sound track. :(

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5 stars for this episode

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