Gu Family Book: Episode 12
by girlfriday
We’re halfway through the series and it’s a turning point for every character, as friendships, romances, and family loyalty all get tested when the beast is let loose. It’s like taking a bear that’s happy to live in the zoo, sticking it in the wild, and poking it repeatedly with a stick. Humans are dumb sometimes.
EPISODE 12 RECAP
We begin with another flashback conversation, as Dam Pyung-joon asks the monk So-jung whether Kang-chi can really become human, and if it’s safe for him to be around people.
So-jung knows he’s worried about his daughter, and tells him the same thing he told her—that their fate could end in either Yeo-wool or Kang-chi’s death. He warns Master Dam that once a fated union has started on its course, no human being can change that course. Like that’s gonna stop a dad.
Back to the mountains, where Kang-chi has just been sold out by Tae-seo (or the zombie wearing Tae-seo’s meatsuit; one can never be too sure). He does the worst possible thing and pulls Kang-chi’s magical bracelet off, thinking that it’s the source of his strength.
As soon as it comes off, the wind kicks up, and huddled in the center of the circle, Kang-chi begins to change.
Yeo-wool and Gon have been trekking through the woods in search of them, and she feels the change in the air.
Tae-seo and Chung-jo watch in horror, as Kang-chi rises in his gumiho form. Kang-chi approaches, and they shrink back in fear and disgust. Seeing an opportunity to attack, the leader of the gang lunges at Kang-chi with a giant blade, and just gets swatted away like a fly.
Tae-seo sees that and swings his sword at Kang-chi, and in defense, Kang-chi swipes his giants claws… right across Tae-seo’s chest. Oh noes. It was self-defense! Still, this is very bad.
Kang-chi looks down at his hands in horror, as Tae-seo crumples to the ground. Kang-chi comes to his senses and reaches out to him, but Chung-jo screams for him to stay away, and starts throwing stones, and leaves, and anything she can get her hands on. Oof, that’s heartbreaking. Those leaves cut deeper than any knife.
He calls out to her, but she cries, “Get away from me! Get away from me!” She screams so loud that Yeo-wool and Gon can hear where they are, and start running in their direction.
Chung-jo faints, and when Kang-chi kneels beside her, the thugs surround him, and attack. The beastly scream reverberates down the mountainside.
But by the time Gon and Yeo-wool arrive at the scene, all that’s left behind is a bloodied gang, all dead or nearly dying. Their leader ekes out Kang-chi’s name, and then Gon finds his bracelet on the ground.
There’s no sign of Kang-chi yet, but he must’ve taken off with Chung-jo, because Tae-seo is stumbling through the woods, clutching his bleeding chest and calling Chung-jo’s name.
Lee Soon-shin comes to the school to confront Master Dam about letting Kang-chi go against his orders, and Master Dam lies that he couldn’t handle the task of looking after him.
Lee Soon-shin knows it was personal, but they don’t have a chance to argue because they get word that Jo Gwan-woong’s men have been spotted closing in on Kang-chi. And also… Yeo-wool and Gon are missing.
They spot Jo Gwan-woong’s men as well, and wonder how they knew Kang-chi was headed this way. Please tell me you’ll go mole hunting as soon as this immediate danger has passed.
Now they have to race against those guys to find Kang-chi first, but Yeo-wool has an idea where he went. Sure enough, when Chung-jo opens her eyes, she’s inside the cave in the Moonlight Garden.
She shrinks back when she sees Kang-chi, who’s huddled in the corner clutching a bleeding arm (his own, I mean. Kinda funny that that needs clarifying). He manages to convince her, “It’s me—Kang-chi…”
And she gasps, “Kang-chi? Were you… not human?” He apologizes for letting her see him this way, but all she can think about is Tae-seo, and asks where he is. He just hangs his head without responding, and she asks haltingly, “Did you kill him?” He gets up to go closer, but she jumps back, screaming: “Get away! Don’t come near me!” Aaaack. Don’t kick the puppy while he’s down!
As he stands there, frozen, she cries, “You’re not Kang-chi! Kang-chi would never be a monster like you!” She takes off running, and hears Kang-chi’s terrifying growl echo in the cave behind her.
She runs for her life, as Yeo-wool and Gon run in circles trying to get to the Moonlight Garden. They realize they’ve been going in circles, and she can’t for the life of her find her way back there.
Chung-jo runs and runs and runs… right into Jo Gwan-woong’s men. He comes to the woods to see for himself, and the thugs get rounded up for questioning. It turns out they’re all alive, and they say that Kang-chi turned into a monster as soon as that bracelet came off.
Now Jo Gwan-woong puts all the pieces together—Wol-ryung and Seo-hwa had a child. He realizes that it was Seo-hwa’s murderous glare he saw in Kang-chi’s eyes that night that Park Mu-sol died, and he murmurs to himself how such a thing is possible.
His men drag Tae-seo back, and he kneels before Jo Gwan-woong to beg for his sister’s freedom. But he just kicks Tae-seo away since he’s not needed anymore, and instead threatens Chung-jo with her brother’s death if she doesn’t tell him where Kang-chi is.
She swears that she doesn’t remember how to get back there, so Jo Gwan-woong says her brother will hang tomorrow, and they get dragged apart, screaming for each other. And just to tie up loose ends, he has the entire gang slaughtered anyway.
He goes to confront Dam Pyung-joon about letting Seo-hwa live twenty years ago, leading to Kang-chi’s birth. Master Dam’s silence is enough to convince Jo Gwan-woong that his suspicions were right, and he vows to find out why he’s protecting Kang-chi.
Yeo-wool can’t bring herself to turn back, knowing what a hard time Kang-chi must be having without his bracelet.
Once Kang-chi calms down a little, he decides to head back down to retrieve the bracelet, and finds the gang of dead bounty hunters. Aw man, you totally didn’t murder these guys, even though it really looks that way.
There’s no bracelet, but he looks off in the distance, “Yeo-wool-ah.” Can you… smell her?
As he starts to walk away, the leader of the gang stirs awake and begs for Kang-chi to save him. He growls, “Why should I? The world would be better off with you dead.” The man swears he was wrong and pleads for his life.
Kang-chi turns back and grabs the man’s own dagger and raises it…
Cut to: nighttime at the martial arts school, as the guards take turn on watch, on high alert for Jo Gwan-woong’s men. Kang-chi sneaks in, though he’s not doing a very good job of it, considering, yunno, he lives there.
The men surround him and demand to see his face, so he has no choice but to show it, and they all gasp. Master Dam comes out, and seeing Kang-chi this way immediately makes him think of Wol-ryung.
Kang-chi says he’s here to see Yeo-wool, and asks to be let in. Master Dam refuses to let him see his daughter looking that way, and turns him down. Not a good idea.
Kang-chi growls, and one of the men lunges at him like an idiot. Kang-chi pins him to the ground by the neck, and refuses to listen to Master Dam’s orders to let him go. He says he’ll kill anyone who tries to kill him first, so Master Dam sighs that he has no choice then, but to cut his throat himself.
He reaches for his sword, but Yeo-wool arrives just in time to call out to her father and stop him. She runs to stand between them. Dad argues that Kang-chi is not human, and demands that she get out of the way.
Yeo-wool: “No, I don’t want to.” Dayum. The moment of defiance shocks him, and Gon, whose jaw drops. She continues, “You’re the one who told me that there’s no such thing as bad people, that there are only bad circumstances. Kang-chi is the same!”
She argues that Kang-chi isn’t bad, and begs him to put away his sword. “Kang-chi did nothing wrong! It’s not his fault!” Moved by her words, Kang-chi loosens his grip and stands up.
But Dad refuses to give in, and orders her to move aside. Kang-chi’s anger starts to bubble up to the surface again…
And then, without a word, Yeo-wool turns around and marches right over to Kang-chi, and takes his hand—his bloody, beasty claw-hand—and stands by his side. No. Way. Everyone goes slackjawed, and no one’s more surprised than Kang-chi.
She interlaces their fingers and holds his hand, and then answers her father, “No. I won’t stand down. Ever.” Why are you so cool?
Kang-chi looks at her, thinking to himself, “Yeo-wool-ah…” and as he does, his eyes change back, his veins recede, and his claws disappear. They all see it—how he changes back to regular old Kang-chi before their eyes.
As they stand there looking at each other, So-jung’s answer to Master Dam is repeated in voiceover: “A fate that has already begun cannot be undone by human strength.” They smile into each other’s eyes, and Master Dam finally takes his hand off his sword.
Lee Soon-shin sits down with Kang-chi in the aftermath, and asks what happened. As a tear falls, he says that his only family betrayed him, threw stones at him, and called him a monster.
Lee Soon-shin argues: “What matters is not how others see you, but how you see yourself.” Kang-chi says he can’t change the fact that he’s half-beast, and when Lee Soon-shin asks what he wants to live as, Kang-chi just wallows in despair, not seeing a point to any of it.
Lee Soon-shin: “A man needs only a friend to share his thoughts, a loved one to share his heart, and a country for which he can give his life to defend, and he can say he has lived the best of lives.”
Kang-chi’s still on his pity parade though, and says that there’s no one who would share those things with someone like him, who has the dirty blood of a beast running through his veins. But thankfully Lee Soon-shin isn’t about to let the pity party win, and reminds him that what determines the kind of person he is isn’t his blood, but his will. So he asks again, “What do you want to live as?”
Yeo-wool paces in the yard until Kang-chi comes out, and she rushes over, worried that he got yelled at. He just gazes at her in wonder, and finally asks, “How… how is it that you’re so good to me?”
She thinks about it and just answers in her honest way: “Because… I just want to do anything for you. That’s how I feel right now.” As they stand there, we hear Kang-chi’s answer to Lee Soon-shin in voiceover: “I want to become a person. Not half like this, but a whole person.”
It moves Lee Soon-shin to tears, and he takes his hand as Kang-chi breaks down in sobs like a little boy.
Back in the woods, the leader of the gang wakes up, alive and well. Yay, I knew Kang-chi would do the right thing. Flashback to earlier, when Kang-chi took the dagger and cut his own hand to pour his blood in the wound.
He sighs that he doesn’t know why he’s saving someone like him or if it’s even going to work, but it does, and the blue lights of healing appear, making him pass out in shock. I guess he needs a name, now that Kang-chi saved his life. Ma Bong-chul it is. Don’t make me regret Kang-chi’s good deed, Bong-chul.
Jo Gwan-woong has Chung-jo brought into his room, and wastes no time offering her a deal, with her brother’s life hanging in the balance: “Become mine, and I will become yours.”
She says she’d rather die than be with the man who killed her parents, but he pulls her close and says her father died for Kang-chi and her mother abandoned her, and the only person she can rely on in this world is herself. He tells her to do whatever it takes to survive in this world. I would almost agree with you, except for the part where you’re a rapist.
She fights back, but it’s no use, and he fucking rapes her. God I hate him. And then to drive the point home, we cut to a flower falling from a tree. Seriously, a fallen flower? This is what we’re going with? The metaphor inserts on this show make me laugh out loud, and not in a good way.
In the morning, Yeo-wool braces herself to face her grumpy dad, and tries the bright and cheery approach. It doesn’t go well. He asks how she could do such a thing, and insists that this isn’t a fate she can handle.
But she says that if Kang-chi finds the Gu Family Book and becomes human, his fate will change and so will the monk’s prediction. “I won’t avoid facing the present just because of a future that may or may not happen.”
She says she’s going to face things head-on, because that’s what he taught her. Poor Dad. She keeps using his own life lessons against him. Kang-chi broods in his room and just keeps looking at his hand, thinking of the moment Yeo-wool stood up to defend him.
Chung-jo puts her clothes on in the morning with this deadened look in her eyes, and then the bastard has Tae-seo brought in so he can see the price she paid to spare his life. That’s just cruel.
Chung-jo runs out, and Tae-seo goes insane, grabbing a sword and swinging wildly. Jo Gwan-woong doesn’t even flinch, and his minion pins Tae-seo down.
Even after all that, he orders Tae-seo to find out what Lee Soon-shin is using the silver for, and threatens that Chung-jo will pay an even bigger price if he doesn’t come through. Okay, this needs to stop. It’s getting ridiculous. At some point, someone’s going to stop being an idiot about listening to the bad guy, right?
Chung-jo returns to the gisaeng house on her own, and even threatens Wol-sun for the head gisaeng title as soon as she steps foot inside. She goes straight to Soo-ryun and asks with tears in her eyes if it’s really true that this isn’t the end.
She says she wants to become a gisaeng (the kind who specializes as an entertainer, like Soo-ryun). “I want to become a gisaeng and live my life over again.”
Tae-seo returns to the martial arts school, battered and bloodied, and collapses at Master Dam’s feet. Kang-chi sees him and turns away, thinking of his betrayal, but then he remembers Lord Park’s dying words for him to protect Tae-seo and Chung-jo, and he stops.
Tae-seo tells Master Dam that he always wanted to become like his father, but he’s discovered that in a world where his father doesn’t exist, he amounts to nothing. He cries that he hates how pathetic and weak he is.
Kang-chi interrupts in a brusque tone, “How long are you going to whine and cry?” Ha. He tells Tae-seo to look at him, but he refuses and turns his head. So Kang-chi grabs by the collar to stand him up, and demands that he look him straight in the eye.
Kang-chi: “Please, you have to look at me. How else will I be able to show you my true face? What happened to me, why I look like a monster, how scared I am, how lonely I feel… I want to tell somebody those things. But you’re the only person I could tell them to! So please, look at me, Tae-seo-ya. Look at me!”
They’re both crying by now, and so am I, and then Tae-seo finally turns to look him in the eye. He screams in murderous rage and starts hitting Kang-chi over and over and over again.
Yeo-wool and Gon run in to stop it, but Master Dam puts a hand up, so they stand back. Tae-seo wails on Kang-chi, but he just takes it, until Tae-seo gets it all out of his system, and stops, fist in midair.
Kang-chi: “That’s right. Friends look at each other like this, Tae-seo-ya.” It breaks him, and he collapses in tears. Kang-chi hugs him as they both cry. Awwww.
And then suddenly Teacher Gong plays exposition fairy, to say that Kang-chi’s sincere heart eventually broke Tae-seo’s spell. It did? My god, that spell was handled SO BADLY. I can’t even.
Anyway, Teacher Gong asks what Master Dam plans to do next, and he says it’s time to face Jo Gwan-woong head-on. Teacher Gong likes the sound of that, and wonders if it’s time to unite the Men of Honor.
Jo Gwan-woong gets word that the Men of Honor are gathering in support of Lee Soon-shin, and it starts to worry him. He gets a message from an ally of his own though, which makes him smile.
Yeo-wool announces that she’s been assigned to Kang-chi Patrol by her father (Aw is that his way of giving in?) and Kang-chi pretends to be put out by it, until Gon shows up to say he’s also on the team, and then he really scowls.
She hands him his first assignment: to count the beans in a sack. Ha, is this more like a keep-the-gumiho-busy-with-useless-tasks sort of assignment? She sits next to him while he counts them one at a time, and asks if he knows anything about his birth parents. He loses his concentration and has to start all over, and she just smiles.
Jo Gwan-woong’s visitor arrives from Japan, with a mysterious woman in tow, who’s kept veiled and announced as the wife of an official. He looks at the sedan curiously.
Suddenly a wind blows through, and Kang-chi looks up, “What was that?” Omo. Omo. Is it…?
Deep in the mountains, a patch of green vine starts to yellow and die, and then it spreads, until it reaches Wol-ryung’s face. His eyes dart open, glowing a fiery red.
Kang-chi stands up, rattled. He can feel it. Can he feel it?
COMMENTS
Wol-ryung’s back! Okay, so he’s probably evil, and that’s going to mess with Kang-chi’s head so badly I don’t even want to think about it, but still… he’s back! And just in time too, because the Jo Gwan-woong pulling the Park siblings’ puppet strings in tandem was just about driving me over the edge. We really need a new arc up in here, and the return of Daddy Gumiho is going to be a huge relief. I’m glad we’re moving forward in other ways too, as the good guys start to gather their forces and new characters come through town.
I feel like Veiled Lady’s arrival being in lockstep with Wol-ryung’s awakening cannot be a coincidence, and I’m worried that it means she might be Seo-hwa. I hope that’s too far-fetched, but who knows. I’d rather her be a witch or some other magic-wielding enemy, because frankly, one evil reincarnated parent is enough to deal with.
This had better be the end of Tae-seo’s spell-zombie days. That whole arc was so mishandled it makes me tear my hair out, because the emotional beats between Kang-chi and Tae-seo were all there—everything from the heartbreaking betrayal in the last episode to their bromantic makeup in this one hit the right beats and made me care about their fractured relationship. But that goddamned spell came and went as it pleased, with no logical rules, no reason, and no true consequence. And when it broke, instead of being shown the moment where love conquers magic, we have to be told after the fact. WHAT. What a wasted opportunity. Could there be no CG spared? One poof over his eyeballs? Anything?
Everything that happened with Tae-seo would’ve been better without the spell in the first place—true betrayal would make Kang-chi’s forgiveness all the more poignant, and his redemption would mean more. I’m just glad it’s over, because I do think their friendship has all the right ingredients for something great, and maybe now that everyone has his own free will, we can get somewhere interesting.
We knew this day was coming for Chung-jo, but damn, that didn’t make it any easier. I sincerely hope that she’s the one who gets to stab Jo Gwan-woong someday, but in the meantime, her resolve and her darker side are some great character developments for her, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Soo-ryun can make of her.
But the most moving scene of the episode was really Yeo-wool standing up to her father and taking Kang-chi’s hand. That it comes on the heels of Tae-seo’s betrayal and Chung-jo’s abject terror at seeing his true face—it makes a really strong impact. And though she’s doing it to save him from Dad, what she really does is save him from himself yet again. I’m pretty sure Kang-chi would give into his pity party without her, that’s for sure. While it’s understandable the way everyone else reacts to Kang-chi’s gumiho face, it’s the fact that he’s so ashamed that he can’t look at himself that kills me. That’s why it works so well when it’s brought back around in his speech to Tae-seo. But it’s Yeo-wool who first does what even Kang-chi can’t do—face him as he is, look him in the eyes, and hold his hand, beast or man. Now that’s love.
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Tags: featured, Gu Family Book, Lee Seung-gi, Suzy
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51 tya
May 14, 2013 at 11:16 PM
i was watch.. ouh... kang chi..!!! hwaiting.
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52 concordia
May 14, 2013 at 11:18 PM
Wow....just wow...If anyone has a problem with rape culture please do not turn the Viki comments during this episode. The amount of disgusting victim-blaming and "SHE DESERVED IT COMMENTS!#%@#!!!!!!" will absolutely disgust you.
I honestly feel that Viki's comments need to be more regulated.
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lallallajules
May 14, 2013 at 11:46 PM
The comments were so bad and totally perpetuating rape culture. I hope viki regulates better in the future as well.
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jubilantia
May 14, 2013 at 11:51 PM
Ugh, you mean the timed ones? Holy shit. I can never watch those anyway. I mean, live youtube comments! Who thought that was a good plan?
But yeah- the most important part of that is definitely "Now, children, just because she doesn't accept Kang-chi as human doesn't mean she, or anyone, deserves to be raped, ever, what is wrong with you holy shit."
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lemondoodle
May 15, 2013 at 12:05 AM
You used to be able to flag them, not that it helped.
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dbfan
May 15, 2013 at 12:06 AM
Glad I'm not the only who noticed! At first, I was thrilled to see the live comments are up an running, but then it got really nasty towards the end I had to turn it off. NO ONE ever deserves rape. No one!
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dbfan
May 15, 2013 at 12:06 AM
*to be raped
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anna
May 15, 2013 at 4:13 AM
Sigh, I was happy when the new Viki didn't have those timed comments anymore but for some reason they brought it back. Seriously it makes me sad. Usually those comments seem OK, but this one made me wanna smash things.
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crazyahjummafan
May 15, 2013 at 5:37 AM
Actually, I find most of the live comments very infantile and often abusive. Not to mention distracting. That's why I turned it off.
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skelly
May 15, 2013 at 8:19 AM
Sometime viki comments are funny, sometimes they are obnoxious and intrusive, sometimes they are vulgar. But the 'blaming the victim' commentary doesn't surprise me in the least, not after all of the she-asked-for-it and conspiracy-theory talk that went on about the Park Shi Hoo case. I can't tell you how many times I read that the girl asked for it because she went out to a bar with two men late at night. This is just the same...she ran away, so she asked for it. Sigh.
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dobabado
May 15, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Fuck Viki live comments, I always turn that shit off.
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saturtledaisy
May 15, 2013 at 1:24 PM
At times like this I'm happy Viki doesn't work for me. I'd get so angry while watching and it might even ruin the watching experience.
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pogo
May 17, 2013 at 5:25 PM
forget viiki, there are comments RIGHT HERE blaming CJ for her rape. I give up.
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53 Mandy
May 14, 2013 at 11:27 PM
So much love for YW! She is seriously the most suited and right person for Kang chi and I hope in the midst of all the new characters, they develop the love story between these two. They're my favorite part of the show.
When YW stood her ground and held his beastly hand, KC's reaction was precious. I though LSG was so so so brilliant in this whole episode with all the emotional scenes. His face when he realized he'd always have YW by his side - *dies*. I love love love them together, because they are strong individually and together, they make up for what the other lacks.
Chung Jo - poor poor girl! I swear I would kill that bastard if he was real. But even if the noble idioticy is getting ridiculous, I understand both their plights. I'd do the same for my brother and I'm sure every sister would too. We always want to protect the ones we love and sometimes, rational thinking goes out of the window because the need to protect someone just overshadows it.
It's one of the best episodes yet, I feel. I think the ratings spoke for itself and next week couldn't come any slower!! Thank you for the awesome recap GF! :)
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crazyahjummafan
May 15, 2013 at 5:42 AM
I love how YW stood up for KC and her love for him. That's the difference between YW and CJ. CJ didn't want to defy her father and chose to go along with the marriage.
And that was what stole KC's heart! I just cried and cried at that scene. The look that KC (Seunggi) gave was soooo potent and charged with emotiion! Finally, here's someone who will accept him for who he is, claws and all!
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54 Sajen
May 14, 2013 at 11:27 PM
I like this show, the writer isn't nearly good enough to properly express the intriguing ideas but I still like the show. Thanks in no small part to Yeo-wool who is so awesome as much as I like her now with Suzy playing her I'd probably like her even more with a more capable actress but I'll never know.
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skelly
May 15, 2013 at 8:25 AM
I agree. I think that Yeo Wool is a fabulous part, I just wish someone better were playing her. She could be so much deeper, and stronger, and more epic - but she won't be, she'll just be a good person who does the right things at the right time. That's OK, I'll just focus on some of the other story arcs, and pay attention to LSG whose doing a fine job.
And yes, I know I've said this before, but I'll keep on agreeing with people who mention it because it is still true.
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55 lallallajules
May 14, 2013 at 11:28 PM
The way the rape in this episode was handled was pretty infuriating (the flower falling---wow) and just the role it has played in this drama in general. Ugh when such grave injustices like rape and the like occur in dramas, I rarely can stomach them and often just stop watching the drama (basically, why I have watched so few melodramas). Ultimately, I just wish it did not play such a large part in the drama because it makes me so crazy angry. I am glad she is able to gather strength and not let it be the end of her life but that in no way lessens my anger. The whole thing is so disgusting and really distracts from the rest of the drama for me :( I feel like as I watch all the characters, all I can think about is what about Chung jo? When are you going to save her?
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jubilantia
May 14, 2013 at 11:47 PM
God, me too. I was really hoping they wouldn't go there. I feel like it's kind of lazy of the writers to use that as the millionth reminder that he's eeeevil, besides the fact that it practically blinds me with rage. We get it, he's the worst human being ever, trust me. It's unfortunate, because the rest of it is so good, apart from some ham-handed exposition and other, less rage-inducing writing issues.
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bambledd
May 15, 2013 at 1:58 AM
I agree: the whole rape thing really takes away from the focus of the drama. And WE GET IT: the creep is evil. Wasn't slashing women's throats in broad daylight enough to convince viewers of that??
The writing should help build the main storyline: the friendship/romantic relationship between KangChi and YeolWoo (supported by KangChi's struggle w/ who he is). Now, what the writers have done is to have left an ugly smear on the storyline. All we remember now is the rape. Very poor taste and judgment on their part.
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56 jubilantia
May 14, 2013 at 11:43 PM
You know a show is good when I simply cannot wait for Dramafever; I always have to watch it on Viki.
I was so proud of Kang-chi for healing Really Annoying Gangster Dude, but all I could think was "welp, Jo Gwan-woong will be thrilled to know that KC is a walking, talking Band-Aid. AWESOME. *not*" Hopefully that won't come to pass.
Yeo-wool standing next to Kang-chi absolutely killed me dead, in the best way. And Lee Seung-gi did such a great job portraying brokenhearted hope as he looked at her, too. I agree with you on the bear analogy though- I thought Dad was smart! KC says "I will kill anyone who tries to kill me first!" and Dad's all like "doo de doo, I'ma just have to kill you then!" *headdesk* idiot
That scene reiterated that the "monster" is noble at heart. They only appear when you threaten their loved ones, or unbalance the Force or whatever. Sure they've got some anger management issues, but they're like puppies! Show them love and they'll follow you home and love you forever. Man, now I'm jealous of Yeo-wool.
Jo Gwan-woong=BAAAAAARF. I could not belieeeeve they went there. Well, I could, but I don't think it was really necessary. Here's hoping Chung-jo goes uphill as a character after this. Unfortunately, Jo Gwan-woong is as irredeemable as he was the first time he raped someone (ugh I hate typing that sentence. As in, I can't believe there are multiples in one drama.)
And lastly- GumiDad! It's so nice to almost see you again! I really hope you can be redeemed and have some semblance of a happily ever after! *whimper*
Can't wait for next week!
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crazyahjummafan
May 15, 2013 at 5:47 AM
“welp, Jo Gwan-woong will be thrilled to know that KC is a walking, talking Band-Aid. AWESOME."
Good one!
As for Papa Dam saying that he'll kill KC. Isn't he some skilled gumiho slayer? That's why in ep 1 or 2, GW sought him out to get WR when his men returned to say that a gumiho lived in the mountains.
Actually, I wonder how he came to have this ability/power.
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jubilantia
May 15, 2013 at 7:27 AM
Yeah, I guess he is, but it still sounded off. Cut the monster some slack! isn't that most people's policy not to kill until a kill is attempted on you? He's saying he'll only do it in self-defense.
Actually, I wonder how he came to have this ability/power.
I forgot about Yeo-wool's backstory until people started speculating in the comments, but I wonder if Dam is some supernatural creature himself? Or his wife is/was, and that's why he started hunting stuff, and how he got the ability? And he'd have motive, if she ran away and left their daughter.
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57 lemondoodle
May 14, 2013 at 11:43 PM
Oh god Tae-seo I just can't deal with you. CJ I can at least understand somewhat, but he's just a bawling weak mess of plot confusion.
I wonder if Kangchi will eventually learn to love himself completely. I know WR is (at first) bound to cause him to want to be human even worse, but eventually I hope he learns that being one isn't bad and WR isn't bad. People who won't accept him...well, that's their problem not his.
WR/KC just work so well together. No other words, than I really love them.
I'm strangely happy the gang leader lived. I want him to finally learn his lesson and come to the aid of Kangchi.
I'm unreasonable excited for WR and KC to meet. I'm pretty sure that woman in SH. We never saw her actually die. We saw her get injured and hottie Japanese guy was staring at her in a pretty interesting way as she lay hurt.
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58 Hanna
May 14, 2013 at 11:50 PM
Wol-ryung’s back! I can't wait for another recap. This story is so great. Thank you for the very good recap.
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59 Noelle
May 15, 2013 at 12:12 AM
OMG I love Suzy! She is doing a terrific job. I am so proud of her growth. That scene where she held his hand was the best thing ever.
I am so tired of the Chung Jo business. Something needed to change there and instead we got rape and her deciding to be a Gisaeng for a second time.
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skelly
May 19, 2013 at 11:35 AM
"I'm so proud of her growth!" That's what fans always say about their own special idol prince or princess who can't act their way out of a paper bag.
1) Some never improve. Acting is a talent that some have and some don't. Some learn to fake it, some work hard to show off what little they have. Others continue to be an embarrassment and are given roles long after they should have been abandoned.
2) There are plenty of places to learn the ropes other than front and center in a leading role of a drama or movie. Instead of being an embarrassment to the show and themselves, they should figure out how to hide their deficiencies doing minor roles, guest stints, etc. And no, shaking your booty and lip-syncing to the song du jour on stage does not qualify as "acting experience."
3) Idols continue to get jobs because of buffoons like you, who will line up like sheep to watch them no matter how horrible they are.
4) "But [insert idol name here] is such a nice person! They deserve it!" Don't make me laugh. Idols are nice because they have PR firms working around the clock to make it so. No one in the entertainment business is a sweet little lamb, no one "deserves" it just because they have good spin.
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60 Jeanette
May 15, 2013 at 12:32 AM
Was anyone else really annoyed with how much Tae Seo was crying in this episode?...I wanted to almost smack him in the face and tell him to MAN up. I know he was in a spell n'all but seriously, he needs pull it together.
Agree the yeol-woo is the awesomest female kdrama character we've seen in a long time and was evidenced even more in this episode.
I can't believe the rape thing actually happened and was so abrupt. I suppose it has to happen to give the Chung Jo the drive to be reborn in a sense although that's a pretty messed up way for that to happen.
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lemondoodle
May 15, 2013 at 1:12 AM
Yes, since all his crying was his own fault and he did nothing but cause more trouble. KC completely breaking down like a little boy was heartbreaking. CJ handling what happened to her in the best way she could also was handled well. Then you have TS being a giant baby crying on the floor.
KC and CJ both suffered so much in part because of his actions and he's the one crying the most.
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61 keke
May 15, 2013 at 12:57 AM
I am with you there. I am so excited that the dad is back!!! eck! yeah! although evil :(. I don't know, I think the veiled lady is the mom yeah? Isn't the samurai guy the same guy in the first episode when the mom attack the pervert? I am rooting that the veil lady is the mom. That why they can reunite again! She does love him (she said so in her good-bye letter to the monk in the first episode). :( such tragedy
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62 Stardust
May 15, 2013 at 1:07 AM
Thank you so much for the recap! ♥♥♥
I really like Yeo wool... and so glad for a heroine who can stand by her (half)-man, and FINALLY no bashful denial but refreshing frankness that she is willing to do anything for him... Its not like she is even expecting anything back in return! And the scene between Lee soon shin and Kang chi... seriously... tears were pooling in my eyes... T.T
It IS kinda obvious ( even if far fetched ) that the mystery woman is Seo Hwa. Why else would Papa-ho awaken, all evil, when he was slumbering peacefully in his green grave for the past 20 years? His radar for the one who made him a demon has not yet activated! Now she has appeared back in Joseon, ( i can only suppose the GPS detection cannot work across the seas ) the curse will be enacted, proving the monk's words were not empty fluff...
Seriously, the siblings arc made me eye roll... I am sorry that Chung jo and Tae seo are doing all this stupid things to try to save the other, because it could have all been avoided if Tae seo had not STUPIDLY made the deal with the 2D evil villian, and believed that he would keep his word... seriously does the spell make him really stupid as well? If Chung Jo had just escaped with Kang Chi, she would have been safe, and not ended up the way she did...
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Natalie
May 16, 2013 at 10:15 AM
*rolls eyes at your comments re: the siblings*
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63 Namziii
May 15, 2013 at 1:39 AM
Haven't watched the ep yet, but hearing that Wol-ryung has awakened hints that Seo-hwa's back...?? I can already see the love blooming between Kang chi and Yeo wol. Seeing Chungjo's jealousy reaction kinda put me off and makes me think more that yeo-wol suits kang-chi more..btw, ino this is random, but has anyone thought about a love line between Gon and Chunjo?? I mean I don't think they were in a scene together yet, but yanoo.. if, just maybe if it's a happily ever after, there's gotta be someone for Chungjo?
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jubilantia
May 15, 2013 at 7:34 AM
Me! I've definitely contemplated putting Chung-jo with Gon. I'm not sure they would match, though. Maybe after she grows a little bit. And she might come to love being a gisaeng too much, especially if she can become the head one, and a performer. Chun So-ryun is part of the resistance, too, so maybe she'll indoctrinate Chung-jo into that as well. That might be where she and Gon find common ground.
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skelly
May 15, 2013 at 8:29 AM
Gon is going to moon forever over YW. That is his fate. That and to have bad hair. The bad hair is a sign from God that he was not meant to get the girl. Ever.
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jubilantia
May 15, 2013 at 8:52 AM
LOL
His hair is really, really terrible. Did they run out of wig money before they got to Sung Joon? He deserves so much better. The unfulfilled potential of him actually having a hot Main of Glory is going to haunt me forever.
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lazykitten
May 15, 2013 at 8:36 PM
"The bad hair is a sign from God that he was not meant to get the girl. Ever."
Best explanation for Gon's sudden change of hair. XD
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64 sheila380
May 15, 2013 at 1:50 AM
Thank you for the recap!
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65 Dark Justice
May 15, 2013 at 1:51 AM
Justice is needed. Dark Justice that is to right the many wrongs that happened in this episode. No in this show.
Great character developments (okay the rape was not great) but it does show that Chung Jo is really made up of sterner stuff than one would give her credit for. I don't doubt for an instant that the Bad Guy (From now on referred to as BG or BD since I can't seem to remember his name) wouldn't have done so even if he got what he wanted from her.... (Kang Chi's location and her brothers loyalty) but still not giving him the satisfaction that he needed well thumbs up Chung Jo. Also after that she finally decided to accept her fate and whine and complain about their lot. It may be true that she actually didn't remember where Kang Chi was located and her trying to betray him later on may be a cool story and Suzy rushing of in an attempt to stop her and save Kang Chi may also be good.
In regards to the mystery woman for me it is a toss up between it being Suzy's mom (coz that is what a lot of you want and a back story wouldn't be so bad) or it being Kang Chi's mom. (mom turned to the dark side ,,, mmm,,,
nah I think that she will be better of perhaps with her memory lost seeing dad and Kang Chi will help her recover and bring back Dad on the Jedi way once more from the Dark Side though she will then really die this time but not before asking for forgiveness) I suspect that it may be the mom because it seemed that both father and son detected her presence I doubt that would have been the case for any other reason unless She is another super natural creature (maybe a rival of the 9 Tails) thus the detection of her. (perhaps she is the 9 Tails Jinjuriki or the Japan's version of their 9 Tails)
Glad to see Tae Seo finally snapped out of the spell. (Is that Therapy Jutsu a specialty of people that seem to have 9 Tails Powers. The power to move individuals with their words and actions.)
I think that someone asked why Tae Seo was never under guard/watched when they knew that he was under a spell. I suspect that while he was the only actions that he seemed to display was to kill Kang Chi. That seemed to be his primary motivation. So the only person to whom he was truly a threat was Kang Chi and if he died well no big loss to anyone since Kang Chi wasn't a human after all so in other words he was doing a favor. (please note I am attempting to Psycho Analyze the justification of why he was not under constant guard I may not agree with any of them). Though the strength of the spell seems to confuse me just as well as any of you (I have talked to people who are in this profession and they have told me that the power of the spell is inconsistent. Yes the primary thing was to eliminate Kang Chi but it also seemed to have the bonus ability of protecting its caster. That made sense. Unfortunately the rest of the bit did not. For instance when the caster asked him his true intentions Tae Seo indicated the plan/Secret Room with great effort even though he did not want to but when they let him go and told him get Intel on what Lee Soon Shin wanted to do with all that money he did so. Now if he was under the spell he should have spilled the beans then and there. According to one of the people I asked they told me that perhaps the key is in the wording and if they asked him if he knew what the plans were and to reveal them he would have no choice but to do so) I get the feeling that to protect Chung Jo he will betray a plan once more but the good guys will discover this and use it to their advantage later on by feeding him false information. This will be the best way to redeem his actions.
I think that it was IVORIE that asked what Kang Chi meant by "This is why I was fooled a normal girl would not ask about the Silver the first thing"
I believe that under normal circumstances a girl who has just been discovered masquerading as a guy would try to explain why she was doing so. But for Suzy her main concern was neither her own welfare or the discovery of her identity but the success or failure of the mission (something that is more understandable in a guy)
I also like that Kang Chi saved the hunters life and just like in Jeon Woo Chi (yes he was one of the merry band in that so) his character is going to become loyal to Kang Chi (Hopefully) and he will 1st muse to himself why his life was spared from such a monster and he will also realize who the true monster really is (plus sure Kang Chi was a pain in his behind but his true intent of protecting people will be remembered) and with all of this he will realize that the true murderer of Park (i think that was the name of 100 year inn owner) is BG and not Kang Chi and thus he will redeem himself by supporting and clearing Kang Chi's name.
There are more points that I want to bring up but since this is such a short post I shall leave them for the next one. If anyone agrees or disagrees with me please do let me knw :)
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 8:31 AM
i'm thinking we're going to get some heavy duty comparisons between normal women and women warriors such as Head Gisaeng Chun and Yeo Wool. Not sure if Chung Jo will redeem herself by not acting like "a normal girl." Wondering where the writers are going with this. Especially if Seo Hwa went evil as well.
Weirdly, I think Big Bad might be in love with Chung Jo (as far as a villain can fall in love) and in typical villain fashion is gonna force her into loving him. His love for her might be his downfall, i think.
Just waiting to see the different kind of human monsters our hero will have to deal with.
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66 youlololo
May 15, 2013 at 2:26 AM
yuhou papa gumiho de retour mais je penses que sera pas une bonne chose autoure de lui on voix des feuilles fanée ses yeux sont rouge xd sa crain non ? on peut dire qu'il pas non plus etait gatter xd la trahison de sa femme; je crois qu'il est la pour se venger comme par hasard il s'est reveillé au moment ou la mysterieuse femme arrive au village ( sa femme ) non ? ^^
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JRoseLacroix
May 15, 2013 at 7:44 PM
Ont sais jamais. J'espere que ses pas sa femme. J'aimerais plus qu'elle soit sur le bord de kangchi au lieu d'etre une vilaine.
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67 seunggicharm
May 15, 2013 at 2:27 AM
Boy this is one heck of an episode! The betrayal from the Park siblings was just too much to handle. I felt so bad for Kang Chi that the family he thought he had all those years will turn their backs on him. Those ingratas! I sometimes feel annoyed with Tae Seo, just like what Teacher Gong said, he has a choice. But then he still chose to betray KC. I know that CJ was on the line that could've led him to betray him, but man! Can't he think of something else to save all of them rather than get so effin confused on what to do just to survive and save their asses?
CJ was freakin gettin into my nerves too. I don't pity her anymore as she is so selfish. But then, I still wanna know how she'd pick herself up from that miserable experience she had with GW. I know she's strong, so maybe, it's time that she show everyone that she can handle herself without the help of the people who're trying to save her.
I really was into tears when I saw Tae Seo beating Kang Chi and Kang Chi was just standing there taking all the punches thrown at him. Boy! He really has a pure heart. He's even better than real humans in dealing with his situation. He still decide to forgive Tae Seo after betraying him twice and still want Tae Seo to be the same brother he used to be to him. Now I just want their bromance back and team up to fight that nasty GW!
Kang Chi's heart is so pure!
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seunggicharm
May 15, 2013 at 2:29 AM
*was in tears..lolz
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 8:34 AM
I felt the rejection as well. The whole "blood is thicker than water" thing. We may have adopted you but in the long run, you really aren't related to us. Which makes Yeo Wool's acceptance even better because she accepted Kang Chi in spite of her (blood-related) father's objection.
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seunggicharm
May 16, 2013 at 12:17 AM
absolutely! like a smack on your face. Like all those years that he's thought of them as his family regardless of their blood relation, he was there for them, ready to fight and protect them with his life.
Yeah. Yeo Wool really made things lighter for him. Accepting him for who he is not minding his father's objection was a genuine act that it doesn't matter if he's half-half. ^^
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68 annisa
May 15, 2013 at 2:32 AM
wow,,, it's here,,, thank you so much 4 the recap. How amazing drama :) can't wait for the next ep ^_^
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69 Ivaa
May 15, 2013 at 3:38 AM
Kang Chi healed YW and Leader band with his blood....
meaning that they will be his follower unconsciously ?? well, I do hope there's a rules about sharing his half beast blood right ?
like when he changing to his beast form in the forest, YW seem to noticed first....
and KC seem to knew that she were present...( like GF said : her smell ?? )
or
he will be then a founder of Joseon Red Cross during those war ????
well, he can sell his blood and set up a hospital ????
and people will not mock him and fear him as a monster but as an angel... or beast doctor ?....
firstly, in YW case, I thought that it will work out because they mean to be ( soulmate ??? ) but when KC also heal the leader band, I started pulling my hair...
geezz........
I don't think that they just throw in whatever ideas and blending into one whole packages story
( what do you say writernim, do please enlighten us )
I have to thumb up to all the actors and their performances, especially LSG....
they make up for lack of plot story rules....
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reglest
May 15, 2013 at 3:55 AM
Ivaa, you're freaking genius! Now we just can send that scenario over to the writer, and oh, wait a second, the doctor should let us choose which kang chi we'd like to cure us. The Gumi-Chi, or adorable-pure-heart-kang-chi. I want both of them though!! <3
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Ivaa
May 15, 2013 at 4:29 AM
@reglest :
Both of Kang Chi,
so he can be 24hours....
night shift for The Gumi-Chi and adorable Kang Chi by day......
I would looooveees to make myself hurt in every single day....he he he
just remember to give YW a spy assignment first, so KC will be able to treat us.
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crazyahjummafan
May 15, 2013 at 6:01 AM
Imagine this: Choi Kang Chi - Joseon super-hero! Flying to rescue of all in distress. Don't worry if you're hurt and bleeding, a drop of KC's blood can heal your wounds instantly! Moreover, this super-hero lives for years!
If only, sigh, then Korea's history would have been changed for sure. No Japanese occupation, no Korean war and everything else in between.
I like the idea of a blood bank of KC's blood.
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luri
May 15, 2013 at 9:17 AM
Fabulous idea, but I think the writers are going for the whole "you must help any human who asks" part of the prayer to find the Gu Family book.
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70 anna
May 15, 2013 at 3:48 AM
Remember when we were complaining about Kang-chi's gumiho's hair? I changed my mind lol I really like his gumiho's hair! He looks really hot and I hardly ever describe Lee Seung-gi with that word, EVER. I'm really digging his gumiho look.
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71 Cami
May 15, 2013 at 3:58 AM
Thank you so much. All I can say is Daddy's home. Aah Choi Kang Chi, you better start training I got a feeling that this reunion will not be pleasant
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owl
May 15, 2013 at 8:22 PM
I lvoed the dark, atmospheric change when papa gu woke up - a forboding wind for sure!
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72 Roshogolla
May 15, 2013 at 4:07 AM
Thank you very much for the recap. Your recaps really gives the show the actual drama and intensity we were supposed to see on screen. When I actually watch the show it feels so choppy and silly that I can't stop but laugh out loud at the scenes that are supposed to be intense.
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73 anna
May 15, 2013 at 4:09 AM
Ugh, I should know better to watch dramas with viki comments turn off. Some of those comments are gross as hell! I don't care how much you hate Chung-jo, she doesn't deserve to be raped. JFC, people are disgusting.
Chung-jo reminds me so much of Sansa Stark in this situation. I just want her to be happy :( And she better be coming back for everything!
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74 Candyhem
May 15, 2013 at 4:16 AM
Excellent recap! Well written with wonderful sense of humor. Thank you so much for sharing. Really enjoyed reading it.
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crazyahjummafan
May 15, 2013 at 6:02 AM
Ditto!
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75 aramint
May 15, 2013 at 4:21 AM
Perhaps I'm the minority here, but I really hope that the veiled woman is Seo Hwa. Their misunderstandings need to be clarified and Wol Ryung deserves his happy ending, and that is her. Plus, I just love them being lovely together :)
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76 Jenny
May 15, 2013 at 4:40 AM
I don't think the woman is Seo Hwa unless the writers are planning on surprising us. But in a way I don't think she's dead, so she could be alive somewhere.
I just want daddy gumiho to have a happy end with Seo Hwa, I mean they were so adorable together.
Maybe Seo Hwa could be a way to stop Wol Ryung from going totally evil.
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77 Extraordinary
May 15, 2013 at 5:11 AM
I want a girlfriend like Yeowool. She's totally my type
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78 lucertola
May 15, 2013 at 5:27 AM
Thanks for recapping :-)
I watch this drama only for its’ fantasy elements and for the cast (I find especially the main couple well casted!). All the rest is a pure cliché, already seen. I was yawing at and skipping most of Wol Ryung/Seo Hwa romance-story, due to it dullness and stupid tragediennes. But I suppose they had to do it in that way for the proper story background.
I wish that Kang Chi a the end wouldn’t want to take a human form, but just be himself and accept himself. I feel it would be an end more than needed in the current Korean pop influence. Crossing fingers for it.
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79 Aigoo
May 15, 2013 at 5:41 AM
Lemme just say KC is a way better man than I am (although I'm not a man....and i guess technically KC is only 1/2 of one....but you get the point) - I would have still been riding a wave of rage over TS's betrayal and wouldn't have been as forgiving as KC.
Also - was CJ raped? Because I was under the impression she agreed to sleep with him to save her brother......did I miss something?
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jubilantia
May 15, 2013 at 7:43 AM
Pretty sure she was. Even if she agreed and I didn't hear her, nothing but nothing about that scene was consensual.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 8:11 AM
She was raped even if she agreed to it because she was being coerced and blackmailed. But the thing that annoyed me was that she had that weird smile on her face after which was definitely a WTF moment for me. Then when he said, "Don't be embarrassed" I thought, "Is he saying, 'Don't be embarrassed because you loved our wild night of passion."?????
I suppose I'm hoping that she will use her body to destroy him but that flicker of sexual orgasmic enjoyment on her face the morning after....well.... creepy.
If that's how the writers depict her, she is doubly unworhty of Kang Chi.
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skelly
May 15, 2013 at 8:38 AM
Even though I don't want to, I am going to go back and re-watch that scene. If they are really going there, if they are hinting that she "liked" being raped, then show and I are officially over. I'm already disliking the writer, that would be the last straw.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 9:14 AM
Maybe I'll go look again to be sure. Or maybe it was the actress' acting. I'm trying to see clear. If the writer is talking about the lack of choices for oppressed women in Joseon times, I'll cut him some slack. But so far, I find myself getting really unhappy with the women in this story. So far, only Head Gisaeng Chun and Yeo Wool (who has hung out with men so she hasn't had the usual female upbringing) are honorable. I even got mad at Maid Dam back when she and Chung Jo's mom tricked Kang Chi.
I suppose it's true what Head Gisaeng Chun said, that the oppressed and the powerless have to do what they have to do to survive but.... some of the women in this drama...ugh. Let's see what Chng Jo and Seo Hwa (if that's her) have made of their lives. I'm hoping the writers are saying something about tragic lives that I'll end up liking.
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seunggicharm
May 16, 2013 at 12:27 AM
hmm maybe that weird smile she had after being raped was more of a smirk? Like she has a plan going on in her mind like getting revenge and all. Coz y'know, she's lost her virginity already, so there's no need to keep that nobility feeling she had been keeping even when she's already been sold as a gisaeng. Like she's finally accepting her fate and just plan to follow head gisaeng Soo ryun's advice to find ways to survive. Remember after that night, she came to Soo ryun to tell her she wants to be an entertainer gisaeng. Just like in the character description, she'll climb her way up again to get back her noble status in the Joseon era..^^
lemondoodle
May 15, 2013 at 12:28 PM
I don't see that at all. The look on her face was one of a broken person, not one who enjoyed a night of rape.
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jubilantia
May 15, 2013 at 8:57 AM
I did not see any enjoyment on her face. I got the impression that she was in so much shock she was trying to remember what facial expressions were. I thought the cringey half-smile winched on her face was her attempt to put on a brave front for Tae-seo.
I thought Jerkbutt just meant she shouldn't be ashamed she's lost her virginity (in the most brutal way imaginable oh god I hate him)
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 9:44 AM
The "woman falling in love with her rapist/kidnapper" motif has happened in so many films and stories, I honestly thought that was what I was seeing. I've seen it happen way too often in movies to not pick up on it...or to not believe that's what the writer is hinting at. Maybe I was just seeing things.
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jubilantia
May 15, 2013 at 1:31 PM
I'm not a book reviewer or anything, but I've read a ton of them and seen plenty of movies. I'm totally aware that Stockholm Syndrome is a thing, but judging by her reaction and immediate journey afterwards to the gibang to "restart her life", I really, really don't think that's what they were going for.
I honestly think she just had a BSOD moment: I think what's going through her head is that the worst thing possible happened, she's fighting through it the best she can, and the less she thinks about it, the better.
Aigoo
May 15, 2013 at 9:12 AM
She had a weird smile?? *shudder*
Well now I know I definitely missed something - i tried fast forwarding through most of that because I really couldn't stand to watch it......don't think I have it in me to go back and try to figure out what I missed though...
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Fidelity
May 15, 2013 at 9:27 AM
She didn't have a weird smile on her face in the morning. It is your imagination here that's creepy.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 9:38 AM
LOL! That's possible. I thought I saw a flicker of sexual satisfaction but I might've been seeing things. Will see what happens in the next episode. I'm a writer, though, and a book and film reviewer. Creepy imagination goes with those territories. Although, seeing things that aren't there definitely doesn't. :-)
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 9:51 AM
Dang, I suddenly realized I was just insulted. (I'm a slow reactor alas. It takes me a while to actually see possible cruelty in someone's comment, and even then I seem to aim not to see it because I do give folks the benefit of the doubt.)
So now... No, I don't think I'm that creepy. That was very rude to say to me, seeing you and I are neither friends nor enemies. IF you think my assumption was "creepy" then it's possible, I've seen more movies with (and written about) this annoying phenomenon in films than you have.
However, for your enlightenment.
http://www.avclub.com/articles/stockholm-swooning-22-films-where-women-fall-in-lo,64978/
And this kinda thing also happens in Asian movies as well. I remember a Japanese oldie about a woman who fell in love with her rapist and conspired with him to kill her husband. IT also happens in American soap operas. The General Hospital story back in the day with Luke and Laura. Another case in point.
So, yeah, I'm not creepy. Nor am I all-knowing. I'm just saying in this case...you're just not as aware of this motif as I am.
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Fidelity
May 15, 2013 at 1:20 PM
I'm as aware about this motif as you are, but that doesn't make the application of it in situations any less creepy: "Look! That girl just got raped... but based on a split-second flicker of facial emotion that I personally will deem a 'weird smile' despite it more likely being an expression of disbelief, disgust, horror, shame, self-mocking and self-pity, I will infer that she's reveling in the memory of forced sexual sensation from last night and falling in love with her rapist."
I'm thinking your awareness of the theory and your imagination here are both responsible... so if it's less insulting, I will call both creepy. (It was meant as half-jest though.) I just dislike it in general when people read into things too much for the worse.
CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 3:13 PM
Fidelity:
Feminists are allowed to be aware of dangerous tropes..perhaps even hyper-aware. Is feminism creepy then?
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Fidelity
May 15, 2013 at 8:58 PM
Ah, being 'aware' or even 'hyperaware' of the said trope is different than applying it liberally for the fun of it and undermining the emotional ordeal that generally comes with the sickening insult.
Also, just because I don't like a particular flavour of a jellybean doesn't mean I don't like the entire jar of jellybeans. Let's not make such big leaps with assumptions.
ys
May 19, 2013 at 11:28 AM
Good for you Fidelity for not backing down.
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Amanda
May 15, 2013 at 4:50 PM
I thought it was more of a bitter smile, though I think it was more of "bitterness twisting her mouth" sort of thing.
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Peridot
May 16, 2013 at 5:23 AM
I personally did not read the post-rape scene in the same way, but I think that you make interesting points. Hopefully the writer did not intend for her to have enjoyed the experience, because if that is the case then I will also be very upset. I interpreted her look as both a nervous expression and Chungjo's attempt to maintain her dignity in front of her rapist and in front of her brother. I've seen some of the back and forth comments in response to your post and all I have to say is do not let negative responses get you down. You have a right to your opinion even if others disagree (even if they strongly disagree) with it. Take care. And to all the Beanies--please let us all engage in mature and thought-provoking conversations without being judgmental or resorting to name calling.
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crazyahjummafan
May 16, 2013 at 6:03 AM
Ditto, ditto and ditto.
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80 nate10
May 15, 2013 at 6:01 AM
Still bothers me what happened to Chung-Jo... I mean by the most hated villain! Gives me the creeps! Chung-Jo was the one the most gentle and kindest to Kang chi...arggg!
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81 Dani
May 15, 2013 at 6:03 AM
I actually thought Wol-ryung would be wanting revenge on Seo Hwa thinking she's still alive then he'll find she isn't but she had a son, and thinking he's not HIS son he'll want to kill him, and then he'll find out that Kangchi's half gumiho like him, so Wol-ryung will slightly forgive Seo Hwa (?) I DUNNO there's so much that can happen now that Wol-ryung is going to be back, I'm SO HAPPY!
I definitely hope that whether it's my idea, your idea or anything else, in the end of it all, he'll help with cold-blooded-ly murdering Jo Gwan woong dfkjghsd
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tieuyeunu
May 15, 2013 at 6:24 AM
Here's to thinking that they are both going to die. Its the only way to break WR's curse. If the one who caused it, SH, dies with him to prove her love.
That will also leave the playing filed open for KC and YW to go to the last fight against the big bad.
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CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 8:39 AM
I'm thinking Wol Ryung will have a daddy moment where he realizes that although Yeo Wool is the daughter of the guy who killed him that his son is loved by her...and moment of restraint will show he's not really a demon-hearted kind of guy. Will see.
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leelee
May 15, 2013 at 5:48 PM
I would sure love a daddy and son moment in the future, no matter what it is. I was thinking about it, but I've never seen Seung gi in a drama with a character having a father who is still presently alive.
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82 Garrdan75
May 15, 2013 at 7:46 AM
Thank you so much, GF, for another great recap...so enjoyable and enlightening!! :)
Wow! Whoa! What a wonder of an episode!! This was my favorite one and most dramatic with such poignant and tragically beautiful moments between Kang Chi and Yeo-Wool, him and the admiral and then with Tae Soo...each scene had me in tears.
My heart thumped so madly during the moments when YW held KC's hand and when she turned and intertwined theirs hands----Ho! major swoon moment for me...such was the impact of that gesture on my heart and emotions.
What a charasmatic couple these two! Great chemistry and vibes when they are together.
Can't wait to see if KC and his daddy gumiho will experience the same...sure hope their encounter and scenes together won't be only sad and tragic ones. Both actors are so good in their roles that I'm hoping for great chemistry between them when they finally meet. Sigh...still so many days to pass until Monday...
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83 CaroleMcDonnell
May 15, 2013 at 8:01 AM
I am sooooooooo glad that stupid spell is broken. I actually started cringing everytime Tae Soo came on screen. Helpless and hypnotized is one thing but...aargh... and the stupid blindfold he had to wear. UGH.
I want to see what kind of evil Chung Jo will now be up to. Apparently, bitter women who get the urge to live (and who seem to enjoy sex with their oppressors) can get very cold mean hearts. Which might be the case with Seo Hwa. Ah, the power of sex with an evil bad guy. If Seo Hwa is alive, I wonder if she has had any other kids. I just think the new Chung Jo is going to be pragmatic, vicious, and perhaps not so nice. Will have to see.
Thanks so much for the recap as always.
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84 Steph
May 15, 2013 at 8:23 AM
YES! Papa Gumiho is back. And like you, I have the strange feeling that the official's wife is a Seo -hwa look-like/reincarnation. The dramatic arrival, hidden face, and smiling red lips coincide perfectly with Wol-ryung's revival. Does this mean the ill fated parents of Kang Chi might actually get a happier ending than what they had before? Which was no happy ending at all? I dare to hope. But Wol-ryung's become a demon now hasn't he since Seo-hwa betrayed him? Well, this'll do wonders for Kang Chi's "I'm a monster" thing since he'll also get to add "I'm a monster AND the son of a demon." But if this Veiled Lady really is Seo-hwa, does this mean there's a chance of redemption for Wol-ryung?
And I respect Yeo Wool completely after she sold up for Kang Chi in front of her father. But Gon, will he ever tell Yeo Wool his feelings for her?
Can't wait to see episode 13 and hopefully the happy reunion of Papa and Son Gumihos!
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85 Summer
May 15, 2013 at 8:24 AM
i don't think that lady is Seo Hwa. If it is really her, why isn't she checking out on her child for the past 20years? Unless she has lost her memory and changed her name.... otherwise it's not convincing....
if it's really Seo Hwa, i would have prefer them to ask Lee Yeon Hee.. They can make her looks older with makeup...
So i don't think it's Seo Hwa at all..
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milkteanlsg
May 17, 2013 at 8:19 PM
so true~
And I feel that Seo Hwa is not such a strong person to devise such a plan to outwit the creep...
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86 veryrustybell
May 15, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Am i the only one who thinks that CJ was sort of willing with KW? If you have watched the drama the scene where they woke up the next day makes me feel like CJ was willing so that she could save her brother.
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87 crappidoo
May 15, 2013 at 8:47 AM
i hope that Ja Hong Myung aka the veiled jap lady is not related to KC cause it'd would be totally screwed up if she was his thought to be deceased mom. if she is though i hope that she'd be some double agent that helps the men of honour bring the bastard KW down.
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88 chichikyukyo
May 15, 2013 at 8:58 AM
this drama is so addictve!!!!!!!!!! i want like 5 episodes to come out at the same time!!! kang chi and yeo wool ahhhhh they're so frikkin cute together ^0^~ those beady eyes at the end and the woman inside the veil just spiced everythin up! can't wait for the next episodes im so curious!!!!!!!!!!!gee~
someone need to cut that evil guy into peices; poor girl;(
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89 Pam
May 15, 2013 at 10:31 AM
Yay! Daddy gumiho is back! I hope he's not demon looking tho, that'd take away the appeal. Lol!
I think he has the best hair on the male leads.
I bet he's going to discourage KC from seeing YW, another obstacle to their love once CJ gets out of the way.
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90 Thuy Hoang
May 15, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Awww thanks alot for your recap!!!
I'm pretty sure the mystery woman is Seo Hwa because in the scene that she died, Jo Gwan-woong was meeting a Japanese officer. And there was a moment when that officer looking at Seo hwa. So I think he has saved her and made her his wife.
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91 Dream
May 15, 2013 at 11:09 AM
I think the guy that plays Ma Bong Chul acts quite well. Since the beginning he made a strong impression of a cowardly lame villain. ... And then his name is MBC... Haha
I think now he will side with KC
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J
May 15, 2013 at 4:14 PM
Who knows? You know what they say about good deeds...they never go unpunished.
MBC is so cowardly and greedy. he'll probably try to sell this info to JGW.
P.S
JGW needs to get a hot poker in the eye. Totally skeevy!!!
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92 mvl
May 15, 2013 at 11:27 AM
haven't seen this episode yet, but have to say your recap brought tears to my eyes. thanks so much.
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93 WhiteBirch
May 15, 2013 at 11:31 AM
Actually, the mysterious veiled woman is a separate character altogether. It is not Seohwa. Remember guys, seohwa died a human. She's not like Gu Wol ryung; she's just an ordinary human being. Swords and arrows can kill her. The veiled woman is a character named "Ja Hong Myung." At least that's what the korean website for Gu family book says on Naver. She's played by that actress who played Sera from "Gentleman's dignity." Hope this helps, for people who were curious.
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Tyme
May 15, 2013 at 12:11 PM
Everything I've read confirms that she is Yoon Se Ah playing Ja Hong Myung, but that's where the articles diverge.
Some of them claim that she's moving on behalf of Master Dam and she's one of the mysterious four that Jo Gwan Woong tried to find earlier. If that's true, I don't think it would be as much of a stretch to think she's Yeo Wool's mom.
There are also some people saying its Seo Hwa. I don't understand why they wouldn't have just brought Lee Yeon Hee back.
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pinksapphire
May 16, 2013 at 8:36 AM
Maybe because Lee Yeon Hee has started filming for this movie.
http://www.dramabeans.com/2013/05/first-stills-from-night-before-the-wedding/
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94 MICA
May 15, 2013 at 2:03 PM
WOW I loved this episode. SUZY has really improved her acting SO MUCH!!! it's not the same from dream high...that girl couldn't make me believe her tears because she couldn't even cry... and that's just the truth but I'm loving this new Suzy, she really moved me in the scene where she tells KC that he promised to tell her when he would live and also when she held his hand :)
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95 Cheryl
May 15, 2013 at 2:09 PM
I don't think the woman in the sedan chair is SH, but I reserve the right to be wrong. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Evil!WR.
JGW skeeves me out so much. I want him to get a sharp object through the chest ASAP. A death that makes sense would be great, but at this point, I'll settle for a random death that doesn't make sense. He just needs to die, and die NOW.
YW taking a stand next to KC was totally awesome. We all need someone like that in our lives, who believes in us so totally they're willing to put their neck on the line for us. I love the character of YW because she's straightforward and honest, which is more than I can say about way too many other Kdrama heroines (and heroes). Things actually get said and communicated! THANK YOU! So refreshing and nice, and there's actually progress in the relationship.
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Gidget
May 17, 2013 at 4:30 PM
There is such a strong redemptive arc to this story that I hope he has an epiphany and does a 'Javert' instead of being killed by someone else.
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96 Nudafu
May 15, 2013 at 3:08 PM
Many thanks for another wonderful recap GF.
A KC blood bank....hehehehe
I do hope YW is left human. I like the idea that a human is trying to help KC to be human not necessarily by changing into anything, but believing in his himself.
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97 qiu
May 15, 2013 at 3:26 PM
somehow its remain me with anime 'inuyasha' LOL...
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Abbie
May 15, 2013 at 5:25 PM
haha. It reminds me of Naruto. At least, Kang-chi reminds me of Naruto.
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98 Abbie
May 15, 2013 at 5:24 PM
Yes! So much win this episode. Especially Yeo-wool standing up to her dad and taking Kang-chi's beast-man hand. And then he changes back to normal? The girl IS his humanity. That's my belief, anyway.
And Wol-ryung's back! Yes! I can't wait to see him next week.
The new Veiled Lady is really interesting. She could be a sorceress, who sensed the presence of Wol-ryung's demon energy and decided to awaken him so she can have a 1000 year-old demon at her beck and call. Or something.
Poor Chung-jo. This episode was a real doozy for her, although that's putting it mildly. I, also, want her to be the one to put a knife in that man's heart. Poetic justice.
Thanks for the recap, GF!
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Abbie
May 15, 2013 at 5:28 PM
One more thing. I'm just gonna assume that Tae-seo's curse broke after he begged Kang-chi to rescue Chung-jo and take her far away. Because he placed his trust in Kang-chi, who, being the awesome guy he is, agreed. Because Tae-seo didn't have the blindfold after that did he?
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Peridot
May 15, 2013 at 6:18 PM
"The girl IS his humanity"--Beautifully written.
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Abbie
May 16, 2013 at 8:57 AM
Thank you so much! :)
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99 Peridot
May 15, 2013 at 5:48 PM
While I admire the performances of the actors in this drama, I have to admit that I have been pretty frustrated with things. I glanced over the recaps for this week's episodes and finally watched the episodes tonight. I am tired of this villain. I wrote last week that I felt that the true villain would be Wollyung and if the ending of episode twelve is an indication of things to come, then I may be right. I am tired of Gwanwoong and seriously want Chungjo to be the one to kill him, no one else. It has to be her. I want a woman to be able to stand up for herself and take action in a way that is possible for someone of her station and in her position. I am never a fan of childhood romances and I am disappointed in the portrayal of the young Chungjo. I can understand her present horror at seeing Kangchi (after all, she has endured a lot of trauma), but I feel that portraying her younger self as someone petty (and jealous) serves as a way to make Kangchi falling in love with someone else more palatable. Do not get me wrong, I think that Yeowol is an awesome character and there are many reasons for Kangchi to fall in lover with her. She is first and foremost a friend and someone who sees who he really is. But I think that there had to be a way to make it easier for his love to eventually transfer from one woman to another. The reality may be that he may have only thought he was in love with Chungjo. As I already wrote, I can understand Chungjo's initial horror but she does not have to be someone who continues to think of Kangchi as a monster. She doesn't have to be a mirror of Kangchi's mother. I apologize if I can not clearly articulate my point. I am having difficulty doing so.
As for Taeseo...I agree that the whole bewitchment was weak and poorly executed. Then again with this drama, the writing has not been the best. We often get from point A to Point C without ever going through Point B. Many things are poorly handled.
Enough of my rant lol! I really admired the performances of the actors. I also love that General Lee Soonshin has become a surrogate father-figure to Kangchi. He tells Kangchi that all a person needs in life is a true friend, a true lover, and a country for which he/she is willing to die. I think that Yeowool will be both his friend and lover. And now that his bromance has been restored, Taesoo will also be his friend. And now he has a new father. Lastly, with the historical background of this story (the Japanese invasions of Korea) becoming more prominent, he will also have a country to fight for (all the while pursuing his quest to live a fully human life). Let the next phase of the story begin!
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100 Someone Who Should be Studying for Finals
May 15, 2013 at 7:46 PM
Even though I watch all the episodes, I love coming back to this website to read the recaps... because they're SO FUNNY. I almost pee laughing. The writer's tone is just so sassy and enthusiastic. It slays me.
Anyways, thanks again for taking the time to write! I'm looking forward to next week's eps. ^^
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lordj
May 16, 2013 at 2:49 AM
thats gf for you... she's awesome, isn't she?
sometimes I enjoy the recaps more than the drama. :)
and oh so often, i find myself nodding in agreement in her insights.
Thanks again gf!
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