Gu Family Book: Episode 19
by girlfriday
It’s an episode all about Kang-chi’s family—the people who took him in and raised him, the people who abandoned him, and the people who accepted him for who (or what) he is. There’s heartbreak and angst in that tale, but also a lot to be gained, because this story has never been about the family you come from, but the family you make for yourself.
EPISODE 19 RECAP
Seo-hwa’s narrow escape from death finally gets revealed, though obviously it isn’t a surprise by now that she did survive. After giving birth to Kang-chi, she attacks Jo Gwan-woong and his minion cuts her down with one swing of his sword.
The Japanese man who was just making a deal with Jo Gwan-woong watches her fall to the ground in horror. He’s struck with sympathy, or love, or both, and stoops down to check her pulse. She’s still alive.
He lies to the minion that she’s dead and pays off the men who carry away her body, recovering her in time to save her life.
Meanwhile her baby grows up to be Kang-chi, who is currently chained, drugged, and being gumiho-outed by Jo Gwan-woong… to the mother who’s been searching for him desperately.
Seo-hwa tries to contain her reaction, but when they pull Kang-chi’s bracelet off, familiar blue lights float in, and she watches his eyes change. Flashback to her tears of shock after he was born: “He’s not a monster! He wasn’t a monster! He wasn’t a monster! Child!!”
Jo Gwan-woong waits for her reaction and prods—is this the thief who stole her map? But before she can answer, Kang-chi keels over and faints.
Soo-ryun finds out what she can through Chung-jo’s maid (who was threatened into bringing Kang-chi here under false pretenses) and quickly sends word to Master Dam. Yeo-wool hears that Kang-chi might be in trouble and goes straight for her sword, and Gon protests that they don’t know what the situation is yet, and that no matter how much trouble Kang-chi is in, he can heal and he can’t die.
Yeo-wool: “Just because he can’t die doesn’t mean he can’t hurt! Kang-chi feels pain too! If he’s stabbed he bleeds, and if he’s hit he bruises! He doesn’t die, but he feels that pain just as we do! Do you know that? So don’t stand in my way. Not that it would stop me.”
I like that Chung-jo is around to see Yeo-wool’s reaction. She finally says what she came here to say, which stops Yeo-wool in her tracks: Kang-chi’s mother might still be alive.
Kang-chi comes to, just in time to watch as Seo-hwa grits her teeth and tells Jo Gwan-woong that he can do whatever he wants with this not-a-person. Eek, I know you’re just putting on an act, but I’m still not over the last time you scarred a gumiho for life by calling him a monster.
Jo Gwan-woong is baiting her, naturally, wanting her to admit that she’s Seo-hwa and run to her son’s rescue. But she forces herself to act like she couldn’t give a damn whether he stomps Kang-chi to death, and maintains her cover.
She’s already trembling, but when Kang-chi looks up at her with his puppy eyes, she nearly breaks. She leaves him behind and walks away, and makes it to her room before the tears come.
Jo Gwan-woong starts to interrogate Kang-chi for the map, and tells him to stop struggling—he drank enough poisoned liquor to kill him, and struggling will only make the process more painful.
Kang-chi roars and fights back in his chains, and Jo Gwan-woong jumps back, startled. He calls Kang-chi a monster, musing that this is why his mother abandoned him in a river. Augh. You bastid!
He continues: “That’s why after twenty years she could be so cold and indifferent to you.” Kang-chi stops cold at the mention of his mother, and asks who she is. Jo Gwan-woong says his question is wrong—he should be asking if that’s really her, because that’s what HE wants to know.
Thankfully Soo-ryun has an antidote to the poison, which she hands over to Tae-seo with instructions to feed it to Kang-chi before sunset today. Servant Choi takes responsibility for feeding it to Kang-chi somehow, declaring that he’s still the boy’s father by name, and it’s his job.
Yeo-wool’s teacher comes to see her in the morning, and finds her dressed for archery instead of needlepoint. This time Yeo-wool doesn’t even pretend to be coy about it and just confronts her directly, with no intention of backing down.
Yeo-wool: “Have you never liked someone sincerely? Where your head and your heart are so filled with that one person that you laugh when he laughs, and cry when he cries. Being next to him is enough to fill my world, and feel safe. Have you ever had a person like that?”
The hilarious part is, her speech only makes the teacher more head over heels for Gon, and when he comes by and discovers Yeo-wool missing, the teacher bats her eyelashes and recites Yeo-wool’s speech. Heh.
Yeo-wool heads into town and beelines for gang leader Ma Bong-chul, who remembers her as Kang-chi’s friend (and a boy). She asks if he doesn’t want to rob the Hundred Year Inn with her, and he asks warily what they might steal. She leans in with a mischievous smile: “Choi Kang-chi.”
Servant Choi comes into the shed where they’re keeping Kang-chi, and offers each of the guards a rice ball. He has one left in his basket, and asks if he can’t give it to Kang-chi since he brought one for everyone, and the guard picks it up. Uh-oh.
He tosses it on the ground at Kang-chi’s feet like he’s throwing him table scraps, and Choi runs to pick it up. Kang-chi finally gets it together long enough to recognize him and ekes out, “Father, it hurts so much. It hurts so much I think I’ll die.”
Dad can barely contain his sobs, and just picks up the rice ball and bites away the dirt-covered outside to feed to his son. It’s so instinctively parental, it breaks my heart. Kang-chi doesn’t seem interested in eating, but Dad keeps insisting that he take just one bite, and Kang-chi finally notices the antidote peeking out.
He understands and opens his mouth to take a bite… when the guards knock Choi over and drag him out, kicking and screaming. They say that a beast should eat like one, egging him on to eat off the ground like an animal.
But it’s too far for him to reach, and they just kick it away even further, cackling to themselves. The antidote just sits there in the middle of the room, taunting him.
Meanwhile Jo Gwan-woong has thought up a fun new way to torture mother and son, and tells Seo-hwa that he plans to string up Gumiho Baby in the middle of town so people can throw stones at him.
He walks out grinning at his own cleverness, knowing it’s just a matter of time before she breaks and reveals her identity as Seo-hwa. Inside, she seethes with rage, and tells her assistant that it’s time Jo Gwan-woong dies. He urges her to calm down—they still need him for their plan. She fumes, wondering how much longer they have to endure this.
Bong-chul brings his gang and storms into the inn, demanding payment for the time he played snitch and found Kang-chi. They lie down in the middle of the courtyard in protest, which draws the bulk of the guards out to deal with them, and buys Yeo-wool the time she needs to rescue Kang-chi.
It’s a good plan, and Yeo-wool swoops in like a badass to save him. I like that as she fights the guards, Kang-chi just keeps his eye on that damned antidote-laced rice ball, which gets kicked around like a soccer ball with his lifeline attached—it’s both funny and tense.
Bong-chul does a good job of stalling, except he betrays a look of worry with a sideways glance that Jo Gwan-woong catches. Dammit. Yeo-wool is one strike away from winning the fight, just as the rice ball finally rolls over to within Kang-chi’s reach. Suddenly the doors swing open, and Jo Gwan-woong throws Bong-chul down at her feet, bloody and bruised.
He says he’s sorry and passes out, and the guards surround Yeo-wool with swords. But Kang-chi swallows. Did he get it? Please tell me he got the friggin’ antidote.
Yeo-wool stands up to Jo Gwan-woong and asks what he’s doing to an innocent person, but he says he’s just treating a monster like a monster. She scoffs that the only monster here is him, which is awfully satisfying to hear spoken to his face.
He slaps her, and Kang-chi screams, fighting against his chains in fury. He’s still struggling to regain his strength, but the rice ball is now missing its chewy hulk-juice center.
At the same time, Tae-seo gets word that Jo Gwan-woong plans to string Kang-chi up publicly, and his face falls. Soo-ryun had warned him that if it came to the point where Jo Gwan-woong was using Kang-chi to bring Lee Soon-shin down, they would have to step in. Oh noes. He looks over at his sword with a dark expression.
Kang-chi gets brought out in his chains for all the inn workers to see him in his gumiho form, and everyone gasps. Jo Gwan-woong tells his men to string him up for people to throw stones, and Choi rushes to his knees before Jo Gwan-woong.
“The late Lord Park took him in and I raised him as my own!” He pleads and cries, “Please, save my son! Let him live!” Aww—it’s not just that he intervenes to save Kang-chi, but that he calls him his son, even in this moment.
Jo Gwan-woong orders his men to get this nuisance out of the way, so they drag him away and start kicking him, over and over. Kang-chi begs them to stop, but it gets worse and worse, until it finally pushes him over the edge.
He hulks out and busts through his chains, and fights off the minions handily. But the poison is still taking its toll and he starts coughing up blood. Jo Gwan-woong doesn’t think he’s long for this world, but Kang-chi growls that it’s plenty of time to kill him first, and attacks.
But suddenly Seo-hwa’s bodyguard jumps in to defend him, or rather, to stop Kang-chi from killing him. Kang-chi is brought to his knees, and then Seo-hwa enters, dressed in a hanbok.
Jo Gwan-woong smirks to see her and orders his men to string Kang-chi up, and she finally erupts: “Enough! Stop! You win. I am the woman you killed twenty years ago. I am Yoon Seo-hwa.”
She challenges him: “Now that you know who I am, what will you do about it?” It’s a good question. In the background, Tae-seo breathes a sigh of relief, his sword gripped tightly in his hand.
Master Dam thinks it’s time to go after Jo Gwan-woong, but Lee Soon-shin says there’s a right time for everything. Sure, ’cause we still have five episodes to go, and what would we do then? Oh is that not what you meant?
Master Dam tells him that So-jung came to visit him. He warns Master Dam about Wol-ryung having very little time left. If he loses the last bit of his humanity, he’ll become nothing but a demon hell-bent on destroying everything, and the only person who can kill him is Kang-chi.
Lee Soon-shin sighs that having to kill his own father is too tragic a fate for Kang-chi, as we see Wol-ryung get taken over by black energy that fills his veins.
So-jung returns to find his library empty, and then we see Wol-ryung in the woods, sucking the life out of an entire group of travelers. Yikes.
Seo-hwa sits by Kang-chi’s bedside as he sleeps, and asks Choi about his childhood. Choi tells her that they found him in a river, and that he just clothed and fed him, but it was Lord Park who was really his father.
She balls up her hands in fists to keep from crying, and gets up abruptly. She tells Choi to keep all this from Kang-chi because it’s for the best, and they walk out. But Kang-chi isn’t asleep, and he opens his eyes as soon as they walk out. Poor thing.
Seo-hwa goes to see Tae-seo, and says she knows he’s been playing for Lee Soon-shin’s team this whole time. She asks him to make good on his promise to be her son, and be loyal to her side alone.
He sees it as treason, which she thinks is just semantics. She asks what this country ever did for him when his family was stripped of everything and his sister sold as a gisaeng. She tells him to give up putting his hope in Joseon, and focus on reclaiming the inn and saving his sister, and in exchange, she’ll kill Jo Gwan-woong.
Ah, see this is interesting—she actually feels betrayed by her country, and isn’t only fueled by her hate for one evil man. Jo Gwan-woong rails against Pil-mok, the man always at Seo-hwa’s side, and demands that he choose between their deal or Yoon Seo-hwa, and that both is not an option.
Kang-chi gets up to go, and runs into Seo-hwa on his way out. They remain so tragically polite with one another as he thanks her and she says goodbye, like he’s just the young man she met the other night, and nothing more.
But then he turns back, and her words come rushing back—when she said that Jo Gwan-woong can do whatever he wants to this thing that isn’t even human, that Choi shouldn’t tell Kang-chi the truth because it’s better this way.
His eyes fill with tears and he asks cautiously like a little boy, “I’m just really curious is all… Did you hate me that much?” Augh. Stabstabstab. “…Enough to throw me away in a river as soon as I was born… was I that awful?”
Ohmygod, Mom, say no. She struggles to hold it together, and he says he just wanted to ask it, just once.
She can’t say anything, so he takes her silence as his answer, which is even worse. He turns to go, and I’m screaming at her to go after him, but she doesn’t. She watches him walk away from her and only then betrays tears, pounding her chest in agony.
Chung-jo offers Wol-sun gifts and a drink to make peace, and Wol-sun sticks her nose up saying that this is the last time she’ll let things slide, and takes the drink. Chung-jo just waits for her to take a sip and then puts her icy veneer back on, warning her not to mess with her again.
Wol-sun grabs her throat and starts choking, and Chung-jo tells her she gave her the same drink she fed Kang-chi. She says she’ll give her the antidote tomorrow night, so she can feel the same pain Kang-chi felt. Badass.
She tells her maid that she won’t ever be threatened by anyone, and that she’ll rise to the top to become untouchable—so don’t fall for that kind of manipulation again.
Yeo-wool wakes up tied to a post (ah, so we didn’t just forget about you), still held hostage at the inn along with Bong-chul. But soon after they wake up, Kang-chi arrives to knock some heads together and rescue them.
He bursts in and unties Yeo-wool, and they’re so relieved that they have this entire conversation with Bong-chul still tied to his post. She asks why he looks so terrible—did something happen?
He just hugs her and says nothing happened, even though he sighs like he’s just been through hell, and she pats him on the back to comfort him.
Bong-chul calls out for help but they don’t hear him, so he twists himself around to the other side of his post, and gapes to see them hugging (remember he still thinks she’s a boy). He awkwardly turns back, even though he can’t bring himself to look away. Hee.
Kang-chi and Yeo-wool come home to find Gon and Sung waiting for them outside, and despite the fact that it defies all logic that he wouldn’t have gone after Yeo-wool to rescue her, it’s cute that he seems happy to see both of them.
He swears he wasn’t worried about Kang-chi, but Sung totally calls him out and says he was worried sick. Aw. They all run in to eat dinner together, and Teacher Gong sits down with them to eat.
Kang-chi looks around the table, and after the day he’s had, it just moves him to tears. He tries to cover it up by chitchatting that everything is tasty, but Yeo-wool notices and just silently puts a hand on his knee. He smiles at her gratefully.
Even Gon jokes (he jokes!) that the food can’t possibly be tasty enough to move him to tears, and they all laugh. Yeo-wool’s teacher joins them with bottle of liquor, and they eat and drink happily, like a little family.
Bong-chul is busy downing drink after drink, and when his buddy asks what’s wrong, he wails, “My dongseng Kang-chi… likes men!” Hahahaha. He actually cries into his bowl out of concern for Kang-chi’s future, and drunkenly warns the other guy not to spill the secret.
Kang-chi sits in his room contemplating Soo-ryun’s homework, but he’s plagued with thoughts of Wol-ryung after hearing from the other students that there have been scores of desiccated bodies found lately.
He goes out to find Gon practicing late at night, and asks how he can do that too. “I need to become stronger. There are more and more things I want to protect now.” Gon says, “Becoming stronger means that you will have more to endure.” Kang-chi: “For instance?” He averts Kang-chi’s gaze, not knowing how to answer.
But Kang-chi finishes the sentence for him: “Like killing my father by my own hand? Like that?” He’s startled that Kang-chi knows, and asks if he’s okay with that. Kang-chi admits he isn’t, but what can he do—he’s the only one who can do it.
Gon seems impressed with him for the first time ever, and tells Kang-chi to follow him. Yay, Gumiho Grasshopper time?
Tae-seo asks Seo-hwa what he gets in exchange for helping her, and she offers him the inn and his sister’s freedom. All she wants is for him to steal her maps back. “And when does Jo Gwan-woong die?”
She smiles, “He dies tonight.”
Jo Gwan-woong hears a thud outside his room that night, and goes out to find his guards all lying on the floor. A masked assassin slides a sword under his chin, and then raises it to strike.
Jo Gwan-woong’s eyes widen, and then all we see is his face splattered with blood, but something tells me that it’s not his.
Gon brings Kang-chi to Master Dam, who’s waiting in the courtyard, sword in hand.
Wol-ryung walks through town and stops outside the gate of the Hundred Year Inn. He thinks to himself: “Who called me here?”
And Seo-hwa greets a late-night visitor… who turns out to be Yeo-wool. She introduces herself and says she’s here to say something about Kang-chi.
Back at the school, Kang-chi gapes at Master Dam and asks him to repeat what he said. Master Dam unsheathes his sword: “Take off your bracelet and receive my sword.”
COMMENTS
I hope you don’t mean the pointy end, sir. I’m taking it as a sign that Master Dam intends to train Kang-chi, given that this is the answer to the question he asked Gon. Gon learned to fight that way from Master Dam, and Kang-chi will need to be trained by the best in order to kill his father. It’s twisted enough that Master Dam had to kill Wol-ryung the first time, but now he has to train Kang-chi to kill him the second time? Not that it trumps Kang-chi’s angst, of course. We’ve only scratched the surface of that dilemma, and I hope there’s a lot more Wol-ryung angst and ambiguity to come. Is he a lost cause or isn’t he? And is Kang-chi killing him really the only way that this can end?
The so-called war between Jo Gwan-woong and Lee Soon-shin (and now Seo-hwa too) really needs to just happen already, because the more we spin our wheels with that, the show starts to feel like it’s too long for its story. The bizarre thing is, it wouldn’t have felt that way if the focus had been more on Kang-chi’s journey to become human, but that got tossed aside for storylines that we’ve been milking for weeks. Plotwise, we really need to get a move on. I didn’t feel like Kang-chi’s round of kidnapping/torture at Jo Gwan-woong’s hands did anything to move the story forward, but I do like what we got out of it in terms of parental reactions.
I know the focus of the episode was Kang-chi and Seo-hwa, but I was grateful that Servant Choi got as much attention here. It’s late in the game, but I appreciated it, because this is a relationship I really wish we’d spent more time on. I understood that the early focus was on Lord Park as his father figure, but it was nice to see the man Kang-chi actually calls “Father” being acknowledged for his love and care. As far as the parent-child relationship goes, it’s much more emotionally engaging than Seo-hwa or Wol-ryung’s connection with Kang-chi—they get the epic tragedy, the fated course that can’t be corrected—but Choi gets to stand up for Kang-chi and risk his life to feed him, and that tugs at my heartstrings more.
While I get Seo-hwa’s place in the story and see why she’s chosen revenge (or even treason), she moved me far more when we knew her twenty years ago. I find her current version sad but frustrating, because she’s got Big Plans… but is crushing Kang-chi’s heart to get her revenge. I just can’t get behind that, no matter what she’s got planned down the line. At least what it does from a story point of view is highlight the massive difference in Kang-chi’s families, between the people who threw him away to the people who would now risk their lives to save him. His tears at the dinner table were so touching, not just because he’s crying puppy tears after being rejected by his mommy, but because he’s grateful for the family he has—the one he’s found because of Yeo-wool. At the end of the day, he’s far better adjusted than he has any right to be, which keeps his spirits up, and ours too.
RELATED POSTS
- Gu Family Book: Episode 18
- Gu Family Book: Episode 17
- Gu Family Book: Episode 16
- Gu Family Book: Episode 15
- Gu Family Book: Episode 14
- Gu Family Book: Episode 13
- Gu Family Book: Episode 12
- Gu Family Book: Episode 11
- Gu Family Book: Episode 10
- Gu Family Book: Episode 9
- Gu Family Book: Episode 8
- Gu Family Book: Episode 7
- Gu Family Book: Episode 6
- Gu Family Book: Episode 5
- Gu Family Book: Episode 4
- Gu Family Book: Episode 3
- Gu Family Book: Episode 2
- Gu Family Book: Episode 1
Tags: featured, Gu Family Book, Lee Seung-gi, Suzy
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
![[2022 Year in Review] The Bean Count](https://www.dramabeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/beancount_2022.png)
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1 Ivoire
June 10, 2013 at 8:42 PM
Thanks!
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anonymous
June 10, 2013 at 10:14 PM
No
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anony
June 10, 2013 at 10:33 PM
ugh... annoying. I'm sorry but do you always have to be first? I'd like to read other peoples comments too... and if you're going to post long ones can't you post them when you type them?
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anony
June 10, 2013 at 10:36 PM
@ Ivoire not anonymous. Again, I'm sorry I'm rude. It gets irritating after a while
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yumii
June 11, 2013 at 12:31 AM
thanks for the recap!
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yumii
June 11, 2013 at 12:36 AM
computer weirdness. this comment is out of place.
yumii
June 11, 2013 at 12:35 AM
Huh?
Why does it matter if she is first consistently.
If she wants to spend her time refreshing, so what?
If her post are long, don't read them.
[I don't think there are comment Rant/Rave agents patrolling the blog, punishing people for not reading comment that don't interest them]
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Chloe
June 13, 2013 at 2:22 AM
you don't have to keep refreshing. just subscribe to the website and it gives you an update to your email once there's a post.
GuFamily
June 13, 2013 at 2:32 PM
Her point wasn't about Ivoire being 1st each time but more so that she saves her spot w/ one word, then goes back at a later time or day and replies to her own comment so that her "real" comment, which is usually very very long, is 1st. Basically, she's cutting the line.
I've seen worse offenders. There are a few others here who will do the same, but to someone else's post. Someone will have written "Thank you for the recaps, GF" and another will come along and comment there by "replying" (although they are not responding to the poster at all) only b/c the original post was one of the top 5 comments and b/c she didn't want to be #88.
-It's cutting the line and it just isn't courteous or polite.
KDaddict
June 11, 2013 at 12:39 AM
She is first bcos she refreshes often. Why is that annoying? It is not like she is robbing sb else of sth that should rightfully be theirs, right?
If it is impt to someone else that they be first, they could put in the effort, no?
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Nari
June 11, 2013 at 3:04 AM
you must spend all your time refreshing this O_O
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 3:52 AM
@ anonymous: yes...
@anony: I honestly do not see how I am preventing you from reading other beanies' comments. I mean, I read them, and I respond to some of them. So, if I can do that, I am convinced you can do that as well, right?
If you don't want to read my long posts, guess what? You don't have too. I won't even know that you didn't, and I won't be offended, I promise. I am sure many beanies skip my posts when they see my name, it is as simple as that, really.
I don't believe there is a rule as to when I can/should post my comments. I have spent some time looking at different threads on DB, and I have not yet come on one where the administrators of this site tell us (the beanies) how to go about posting our comments, so I think I am OK. Also, btw, "Thanks!" is a comment. I am always thankful to the recappers and writers on this site for their hard work and dedication. I appreciate their wit, their humor and their insight. I also appreciate that through their writing and answering some of the beanies' questions (including my own at times), I am learning about the Korean language and culture, and I am being exposed to it. I am very appreciative of this site, and I guess it shows, considering how often I share comments here, and yes, I can be detailed in those comments. It takes all kinds... you know.
Based on most of the responses I have gotten (and on some of the friendships I have made in the process), I would say quite a few beanies do not mind interacting with me here and I am grateful for that as well. Our discussions are insightful and enriching, at least for me, another thing I love about this site.
Would this be considered another long comment for you? Oh well, I guess I can't help it sometimes...
@yumi and @ KDaddict, thank you! Yumi, this "[I don't think there are comment Rant/Rave agents patrolling the blog, punishing people for not reading comment that don't interest them]," was so well said and I couldn't agree more.
KDaddict, well said as well :-)...
@Nari, did you mean the blog or this thread? Not really, not all day. I do have times however, when I check if something new has been posted. Interestingly enough, I don't write on every single article/thread, as I don't feel the need to. Sometimes, I don't have anything to say, so I say nothing. But yes, I enjoy being here. Is that a crime? Where? In what country, what world (real or imaginary)? And I am not being sarcastic, I am really not.
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Rashell
June 11, 2013 at 5:33 AM
Loves to Ivoire! That's all I've got. Feel free to skip this comment too.
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 10:38 AM
Hellooooooo there Rashell! Sooooo good to hear from you!!!! How are you? And the boyfriend :-)? I saw that he is venturing into music and singing and he has a world tour coming up. He keeps busy huh? :-)
Just wanted to say "thanks!" and that you made my day, really. I remember our Faith days :-) and our days on OT, when I was active there :-). I hope you are well, really.
Btw, I loved this, " Loves to Ivoire! That’s all I’ve got. Feel free to skip this comment too," especially the last sentence. You are so cool!!!! I hope you will see my comment. Have a wonderful day!
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Rashell
June 11, 2013 at 3:48 PM
Yes, that boyfriend of mine keeps himself very busy!! It's hard to be sooo talented I'm sure. I actually cringed a little when I heard he was making an album, but to my surprise it was actually decent. I can't wait to see him back on my screen though. October seems like a long time. Maybe we'll "see" eachother on those episode threads as well!!
<3 <3 <3
KDaddict
June 11, 2013 at 8:47 PM
Sorry to butt in: Which BF r we talking abt? Do u mean LMH has a world tour coming up? I didn't know that. I'd so go to a concert of his if there is a stop near me. But then I might be afraid of being trampled to death by true fangirls! ;)
Ivoire
June 12, 2013 at 10:23 AM
Hi KDaddict,
And yep! The one and only LMH has a world tour coming up. I don't remember where I saw it exactly, however I know that he does have a world tour coming up. His facebook page is fairly good at updating his activities, so you could check there (the page that has over 7 million likes. I hesitate to post the link right now because my post might be put on hold because there is a link in it. I will post it later). I know I didn't see/read that info on the FB page, it was somewhere else, maybe on my FB feed (given maybe either by his FB page or one of the shows he was in, since I have "liked" the pages of the shows he has been in. They update the readers on what is going on with the cast of the show).
So LMH will be singing in many Asian countries and he will be coming to the US as well. I think that if you google "LMH's world tour," you might find some info. What country do you live in, if I may ask? And I agree with you about the fangirls, they are scary. I would not personally go to a concert given by LMH, the one in Malaysia alone is 200 USD per person for the ticket, too expensive imho for someone who is not a singer (but happened to sing, due to his popularity), and I do think that I would have a better chance of seeing him better on TV or on my computer screen than at a big venue (let's make it huge venue). Then again, that's just me.
CaroleMcDonnell
June 11, 2013 at 8:34 AM
Well-said, Ivoire. To me, it's pretty much a beloved tradition seeing you as first commenter. If Ivoire is first, i feel all is right with the world.
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 10:45 AM
Hello Carole McDonnell and thank you! You made my day as well, really. I would like to respond to your comment, but I can't right now (work :-) ). If you do remember, please check back later... tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Sooo good to see you here :-)!
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 12, 2013 at 1:14 PM
:: big grin::
Anony
June 11, 2013 at 11:45 PM
Of course not. You can post first all you want to your hearts content. Post first post second - I won't care. What I don't understand is why you have say thanks and then post your essay underneath that. I mean why don't you just pre make them comment and copy and paste it? I guess I might sound crazy- and of course it's not a big deal. It's just something that just doesn't make sense to me. Why "reserve" the spot? Does being first make you that happy? Obviously you care to get the first spot because you know people don't scroll down much to read other comments or you would just post them after you type them. You know people will read your comment first.
Basically just saying this - if you're friends love you enough to comment on you're post they'll search for it even if you Are at the bottom
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 12, 2013 at 1:19 PM
Oh my lord! There really are so many other things in the world to get bent out of shape about. If something is so silly to bother us, then we probably don't think it's that silly. And I find myself wondering about someone who would make a big deal over and start analyzing someone because that person always posts something first. It feels so petty. Especially with the name "Anony." If you can't show your real name, let it go. Let. It. Go. Who cares about the ramblings of someone who doesn't have the courage to put her name out there?
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GuFamily
June 12, 2013 at 2:12 PM
I see Anony's point though. There's a certain etiquette we like to see on the internet, one of them being first come first serve. When Ivoire, or anyone else for that matter, just writes one word or even a punctuation to save their spot - but then goes back and replies to their own "comment" (one word or punctuation), they are in essence cutting the line. It wouldn't seem like a big deal but that it's done over and over again, and when she responds to her own comment, it's a novel.
I have nothing against poster Ivoire and she seems like a nice person but I can see how it can annoy some. It just isn't courteous. I think of a person standing in line at Disneyland to "save" a spot, but what ends up happening is they bring a whole wagon full of family who cut you in line. Now, to most that isn't nice playing and just plain rude to the folks who were waiting behind you.
-Commenting 1st every time is fine but saving your spot with no real comment and then bringing a novel (the whole family) each time gets tiring.
Again, I do not know either Anony or Ivoire and I write objectively as a bystander.
Rach
June 13, 2013 at 5:59 AM
I too share the same thoughts as 'Anony' and 'GuFamily'. It does annoy me just a little, but I tell myself it doesnt matter; I'll just scroll down to read other comments anyway. There's nothing much I can do but just live with it, since it's more of a minor etiquette issue rather than being completely rude. To better illustrate, I like GuFamily's example of queuing, although I think it's better like this: A person standing in line wishes to buy just one meal. A group of 10 people that arrive later, and one of them happen to be his friend. He doesn't invite them into the queue, but takes their order to buy their meals.
Anony's view point is just something I would like to share my support for. If it's so important to reserve a spot, I like how he/she shared the idea of copy and pasting a pre-written comment.
(@carole mcdonnell: minor point here but showing a name on the net isn't necessarily a courageous thing. most of us here have pseudonyms anyway, like girlfriday and javabeans. Anony is just another example. it doesn't make much difference if it's Ynona or Anoonie, right?)
Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 6:11 AM
Thank you again as always GF for the recap, your insights and the humor infused in your writing.
This ep. was intense for me, and I think a big part of it had to do with the fact that I first watched it raw, so I was more focused on the acting (so I could get a sense of what was going on) and the OST, which really elevated or lowered my emotions while I was watching the ep.
I will start again with my questions:
1--OK, this going to be me nitpicking at (or better yet dissecting) the ep. So, if I understand well, the blue lights show up when KC's bracelet is removed (and they came in the room when he was chained, when the bracelet was removed), and also when KC kisses YW? Or was it to indicate that they were fated to be together? (ep. 17). OK, this is a bit naughty, however, I just realized, what will happen when KC and YW consummate their marriage? More blue lights :-)? (since there will be kissing involved). OK, moving on...
2--At some point in the drama, I heard LSS refer to DPJ (when he was talking to him) as "Dam Sabo" (I am just spelling what I heard, sorry for the incorrect sp) and I have heard the students refer to DPJ by a different word, and yet both were translated on Viki as "Master." Can someone shed some light on this, if you have some knowledge about it, please? Do those two different words mean "master" or not really? (I am just curious). Sometimes, it depends on who is interpreting.
3--What is a goongbon (sp?), a group of merchants (Japanese people) in the drama?
4--As I was reflecting on ep. 17 and 18, I realized that I didn't understand well JGW's role in the plot to sell off Korea. How could JGW sell the southern provinces? Could he buy a whole province and then sell it off? I know that in the last ep. (I think), he mentioned making a place for food to be stored, and he mentioned a few other things, however I am still confused. How would that work, according to the info we have been given in the drama about this plot, so far?
5-- When SH was beating her chest, was that a sign of grief? Remorse? Pain (in her heart)? (which would then cause her pain, remorse and grief)?
6-- Was it very important that when SH was "ready" to confess to JGW that she was indeed SH, that she wore a hanbok (sp?), and not the Japanese outfit? Was there a symbol there?
On to my comments...
Like many here, I did like this ep., a lot. It was emotional, sad, heartwreaching and yet comforting in some places.
Like many, my favorite scenes in this ep. were: SH realizing that KC is her son (when he was chained), YW defending KC to Gon, and her running to KC's rescue (for the nth time :-) ), KC then rescuing her and the moment they had together (hug), MBC notwithstanding (and MBC's reaction was funny and touching), SH breaking down in different scenes, Choi's reactions to KC and what KC is going through, MBC (of course), the governess (and how she helped YW), the fight scene with the rice ball used like a soccer ball (as GF said, both intense and funny), KC's reactions to manager Choi being abused, KC's confrontation of his mother (well acted) before he left the Inn, CJ's "revenge" on WS (so gratifying), KC and YW's hug, the dinner (ah, the dinner), MBC breaking down, thinking KC likes men.
I might come back later and elaborate on some of those scenes later, however, as I watched the dinner scene, it occurred to me that KC indeed did have a family (in more ways than one): Teacher Gong could be his father (father figure), YW his wife (equal partner, confidante, comforter), Gon his brother in law (bromance FTW), and Sung their child (I love how he lights up always when he sees KC. He is always excited and happy to see him, and he is like a puppy himself, so he fits in with KC :-) ) and the governess would be KC's sister in law (Gon's wife :-). I love that she is a softie at heart, and she likes Gon. I wonder how old the actress playing her is. Does anyone know?).
I will be back later...
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Peridot
June 11, 2013 at 10:37 AM
Hi Ivoire, I will try to answer some of your questions as best as I can. Regarding the way Master Dam is addressed, I am no Korean expert (I am studying a little on my own), but I think that the difference between Dam Sabeom (사범) and Sabeomnim (사범님, the term that others may refer to DPJ) is that the latter is the honorific form of the word Master. I welcome others who have better knowledge of Korean to answer this question. Regarding question three, I thought that was they way that the Japanese merchant group was referred. As for question four, I thought that JGW was selling vital secrets to the Japanese group and perhaps helping them by providing a vital layout of Korea. I knew that before buying the Inn that belonged to Lord Park he was also buying other properties and estates (perhaps his acquisition of lands was to make it easier for the Japanese to have possession of certain areas). This is a conjecture on my part and I apologize if my attempt at an explanation has caused further confusion. Regarding questions five & six: her chest beating could be see as an expression of her intense grief, regret, etc. I think that her wearing a hanbok was very symbolic. In some ways it was a concession to JGW (in the sense that "You won this round") and perhaps it was a subconscious acknowledgment on Seohwa's part of the Korean identity she abandoned (and everthing that went with it, including Kangchi) when she decided to get revenge. I hope I have helped you somewhat. Also, I realize that this may be my first time answering one of your posts Ivoire :)
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Anony
June 11, 2013 at 11:56 PM
And not to mention that you are nitpicking all right - like no 5 where you ask whether seo hwa beats her chest is remorse, pain or grief. Actually I don't know why you can't see it? In actuality she was beating her chest 3 times because it is a way to turn time back. The next episodes will cover the time travelling and you will get the answer for the pounding of chest.
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ys
June 12, 2013 at 1:24 PM
Anony, I've found that it's a way to endear herself to others, but asking obvious questions and then thanking and overpraising the people who answer. And so it's those people who spring to her defense. No use fighting this group. Just scroll past them.
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luvs
June 11, 2013 at 7:26 AM
Kang Chi is finding the Gu Family Book. the meaning of family or humanity.... not a literal book ...
episode 12 - the sack of beans and epi 19th - wood, tree puzzle
Many beans but still one sack - Humanity..
it starts as a family unit then expands to villages.communities,nations, entire planet earth.
there's good and bad people in it too but we share the same human-ness ---
Tree puzzle -- shows different aspect of humanity---
the table scene in epi 19th...
loyalty, friendship, fellowship, suffering and healing, friendship, support, ---like a tree that provides and supports and gives shelter to birds etc-
trees take time to grow and bear fruit and become strong- same as human relationships - it takes time to develop and grow and bear fruit -- of love, joy, friendship etc to be strong to withstand trials and sufferings... YW and Kang Chi for example - their love is tested and grew out of their trials and sufferings and daily interactions. ... no the drama is not lagging at all - but is trying to portray all these t make us see the lesson.
In all this-- Kang Chi is shown as more human than the wicked guy - who is the real monster as YW said it.
isn't this what being human is?
you get the thought ---- i have to get ready to work now -- sorry....
Sack of Bea
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 11, 2013 at 8:36 AM
oh my gosh!!! You are soo good! Thanks for that analysis.
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 9:45 AM
Good analysis. luvs! As always!
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 10:32 AM
luvs, you ROCK!!!!!! Wonderful analysis. I hope you are having a great day at work. I also wanted to say that you have opened the gates for me, because there is so much I want to say now, and there is so much I would love to add to what you said.
Responses like yours make me feel OK with the criticism that I am too long winded. yes, I also ask a lot of questions, however, if one does not ask questions, how do we then get answers like yours? I think those two go together. I don't post my comments or questions because I know better than anyone, on the contrary, I ask questions because I am curious, and inquisitive and because maybe, just maybe I have thought of things others have not thought about, and then we get some answers (which at times can bring more questions), and the conversation continues.
OK, I am rambling on here, however thanks! I have to go back to work as well, and I will chime in and respond when I can. This is what I love, after having watched a Kdrama ep. Dissecting it, and being made to see the characters and the themes explored through someone else's eyes (and experience), and learning a few things in the process.
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Hedviglilla
June 11, 2013 at 1:51 PM
Honestly, for me dramabeans was the place where I came because I hove some question/doubt/thought about a drama and was curious if JB or GF have the answer/same thoughtt and the beanies' opinion. I think that's why JB and GF made this website to discuss Kdramas (and thank God they did :D )
Then, I don't get it why Ivorie's questions are wrong. I came across this name, that sometimes I miss her if I can't find her name. :)
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Obsidiana
June 11, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Hi there Ivoire!
You have a wonderful way with words and rambling is something entirely different:-) I have come across many of your comments and enjoyed them thoroughly so far! You will probably not find many of my own comments, because I´m normally just browsing through other people´s posts after a certain episode to have some more insights to compare.
So in some way, you made me come out of the shadows for once:-)
To me, your comments are often like some new wood thrown into a fire to make it crackle and blaze with life again and to create a cosy place for all of us!
Thanks and happy posting!
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GuFamily
June 11, 2013 at 6:55 PM
I think "anonymous" said that bc you (Ivoire) don't write your comment right away, but "save" your spot by writing "Thanks" all the time; then you go back and write about 3 pages worth.
It's sort of like cutting in line so I can see where she's coming from. LOL
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2 bibapr57
June 10, 2013 at 8:43 PM
GF you rock! Thanks for everything!
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3 Ivaa
June 10, 2013 at 8:45 PM
YAY...........
hugs you GF....
run to read....
watch in Raw and I stil crying....huhuhuhu.....
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4 Ivaa
June 10, 2013 at 8:45 PM
YAY...........
hugs you GF....
run to read....
watch in Raw and I still crying....huhuhuhu.....
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5 snow_white
June 10, 2013 at 8:48 PM
Thanks a lot.....
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6 sartorius
June 10, 2013 at 8:51 PM
thanks GF...i definitely agree that the storyline has taken multiple turns away from what was supposed to be the main story - Kang Chi becoming human. first it was KC finding out YW is a girl, then figuring out that he loved her and she loved him back, then PapiSmexyHo is back, then his mom is back....like stop show...u have diverted from the main storyline...and what makes it worse is that even with all this side plot, the show is not moving forward one bit....LE SIGH!!! like i said 24 eps was WAAAY too long!
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bibapr57
June 10, 2013 at 9:45 PM
I have to agree with you on some parts and disagree on others... 24 episodes for this sort of drama is not really a lot... It's supposed to give you room to breathe from the monotony of the same theme while resolving questions that rose in the course of the drama.
That being said although I love the cute moments, the plot is stuck in that "breathing room". The writer definitely has to get back to the topic at hand, Kang Chi and his wish to become human. I can see how the wish and the road to being human can touch the backstories and lead to some of the "breathing room" in this drama but we've been stuck for too long on those and haven't had enough time to see Kang Chi on his journey to become human... "
Sheesh, I love the drama but at this point for me it feels like a week of plots being stuck EVERYWHERE, on Sat-Sun it was A Hundred Year's Inheritance and Mon Gu Family Book... My hope for these dramas to get back on track, always springs eternal.
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7 Tartani
June 10, 2013 at 8:52 PM
Thanks for the recap! This episode was so emotional, but I felt that it could've been a lot more emotional had the writing and direction was better. The whole YW getting caught, and the way they fed KC the food felt very inorganic and unrealistic. The writer still has a tendency to know that they need to get somewhere, but not know how to and some scenes were juxtaposed weirdly. At the very least, it provided good comedy with MBC and the rest of the episode was so emotional. YSA is a fantastic actress and she makes me care about SH a lot more than I had. And props for LSG for those scenes of him fighting back tears. I have to agree, all these things are happening too late on in the game and really should've focused in more on KC's journey to become human. They really shouldn't have spent those time of YW and KC constant carebear staring in earlier episodes. I'm glad to see that the CJ I grew to really support is back. Btw, Beast Kang chi is really sexy, I wonder if they had glasses back then, because it seems like YW is the only one with functioning eyes.
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sartorius
June 10, 2013 at 8:55 PM
m sooo glad CJ is back to being 2nd HBIC...cause we all know Head Gaesang is numero uno HBIC! :()
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8 kdramapedia
June 10, 2013 at 8:52 PM
I kept yelling at the screen for Kang-Chi to just stop talking and eat the damn rice ball!!!! I am kinda mad that they kinda waved off him getting the antidote, tho. Like how? *sigh*
And Bong-Chul is just growing on me. Such a cute one-sided bromance.
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kdramapedia
June 10, 2013 at 8:54 PM
Oh yeah, how could I leave out the dinner scene? Makeshift families just get me in the heart! ♥
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9 geese
June 10, 2013 at 8:55 PM
thanks nth time refreshing he he eh eh
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10 elsiepin
June 10, 2013 at 8:55 PM
Thank GF!!
It makes me happy to see how many people are still on Kang Chi's side..and will be there no matter what. I actually liked the part where Mr. Choi and several other servants rush to his side when he falls unconscious, it shows that even if they don't know what or who he is they're still supporting him. At the same time it makes me sad or Wol-Ryung because the only person he had on his side was the monk...its sad to see what a difference having people supporting you can do.
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 11, 2013 at 8:39 AM
Me too. With Mom there as well. It was as if she could see that this "monster" was so well-loved.
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11 Ace
June 10, 2013 at 8:56 PM
I love Yeo-wool. That's all. :)
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12 Mollee
June 10, 2013 at 8:58 PM
Thank you! Love this show.
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13 gg
June 10, 2013 at 8:59 PM
LOL!!! i literally laughed out loud when the thug was crying over kangchi liking guys!!!
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zfih
June 10, 2013 at 10:39 PM
I love bong chul. the end.
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ys
June 12, 2013 at 1:25 PM
me too me too!
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saturtledaisy
June 11, 2013 at 4:26 AM
I nearly died. I didn't understand why he was crying (having somehow missed that he had mistaken yeo-wool for a boy) and then suddenly he goes all: 'he... likes MEN'! His facial expression filled with misery... priceless.
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Kitzeekat
June 11, 2013 at 5:35 PM
Lol same here :-) i guess liking a guy is worth crying over than being a gumiho.
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14 lemondoodle
June 10, 2013 at 9:00 PM
Ah, well I still think everything happening now... getting a family of his own and a place to belong (not just looking in at a family like he did before), earning trust of people who know the real him, protecting his country and finally falling in love is actually the whole journey to becoming human. So I think it's going pretty well?
This episode was seriously emotional. Poor Kangchi. The scene where he meets his mother, da protecting and trying to feed him and finally the dinner table scene were just great. Someone give Seung gi an award of some sort at the end of the year please.
SH and WR... still so conflicted about them. I think this episode makes is plainly obvious they aren't going to have a happily ever after being Kangchi's parents since he has now made his own family. SH has big plans, but yeah emotionally destroying your gumiho baby in the process makes me not root for her much.
Glad CJ is back and better than ever. And I LOVE MBC. Seriously, such a great character.
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Tartani
June 10, 2013 at 9:15 PM
Yah, MBC seriously should win character of year award. Every time he shows up, I just automatically start laughing, even in Monstar.
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KDaddict
June 10, 2013 at 10:16 PM
I agree with that first paragraph, every word. So I don't believe the show has gone off course fr a quest for a literal Gu Family Book.
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kyl
June 10, 2013 at 11:37 PM
It's going well, if the Gu Family Book is about that. It's 19 episodes already and we can't even be sure if it's really a book because we're not given any clear hints about it.
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 11, 2013 at 8:47 AM
I agree. The show hasn't gone off course. I know some folks said that there were episodes where the characters discovered stuff we the audience already knew...but that's part of storytelling, isn't it? Waiting to see how the characters react --emotionally, intellectually, and physically--to certain truths we already know
The whole humanity thing is definitely in the subplot and the main plot. A lot of stuff sidestep us on the way to becoming human, and a lot of stuff wear us out and prevent us from becoming human. Seo Hwa is hiding her humanity...not doing what a true human mother should do. She's lost her way. Poor Wol Ryung has lost his humanity as well. There's also the issue of duty (patriotic, paternal, academic, maternal) versus love. Gisaeng Chun is neutral, intellectually and emotionally distant and has put aside her humanity for a while. Maybe it'll return one day. Like Sherriff Dam, Gisaeng Chun has a role to play that battles against their humanity . . and even in his humanity as a dad, Sheriff Dam hasw to step aside a bit. Even the governess/sewing teacher has a duty and puts it aside for love.
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15 Cheryl
June 10, 2013 at 9:04 PM
Yay, recap! I love the brass ovaries Chung Jo has in this epi. Here's to hoping she stays badass and awesome.
I was SO HAPPY when SH said JGW was going to die "tonight". And then he didn't. SO FRUSTRATING! I really, really, really want that scavy creep to die, preferably in the most agonizingly slow way possible. Evisceration by gumiho would be good, don't you think?
The possibility of SH and WR meeting face-to-face has me grinning in anticipation, and worrying for YW's well-being. That is not a meeting I'd want to be anywhere near. Speaking of WR, in costume, the actor looks at least five to ten years older than he actually is. I was surprised when I looked at his Dramafever bio page and saw he's Suzy's age. In GFB, he looks like he's in his mid- to late 30s.
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Aurora s
June 10, 2013 at 9:56 PM
The actor playing WR (Choi Jin Hyuk) is older than Suzy (born 1994) by 9 years since he is a 1985er.
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KDaddict
June 10, 2013 at 10:21 PM
What is striking to me is that Choi JH is 28, only 3 years older than LSG. He looks older than his age, while LSG is baby-faced. Suzy is still a teenager, tho not for much longer.
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crazyahjummafan
June 10, 2013 at 11:33 PM
Seunggi has a rather versatile face. Basically, he's got a baby face, but when need to, he can look more mature with a change of hairstyle - eg, TK2H and when he had that cropped hairstyle back when he was 19. (When he did the White Lie MV).
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gg
June 11, 2013 at 6:29 AM
he has the puppy face too ;)
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 9:47 AM
More like the puppy eyes!
Chloe
June 11, 2013 at 10:12 AM
@Cheryl, i totally loved Chung Jo in this episode too! I love it when she's just doing her thing and focusing on getting her revenge as well as caring for KC, rather than being all bitter and being a total bitch to YW because YW is just too nice. YW's the sort who can't be a bitch even if she tried lol. I bet she thinks cat-fights and backstabbing are lame lol. (- er...Why don't I just fight and stab for real?)
i'm really exciting SH and WR are meeting too and i'm actually happy that YW might be there to witness it all. She might be able to stall him with her sword should anything happen even though she wouldn't be close to beating him. besides, her past meetings with WR have been great (- not a scratch on her), with WR even saving her life. Lastly, if there's any danger, KC would be able to sense/hear YW, and possibly save his mum? i doubt this SH-WR meeting would end with any showdown between WR and KC again though, since KC has to learn those skills from Master Dam.
@Aurora s, KDaddict and crazyahjumma fan i didn't know Choi Jin Hyuk or LSG before this, and only saw Suzy (but didn't know her age either), so i actually made guesses of their ages before looking them up. my guesses were:
Choi JH - 34/35
Suzy - 20/21
LSG - 25/26
So yes, i was pretty surprised about Choi JH too haha.
Others that I was pretty 'off' was Gon (i guessed him to be 5 years older than his age. maybe it's his height?)
My guess for Soo-ryun was 5 years younger than her actual age.
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 11:24 AM
@ Chloe - I'm not so sure about CJH's age, except that he's a few years older than Seunggi. Can google his age, but I'm too lazy.
Suzy will be 19 later this year (according to y daughter). Korean age, 20.
Seunggi turned 26 this Jan; Korean age 27.
So you're quite accurate.
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Just saw that someone posted CJH's age as 3 yrs older than Seunggi.
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16 blegh
June 10, 2013 at 9:08 PM
loved ChungJo's badass moment. you go girl!
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dustdevil
June 10, 2013 at 9:13 PM
That was amazing. So happy to see her jealousy of Yeo-Wool on the back burner, and have her refocused on her quest to gain power.
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rainerust
June 10, 2013 at 9:20 PM
Ya I was dancing a little dance of joy when CJ was being super basses. You go girl!! Show 'em how its like to mess with you!
Super happy that the writers didn't succumb to making her just a pathetic second lead. She's a second lead I can get fully behind! Love all the ladies in this show! They are all strong in their own ways.
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skelly
June 11, 2013 at 11:10 AM
I think they ought to pair up CJ and Gon. That would be wild.
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saturtledaisy
June 11, 2013 at 4:32 AM
I literally did a fist-pump in the air. Nobody messes with her!
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17 kdramafan
June 10, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Thanks GF! Sounds like a 'Wow!' of an episode!
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18 Melbeek
June 10, 2013 at 9:09 PM
It's interesting how they've chosen to contrast kc's life full of human love and support with his blind trust in people vs daddy's old life with no one to lean on. The difference of why he can go further than daddy did. Does family have to be purely of blood relation? What can humans provide which being a mythical creature that can live forever can't? Love.
I'm banking/hoping on daddy breaking free of 1000 year demoning by the one key. That mommy still truly loves him. Remember that line! Here's hoping. But really, let's get a move on the book. The show is called gu family book isn't it? My patience is being tested.
I have to give lots of credit to seung gi's acting with his eyes. He's been able to show so many emotions through them without words so well. This episode especially. Anger, fear, despair, love. Stabbing my heart heart, stab stab.
Again, awesome fast recap ladies!
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19 Cynthia
June 10, 2013 at 9:09 PM
I just finished watching this (fully subbed) and loved this episode. The scene towards the end with all of them around the table eating got me by the throat, Kang-chi tears and all - plus a giggle when the governess showed up with booze and sat next to Gon.
Really liking the pairing of Suzy and Puppy - wasn't too sure when I first saw the casting for the female lead but I think she's doing a terrific job with her part.
Thanks for the recap - a good read, as always!
:)
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bambledd
June 10, 2013 at 9:36 PM
me too. That table scene where KangChi started crying quietly made me cry too. : (
Poor KangChi: He's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everyone expects him to kill his baddie father like that's his only choice or he's no good living to them.
And WR - They brought him back some episodes back but there's nothing really he's done. He just wanders and shows his evil eye (not the other one since it's strategically covered by his stylish side-swept bangs, of course). Let's get some action, folks.
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yumii
June 11, 2013 at 12:44 AM
The reason WR is so cranky is because the hair covering his eyes messes with his depth perception and makes walking through the forest difficult.
Also every now and then a strand or two gets in his eyes and that hurts!!
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slfowie
June 11, 2013 at 8:09 AM
I fell off my chair laughing at this one.... ( I really did)
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unknownX2
June 11, 2013 at 9:01 AM
yumi, you are just too funny...LOL!
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20 rainerust
June 10, 2013 at 9:15 PM
Was refreshing the page like mad and pumped fists like mad when I finally saw them up!
Anyway agree that the writing and direction are a bit weird - seriously j thought they forgot about YW until they showed the scene where KC went to rescue her. :/ Very odd.
Enjoyed the SH and KC scenes especially the bit where he asked her with puppy eyes whether he was so awful that she just didn't want him. So heartbreaking! And also good twist on the character that SH doesn't see what she is doing as treason and in fact is now "loyal" to a different country because she doesn't agree with the system and the suffering that she had to undergo because of that system. Nicely nuanced. Just that I wish I cared more really, since all I am is pissed off that it looks like she is abandoning her son for a second (!) time ugh.
Do agree with commenters up above who feel like the main storyline of KC looking for his humanity fell by the wayside a little bit but hopefully the last few episodes will refocus on that.
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trixicopper
June 10, 2013 at 9:49 PM
So many people rank on SH for abandoning KC.
I have a question.
What was she supposed to do?
When KC was born she was a runaway slave under sentence of death. With no power, family or money, a hunted fugitive.
I always thought she did the best she could.
She left him in the care of his fathers best friend with the request to see him raised by good people so he would have a better life.
It was the monk that put him in the river.
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lemondoodle
June 10, 2013 at 10:11 PM
Well, she survived, moved to Japan and was obviously wealthy. She didn't know if he was alive or dead. Why didn't she ever come back in 20 years?
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crazyahjummafan
June 10, 2013 at 11:42 PM
She was suppposed to be dead, and also a 'wanted' person as she had attempted to kill an official. She was also a state slave/giseang, so returning too soon would have put her in danger of being recognised. Moreover, her Jap husband mat not have approved of her return. Note that she returned after he had passed away. Just saying! :)
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lemondoodle
June 11, 2013 at 5:54 AM
I understand that and all the other comments. But I can see why people question why her actions after she survived. I'm kind of curious what her life was like but I doubt we'll ever find out.
Inukikfan4ever
June 10, 2013 at 11:48 PM
Like the admiral said, there's a time for everything. She can't just show up out of nowhere. It's not like she was wealthy and enjoying her life to the fullest. She had a mission, let's not forget. She wanted him to live a regular life, raised by good people, at that moment, I believe she did the best that she could in that situation.
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trixicopper
June 11, 2013 at 12:05 AM
Perhaps it took 20 years for her to be in a position to come back?
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Lilly
June 11, 2013 at 1:25 AM
Looks like even now that is not working out so great either.
Swee
June 11, 2013 at 6:11 AM
Sometimes, when people are crushed emotionally, they need time to heal, to become strong enough to tackle life again. I think SH was in that crushed state 20 years ago. She despised herself for betraying WL, for even thinking about killing her own baby, for making a mess of the happy family life that she could have, for not being able to protect her brother and maid servant, for not able to avenge for them by killing GH... Actually, I believe she had wanted to end her life when she went after GH 20 years ago. She believed she was not fit to be a mother (having wanted to kill her baby), that's why she left baby KC with SJ.
SH is very similar to CJ in many ways. And like CJ found a new reason for life after being raped by GH (wanting to become a famous giseong), SH must have found a new reason for life too during the past 20 years, i.e. revenge. Only by pledging loyalty to the Japanese gang can she attain this goal, so that's what she's doing. She did ask her servants to look for her son in an earlier episode, remember (not knowing then that KC is the one)? So, I think she is ready and meant to make it up for her baby now. It's just that they happen to be positioned in such an awkward situation (politically). I don't think she really cares for the welfare of the Japanese gang, it's just that everything came up so suddenly, she will need time to recoup, to think about what to do to get the best out of the situation. If she had pleaded for KC's life in the prison scene, then things might turn bad for both of them. Never know what GH will do, perhaps blackmail her or something.
Sigh... all in all, I just want to say, things do get complicated, and lovey dovey reactions might not be the best choice to get everyone to survive the situation. Plus, she's in total shock and complex. She might have thought that baby KC have not inherited the gumiho trait, but seeing now that KC has actually turned into one...
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21 raindrops1
June 10, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Thanks GF for the recap. Now I'm off to watch the ep.
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22 Kitzeekat
June 10, 2013 at 9:16 PM
Thank you! :-)
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23 ricky
June 10, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Agreed, that part where kang chi's adoptive father feeds him the rice ball is heart breaking. No blood ties but still being a loving and awesome parent? That's one of my favorite types of relationships in dramas.
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24 aenea
June 10, 2013 at 9:27 PM
IDKW, but this episode kept reminding me of the homework Soo-ryun gave to Kang-chi about a tree and making a house out of it.
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Gidget
June 11, 2013 at 8:05 AM
Making his own family tree?
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25 Abbie
June 10, 2013 at 9:30 PM
This was awesome. I really hope the Big Showdown happens soon, too, but I don't really care.
I loved this episode for all the family moments, no matter which family it comes from, a blood one or a made one. Family is family, no matter what.
Thanks for the recap, GF!
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Kitzeekat
June 11, 2013 at 5:36 PM
Agree :-)
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26 milkteanlsg
June 10, 2013 at 9:31 PM
How can anyone resist his puppy eyes???
Hai... TT... cried a lot during this episode...
Puppy Eyes scene 1: when SH screamed to GW that she does not care about what he will do to the not-human KC...
Puppy Eyes scene 2: when he told his dad that he is in pain... Love his dad~
Puppy Eyes scene 3 (Best Scene For Me~): when he ask SH if she hates him so much as he is leaving the inn... He looks so vulnerable here... abandoned puppy looks... TT
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 9:59 AM
Seunggi nailed all the Puppy Eyes scenes, and in particular, scene 3 for me. His portrayal of hurt, puzzled, and sad really touched my heart. The way he bit his lips before asking her the questions, the hesitancy, went straight thru my heart... and then when she didn't reply, the way he averted his eyes, puffed up his cheeks a little and twisted his lips... reminded me of a little lost boy. I just wanted to go hug him and say, "It's ok Kang Chi. If she doesn't want you or love you, I'll be your mummy instead! I want you and I love you!"
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27 trixicopper
June 10, 2013 at 9:36 PM
I still think SH is the key to turning WR back from the dark side. I would be really surprised if show had its hero commit patricide. That would be a pretty damn dark place to go.
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ricky
June 12, 2013 at 12:35 PM
The villain raped two people. It was already at a dark place.
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28 bashful
June 10, 2013 at 9:38 PM
Many thanks girlfriday for this recap! Love your introduction to the recap. Of course, love the recap too. I also liked your highlighting Servant Choi's scenes in this episode. I too was curious on how he raised Kang-chi, and their life as a father-and-son. But then I get that it is not main plot so I'm grateful for this episode where his paternal love for Kang-chi was given some air-time.
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29 Dream
June 10, 2013 at 9:40 PM
Just got off work and off to read!! Thank you GF for your recap!!
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30 Osi
June 10, 2013 at 9:45 PM
I cried buckets of tears on the scene between Kang Chi and his adopted father, Mr. Choi, between Kang Chi and his mom, and on the dinner scene.
Oh I really love Kang Chi. When he's in he is in his beast state, he is so sexy. When he is in his human state, he is so cute.
Thanks for the recaps GF.
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31 KDaddict
June 10, 2013 at 9:49 PM
I love this show.
I love PapiHo's silhouette. I love his profile, his frontal view w half a face, and his back, broad shoulders in wizardry black, oh so manly.
Love how Choi loves KC like his own; how YW always puts KC first, his safety, his feelings.
Love how well Evil Lord is acted, not so much how Master Dam is.
Love the lines they give to YW asking ahjumma if she has ever loved a guy so much that he is her all, not so much Suzy's delivery.
Love how KC asks his mother if he disgusted her so much that she threw him away right after birth. That simple Qn, n his quiet hesitant delivery really had me choking over my meal.
The ninja sent by Toon Ju to kill Evil Lord had no business putting blade to his neck. Should have just cut his throat in 1 swift move!
Toon Ju is being betrayed by her assistant, who is going over to Evil Lord. Will surely make things more interesting.
She expects TS to be her spy in LSS's camp. Doubt that TS will ever accomplish anything. Just look at the way he picks up his sword to supposedly save KC. It took him half an hour of screen time to arrive on the scene, by which time KC is out of danger! Wosh, that one!
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KDaddict
June 10, 2013 at 10:13 PM
Love CJ giving nasty gisaeng a taste of her own medicine, literally. Do unto others....
Love that little dinner scene, n KC 's gratitude for it.
Love how KC picks up on the state of his emotions.
Love the adult SH as played by this actress, not at all her char in A Gentleman's Dignity. A good role can do so much for an actor. She deserves recognition after this.
Same for the guy who plays MBC. Comic relief done really well.
There is so much to love here that I really don't care abt pacing or KC's search for the Book. I see how he is less n less beastly in each ep/transformation. And uust like Head Gisaeng's puzzle/task to him to build a house out of that char written in ink is not a real house, his book might not be a real book. Perhaps he's been on that quest all along, just that he and we just don't realize that it yet.
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 2:40 AM
Hello KDaddict, love what you had to say here, both times. What bothers you about how Master Dam is acted? Could you elaborate, please?
And I agree with you. As much as I despise JGW, the actor playing him is doing a wonderful job. He has been doing so since ep. 1. I have been watching him careful, and he has not dropped the ball once. He is really good at nuance acting, I really enjoy watching him. I have seen pictures of him in real life, and he is quite attractive :-)
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KDaddict
June 11, 2013 at 3:47 AM
Take a look at Rascal Sons. Just 1 or 2 eps' worth to see his acting in it. His char there is the polar opposite of this one. He is totally convincing at both ends of the spectrum.
What I dislike abt Master Dam's acting is that it is so flat, so unexpressive, so unchanging, so untelling. He irritates the hell out of me!
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bugs_bunny
June 11, 2013 at 4:45 AM
if you're talking about this guy watch him in A Wife's Credentials, he's amazing:)
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 4:57 AM
Thanks guys, I will be back later to answer...
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32 coby
June 10, 2013 at 9:56 PM
thanks for the recap! Though I did not read the whole thing...Loving this show a lot! Hope the subs will be available today :)
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coby
June 10, 2013 at 10:15 PM
woah! its here! now how am I supposed to watch it in the office...
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33 kumi
June 10, 2013 at 9:57 PM
OK, I'm holding a rice balls party tomorrow.
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Chloe
June 11, 2013 at 10:20 AM
yummmmmm you're making me hungry i love rice balls
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34 Jin chun
June 10, 2013 at 10:04 PM
Just a neat factoid, the actress that play the head giseng is married to a YG entertainment executive named Sean Noh. As a couple they sponsor about five HUNDRED children in the third world costing them over $20,000 a month. Initially when this was discovered their was a backlash as to they r showing off, it's a publicity stunt blah blah blah. Turns out to fund their giving they choose to instead of buying a home rent a modest apartment, drive the same car from before they got very successful, and all in all live a modest life. I just felt bad that they got so much flak for being incredibly compassionate people.
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CaroleMcDonnell
June 11, 2013 at 8:51 AM
Wow!!! That is so good to hear. Lots of good people in the world. We get so cynical, always assuming bad of good people. This was a great piece of information to hear. Thanks.
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skelly
June 11, 2013 at 11:07 AM
A beautiful lady, inside and out. I have admired Jung Hye Young as an actress ever since I saw her in Return of Iljimae as Iljimae's mom. I knew she had children - and Dramawiki says she has two sons and a daughter - but I didn't know she also sponsored another 500 - amazing! Thanks for the information.
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35 joyce
June 10, 2013 at 10:15 PM
Thank you for recapping! Absolutely in love with this show
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36 dramamama
June 10, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Is it me? But I find the samurai man who saved Seo Hwa pretty charming! Lol! But loved the show's portrayal of family, faith, trust and sacrifice.
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KDaddict
June 12, 2013 at 1:53 AM
No, it's not just you. I think so too! Hee.
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37 noonkey
June 10, 2013 at 10:28 PM
That table scene..I think THAT's the Gu Family Book.so KC found it?
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luvs
June 10, 2013 at 11:32 PM
@noonkey - BINGO! a family is built on people loving, caring, protecting, being loyal to one another. Kang Chi has it now with his "heart" family.
Seung Gi's acting here deserves an award - he is emoting with his eyes so much. so does SeoHwa character.
the governess is soooo funny!
lots of great acting by supporting cast in here. Suzy is really cute and lovable and surprisingly matches LSG romantically here.
i am enjoying every moment of this drama - especially Episodes 12 and 19th - made me cry.
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 12:13 AM
Haha! Gon might just end up with YW's teacher! But she's a little too old for him.
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Chloe
June 11, 2013 at 10:24 AM
@crazyahjumma fan again going with the age thing (if you managed to catch my comment above amongst all the others), i looked the ages up and Gon is 23 while YW's teacher is 41! So uhhh...don't think that's going to happen in this show. At least i hope not!
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hhisc
June 11, 2013 at 10:01 AM
Romanticly, I do not feel it. big brother/little sister affection vibe is all I feel no matter how much they try to sell it. KC's little interaction with CJ had more sexual chemistry/romantic
vibes.
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lemondoodle
June 11, 2013 at 5:58 AM
I think so! See Gon who finally got it when YW told him that even if Kangchi heals instantly it doesn't mean he doesn't hurt like everyone else. Before he wasn't really treating him fully like a human being (not that gon treated KC THAT badly) with actual feelings because he didn't think of him as one. Now he is.
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hhisc
June 11, 2013 at 10:05 AM
lol, and what about before he knew what KC is.
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38 Noelle
June 10, 2013 at 11:31 PM
WHAT! HOLY. Who called him? Evil douche bag rapist?
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39 kyl
June 10, 2013 at 11:31 PM
Puppy eyes speak a lot. From uncertainty to anger to vulnerability to thankfulness - I just love Kang-chi's relationships with the people he consider family, and they consider him as theirs. This was what I wanted maybe like a few episodes ago - I mean, more time could have been invested on the titular Gu Family Book and the turtle ship plan. I kinda thought Kang-chi's training is very late into the game, given that he was busy trying to rescue Yeo-wool 3 times in 5 episodes and trying to kiss her twice and succeded once. The thing is, 24 episodes are just right to explore the current theme that we have now but it feels slow because the writer evidently found some silver on her way to digging gold and was busy digging up the silver near the surface instead of aiming for the gold. In other words, she got sidetracked. A LOT. Maybe there are pressures from the producers, I don't know but you'd think that she'd be reminded of the focus of the story every time she reads the title of the drama.
Love the warm fuzzies in this episode, and head gangster's unexpected comedy though.
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Dream
June 11, 2013 at 8:40 AM
on that token, may be the show ought to extend for more episodes. I am totally game for that!!
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40 FL
June 10, 2013 at 11:56 PM
Lovely episode.
Thanks for the recap GF!
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41 Inukikfan4ever
June 10, 2013 at 11:59 PM
Yes, I was hoping CJ would do something like that. You go girl! I'm very curious as to what TS is gonna do. Even if he agrees, I saw the preview for the next one, and it looks like SH's people chose to be against her. So I wonder how that'll work out. I'm waiting for the WR and SH reunion, that should be interesting. All in all, I enjoyed the episode. The SH and KC moments broke my heart. You can see that they're both hurting. As for him finding the Gu Family Book, I'm not even sure if we'll get to that considering we still have the whole WR problem and KC is currently focused on that...well! We have 6 more episodes left. Let's see what the writers are gonna do.
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Inukikfan4ever
June 11, 2013 at 12:49 AM
Whoops, I mean 5 left (yeah, I had to do that)
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42 Jenni
June 11, 2013 at 12:16 AM
Thanks for the amazing recaps, gf! :D
I am loving the characters in this episode. CJ, you kick ass!
MBC is hilarious, YW is adorbs, and KC is so charming.
And for a side note: as the comments before me about the Gu Family Book not being mentioned, it probably does not exist in its physical form. To be human is to live with decency, such as KC has. I think this episode portrays a lot of humanity in KC and the characters around him so that can maybe be a step closer to the Gu Family book? I'm not so sure, just a guess.
I'm still very upset that retired rapist jerk didn't die yet -____-
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43 crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 12:21 AM
I love that this drama explores the theme of loyalty.
1)That the end of this episode, we see SH's man turning against her - maybe they are doubtful about her loyalty after declaring that KC is her son, and questions her loyalty about their main cause - to conquer Korea.
2) Then there's SH herself. Will she remain true to her original intention? Or will she abandon her vengeful plans for the sake of KC and maybe WR?
3) Then there's TS. Will his desire to take back th 100 yr Inn be greater than remaining noble and upright? Will he prove that he worthy to be called one of the Honourable men?
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 2:01 AM
Really love the points you brought up, crazyahjumma fan. I hope we get answers to all those questions, and thank you for making me realize that the merchants' main cause is to conquer Korea (I guess that would start with conquering the southern provinces?)
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crazyahjummafan
June 11, 2013 at 10:05 AM
The Japs and GW are in cahoots with each other. Japs want to conquer Korea, with GW giving them state secrets. His reward when they do, is to give him the southern states to rule. Hence the food storage. Could also be stored there to aid the Jap troops when they arrive.
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Ivoire
June 20, 2013 at 4:16 AM
This is late, but thanks for the added info, crazyajummafan!
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44 yumii
June 11, 2013 at 12:32 AM
Thanks for the recap.
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45 JK
June 11, 2013 at 1:03 AM
After 19 eps (with only 5 more to go), we still don't know where we are heading with the show. In a way, it means that the ending is still very much everyone's guess. On the other, it could mean even the PDs got lost somewhere along the plot (oh no!).
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46 Lilly
June 11, 2013 at 1:31 AM
Well, if only one gumihp ever became human that wrote the book, and since there is only one human that hangs out with gumihos, and since he seemed to know a lot more than the gumiho about how to find the book, the wooden knife, the prayers and all......
Could the monk be the gumiho that turned human?
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47 Pakykul
June 11, 2013 at 2:33 AM
so curious how it will end in 20 episodes !?!
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reglest
June 11, 2013 at 2:41 AM
This drama has 24 episodes :)
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Ivoire
June 11, 2013 at 2:41 AM
It's actually 24 episodes...
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Pakykul
June 11, 2013 at 3:05 AM
Oh sorry, just saw that it will be 24 episodes.
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48 nova611
June 11, 2013 at 3:57 AM
i hate this
y cant people tell him the truth??
the monk knows the story
y didnt he explain to KC??
it feels like the writer try to drag the story
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49 Mia
June 11, 2013 at 4:16 AM
can't they just tell him the whole truth? Seriously.
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50 sakti
June 11, 2013 at 5:27 AM
Thanks GF, but I want to ask you, are you gonna do recap I hear your voice's third episode?
Uh oh, I'm sorry for off the topic. Becouse I don't see any picture of Lee Jong-suk on -RECAPPED SERIES IN PROGRESS- above this page.
Still, thanks a lot GF.
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