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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo: Episode 18

by HeadsNo2

There are no shortages of bitter pills for Su to swallow this episode, and for the most part, she seems to base her decisions off what’s best for So and his fledgling rule. At the same time, his being king requires him to make some tough decisions, and Su has trouble understanding why the man she loves can’t always be benevolent. Basically, it just sucks to live in Goryeo.

 
EPISODE 18 RECAP

When Princess Yeonhwa declares that she’ll be marrying the king, Su says she won’t believe it until she hears it from So’s lips. Yeonhwa takes the time to school her on the politics she knows nothing about, telling her about all the opposition So now faces as king—including all the powerful families that now seek to dethrone him. Where were these people when we had two mad kings on the throne?

Regardless, Yeonhwa notes with a sigh that while Su may be happy to wait in the king’s quarters, a woman who’s happy with only that cannot become queen without endangering the king’s position. Also, there’s the scar issue to take into account, which is why Yeonhwa proposes that the two of them merely coexist when she inevitably becomes queen.

Wook tells So much of the same thing, making sure to mention the scar. But, he adds, if So really wants to marry her, he can… only if he gives up the throne. So what’ll it be? “I will not lose either,” So says confidently. “I rose to the throne in order to acquire everything. Do you really think I would cast Hae Su aside over a scar?”

That’s when he points to his own face, to the scar hidden beneath the makeup. “I became king with a face like this,” he reminds Wook.

We get a quick cut to a quiet dinner with Su and So before cutting back to So at court, with yet another official telling So all the things he’s already heard. The only solution, in this day player’s opinion, is for So to marry Yeonhwa. All his problems will disappear that way.

Still, So remains steadfast in his decision to marry Su. Next up to state the obvious is Queen Sinjeong, who gives her two cents about what So should do in order to keep the throne, adding that she even cast her own son out so that she could do what was best for the nation.

The queen hands over a book written by Su, filled with symbols no one recognizes (Hangul, which wouldn’t be invented until 1446) as proof that she’s not normal. Again, So claims to not care about such things. “What is so great about this seat?” he mumbles, causing Queen Sinjeong to note that the only way he’ll leave that throne is if he dies.

Su tells Chae-ryung that her wish to stay in the palace has been granted, but she soon gets pulled away by Astronomer Choi. He laments that this tower used to be so full of life when all the princes would gather and visit, pointing out all the things each prince liked best. But those times are gone now, which is why he’s brought her here: “You must give up on marrying the king.”

He says that she should be the one to end things since So will remain stubborn until the end, but Su meekly protests that she doesn’t want to. “I’ve been through a great deal and waited a long time. I only did so because I believed I would be happy one day. If I were going to give up like this, I would have given up long ago,” she says.

But Astronomer Choi asks her to remember all that’s happened in this palace, and all the danger the king is now in. The only way to prevent more tragedy is to consolidate power around the throne, and he very bluntly says that Su is not the person to help So do that. Su starts to have trouble breathing, and puts a hand over her heart.

Su goes into the king’s quarters with a huge smile on her face and something hidden behind her back, which she reveals to be masks. She wants them to go out to the market and have a bit of fun, and proposes that they disguise themselves in order to leave the palace.

So out they go, with the town all lit up for the exorcism rite festival. She teaches him how to pinky promise, and he takes her hand as they walk, like a true couple. At one point, he pulls her into a backhug and kisses her on the cheek, and there are smiles all around.

She takes him to the prayer stones she piled, causing him to jokingly asked if she did so to pray for him to propose. She unabashedly says yes, considering that he said he’d propose to her at the prayer stones. So says that she should’ve run away when she met him, and she fires back that she did run, but he caught her.

“I don’t remember what drew me to you,” So says. “There are so many reasons now. I have to live with you. Let’s live together. Marry me.” He waits for her reaction, but as her eyes slowly well with tears, his expression turns concerned.

“I cannot,” Su replies. (You could have tried leading with that.) “I cannot do anything for you except to provide you comfort. It will be hard for me to marry you.” Angry now, So asks who’s been putting these ideas into her head, though he stresses that no one can force him to give up on her.

She says she won’t give up either and will continue to stay with him, but that if she became a queen, she’d be too constrained by palace rules. She promises that she’ll be all right as she touches his cheek, and So says that she can’t leave him even if he can’t marry her.

“I will not let you go,” he continues. “Because you are mine. You can’t go anywhere—I will never allow it.” Then, pulling her into an embrace, he softly adds as a tear rolls down his cheek, “You are my only queen.”

Cut to: So and Princess Yeonhwa’s low-rent marriage in front of a meager audience. Wook leads the celebratory cries of “Manseh!” at Yeonhwa becoming queen, even as Su tries on the bride’s wedding hanbok for herself, looking longingly at her reflection.

Jung and his mutton chops find her at the prayer stones, as he claims he also wasn’t invited to the wedding. He jokingly asks if she won’t just come to him now, offering to take her far away if she were to ask him. If she ever wants anything, he adds, all she has to say to him is, “I want it.”

So unveils his bride in the marriage chambers, and gives her a long silent look before turning away from her. When he does, she warns him that Su could be used against him in the future, so getting rid of her now might be best.

He cuts her off there, telling her to focus solely on being queen. Burn.

Chae-ryung finds Su still at the prayer stones later that night, offering her an herbal pouch(?) to ease her suffering. They reminisce about Lady Hae and her prayer stones, which has Chae-ryung thinking of her late mother, who suffered from illness before she died.

Su kneels down next to her and prays to her own mother, repeating over and over again that she’s doing fine. Chae-ryung knows better and takes her hands, as So watches them from afar.

Later that night, he stands outside Su’s room, but can’t bring himself to open the door. She just stays curled up inside.

Now that So’s married Yeonhwa, his vassals finally show up for court, and So’s all smiles as he decides to adopt the era name for his reign as Gwangdeok. Everyone’s agreeable to this and his other decrees, save for one: Wook still wants the king to relinquish his control over the nation’s finances.

Surprisingly, So agrees to Wook’s terms, and declares that he’d like to spend some time reading important literature while his loyal ministers help run the government. He cavalierly declares that fourteenth prince Jung is guilty of treason and will be stripped of his title and sent to his maternal family’s hometown, which gets a rise out of Baek-ah.

But So continues as if he were discussing the weather, adding that he’s not going so far as to execute Jung—that’ll only happen if he steps foot within the capital.

Of course, when Queen Sinmyeongsunseong hears of this, she collapses. Baek-ah tells Su and Woo-hee the news, explaining the severity of the punishment. Su’s knee-jerk reaction is to try to talk to So in order to help Jung, but Woo-hee warns her that she doesn’t have the authority to do so. For now, Baek-ah says, they’ll just have to wait until the king calms down.

Yeonhwa calls on the ailing Queen Sinmyeongsunseong, who only wants to see Jung. But it’s So who comes to see her first, decreeing that only he will see to his mother’s care from now on.

He tends to her like a son while she can only stare up at him, wheezing. His use of the word “Mother” has her struggling even harder, though her power is now limited. Jung is still refused entry to the palace.

Over dinner that night, Su asks So to allow Jung to see their mother, but So slams his chopsticks down as he calls her out for sending for Jung—he’d forbidden anyone from sending him messages, so he knows that only she could’ve done it.

She admits as much, but claims her reasons are just, since the queen is on her deathbed and Jung deserves to be there. But So is adamant that Jung can’t take one step into the palace, or it’ll be his execution. “If Jung is allowed into the palace,” he warns her, “I will not let it go, even if it is you.”

Jung stands outside the palace gates in silent protest until he can barely stand anymore. Baek-ah passes him a jug of water as he goes into the palace, but Jung only pours it over his head.

So tries to spoon medicine into his mother’s mouth, but she keeps her lips clamped firmly shut. She’s been doing as much for five days, refusing to take even a sip of water, and turns away from So’s touch like a possessed person from a crucifix. The only word she manages to repeat is Jung’s name.

But So tells her to take stock of the son who’s actually caring for her now, not the son in the afterlife, or the one who can’t even be with her now. He is king, and he is taking care of her.

The queen opens her eyes then, remembering when So walked into her room covered in blood after massacring a temple full of monks. The words he’d said to her then come back to haunt her now: “You may have cast me aside, but I will not leave. From now on, I will make sure I am all you see.”

So smiles in the present to see this realization dawn on her face. He promises to build her a grand temple and spread tales of how wonderful a mother she was. A tear rolls down his cheek as he adds that everyone will know of their relationship, and their relationship only.

“I will become your one and only precious son. This… is my revenge for you abandoning me as your child.” The queen gasps for air, struggling to say “You… you!” as she reaches up a hand to his face, though it’s almost as if she wants to claw at him rather than caress him.

She has the strength to do neither though, and dies. So breaks down into pitiful tears as he holds her hand to his face, relishing a mother’s touch he could never receive in life.

Su is the one to venture out of the palace gates to deliver the news to Jung, and presumably is the one to allow him into his mother’s quarters to see her body. So allows for this small visit, but says that after he’s done saying his goodbyes, Jung’s punishment will be reinstated.

Later, So tears into Su for taking Jung’s side, and takes special offense to her pitying Jung when she, of all people, should be on his side. “He is not the pitiful one. I was always the one who was cast aside!” So bellows.

Pointing to the scarred side of his face, he tells her that his mother touched him right before she died. “In all my twenty-five years of life, I have never had her to myself. Is it so wrong for me to send her off on my own?” he cries.

Su reaches up to touch his face, but he catches her wrist before she can. “You should have said you understood me,” So grits out with tears in his eyes. He leaves, and all Su can do is sigh.

So finally confronts ninth prince Won over how involved Wook was with the mercury in the bathwater (he knows that Chae-ryung was a servant in Won’s household before she came to Damiwon), and Wang Gyu’s supposed revolt, which ended with the deaths of Eun and his wife.

Though initially reticent, the idea of being plunged into boiling water as punishment gives Won the courage to blame everything on Wook, who he claims colluded with the late king Jeongjong. So has just one more question for him, but we don’t hear what it is.

Su goes looking for Chae-ryung in Damiwon, but notices that there’s a pallor over the other court ladies. Woo-hee would rather show her than tell her what’s going on, since outside, Chae-ryung has been rolled up in a torture taco to be beaten. The king has ordered all the court ladies to watch as a warning.

Su can’t understand why the king would do such a thing, until Astronomer Choi explains that a court lady from Damiwon committed a very serious crime. It’s only then that she’s told who’s in the taco, causing her to stumble toward the bloody mess that was once her friend.

Woo-hee’s there to catch her when she faints, at least. We get a flashback montage of Su and Chae-ryung’s memories before finding Su lying in bed, with the king on a rampage over the royal doctor not telling him of Su’s illness.

Su wakes whispering Chae-ryung’s name, and pushes So off when he reaches out to her. “How could you? How could you do that to someone?” she screams. That’s when So opts to tell her that Chae-ryung had been spying on her the whole time, and that she was the one to deliver the book of Su’s Hangul to Queen Sinjeong.

He adds that not only was Chae-ryung partially responsible for them not getting married, but that it was she who put the mercury in the king’s bathwater. It was Chae-ryung who betrayed Eun and prevented his escape by telling Won and Wook about the secret cave beneath the baths.

That’s when Su remembers that Wook had told her he heard about the cave from Chae-ryung, so she knows what So says is true. Therefore, he stands by his decision, though Su tearfully claims that Chae-ryung’s only crime was being born a slave.

She doesn’t brush off the comforting hand So puts on her shoulder at least, but she gives him no other reaction as he gets up to leave. Seeing a letter that wasn’t there before, Su reaches for it…

But we cut to So throwing a fit in the throne room, as he realizes how much he’s been played by Wook. He knows he only has Baek-ah and Su left on his side, which he blames on Wook: “Now I’ve become a monster to Su. I will never let him get away with this.”

Su opens the letter and recognizes Chae-ryung’s hand instantly, which is yet another reminder that Chae-ryung lied to her (she’d claimed she never learned how to read). In the letter, Chae-ryung claimed that she’d wanted to confess everything to Su, but knew her time was running short.

We see Chae-ryung Lite in flashback as a beggar on the streets. Ninth prince Won had shown her mercy by giving the little girl silver, and when she became a servant in his house, he taught her how to read and write. In the letter, she tells Su that she loved him, and has no regrets, nor does she resent anyone. Is that letter supposed to be written in blood? When did she have time to write that thing?

So stumbles into his room (I’m guessing he’s drunk?), and thinks that Su is the one waiting on his bed wearing a mask. But as he pulls her close and lifts the mask just enough for him to be able to kiss her lips, he pulls back suddenly before he does, unmasking Yeonhwa instead.

He pushes her away, roughly reminding her that he warned her against getting greedy. She reminds him that he told her to fulfill her duties as a queen, and part of her duty is to bear him a son.

She more or less embraces him, causing So to smile ruthlessly. “What if I tell you to turn your back on Wook and your family? Can you do it?” If she were to do so and become his only queen, he adds, then he’d make their son the crown prince. She’d be both the queen, as well as the queen mother.

Su stares listlessly at the baths in Damiwon while clutching the hairpin So gave her. When Baek-ah approaches, she whispers flatly that the person she loved killed her little sister, and doesn’t seem to listen when Baek-ah says that the king already knew that Chae-ryung was up to no good. That was why he tried to send her away from the palace in the first place.

“No matter what she did wrong, how could he punish her so cruelly?” Su replies. “I don’t know how to escape this misery. Chae-ryung was just a girl in love.” She grips her chest as she becomes asthmatic again, causing Baek-ah to worry for her.

She turns to him then, and offers him her hairpin. She wants him to give it to Jung, and to send him a message: “I want it.” Of course, Baek-ah doesn’t know the meaning behind the message, but promises to deliver it just as she said it.

 
COMMENTS

I’m having a tough time understanding Su on this one, despite the understandable pain of losing someone she thought well of. It’d be a completely different situation if Chae-ryung had been killed and no one thought to explain her crimes to Su, but Su got a pretty good breakdown of Chae-ryung’s deceit from So and Baek-ah. Plus, she had proof that Chae-ryung was lying in the letter. So why can she not understand that Chae-ryung’s actions had consequences?

It’s not even as though Chae-ryung was only caught spying—So went into detail about her poisoning King Hyejong’s bathwater (and Chae-ryung had no qualms whatsoever about leaving the blame for that on Su’s shoulders), how she deliberately betrayed Su’s trust in stealing her writing and reporting on her, not to mention how she was directly involved in the deaths of Eun and Soon-deok. Doesn’t Su feel even remotely wronged? Can she really blame all of Chae-ryung’s actions on the fact that she was only taking orders? Enough to not trust the man she loves when he justified his actions?

Trust has always been a prevailing problem between Su and So, though it’s been a one-way street for a long while now. So never fails to give Su the benefit of the doubt, but she spares none for him—and it’s really beginning to feel like whenever she does have an opportunity to take his side, she opts not to. I get that he was being unreasonable when it came to his mother, but he had character-driven reasons for wanting her all to himself. All he wanted from Su was for her to understand him, but she couldn’t. Though that I can understand from her end just a little, since she likes Jung, and thought it would only be fair for him to see his mother. She got her wish in the end, and So didn’t fight her on it, which says a lot.

That being said, So’s scenes with his mother were the highlight of the episode, and they felt like the only anchor in the sea of fly-by-night scene cuts we’ve been getting. Finally, the camera saw fit to linger on something for more than a few seconds, and what a face to linger on. So’s been all over the map now that he’s become king, and it’s been hard to follow his lines of thinking when, for instance, he acted very bizarrely in court. All that smiling and agreeableness might’ve hinted at some ulterior plan, but the directing did nothing else to help lead us to that conclusion. Barring any hints, his behavior just left me scratching my head. I honestly don’t know what to make of it.

But his behavior with his mother felt grounded in something real, something we could actually understand, as we saw in So the lost boy who only ever wanted his mother’s love. He did get his revenge after all, but his revenge was just another way for him to try and reach out to her—if he couldn’t have her love by choice, he’d at least have the illusion of it. In the end, he only wanted her to acknowledge him as her son, and even at the bitter end, I’m inclined to think she didn’t. And that seems fitting for her character, who’s been thoroughly and unexplainably awful her entire life. It’d feel like cheating if she were redeemed in the final hour.

However, I have no qualms about So believing whatever he wants to believe about the intention behind his mother’s touch, because he’s just so pitiful. It’s heartbreaking that he’d take that ambiguous, clawing hand as affection, only because it was the first time his mother ever even touched him. But the facade melted away when she actually passed, and he looked more lost and devastated than ever as he held her hand to his face just to feel that touch she’d never willingly give. It was very well played, and I was with him every step. With Su, I just feel resigned. But who knows—maybe the time spent apart will help give everyone some perspective. Or it’ll just make everything worse.

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Tags: featured, IU, Kang Haneul, Lee Jun-ki, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

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Thank you for the recap, Heads!

I don't understand Su hating So for punishing Chae Ryung. CR was a close friend of hers but she also killed a king and betrayed Su; I can see Su being conflicted over that decision of So's but to completely push him away was unnecessary (?). Like others have pointed out, it seems like So trusts Su through and through but she doesn't give that trust back to him. If she really wanted to leave to avoid an ill-fate, wasn't it better to talk to him directly than going behind his back? So did say that he will never let her leave. But I'm sure if she insists, he will give in coz of his love for her.

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The festival scene with the OTP was really cute. I wish it was a bit longer, at least for fan service. It's like they get some lovely time together and then everything goes down the tragedy lane again.

The instrumental for So and YH's wedding night was good. I liked LJK's expression when he told her not to cross the line again; it was pure anger and repulsion. And KHA's angry/sad expression was also great. I wonder if So was gonna kiss YH before he pulled away (when he unveiled her)? Or did he do that to mock her, to give her hope and then crush it?

So and his mother's dying scene - That was heartbreaking. So was so pitiful. Hopefully that lady went to hell to suffer. Lol.

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Yes, that festival bit was very sweet, right? :)

I'll admit I cheered during WS and YH's wedding night scene when WS dissed her, and told her to focus on being a Queen. (Yeah, he's not gonna be able to stay away from her forever but ....well.. it was nice to see her get a bit of comeuppance).

I wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do either. But YH had that hopeful look on her face--hoping that WS was going to be entranced by her beauty or something, and was going to kiss her.

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How different would So's life have been if only his mother loved him? His father showed him care directly and not just in the background? It amazes me to think that a lot of the problems within their immediate family would have been nonexistent if that woman had some genuine love in her for all her sons equally. Yo, So, and Jung would have stuck together to fight against Wook and Won. I guess we need tragic background stories to create epic heros :)

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@Lin-K...so true , real love in this family could have truly changed history....it's tragic how even after Queen S manages to have her son reach the throne and stay there longer than Taejo himself she can't accept it...she fights her whole life for the thing she obtained against her will at the end....and she's miserable because of it...oh the irony.....and the rest of her sons are dragged thru the mud because of her beliefs....and Yeonwha is now following in her footsteps....part 2 of the same tragedy repeated allover again...obsession with the idea odf being the mother of the next King....not understanding the part that loves plays in making that King whole...instead leaving the next King emotionally crippled from the start...the cycle continues over and over...

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It's incredulous how appealing power is to the human race - to be above all and rule all. The queens want to make their sons kings not because they want their sons to be the supreme rulers of the land, it's because they themselves want to be that. It's sad how Queen Dowagers wield the power and make the kings look useless and helpless. It's a puppet that sits on the throne; the real power is in the background.

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I don't know about that, Queen Yoo loved Yo and look how that turned out. On the other hand, there is Jung.

I think what would've probably happen is that Yo and So would've teamed up against Moo, since the Moo/Jimong/So relationship would be nonexistent if not for Queen Yoo's rejection. Then on his deathbed, Yo would've made So his heir instead of leaving his will blank.

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That's an interesting point there that the friendship of Mu, So, and Ji Mong wouldn't have existed without Yoo's rejection. I hadn't thought of that. I guess when you change one part of history for the better, you mess up another aspect of it. Have you watched God's Gift - 14 Days? That drama repeatedly emphasizes that no matter what you try to change in the past, it's impossible to change the outcome or to trick fate.

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The primary motivation for Su's grief is b/c CR was her only companion. In this version, its kind of week - but the rest of plot is propelled by this grief.

In the book and in the C-Drama, they have a strange codependent relationship stemming from the fact that they were both just girls in the palace without higher motivations ( obvi - the same wasn't true for CR ). Also, I think she's just sad that this kind of thing keeps happening - there's no one left to keep her company anymore.

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Why is it that drama tries so hard to make us root for So-Soo lately, by squeezing in lovey-dovey back hug scenes and stuff last minute (which should have developed way earlier to build a convincing epic love story) but I still feel NOTHING for this OTP?

I don't even feel love or heartbreak when I watch their scenes. In fact to this point, I feel nothing for any love line/couple in this drama AT ALL, be it Wook-Soo, Yeonhwa-So, Chae-Ryung-Won, Baekha-Wonhee, Soo-Jung... just zero feels. Nothing grabs me, maybe except for Eun-Deok. But surprisingly, I like the characters as individuals more than when they are coupled. I like So whose world isn't all about love. I like Soo when she worked at Damiwon and learned from Lady Oh instead of merely being So's love interest.

So I dislike that show is giving us so little of So being a King, fulfilling his duties as a King and just simply being the head of the nation. Show us his competence, abilities and strengths as a King. What are his daily tasks, how is he going to group his clans and build his power? What does he do besides feeling lonely and revengeful. He is a king who sat on the throne for 26 years for god's sake. But my only knowledge of him so far is how capable he is of slaying people and romancing his love lady.

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Just want to say that I got a good laugh over WS and YH's wedding being called "low-rent". :P

Also, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who felt for HS as she tried on her wedding hanbok, knowing fully well that she'd never wear it during her own ceremony. (And OMG how gorgeous was that hanbok!? And she has such a tiny waist!)

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So I was in the middle of reviewing for my exam while listening and humming to moonlovers instrumental ost for the first time, when a terrifying realisation hit me in the face ... I can hum those bloody instrumental songs from start to finish!! I can even place which song to which scenes, I checked :( ... Goodness gracious Moonlovers, what have you done to my sanity ... just a week more, and this craziness will go away .. I hope

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I just rewatched ep 4 and there HS was like the palace is a place where you have to kill to survive (when Wang So had killed those temple monks employed by his mother dearest to assasinate the Crown Prince ) and that was when she had spent less than a year in Goryeo and now when she's been here for a few years, she does not suddenly understand Wang So. Well, yes ,he has changed and for the worse but killing Chae Ryung is justified. I think it would be more convincing if HS had decided to leave after the king will have his jealousy fit on finding she had once loved Wook.

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PLEASE VOTE FOR LJK -- THIS VOTING COUNTS FOR AWARDS -- PLEASE SHOW LOVE AND VOTE FOR OUR INCREDIBLE ACTOR :

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Great Recap.
I knew Yeonhwa & Wang So would get married because it is apart of history. I was not surprised by it. I am surprised they got married so late in the drama because I think in history they got married while King Taejo Wang Gun was alive. I guess the writers used their creative license to history with that one.
Yeonhwa is very honest when it comes to Hae Soo. She tells her like it is. TBH Yeonhwa gave Hae Soo & Wang So a much needed reality check. Even though I am disappointed in how the writers have written my fave Yeonhwa I am glad she achieved her goal to become Queen. Like I have said before I wish she could rule Goryeo as Queen Regnant.
Hae Soo is very naive. Especially when it comes to people she holds dear like Chae Ryung. I am surprised she thought of even marrying Wang So knowing that she is from the future and Ji Mong told her not to mess with history. Plus she has no power to help Wang So. Like Yeonhwa told her all she could be was Wang So's comfort. Truth hurts sometimes. Like I said before Hae Soo & Wang So needed a reality check. They got it via Yeonhwa.
Yeonhwa/Kang Hanna and Hae Soo/IU looked very pretty this episode. I didn't like how Yeonhwa tried to trick Wang So into sleeping with her. Wang So made a very smart but manipulative move asking Yeonhwa to give up her brother and her family in exchange for their future son to be Crown Prince. Wang So got revenge against his mother on her death bed. Wang So is savage.
Overall episode 18 was good. I know everybody was heartbroken but I guess I am in the minority because I don't ship any couple.

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Fin. Our OTP is now officially dead.

At this point in the drama,i feel so sorry for our girl Su, i just want her to get out of the palace and Goreoyo asap. There is nothing but heartache there. Like her i believed that if she just held on,maybe she could have her happy ending but with the love of her life marrying not just one but two wives (now),its over. Love does not overcome all obstacles. And no matter how long she has been in Goryeo,she cant give up her core principle about monogamy.
Her only companion who she treated like her little sister betrayed her and is now dead.
The rest of the people like Lady Hae and Court Lady who had been kind to her and watched out for her are all gone too.
Many of the people she considered as her friends are dead too. At this point i don't fault her one bit for wanting to get out of that wretched place in any manner.
Su gets a lot of flak but i just want to give her a big hug now.

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IDK WHY but this show makes me think so much:

Hae Su has always believed to protect what you want, you must pay the price. She said this when she cut her wrists to avoid marrying King Taejo. She specifically says it to Lady Oh, who understands more than any of the men in the palace, how truly alone the women are. We are effectively seeing the same scenario play out there with her leaving the palace the second time. Hae Su is saving herself. Hae Su says to WS after she enters the palace after refusing to marry King Taejo:

WS: "If the cut were a little deeper, you would have died."

HS: "I didn't die."

WS: "Do you know what it's like to live with a scar on your body? Are you happy to be a court lady? You may never step outside of this palace again. Are you excited? Why did you have to go so far? Why didn't you just marry the King then?"

HS: "I don't know! I just don't! If you can't do anything, just close your eyes and enter the King's room. That's what I told myself. I just couldn't do it. No one can save me except myself. That's what I thought and that's why I did it."

Here, she is clearly saying to Wang So that she will not become a different person just so she can live. She would rather die than become someone she cannot see herself being (that is the King's woman). Here again, she says: "No one can save me except myself."

This is how I read that blood letter scene:

Hae Su reads CR's letter and recognizes that she is no longer the same person as before. There is absolutely nothing left for her in the palace. She has compromised too much of herself by becoming the King's woman (which is precisely why she cut her wrists back in ep 7). She is caged, physically by the decrees of the palace, and mentally by her love for Wang So.

While Jung is going to be the person to take her out of the palace, she is the one who has initiated all the motions. Again, Hae Su is saving herself. She is cutting her wrists again, except this time, it's cutting of ties with Wang So. I see this as the same action. She no longer recognizes herself. She must save herself. Will she suffer without Wang So? Absolutely. But this is what I admire about Hae Su. She recognizes when she's lost herself and she recognizes that she is the ONLY one who can save herself. I think her leaving has the added benefit that she will no longer be a pawn to be played by Wang So's enemies. But She's also choosing herself. And I love that.

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I kind of like how you interpret the whole 'wrist-cutting' thing.

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I like this interpretation too...she's saving herself , she understands when she's lost herself....I think So has always known this about her too...the things that tie other people to Goryeo are not the same things that tie Hae Soo...everyone is chasing the throne, she isn't, she's running away from it, everyone has some type of family tie she doesn't....I think as many times as her life has been in danger and as many times as she has run away from So, he ultimately fears he won't be able to keep her close to him...it might be why he keeps telling her she can't ever leave him....

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Su's leaving the palace is probably the selfish act alluded to in her conversation with Woo Hee (sbs). When Woo Hee asked if she would still be forgiven if she did something selfish to save herself, Hae Su said something like eventhough probably not, they still deserve to be forgiven for the scars and pain they have endured for so long.

Yes she would hurt So so much but she was hoping he would eventually understand and forgive her for breaking her promise and being selfish. It's not like she didn't give and sacrifice anything but that she just had reach the limit of what she could.

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@banini...I like this, "Su’s leaving the palace is probably the selfish act alluded to in her conversation with Woo Hee (sbs). When Woo Hee asked if she would still be forgiven if she did something selfish to save herself, Hae Su said something like eventhough probably not, they still deserve to be forgiven for the scars and pain they have endured for so long."....you touch on an important human quality that holds So back....it's forgiveness.....Hae Soo understands the importance of forgiveness and it's value.....I remember that scene in the bridge when So is trying to get her to leave with him and stop being a laundry maid...and she tells him at the end...forget everything, don't hold grudges, live in peace.....but So comes from a time when forgiveness is probably not part of a Royal education vocabulary....without I once read that frgiveness is really a bigger gift for the person giving it, because without it the person hurt cannot truly begin to heal...withholding forgiveness means never really healing and that is a difficult burden to carry...So is about to experience what he interprets as betrayal from Hae Soo amybe in the next episode, will he learn to forgive and move on...or sink and burn the whole ship that hurt him?

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I find it good that a show makes one think (Its like engaging with its audience and exploring/learning the story together.. But the point is, the audience must be led to where the writer wants to and be convinced by your story as it goes..)

But this show had definitely not done well with its interpretation after.. Maybe its too high level, many things are just left dangling and expect us to know or link (like this week ep, out of nowhere the bracelet is back with Wook.. idk when she return it even) And with the different editing in different versions, some scenes could mean differently or have extra hidden meaning.. This hinders me in understanding the full picture or giving me a messier picture, its like they cant even make up their mind..

I really hope next ep we would get to know better.. there's so many possible interpretation as seen from the comments and i really like most of it, the thing is it all makes sense.. but when put all these different interpretation from different users together, some conflicts one another..

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I agree. As much as it's interesting to piece/link together events/dialogues from different episodes just to make sense of what's happening, the makers of this drama seems to have forgotten that not a lot of people have the time, patience and dedication to do so. Most people watch to be entertained and some mental exercise is good (as evidenced by people who love crime/investigative drama). However, such approach probably works better in shorter formats, not in this drama where you have to connect pieces from different episodes like a very big puzzle. Sometimes I even wonder if we are already overanalyzing the drama beyond the writer's intention.

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More than saving herself I think she is giving up. She lost her friend, she is realising that she was not able to change So like she thought she could. Maybe she is even realising that it was her fault all along and that she created the bloody king that she remembers from history lessons.
Instead of changing the past she created that same past.
Love is not enough now to overcome the obstacles she is facing while living in the palace. Her only way out if to brake her ties with So. But I wonder if she even realises what Jung was offering her. Is she aware that only marriage to him can get her out of there and that she will be banned from the palace/city/region?

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I think Soo will be a bit shocked to know that she will have to marry Jung to get out of the palace. She would not want to hurt both So and Jung that way, it may look like a total betrayal to their love in So's eyes and worsen the (already very bad) relationship between So and Jung. It may even push Jung into danger. But of course, the moment she knows it, it will be already too late.

And when Soo decided to get out of the palace, she must be well aware that there is no way back. Neither does she want to have a way back. At that very moment, she decided to cut all ties with So, to save herself from that cruel place, and also to save their love. With So's changes after becoming King and Yeon Hwa standing between them, we've already seen that their relationship is getting worse and worse. With Chae Ryung's death, Soo has almost lost everything she has had and believed in. Belief? Betrayed. Promises? Broken. Friends? Dead/exiled. The man she loves? Married to another woman and crazier than ever. She is now aware that she cannot change his fate, cannot help him avoid the bloody path, so she has no reason left to stay there. If she continues staying in the palace, not only she may be suffocated by its cruelty, but with all these conflicts, suspicions, obstacles, their love may also die someday. So by escaping the palace, Soo is not only trying to get back her freedom, herself, her life, but also saving the only thing she has left - her love for So.

And yes, I think she knows she may not be able to set foot in the capital ever again, and it may cross her mind that she will never be able to see So again, but at this stage, she has no other choice.

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Excellent @Lily I feel all of this so hard.

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As a person who likes Hae Su's character for the most part, I like your analysis of how she is the one initiating the plan to rescue her.

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It's very easy to see why Soo never been able to understand or trust So completely. Though she claimed her love for him, but the vision she had of So as a ruthless king, and her knowledge of the Goryeo history since the beginning might have been the blockade in her mind and her heart. She might have loved So with the intention to prevent him from becoming as to how the history has written of him, IMHO.

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Sorry but too frustrated not to rant....
Totally disappointed and frustrated with our lead Su..who I liked in the beginning.
She is so fickle and one dimensional...least understanding of someone she loves although she can understand others doing all sorts of cruel and nasty things.
fickle because she starts loving wook...then switches to So...then she's msging Jung to get her...if poor Eun was alive she would have given a go at him too..ufffff
then she forgives and fights for her spy sis..who was responsible for murder and framing herself...but refuses to understand Sos point of view..
many many other things...ufffff

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Oh MLSHR. How do you manage to give me whiplash every episode? Sometimes multiple, within 5 minutes? I thought about holding off on commenting again until the last recap, but I've been thinking about the show (who is surprised, not me, since I sold my soul, GDI) and more specifically about Hae Su, and couldn't resist.

I think by now, we've all got a good handle on who HS is supposed to be: typical kdrama candy girl in the beginning, the plucky heroine who doesn't have any really special talents (I know, the make up, we'll get to that) except her heart of gold and ability to make male royalty grow fond of/fall for her. I can see elements of mary sue-ish ness in there, but only trace elements mind, since she didn't pick up formal goryeo speech in a day, was hopeless at crafting, etiquette, or being the kind of political animal Yeon Hwa was born to be. The best parts about her character is how once she cares about you, she cares for life. The worst part is that she frequently forgets/ignores that the world she's in is filled with shades of grey. All of this makes for a person who is utterly unsuitable for life in Goryeo.

Don't get me wrong, she's survived quite adequately in it, making the most of what skills she does have (the makeup, being hard working) but home girl is never really going to flourish in this era, she's never going to truly be able to live. She can't, she's not built for it. Each part of what made her, her has slowly been chipped away in the struggle to live, and then in her desire to be with So, and in this episode, it looks like she's finally come to that realization. If she stays in the palace, who knows what she'll eventually be driven to do in the name of love or protecting So and ensuring he remains King? The best scenario is that she'll be used as a pawn against him and die quickly. The worst is that she'll have to start playing the game too, and become this person who's so far removed from who it was that So loved, the relationship would be a sham anyway.

There's been hundreds of comments about how Su's being from the 21st century should have automatically equipped her for the 10th century. I've always thought that was a little unfair-I haven't watched the C-drama, but I do know that the heroine there was a history buff and was able to use that to her advantage. I'm loathe to speak for my fellow 21st century girls but, apart from a few key things, I'm blank about history and would be closer to a Su than a Ruoxi. In fact, I would say being from modern times is a detriment to Su-I'm not proud to say this but the internet and my gadgets is basically my lifeline into 'adulting' and unlike Su, I don't even have that practical skill of handmaking my own cosmetics lol so I would be in even more trouble if I was dropped in there.

Remember when Su said, "No matter how I look at it, this place doesn't suit me?"

That's it, guys. That's the show.

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Agree. For myself, I would likely be more like Ruoxi (but only in North America or Britain) if she knew her history. But I'd be blind as a bat without my contact lenses! I'm sure I'd have been dead by my teens, run over by So's horse probably, because I was blind.

Get these life expectancies, btw, that I read about the late Goryeo period. 26 average age of death for females, 24 for males.

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Even though I know the history nothing could prepare me for going back in American history. Especially during slavery in America. I would have died quick. I am very outspoken. Would not have stand for the atrocities that happened during slavery. I would have revolt day one.

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Well, that's because we know better these days. But what if we lived in a world where slavery was accepted and white supremacy was lauded? I am gonna say that our brains will be conditioned to think that people are born into different stations and accept that. It will take something major to push us to fight it.

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I need glasses too! I would be blind without them! Probably would have panicked and fell into the ditch myself in episode 1.

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There’s been hundreds of comments about how Su’s being from the 21st century should have automatically equipped her for the 10th century.

People are actually saying that? They must have forgotten that Hae Soo could barely remember Goryeo history. Nothing can prepare you for going back to a time were it was very ruthless and one word could get you and your family killed regardless if you are innocent or not. Plus the palace life was very cruel.

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From my experience, different subcultures, work environments, and lifestyles within the 21st century can be vastly different. So nothing in the 21st century could have helped Su to live in the 10th century. Even if she had knowledge about history, adjusting to a new lifestyle, food, and societal rules are going to be extremely difficult.

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I am starting to feel too depressed lately... Is it true that Wohee would die and Haesoo will marry Wang Jung?? What are they trying to do, messing with our emotions? :-( I demand at least half an episode of happiness and a happy ending next week!!!

I've read it here:
http://www.joysofasia.com/part-2-moon-lovers-scarlet-heart-ryeo-finale-speculations-spoilers-possible-happy-ending-episode-19-20/

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Watching an Epic lovestory unfold,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTcCiPeNfbY

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Two more days to go!!!

To prepare myself I have started watching Hero. It's light and maybe even shallow (an old), but it has a lot of happy Lee Jun Gi! I need to see him happy knowing all the hurt and anger to come. Suprisingly it's working and I'm liking it, a very easy watch. It will help loosen my attachment to MLSHR as the latter ends. As a bonus, it has short tango number with Lee Jun Gi wearing a hot pink ballroom shirt :-D ;-) :-*

I have come to view MLSHR as the story of Wang So's journey, instead of a love story which I initially signed up for. It makes me appreciate the story more that way. I know it is also, and maybe even more about, Su's journey but personally Wang So's character has more grip on me, but that's just me.

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@banini It has been a Wang So's journey and the preservation of Goryeo from the start of the series. The reason why I love this drama. Not your typical k-drama. Moon Lovers is very engaging, very rich and a drama that make you think.

I could relate this drama to the God Father movie series I-III. These were one of the best movie(s) classic of all time. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) was a soldier and never wanted to be involved in the family (mob). He'd chosen to live peacefully with his family. However, he was favoured by his father to inherit the leadership. Not the first son nor the second but Michael, who was the youngest. To make the story short, he became the God Father and somehow helped stabilise the family. He killed his brother too because of the treachery.

Wang So is like the 9th century version of Michael Corleone. I don't why but I see the Al Pacino's passion for acting in Lee Joon Gi. I wouldn't be surprised if LJG would say that Al Pacino is his favourite actor.

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@WangSo...great comparison...I have been thinking along the lines that this series reminds me of Shogun, and the Thorn Birds....not the storyline, but just thes classic series that became sensations when they came out, everyone was addicted to watching them...and hanging on to see how they ended.....both became classics and are now rewatched....I feel like this version of Moonlover's is a classic too, this generation will remember how intense the ride was.....

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@Maui That's right. You know I probably watch each episode at least 3 times. I feel a tragic ending on the romance part would be more satisfying but if the production would have decided a happy ending, hope it's going to be good.

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Your username being WangSo replying to my comment makes me feel happy, haha, I'm so shallow :-D

Yes, LJG seems a very passionate actor. I have watched Arang before but wasn't hooked on his character in that drama. Wang So as a character and LJG's portrayal can really draw people in.

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I'm wondering why So didn't question Soo about the meaning of the Hangul book? If Hangul hadn't been invented yet, the obvious question would be "what is this"?

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I hope that someone does not leave the book lying around in the royal archives, but burns it, so King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty, can receive full credit for creating Hangul in 1443. We do not want Ha Jin time-travelling to the 15th century, to locate and destroy the book.

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I know right.

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There are always some anomalies in the historical record. They would probably put it down as a fake, but forged in Sejong's time or after, after Hangul was created.

I think it's GOT to play a role, or why is it even there? If you think about it, the story we've been watching is Su's story, and is therefore contained in that little book.

I would like it to explain some of the gaps. The more I think about it, there has got to be some explanation aside from the poor editing about the items - the bracelet that miraculously found its way back to Wook and the hairpin, last in So's possession, that miraculously appeared in Su's. Both should have made that switch before or during the first two year time leap. We've all been complaining about the lack of a clear defining moment for Su acknowledging her feelings for So and instead getting that time jump.

There is a scene or two missing here that encompasses that moment, as well as the item switches, and I wonder if we'll get it in flashback with someone reading that book.

Maybe So gets a scholar to decipher it (maybe Ji Mong learned Hangul at some point in the future?) though it takes years, or Su reads it while in the museum. Maybe So's the historian in the future that has read the book, and when Su appears to him out of nowhere knowing its contents, he starts to believe her story about his past life? Maybe he's been wondering about who she was for years because it's an object of study?

So many ways it could play out, but I really hope it does.

Doesn't answer the question, though, for Diana about why So didn't ask her about the book. Hope we find out, Diana.

Not really holding my breath about any of it though.

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@barbrey I definitely I'm curious about the content of the book. It most definitely holds key pieces in this story, but I fear we may not get the answers we seek. :-(

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@diana...this same question hunts my dreams...that darn book...it's solid, written evidence...it takes me back to the conversation Soo had with King Taejo when he asks her you are someone else than Hae Soo...who are you?....and then they cut the scene so we never know what she told the King...and Wook's mother was also implying she suspected Hae Soo was different....little seeds dropped here, and there but not sure if they will amount to something...

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I just had a thought. I've only skimmed through the BBJX posts on here, not wanting to be too spoiled, but I've seen references to a letter too late or missed.

What if Jung's revenge on So not letting him see his mother till it was too late is to not let So know that Su is dying until it's too late?

Aaargh.

Did anyone catch all the water imagery in the last few episodes, by the way? I don't want to bore anyone with it, but I particularly liked seeing Jung "water" himself on the steps. Such a weak shadow of the rain ceremony shower for So, or the garden water blessing from Su on So.

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@Barbrey Both are actually very different from one another. The c-version was female-centric as opposed to Wang So-centric k-version.

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@Barbrey...I kept waiting to read your interpretation of what happened in this episode and the water maiden...yes I've been thinking about the water imagery....Jung pouring water on his head not drinking it, but also this....when Yo is having hallucinations in his chamber there is a liquid dripping on him in bed, I thought it was water and a leak but on the King's bed?...did anyone else notice that?....then , I thought , somebody is poisoning him in his bed,mercury again?...is that why he's having hallucinations?...and then So, Baekah and the Astrologer all do the ninja act in the middle of the night...what is going on?.....The letter, you know Barbrey it wouldn't surprise me if Jung somehow relishes doing to So something similar to what he did to him not letting him see his mother before she passed away....not ready for Monday/Tuesday rollercoaster...also I see a break with the water maiden the minute So chooses Yeonwha over Soo as a Queen...

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I didn't notice the bed dripping but will look at it again, Maui. Thx for pointing out.

If the last two episodes are good and continue with the water imagery, I might rewatch and look for all of it, but hopefully they will also provide something solid to hang our hats on so the interpretation can be more cohesive. There have been a few anomalies the last half I can't put my finger on, but I've been paying less attention.

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@Barbrey: "Did anyone catch all the water imagery in the last few episodes, by the way? I don’t want to bore anyone with it, but I particularly liked seeing Jung “water” himself on the steps. "

YES! I did notice.

@Maui: "…yes I’ve been thinking about the water imagery….Jung pouring water on his head not drinking it, but also this….when Yo is having hallucinations in his chamber there is a liquid dripping on him in bed, I thought it was water and a leak but on the King’s bed?…did anyone else notice that?…."

Not only Jung pouring water on his head (refusing to drink it) while his mother Queen Yo refuses to drink as she dies, but also the water dripping on Yo's head in bed, and rejecting the "tea" that Hae Soo pours for him that looks very much like clear water: he sweeps the cup away violently!

I also thought of Piggie's comment about how in China there is the idea the madman sees the truth, because when Yo accuses Hae Soo at being at the root of his problems because she caused So to take his seat at the rain ceremony--he's right! Everything he blames on her is right.

Preview shows Yeon Hwa stewing in Queen Yoo's bath, plotting the same way the queen used to.

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http://www.allkpop.com/article/2016/10/lee-jun-ki-signs-on-with-lotte-free-duty-shop-as-new-model

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Found the interview where Jun Ki said this drama will bring us happiness, lol
https://youtu.be/fTJCqZDG_78

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I am seriously satisfied with how the drama is going. I supposed I am happy. :) :) :)

Looking forward to the last two episodes. Just 24 hours more to go...

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This drama brought me angst-filled happiness.

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Did anybody watch this. FMV - don't know if it is officially released. But WS is sitting with HS (who I think is dead) and there are couple of scenes after she goes back to the 21 century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W46nPsQQgOw

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Oh. My. God.

I forgot the Korean hospitals always have a humidifier going.

Each time she clutches her chest...

This is a spoiler for sure if it's legit.

Actually really like it but hope that's not ALL we get at the very end.

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That part where she wakes up in bed with water spraying over her is a cut from Producers, IU's previous drama with Kim Soo-hyun, Gong Hyo-jin, and Cha Tae-hyun. :D

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Oh thank goodness Mary. The more I thought about it the less I liked it. And the bed was too nice for a hospital. And the dying scene could be pieces from earlier. Thank you, thank you. Oh my heart.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BL7jrWEBsQw/?taken-by=actor_jg

Have you guys seen this gem? HAHAHA

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Lol!

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Lol!!

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Hae So probably got tired of that never ending war inside the palace and being betrayed by the people she trusted the most. Chae-Ryum betrayed her and she also felt betrayed by Wang So for not telling her anything and let Chae-Ryum die like that. She could've told her or she could've just let Chae-Ryum leave the palace with the reason of being betrayed instead of beating her to death without telling Hae So, even though he knew how important she is to her.

She was just tired of everything that is happening in the palace, she asked Baek-ha for help so maybe it will be the reason why Baek-ha will be exiled.

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http://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/378975-current-drama-2016moon-lovers-%E2%9D%A4-scarlet-heart-ryeo-%EB%8B%AC%EC%9D%98-%EC%97%B0%EC%9D%B8-%EB%B3%B4%EB%B3%B4%EA%B2%BD%EC%8B%AC-%EB%A0%A4-~-0-final-two-episodes-oct-31-nov-1/?page=1673#comment-20146645

^^^ in the final hours of the show, I'm dealing by writing long character analysis. This one is about Wang So and it's excellent.

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whoops, meant to say someone else has written this one, not me! Sorry that was misleading.

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It was so clever for the writer to use a woman from the future, whose core difference (the need to be treated as equal, to be allowed individual choice) would be the point that split their love apart. I've been rooting for HS to leave because of all the examples you've listed: the unbearableness of being treated like a "pretty escape from reality" instead of being treated like a real person that WS eventually makes her. Speaking of the stargazing scene, he tells her that whenever he comes to her, his problems seems lighter, which is still a lie of sorts because he does NOT tell her about all the problems really plaguing him; that Mu might be crazy, that the regime is under problems, the clans are revolting in the north. The way you pointed out all the romantic dates were a deferral from a reality check, the need to really include HS in his decision making is so spot on. Let's con

I think the writer has taken us on this amazing journey where most watchers have really fallen head over heels in love with WS but now are dealing with the consequences of that love, much like Hae Su. It's a very clever literary trick and I think much of the fallout and anger with Hae Su might be a displaced anger at our selves for not seeing the full picture. I still think there are several huge overarching messages in the show that I'm completely in love with

1) Women move historical events yet are forgotten - because for a millennia women have not been the historians or the victors, their stories are forgotten. Hae Su changed the succession of kings, but will be unknown.

2) Women who sacrifice themselves for love are doomed - Look at Lady Oh, Hae Su, Myung Hee, Seon Doek, this is an amazing but devastating message at the core of the show. Love cannot conquer all. When you love a man with power, your love is only collateral.

3) Do not compromise who you are for the person you love - Look at Hae Su in the last few episodes of Scarlet Heart. She has been broken more times than I care to count. That she's finally leaving because she had enough: I LOVE THIS about her. She was brave enough to love Wang So, despite basically everyone and their mama telling her not to do so. When she finally gave in to her love for him, she thought she had a chance at happiness. When all of it starts being taken away, instead of allowing herself to become a husk of her former self, she leaves. She's rebuilding. It's gonna hurt like hell, but she'll do it. She will not be another Lady Oh, washing the bodies of her King's women.

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Brilliant summation and analysis.

(Don't forget Chae Ryung under #2).

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How could I forget her! The ultimate sucker in love.

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Although this story pretty much following BBJX, I feel this story is more devastating than the original, nobody is happy in this story, everybody is alone and depressed at the end.

It make me sad to see WS doesn't have a power to marry HS, not even as concubine. HS has to make a lot of sacrifice just to being with him, she sacrifice her desire, her pride,her dreams even her happiness so it's hurt me to see WS distant him self after HS allowed him to marry YH.

There's only one reason HS stayed in the palace, when circumstance become more and more unbearable she has no choice other than leaving the palace, she tried so hard to leave but the irony is she'll never be able to leave, her heart will always stay, she will always concern about WS, longing him and will missed him miserably until she died.

I'm not to eager to see HS to go back to 21st century, moreover with those painful memories still intact, how can someone will live on with those memory when nobody around her know what she has been through, know her pain, I just can't imagine how depressing it would be.

It's just 2 episode left, so let's see how this story will end

*preparing myself for tonight break down

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@ Seltzerwater: Love your post, as usual.

1) Your point about women forgotten to history made me think of Mark Peterson on the structure of Korean genealogy on Youtube: "You can look at Korean genealogy as 'Men related to men, through men'...The record of the women is more fragmented, whereas the record of the men is one solid piece."

2) Women might have been doomed anyway, in love or not. :(

3) I'm so glad she's leaving, too. I'm so happy you point out it's a healthy move for her--a decision to preserve her sense of self!

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I'm actually really curious to see how this drama will end. I've never been this curious

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Ok, I think I finally understand my anxiety over Soo and So's upcoming breakup (based on the preview for episode 19). Well it's not the first but we all know it's going to be the last. The pain is in the sense of finality...Soo is going dying afterall. There's just nothing more sad than dying apart from the love of your life and with an unresolved misunderstanding between you...I mean I just don't get why So would make a fuss over Soo and Wook's marriage plans that happened oh so long ago...it's not like Soo didn't tell So that she was inlove with someone else right from the start (ok so she never said who, but come on So, how can you be so dense?!) Hasn't he ever wondered why Wook was overly concerned with Soo's welfare? Even Baek Ah and Jung figured it out early on...I get that it caught him by surprise and all but, really So? You'll turn your back on 'your only queen' over some romance that ended three kings ago (it's not like she two-timed you So...you have some nerve to get jealous when you already got married...twice!) Oh and So, Hae Soo gave her heart and soul to you when she was ready, never forget that (all Wook got was a kiss on the forehead and a few hugs)...Isn't it just heart-breaking that the love that made Wang So whole again is the same love that would break Hae Soo into a million pieces? Both Wang So and Hae Soo went thru so much and they deserve to be happy together...this drama is seriously breaking my heart!

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I gave up trying to understand this drama countless episodes ago - it barely makes sense, and Hae Soo just pisses me off most of the time (girl, seriously? you're supposed to keep Wang So grounded, change history positively and all that.. but, why do I feel that all you do is the opposite, by making ridiculous decisions and acting all pathetic.. I don't get you girl, I really don't :().

So now, I watch this drama merely for the eye candy. No disappointment there lol.

I had such high hopes for Moon Lovers tho, sigh...

End of rant. Thanks HeadsNo2 for the wonderful recap, and other Beanies for sharing your thoughts.. always a pleasure! :)

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Thanks for another thoughtful review/reflection. I absolutely agree with the scene with his mother - heartbreaking, real, revealing. The thing best portrayed in this series is the fact that beneath the whole rush for power is a deep need for love, of belonging. Even of a reaching past rejection. This was highlighted in Yo so well, after all his mothers life long fauning, when she was so willing to throw him away. These scenes are so compelling. Much of the other relationships are simply confusing, or skimmed over. Su just suddenly likes So, after a jump of 2 years. Lee Jun Ki is really amazing in this drama, and in this episode he really gets to reveal so many layers. I am hoping for a lot from the last 2 episodes and do fear a corny reincarnated get together.

As for why so's mother was so hateful, I think that the scene in the very beginning , where So get's scarred, reveals the reason - she says to the king "If I can't have your whole heart, I don't need any of it" - she wanted to be loved whole heartedley, and never got this, even giving the king 3 sons. So is her shame because she could even go as far as threatening to kill her own son, but still could not get the kings heart. She is a twisted character, but I totally agree it was a good thing she was not changed at the end to be a good hearted loving mother.

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I came prepared to watch the episode today and my kleenex ready and I used them already in the first few minutes of episode 19. I have been reading so many spoilers online but nothing compares to this one: http://www.joysofasia.com/part-2-moon-lovers-scarlet-heart-ryeo-finale-speculations-spoilers-possible-happy-ending-episode-19-20/

I think I have mentioned this link already but I really love the way it was written and explained and most of the content of the article including Part 1 came true even if scene is different from BBJX. I've been following it every since. Better check it out for tomorrow's finale episode.

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Does anyone think she'll be able to get back to her actual timeline....or is that plot-point no longer relevant?

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Guys, sign this petition for SHR season 2 pleasee! https://www.change.org/p/sbs-make-scarlet-heart-ryeo-season-2-possible?recruiter=621462971&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

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i don't understand what's going on.
she can't be queen because she has a scar and no political power. ok
why can't she be a royal concubine?? same reasons?
What happened to the Hae family? Did they disown her when she cut herself? Is that why she's not even good enough to be a concubine?

The politics would make more sense if they were explained...

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