The Lonely Shining Goblin: Episode 5
by javabeans
I was all set to gush about the Goblin-Reaper’s deadpan bickering being my favorite thing about this show, but then the show went and pulled a big dramatic move, which suddenly makes the light banter feel small in comparison. Even so, the episode is full of laugh-out-loud moments and heightened roommate hijinks. Let’s enjoy them while we can.
EPISODE 5 RECAP
In Quebec, Shin thumbs through Eun-tak’s book of poems, stopping to read “The Physics of Love” just as Eun-tak calls out to him from across the street. She lights up with joy when Shin makes the crosswalk lines change colors as she steps on them.
She runs up to him full of excitement over the crosswalk “red carpet” as he finishes the poem: “My heart / From the sky to the ground / Continued to swing dizzyingly like a pendulum / It was first love.”
He looks at her with such a serious gaze that she thinks he’s upset with her. His mood remains somber as return to Seoul, and as he drives home, Eun-tak offers to walk to cut the ride short. She’s hurt at his ready agreement, and Shin doesn’t even look her way when she gets out of the car.
He returns home thinking of Eun-tak, then of the moment he was stabbed with the sword. Suddenly, he’s hit with a wave of agony and recalls the god’s declaration that only the goblin bride could pull out the sword and return him to nothingness. It seems the pain from the sword only comes in bouts, and this time it fades quickly, though he’s left shaken.
Eun-tak walks home listening to a radio program, and the DJ says that sometimes a strange genre will pop up in your life. She asks which genre described everyone’s life tonight: heart-pounding rom-com, strange and beautiful fantasy, or sad melodrama. Hey, are you watching this drama too?
Suddenly the audio squawks, and Eun-tak looks around nervously. Uh-oh, is this not a radio-related issue? Eun-tak turns away when she sees a girl off in the distance looking at her, but the girl (ghost) appears in front of her with pleading eyes. Eun-tak can’t continue ignoring her, and she tells the ghost to approach her normally instead of being all scary.
The ghost begs Eun-tak for a favor: to fill her refrigerator in her gosiwon room, because when her mother comes, it’ll pain her to see it empty. Eun-tak says apologetically that she has no money, then thinks of an idea that sends her to the gosiwon room armed with juices, ready-made lunches, and fancy chocolates. (Hotel snacks?)
Eun-tak also makes the bed and tidies the room, and the ghost gives her a heartfelt thanks. Later, when Mom comes to her dead daughter’s room, she looks around with eyes full of emotion, taking in how her daughter lived. At the sight of the full refrigerator, Mom breaks down in tears, while her daughter cries behind her.
The ghost arrives at Reaper’s tearoom, where he gives her tea and tells her she worked hard in this life, and to go carefully into the next life.
Sunny returns to the bridge where she met Reaper, and to her shock actually sees him there today. She pelts him with questions, like whether this is coincidence and why he never called.
Reaper says in his awkward way, “I will. Right now.” He starts to leave so he can call from home where the phone is, which naturally makes no sense to Sunny. She points out that they just met (meaning, we can just talk right here), but he misinterprets that as a reminder of manners and says, “Nice to see you.”
She suggests coffee instead of a phone call, which takes them to a cafe where Reaper silently drinks four iced Americanos in a row. Ha, did you interpret “Let’s get coffee” as “Let’s just get coffee”? Sunny asks if he’s just going to sit drinking coffee, pointing out that the sun has gone down. Again taking the literal route, Reaper just agrees that the daylight was short.
Sunny says it wasn’t short for her, sitting here while he didn’t talk, and asks frustratedly, “Aren’t we going to exchange greetings? Aren’t we going to talk?” Reaper immediately bows his head and makes a greeting.
After an exasperated moment, Sunny goes with it, and speeds through the pleasantries of conversation: “Yes, and how have you been? Is my ring doing well? Do you still have no cell phone?” Reaper rattles off, “Yes, I have been well. The ring is well. I have no cell phone.” Oh my god, this could go on all day, but I would watch it all day.
Sunny guesses that he forgot her name, but he proudly announces it as Sun-hee. She starts to protest, then laughs and calls him funny, asking if this is his concept. Man, she must really like him.
She notices him staring and asks impatiently what he’s looking at. Reaper says that he couldn’t help not looking when she laughed, and that appeases her. But when she asks his name, Reaper’s face goes sad.
Next thing we know, Reaper and Goblin are sitting morosely at the dining table, one with freezing hands, the other emanating blue fire. LOL, and then they exchange items—Reaper’s hand-chilled beer goes to Goblin, whose hand-warmed egg goes to Reaper. Love the mundane use of superpowers.
Reaper says dully, “She asked my name, but I don’t know my name. She asked how I was doing, too. To ask that of someone who doesn’t even live.”
Shin’s thoughts return to Eun-tak, and he thinks, “At her smile, recalling the moment my life crumbled in the sunlight of the hottest hour of day, I decided. I must disappear. Before I want to live longer, before I become happier. It’s a choice I must make for your sake—ending this life.”
Reaper says he can hear everything and asks if he really means to die. Shin says yes, before the first snow. They both drink and sigh.
At the hotel, Deok-hwa looks over a bill of charges and confronts Eun-tak over eating and drinking everything in the hotel refrigerator, including alcohol. Eun-tak reminds him that his grandfather told her to ask for anything she needed, and asks Deok-hwa to pay the bill, since she has no money. He admits pathetically that he doesn’t, either.
Eun-tak is surprised by a visit from Shin and asks if Deok-hwa oppa told her about the fridge incident. She asks if he can pay it for her, reminding him that he drank the liquor, and threatens to blow out every single candle and fill his day with back-and-forth trips.
Suddenly, all the candles blow out, and Shin tells her not to make any more wishes. A hurt look comes into her eyes, until he adds, “You won’t need to, because I’ll be with you constantly. Let’s go home.”
She asks if he loves her. He replies calmly, “If that’s needed, I can do that. I love you.”
He says it completely impassively, and they stand there staring at each other while it pours rain outside. Eun-tak asks, “Do you dislike me that much?” She thinks he dislikes her so much that he’s sad about it, causing the rain.
Still, she says that she’ll go live in his house anyway, using a turn of phrase meaning beggars can’t be choosers (i.e., being picky about hot rice or cold rice): “I’m not in a position to be choosy over a hot goblin or a cold one.” (Hot. Always go hot.)
On the drive home, Eun-tak looks sad at the sight of the continuing rain. When she asks what Shin’s name is, he doesn’t immediately reply, which she takes the wrong way. She says glumly, “I guess we aren’t ‘we’ yet.”
“I think it started before you were born,” Shin tells her. “We.”
Pausing at a red light, Shin lists some of the names he’s used before, and then his real name, Kim Shin. She smiles a tiny bit at that.
Reaper steps out with the trash just as they pull up to the house, and is shocked to hear she’s going to live here now. Then he recalls Shin’s thoughts about ending his life and grins, telling Eun-tak that he’s rooting for. He wishes her well on “her work,” which Eun-tak assumes refers to house chores.
But they’re stymied by the front door, namely the keypad with the passcode they’ve never used, since they don’t need doors. All Shin can figure is that it’s probably four digits, while Reaper knows they hit the star at the end. Eun-tak starts to give a speech about how it’s like that moment of fear before entering a haunted house at an amusement park, only to find that both men have already poofed inside the house. Shin opens the door from the inside, hee.
Inside, Deok-hwa gapes at Eun-tak and barrages her with who-what-why questions. (He reveals that the door code is 1004, a common pun: Spoken, it sounds like the word “angel.” Yup, that’s about the maturity level I’d expect of him.)
They show Eun-tak to an unused room currently used for storage, and Shin starts planning the decor like it’s an art gallery, while Reaper contradicts his color choices. Eun-tak settles on a compromise to incorporate both ideas: Shin’s romantic 19th-century-style wallpaper here, and Reaper’s pastel-colored hearth over there.
Eun-tak offers to sleep on the sofa tonight or even the flower bed outside, but Shin tells her to sleep in his bedroom, making two pairs of eyes bug out. He insists he didn’t mean that—and then takes his pillow into Reaper’s room and tells him in magnanimous sageuk speech, “I shall sleep in the bed, so do not worry yourself with me and sleep comfortably on the sofa.”
But when Reaper says he’ll make Eun-tak sleep in the flower bed, Shin relents and takes the sofa. (Shin: “Were you always this inconsiderate?” Reaper: “Yes.”)
In Shin’s room, Eun-tak spies her poem collection on the table, and next to it a handwritten journal and her laminated maple leaf. She’s pleased to see that he kept it after all and starts to read his journal, but gives up right away because she can’t read hanja.
We jump back centuries to when Shin first wrote in that journal, describing the warfare that ravages this foreign land as much as it did his homeland: “Foreign gods and Goryeo’s gods are all the same. I have buried the grandson of the grandson of the grandson I left Goryeo with.”
Shin continues, “My will is not something I write as death looms. God, my will is a plea to you to grant me death.”
We see Shin grappling with the sword in his chest as he continues, “There have been times when I considered this life a prize, but ultimately my life has been a punishment. I have never forgotten anyone’s death. Thus, I intend to end this life. But as ever, the gods are not listening.”
Lying awake that night, Shin asks, “Have you ever seen god? Are you maybe looking at god right now?” Reaper is not happy to be roused from sleep and grumps that a low man on the totem pole like him wouldn’t get to see god.
Shin says that he’s seen god once, and Reaper asks curiously what god looked like. Shin flashes back to lying in that field a thousand years ago in Goryeo, when a butterfly danced around and landed on his sword. “Just… a butterfly,” he says.
Reaper sighs, feeling like he can’t even harm a passing butterfly now. Shin muses, “If god showed me a face, I could at least resent him concretely. If it’s really true that god only gives you as much hardship as you can endure, I wonder if he hasn’t overestimated me.”
Reaper asks sincerely if he’s having a hard time, and Shin assures him that fog won’t be rolling in or anything. Reaper wonders, “How is it that we’ve never once seen the god that humans see all the time?”
In the morning, Eun-tak wakes up and smiles to remember that she’s at Shin’s house. She wonders if they’ll have fixings to make breakfast, then looks around the big empty room and says, “They have everything they should, but there’s something lonely about it.”
She’s thrilled to come downstairs and find the guys cooking—Shin with his meat and Reaper with his veggies, as usual—and says with excitement that it’s been a long time since anyone’s cooked food for her. Shin points out that they never said they were going to give her any, and she frowns.
But they share, of course, and Eun-tak sits between them at the long dining table, cleaning off a plate of both steak and salad. She says she’ll earn her keep and do all her own cooking and laundry, and notes that they seem to do all of their own housework unlike most rich people…
Then she turns around to find Goblin and Reaper in another silverware battle, floating a pair of knives between them with kung fu mind control and taunting each other like a couple of children. Reaper: “Have you been practicing in secret?” Eun-tak says dryly that this is why they can’t have workers in the house, and they drop the knives, chastened.
Eun-tak says she’s written a few things down and clears her throat before reading it to them: “Letter of plea: 1. I would like it if it didn’t rain often. It causes the citizens discomfort, so while I’m living here, please be happy.” Reaper wags a finger at Shin.
She continues, “2. If you have a complaint, please say so in words. I would like it if you refrained from taking me away, or saying that you’ll take me away, or actually taking me away.” Now it’s Shin’s turn to wag a finger at Reaper. Number 3 asks for them to call her instead of materializing out of nowhere all the time, and she leaves her phone number with the caveat that school, work hours, and library time are off-limits.
Eun-tak leaves for school, and Reaper and Shin stare at the letter she’s left on the fridge like it’s written in code. Shin wonders, “Does it mean I should call her?” Reaper counters, “Or she knows we don’t have cell phones and she’s belittling us?”
Cue: Two shiny new cell phones arriving at the house, courtesy of Deok-hwa. Reaper picks the black one, of course, and Shin switches to sageuk tone to tell Deok-hwa that Reaper is excitable because he’s never seen one of these before, but he himself knows alllll about smartphones and doesn’t need a tutorial, thank you very much.
Deok-hwa is skeptical, insisting that the smartphone is very smart, but Shin will hear none of it and says he needs no help. Deok-hwa says they’ll start by going to the Google Play Store, and Shin immediately stands up to put on his coat to go to this store. Pffft. He instructs Reaper to put a coat on, and Deok-hwa just watches them with his mouth open.
Reaper and Shin sit in their respective rooms and attempt a video call to each other, but Reaper just holds the phone to his ear and waves a hand in front of his face going, “I can’t see your face!” Shin instructs, “Is it on your ear? Take it off! Your arm! Put it far away!”
Reaper complies like a robot, stretching his arm out but not understanding why, still looking for Shin’s face in front of him instead of in the phone. Hahaha.
At school, Eun-tak does an internet search on Kim Shin and is impressed to find that he was a general, calling it a stable government job. She wonders why the information on him is so scant, disappointed that that’s all there is.
Eun-tak is surprised to get a call from Shin, and they go shopping for things she’ll need at the house. She says she didn’t know he’d use a smartphone, and he rattles off the phone’s specs like a big geek, thinking that it makes him seem knowledgeable.
Eun-tak stops in front of a stuffed toy and says it’s Shin—it’s a goblin who knows that people are afraid of him, so he wears his favorite buckwheat jelly as a hood to disguise himself. “Isn’t it so cute? You know what I’m saying, right?” she says with a long pause. Cut to: Goblin and sidekick toy in their shopping cart.
She runs around excitedly adding this and that, and finally decides to stop because it’ll be too much to carry out when she leaves the house. He raises an eyebrow at that, and she points out that you never know how things will end between men and women. Shin just counters, “Who said I’d let you take them with you?”
That night, Reaper does his reaper paperwork, signing receipts for every dead soul. No wonder Reaper is an old fuddy-duddy, when his job hasn’t modernized with the times. He signs with the name all reapers use, Messenger Kim, and that reminds him of Sunny asking his name.
Apparently he didn’t know how to answer, so he just got up to leave. Sunny had chased him outside the cafe, confused, and he’d said he was sensitive about his name. Then he’d asked for the receipt that she took to claim a refill, because his office is so strict about them.
Now, Reaper pulls out Sunny’s number, and struggles to save it into his new phone. He has trouble typing and ends up just saving it with typos: Su Nny not Sun-hee. Wait, after all that you’re not even going to call?
Shin and Eun-tak return home, and he tells her that her room has been made “mostly livable,” which means brand-new furniture and full decor.
Shin asks if she likes it, holding up his hands as though to claim credit for doing with his own hands. He says, “I had it done in the spirit of one who does it himself.” Sure, that’s totally the same thing. He leaves her with the instruction to tiptoe because his room is below, but once he’s back in his room, he smiles to hear each amplified sound, picturing what she’s doing.
Reaper drops by to ask her a question, and Eun-tak hilariously jumps to the wrong conclusion, thinking he’s going to carry her off and arguing that she’s got a family and a husband now.
Reaper clarifies that he just wants to know what man’s name women like, since he doesn’t have one. She’s surprised to hear it since Shin has a name, and when Reaper hears what it is, he pouts jealously.
Eun-tak asks him about names he likes, and he goes through a couple, clocking her (non)reaction to them all. So Eun-tak gives him three names representative of what women like: Hyun Bin, Won Bin, Kim Woo-bin. Reaper catches her drift, and ponders possible Bin names.
Deok-hwa drives Eun-tak back from school the next day and wonders if Reaper really is going to make himself a name like those actors. She says he’s hardly in a position to criticize when his name is Yoo Deok-hwa (Andy Lau’s name Koreanized). Deok-hwa sighs, explaining that Shin was really into Andy Lau in the year he was born; to this day, Deok-hwa refuses to watch Infernal Affairs because of it.
Eun-tak directs Deok-hwa to drop her off in front of Sunny’s chicken shop, and he’s dismayed to find that she works there, because he was planning to close down all the storefronts. He meets with his grandfather’s secretary to cancel those plans, only to hear that the secretary never even started. Heh.
Deok-hwa asks if his grandfather had anything to convey to him, hoping for his credit card. The only thing the secretary has for him, though, is a message for Eun-tak to take care for the upcoming college entrance exam.
Eun-tak busies herself with her studies in the coming days, and Shin drops off delicious and elaborate snacks, accompanied with notes saying that he knows she’s studying, but when she has some free time, maybe… she could help… with that sword…?
Haha, and then Reaper sneaks in a snack tray too (his is plain broccoli with hot pepper sauce) asking her to help that guy out with the sword, and to keep his encouragement a secret between them.
When she drops by the kitchen, Shin’s there to ask passive-aggressively what her dream is, since it’s keeping her too busy studying to do anything about any swords. Eun-tak answers readily that she wants to be a radio producer, and he complains that that wasn’t his point.
Eun-tak says that she’s been thinking she’ll defer “making him pretty” (i.e., pulling the sword), because once she does, it’ll take away her usefulness, and he might kick her out. He whines about her eating all those snacks, and she calls him out on his pettiness, saying he could have just given her that 5 million won and be done with it.
He asks why she asked specifically for that amount (about $5,000 USD), which isn’t even enough to put down a deposit on an apartment. Eun-tak replies that she wasn’t even being that greedy; it was calculated to cover the various fees and expenses she’d incur while registering for university and waiting to hit adulthood. To people as poor as her, she says, 5 million won is just as unattainable as 500 million.
That’s when Reaper sidles into the room to tell Shin to give her the money, as though he’s cruel for not having done so yet.
Then Reaper asks if his name is really Kim Shin, looking extra sad as he says, “Your name is really cool.” Aw, poor Reaper!
At the chicken shop, Eun-tak interrupts Sunny from an afternoon of glaring at her non-ringing phone to ask for advice. She asks to call her unni, and Sunny declares that coming to “unni” for help can only mean one thing: Eun-tak’s pregnant, right?
Eun-tak assures her that she isn’t, then asks what Sunny thinks of marrying young. Sunny asks how old he is and what he’s like, brushing aside the descriptions of liking books and art and serving his country, asking simply, “Is he good to you?” Sunny asks if she likes the guy (“No,” Eun-tak exclaims) and if the guy likes her (“…no,” she says slowly), and is confused at why marriage is even on the table. Eun-tak laughs uneasily and sees her point.
Eun-tak walks home thinking of how Shin had said he’d love her if necessary, and how flatly he’d said he loved her. She says aloud, “I don’t need a love like that. And don’t you need it, either.” She grumbles that she won’t be making him pretty, hmph.
In a nearby bookshop, Shin jumps up from reading a book as soon as he sees Eun-tak pass by, and reappears at home to assume a casual pose. Notwithstanding his heaving chest from all that exertion, he acts like he was home the whole time.
Shin narrows his eyes and watches closely as Eun-tak joins Reaper in folding freshly laundered towels, pointedly complimenting him so Shin can overhear.
Shin attempts to divert attention back to himself by walking by with artwork and rattling off its pedigree like an art history professor. He asks for advice on where to hang it, but the other two ignore him in favor of their towels, leaving Shin to dance around in the background with the painting.
Reaper just asks about the red scarf, remembering it from when she was nine, and Eun-tak explains how it was her mother’s, and she wore it thinking that covering her birthmark would prevent her from seeing ghosts. Hit with more sympathy, Reaper turns puppy-dog eyes to Shin and requests, “Give her that 5 million.”
Shin complains to Eun-tak about having everything turn into a sad story, and she replies that she wasn’t talking to him. She and Reaper agree that Shin has a strange personality, talking about him like he’s not standing right there with furrowed brow and frowny face.
Eun-tak asks if Reaper has picked a name, and he starts to reply enthusiastically, only to have Shin cut in and say she ought to be studying. He needles her, saying she’ll fail her exam and never be a radio PD this way. Reaper calls that a cool career and gets her talking about her dream, and Shin is cut out of the loop again. (Ha, who knew Reaper could out-converse anybody? Shin’s stock has taken a dive today.)
Shin gets possessive over the conversation topic, saying she’d told him about wanting to be a PD, and yet she’s talking to Reaper about it.
Eun-tak says that you talk with the people you live with, and Shin huffs that she isn’t living with any people. Eun-tak suggests that Reaper consider Park Bo-gum a potential name, emphasizing the last syllable because it means sword.
The bickering escalates, with Eun-tak blaming Shin for her birthmark, Shin huffily looking past her hair to declare the birthmark pretty, and Eun-tak taking offense to him “hitting” her hair and saying that he got his sword stuck in him for a reason. Shin gasps, asking if she’s a psychopath to hit him exactly where it hurts.
She calls him a psycho too, reminding him that he was the one who said she wasn’t a goblin’s bride and should live in reality. He exclaims that he was doing it for her benefit, and she yells back, “If you’re doing things for my benefit, hand over my boyfriend!” She lists her original three wishes, saying that it didn’t come true, and Shin yells right back, “He’s right here, your boyfriend! Right in front of you—me!”
Silence. Pause. Awkward frozen moment in time.
They both look away uncertainly and fidget for a while, while Reaper shoots them a dry look. Then they simultaneously dash for their rooms.
In her room, Eun-tak acts like she’s put out by Shin’s words while looking pleased. Shin, meanwhile, notes that he’s more appropriately a husband than a boyfriend, and wonders if he should go back to correct the discrepancy. He sighs that it’s a troubling situation, but smiles like a little boy.
The next day, Reaper sits at the table, grumbling about the other two and how he can’t even call Sunny because of his lack of a name. He sits there all day, brooding until darkness falls and Deok-hwa and Shin join him.
Shin guesses that a woman is at the root of Reaper’s gloom. Reaper blusters defensively, but Deok-hwa sees the phone number with the lipstick kiss, teasing Reaper about kissing the paper in secret.
Shin dials while Reaper is distracted, and hands him the phone when Sunny answers. Reaper shoves his hand aside, which accidentally sends his phone flyyyying across the room. He freezes time to calmly pluck the frozen phone out of the air, clears this throat and practices a few lines, trying to decide on a strategy for answering the call.
HA, then Shin unfreezes to offer his advice, explaining that he can freeze time too. He stuffs a dinner roll in Deok-hwa’s mouth, then restarts time.
Reaper finally says hello into the phone, and Sunny gets bristly, noting that he does know how to use a phone after all. Taking her sarcastic comments literally, he assures her that his fingers didn’t break and that her number is doing fine right here.
She prods him to say more, so he asks for an example of what he might be expected to say. Then he parrots her example back at her: “Morning, lunch, or dinner, which is most convenient for you?” Sunny replies that she prefers meeting in the morning and separating at night.
The next day, Reaper heads out for his date, trying his best to do everything to be “most human-like.”
Shin and Eun-tak have their first run-in after his awkward declaration, and they both recoil nervously. “Ji Eun-tak!” “Yes?” “What?” “You just called me.” “I did?” “Yes.” “Why?” “I don’t know, why?”
Shin thinks why, and says it’s because he felt awkward. She says the same, and then offers to say “very naturally” that she’s hungry, and he offers to then reply naturally about going to eat meat.
They walk into the same fancy steakhouse they’d visited before in Quebec—and as Eun-tak heads to a table, time suddenly slows waaaaay down for Shin. He watches people moving at half-speed and Eun-tak taking a phone call—and then, suddenly, she looks different. Older. Dressed like an adult.
Eun-tak turns to greet her lunch partner, an unseen CEO, seemingly not seeing Shin sitting in front of her. “At 29, you’re still bright,” Shin says, looking at her with sad eyes. “But I am not there next to you. My life’s immortality has come to an end. After my death, you and your life after my disappearance have forgotten me and come to perfect completion. I must disappear. For the sake of you, who smiles prettily. The choice I must make is ending this life.”
And then, as we see scenes from their prior encounters, Shin disappears from the picture: Eun-tak stands alone in the Canadian street, points at nothing where she once pointed at the sword in his chest, and stands by the shore holding buckwheat flowers by herself.
Shin realizes, “In the end, I made that choice.” A tear falls down his face.
For a moment, it’s 19-year-old Eun-tak he’s sitting with, but then it’s back to grown-up Eun-tak, waiting for her partner, not seeing Shin.
COMMENTS
I’m not clear on the specifics of what we’re looking at in the last scene—premonition? Imagination? Manifestation of fear?—but it did effectively make my stomach drop. Till now, I’ve enjoyed the comedy aspect of this show the most, above the melo, because I suppose I don’t really know when Shin fell in love or feel like I buy it wholesale. I understand her better on this front, because her reactions, while contradictory, seem contradictory in a very human and realistic way. Maybe I’m not meant to quite understand the heart of a god, but I’m accepting what the show tells me about his heart because I want the story to work and I don’t want to challenge it too much. It’s not something I feel in my gut, though.
But in any case, the comedy has been the real highlight for me, because here’s where the banter crackles and the wordplay is light and easy, not forced in the way that drama wordplay can sometimes get. Plus, these characters are a hoot, and Reaper is fast becoming my favorite, with all his stiff, old-fashioned ways and inability to read beyond the literal meaning of words that are spoken. Plus, his budding alliance with Eun-tak tickled my fancy today for the way they conversed easily, which was doubly fun for the way it made Shin prance around like a puppy trying to demand attention and pouting when it went ignored.
That said, I’m starting to come around to the heart-twistiness of the melo line, because there’s something beautifully sad about a lonely, immortal soul being torn between life and death, wanting to live as a regular person for once while knowing that he can’t let this one chance at eternal rest go. That’s always been sad in theory, but today in that last scene we really got to see how that affected Shin, in the aftermath (is it aftermath if it hasn’t happened yet?)—imagined or not, the loss was real, of having Eun-tak not see him, not respond to him, and moving on with a life that doesn’t have him in it.
It certainly helps that Gong Yoo’s anguish was palpable and immediate, and moved me in a way I haven’t felt yet for his character. After living a thousand years, it makes sense for him to have adopted a mostly placid demeanor—what’s to get fussed about when it all passes?—and the calmness is both soothing and pitiful. But to see him moved to such pain was extra heart-pinching because it’s outside his normal scope of emotion—particularly after we’d just seen him so light-hearted and happy. Why is happiness so fleeting? Can’t a god catch a break around here?
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Tags: featured, Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, The Lonely Shining Goblin, Yoo Inna
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1 vongole
December 16, 2016 at 8:59 PM
Definitely my new favourite show - loving it!
But, also look forward to discussing this episode more (thanks for the recaps to get us started)... not sure if the directing was all that deft with this one :/
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clairie
December 16, 2016 at 9:13 PM
This show... when it's sad, I was bawling my heart out then when it's fun I was laughing till my belly hurt. Kim Eun Sook, you made my day.
I was intrigued by Grim Reaper and Sunny relationship. I'm pretty sure he's the king and by watching his behaviour in front of Sunny (the Queen), he must have really love the Queen. I wonder... how much pain he is in after she died knowing that he kill her?? He still keep her pictures
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:07 PM
He was pretty much a young king, still a teenager. His eunuchs/advisors were clearly controlling him.
Goryeo eunuchs were pretty powerful at one point in history even over military commanders. In order for the military leaders to get an audience with the king they had to go through his eunuchs which they usually refuse to grant. ("Age of Warriors" covers that timeline)
I'm guessing that the head eunuch probably riled up the young king with words of General Kim Shin's accomplishments on the battlefield and how the people worshipped him. That would caused him to rage with jealousy.
They probably convinced him that his queen and her brother were conspiring against him killing 2 birds with one stone.
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LeeWm
December 17, 2016 at 12:05 AM
Anyone else think that the King and Goblin could have been really close back then? Almost like brothers. Maybe the king, goblin and goblin's sister (queen) were all really close. But stuff like jealousy, manipulation by the eunuch etc got in the way and broke their friendship?
That's why in the prev episode episode when Goblin was asked who put the sword in there, he replied it was someone whom he never thought would put it in there the first place (the sword was put in there following King's orders, therefore the King put it in there indirectly).
Perhaps we would see such scenes showing the rship between the two in future.
It would explain the strong/playful brotherhood we can see between Goblin and Grim Reaper (who is supposedly a reincarnation of the King) now.
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miin
December 17, 2016 at 12:46 AM
good point about king and shin friendship.
Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 6:50 AM
I think they were. He was his in law. Iirc, Shin told Dukkie at the restaurant that the king he protected was 17yrs old.
Katigie
December 17, 2016 at 11:08 AM
While there's been a lot of speculation that the Reaper was the king, what if he were the Goblin's faithful lieutenant, the one who actually drove the sword into him in order to prevent his death at the king's hands?
Kira
December 17, 2016 at 7:59 PM
Totally agree, also I think that the reason reaper shed tears when he first met sunny, who j believe is a reincarnation of the queen, is because the King did indeed regret his queen's death. I just realised it today after watching episode 6 but isn't the person who played the baddie eunuch the same one as the secretary who follows deok-hwa around? Is that supposed to mean something? Hmm
h3lla
December 17, 2016 at 1:15 AM
Right! In the first episode, I wondered why Shin insisted on advancing even at the cost of his men and his sister. My theory is he was trying to get to the eunuch to kill him, but couldn't do it at the cost of his family and servants. He knew the eunuch was up to no good and wanted to sever his influence over the young king. When the king dies and Shin comes back, the eunuch didn't look particularly sad. I assumed the king was quietly assassinated, and Shin was saying he was too late to save the king... okay that last one might be a reach lol. He did burn down the palace.
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bigmomma12345
December 17, 2016 at 4:29 AM
Yes, your last thought may be a reach, but I had the same thought myself... lol!
Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:09 PM
I thought the young queen's portraits were kept by Shin.
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kumoiwa
December 16, 2016 at 10:20 PM
Shin found the portraits by the king's deathbed, took one, and then burned the rest. Which is kind of super bittersweet--the king obviously regretted being lured into killing his queen, and Shin doesn't even want to give him one portrait to take into the afterlife with.
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blues
December 16, 2016 at 10:23 PM
Woah, I didn't think that far. This absolutely makes sense.
Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:43 PM
That might explain why he can't remember her or maybe that was his punishment.
Bobbie
December 16, 2016 at 11:54 PM
Wait I thought the portraits were by the queen's death bed in her chamber? He went to see her but she had already been wrapped up in orange cloth and that's why he cried that he was "too late", and took a painting of her as he left?
I didn't get why he burned up the building though, I thought maybe he was cremating her... What you say makes a lot more sense though haha. Let me go watch that part again...
kumoiwa
December 17, 2016 at 12:02 AM
@blues: It's sort of overtly cruel now that I think about it, but the king did deserve it too...
@Kiara: I wouldn't put the gods (god?) past giving him an almost-eternal punishment of not being able to remember the one person he's emotionally indebted to forever.
@Bobbie: I do think it was the king's deathbed though, because 1) the evil eunuch was there with another eeeevil official, and 2) the queen was labelled a traitor and wouldn't have received such a grand funeral. If anything she'd probably have been dumped into a mass grave with the rest of her family :(
I believe Shin said he was late because he realised that the king had died and he couldn't take his physical revenge anymore. I also noted the noticeably white beard and hair of the evil eunuch, so some time must have passed before the king died. I wonder what took Shin so long, though?
Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 12:02 AM
@Bobbie
The queen died when the king ordered the members of Kim family to be executed.
Shin returned years later (eunuchs looked older with white beard) for revenge. He killed the eunuchs but the king had died already. That's why he said he was too late.
endo
December 17, 2016 at 12:03 AM
Bobbie,
I also thought that the wrapped body was the queen. And the room filled with Queen's portrait are just random.Lol.
Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 12:06 AM
Lol we both replied to Bobbie at the same time.
Bobbie
December 17, 2016 at 12:33 AM
@Kiara & kumoiwa, I don't think the queen was labeled as a traitor; she was a result of Kim Shin's decision to continue 'walking forwards' towards the king. When she was shot, she was dying but not dead yet. Though yeah it makes a lot more sense that she would have died quickly, and probably would not received such an elaborate burial, and that the chamber belonged to the king.
Now I'm confused how the king would have died before the eunuchs if the king was a teenager, and the eunuchs were much older?
kumoiwa
December 17, 2016 at 12:44 AM
@Bobbie: IIRC, when one was labelled a traitor in the past his/her family was branded with the same tag and went down together with them. Most of the time the entire family would be executed, with very few exceptions, like when the ruler wanted to be seen as benevolent. But this king was probably so riled up by his eunuch that he was willing to kill his wife, which is actually kind of risky since he and Shin are related by marriage. If he killed his wife because she was Shin's sister, he'd have to theoretically kill himself too because he was Shin's brother-in-law. This was the main reason why most rulers didn't touch relatives of traitors (real or otherwise) if they happened to marry into the palace. But it does seem like the young king was so angry and led astray that he was willing to wager this. I wonder what he was told?
The king would have probably died of illness--the Wang royals were super inbred so the likelihood of genetic diseases was wayyyyy too high. Though in this case I'd like to be romantic and think that he died of a broken heart due to regret and grief haha.
min
December 17, 2016 at 12:45 AM
Bobbie, to quote grim reaper... there is no age for death. kids at 9 die, kids at 10 dies, king can die too.
Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 12:57 AM
@Bobbie
I could be wrong but if I remember correctly, she told him to walk towards the king. That's defying the king's command. If she wasn't a traitor before that then she was at that moment.
annflln
December 16, 2016 at 10:43 PM
Shin was obtained her picture from King's chamber.
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 12:11 AM
Yes. I realized that she was talking about then. I was talking about now and that Shin still have her portraits in his possession.
CatoCat
December 17, 2016 at 3:32 AM
Reaper Kim and Sin's combi is doing amazing job. Comedy is apt and i also liked Reaper scenes with Sunny.
Killing your own queen feels quite foolish if she isn't related to the Kim Shin.
At 1st i thought that kim shin visited queen's place and then burned it down but now after reading comments i also feel that it was king's place and so King loved the queen and yet went ahead and gave order to kill her.
So that remorse might be the punishment of King as now Reaper Kim can't harm anyone at all.
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Aarana
December 18, 2016 at 7:59 PM
Am I the only one that thinks Sunny was the King and Grim was the Queen? Lol
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anne
December 19, 2016 at 6:29 AM
only heavy sinners can be grim reapers. i highly doubt that the queen is a heavy sinner
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ZENITH
December 16, 2016 at 11:14 PM
I also felt the transitions from one scene to next were not all smooth , minor editing problems or it was just my downloaded video was flawed .. still I did pick some problems...
Its just episode 5 and I feel like I've been watching this for months...
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gem
December 17, 2016 at 12:49 PM
A couple of those awkward transitions are due to commercial breaks.
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Rosa
December 17, 2016 at 6:12 PM
Yeap, I can confirm that due to the stream I did to watch it
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DramaNinja
December 17, 2016 at 12:38 AM
Outstanding moments this episode
The name 'Sunny' being such a contrast to being Grim. When she said "i prefer to meet at day and separate at night"I was like whoa! That might not end well..
All this while Kim Shin could not see Eun Tak's future, but when he saw her future through the Waiter's eyes, It just spoke volumes about the amount of fore-thinking and perfect world creation, this fantasy drama has. Kudos to the writer on that!
The scene when KS and ET bickered was so immature and funny, just love these two.
Also PPL's done right!
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h3lla
December 17, 2016 at 1:18 AM
Through the waiter's eyes! Of course! I was wondering how he was seeing her future! It all makes sense now lol.
Although, if it's the waiter's future he's seeing isn't he making quite a few assumptions about who future Eun Tak is going to be meeting there, and why? What an emotional god haha
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lunaticandra
December 17, 2016 at 1:54 AM
Ahh... I see now...
It is coming from the waiter's eyes?
Here I am all confused because Shin supposedly incapable of see Euntak's future.
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ywcnois
December 17, 2016 at 1:54 AM
"he saw her future through the Waiter’s eyes"
Ooh I didn't really understand the last scene, but that makes sense.
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DV
December 17, 2016 at 2:48 AM
"Also PPL’s done right!"
I know right? I haven't enjoyed PPL this much aside from SKL. I love it that the PPL is so clever in its execution, and becomes a part of the narrative, sometimes even becomes a highlight in the scene. It's inserted like just other scenes, the only difference is that we get a brief shot of the brand's name compared to a normal scene. I don't appreciate the idea of PPL, but I can't help but appreciate how intelligently it's done.
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imzadi
December 17, 2016 at 3:39 AM
Thank you, I didn't make the connection with the waiter, but it makes perfect sense and explains the ending.
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2 echo
December 16, 2016 at 9:01 PM
That play store scene had me laughing ??? I'm loving the bromance
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starandsky
December 16, 2016 at 9:15 PM
Jealous Goblin is so funny, haha! The biggest mistake in 900 years!
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vkook
December 16, 2016 at 10:23 PM
Does anyone else notice the word-play on "oh-baek" (500), "gu-baek" (900), and "gobaek" (confess)? I totally LOL-ed at those...
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min
December 17, 2016 at 12:43 AM
uh huh. goblin was so sensitive about those words cause he mistake them for confession (gobaek)
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katherine
December 16, 2016 at 9:17 PM
YES! Especially when Gong Yoo was all haughty and confident of how much he knew about technology. HA. Little did he know. He reminded me of my parents... just 900 years older, and more technologically inept... if that's possible.
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nchoe
December 16, 2016 at 11:43 PM
Yeah, Grim Reaper and Goblin totally look like an old couple learning how to use smartphone.
Gah! After using their most dignified sageuk tone...
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katherine
December 17, 2016 at 4:33 PM
Right?! I often find myself stuck between swooning over their voices (and faces) to facepalming and hoping I don't slap myself too hard.
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Growingbeautifully
December 16, 2016 at 10:15 PM
Funniest episode so far. I was bursting out with loud laughter over and over. Lucky I was alone at that time.
Can't get over how natural and chatty Reaper is now with Eun Tak while he can't initiate a decent conversation with Sunny. Never heard such a literal response to small talk in my life LOL!
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ZENITH
December 16, 2016 at 11:20 PM
MY mom was at home .. She is so used to my crazy bursts of lol moments that now completely ignores that..
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kanz
December 16, 2016 at 10:48 PM
Reaper and Goblin should be exposed to more hi-tech gadgets. LOL
After 900 years living in human world, you'd expect them to know one or two about technologies, but they're really clumsy and inept and it's so cute!!
Can't stop laughing at the Play Store scene and when Reaper type "Sunny not Sunhee" contact name, with typos. LOL. Our resident Reaper is unintentionally funny and that's what I love from him.
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Growingbeautifully
December 17, 2016 at 12:45 AM
That was what my husband said. He said compared to Do Min Joon of My Love From Another Star, they were so hopeless... did they never employ their hundreds of years picking up on modern living?
My take on that is that Reaper was too busy working and collecting money from funerals/wakes, while Goblin was too pampered because he always had someone serving him. Never had to do much unless he wished. But still!!! LOL!
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Miky
December 17, 2016 at 11:48 AM
And we can add that Goblin-nim was never actually living and imersing along the living,he was soooo into finding his bride and ending his life that he was passing through life instend of actually enjoy the perks that bring along and well living it...So no wonder he is sooo clueless,but that part makes him endering,even more funny when he pretends he knows it all not to look bad unlike Reaper who doesn't have a problem saying when he doesn't know stuff
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heavensent03
December 18, 2016 at 3:50 AM
Isn't he intentionally mispronouncing the name? If the reaper calls a person's name 3 times, that person would die. It would make sense if it was intentional. :D :D I love this Goblin-Reaper tandem.
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chingu
December 17, 2016 at 12:52 AM
Yes love that scene and LOVED the way gong yoo said "play store" SO HOT. I replayed a few times
There was a lot of lol moments and scenes in this ep I was starting to worry abt the plot too bc it was all funnies but then the ending came and I was like "oh damn"
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Cookiechris
December 17, 2016 at 5:53 PM
I replayed that scene too. Omg. It was unexpected. Hahaha his voice sounds so nice in English and Korean!
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3 bips99
December 16, 2016 at 9:01 PM
Omg.. You have to notice gong yoo's expression immediately after he flicks her hair... I have replayed that half a second scene like 20 times.. Precious
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voice
December 16, 2016 at 9:24 PM
what scene was the from?
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bips99
December 16, 2016 at 9:31 PM
When they bicker and she yells thats whose fault is that she has the mark and sees ghosts. ... He then pulls aside her hair to peak at the mark.. She gets shocked that he flicked her hair...
Right after that... He is like 50 year old ahjumma making faces at her daughter in law..
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voice
December 16, 2016 at 9:37 PM
haha i just watched it... that expression was gold!
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Moment
December 16, 2016 at 10:13 PM
OML that description is spot-on XD
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vkook
December 16, 2016 at 10:17 PM
I noticed that too. But i think it looked more like a smug expression on a boy who enjoyed teasing his crush. LOL
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nchoe
December 16, 2016 at 11:44 PM
He looks like a teenage girl having a catfight with other teenage girl
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hyanggi
December 17, 2016 at 2:46 AM
I noticed that, too! And I LOVE his expression, so haughty! Lol. In fact, I love allll of Gong Yoo's expression in this drama, from sadness to haughty to cheeky smile to anxious looks, lol, it's all so colourful!
And paired with LDW's comedic expressions, I'm a happy camper <3
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dv
December 17, 2016 at 12:02 AM
From that scene, the highlight for me was grim reaper flipping his basket of towels in response to Kim Shin's bf declaration. LOL
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margrito
December 17, 2016 at 12:29 AM
THIS! I almost choke myself while laughing at that scene. It was so funny. ?
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min
December 17, 2016 at 12:42 AM
i'm confused his reaction. is he jealous of others having love life? or doesn't like the cheese? or being left alone?
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Growingbeautifully
December 17, 2016 at 3:47 AM
I believe Reaper was upset because Shin was making progress but he could not even make a phone call to Sunny, because he could not identify himself by name. His thoughts were looping over that fact.
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:34 AM
The individual love dilemma of Shin and Grim Reaper are so funny! I enjoy their moments of confiding (somewhat reluctantly) with each other. hehe!
maryxiah
December 17, 2016 at 6:09 PM
Coupled with the fact that the Reaper does not enjoy being outdone by Shin in anything.
Jina
December 17, 2016 at 1:53 AM
FOr me, one of the favorite moments is when Euntak ends up eating both the steak and the salad in the middle of the table between the two gods. Softies, giving her food. :D :D :D
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cinnamon
December 17, 2016 at 2:52 AM
His expression reminds me of Mr. Bean haha. Definitely precious...
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Snails & Oranges
December 18, 2016 at 8:09 AM
I saw that expression and thought: he's channeling Jo Jung-Seok! And then proceeded to replay it several times as well. :)
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4 autumnrain
December 16, 2016 at 9:01 PM
Thank you for the recap, JB! ;)
I was lol-ing so hard during the "playstore" scene XD But I cried at the ending TT OMG please don't make Uri Goblin Ajussi cry, Writer-nim... TT
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5 Chinzee
December 16, 2016 at 9:06 PM
I really really cannot feel or see any romantic connection bet. the two...feel so dissapointed...maybe I wanted to see Gong Yoo with a little bit older girl or maybe I wanted to see him not this shining prince and just a regular dude....
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Lord Cobol
December 17, 2016 at 12:14 AM
Well, it's like the ultimate arranged marriage. Arranged by fate / deity, etc. Romance is optional -- at this stage.
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 6:57 AM
I kind of like it. It's the old fashion like how it was in Goryeo.
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heroonthebeach
December 17, 2016 at 7:54 AM
@Lord Cobol thanks for raising the point about arranged marriage. I also find myself not feeling the strong romantic connection between the two; however, that's not stopping me from enjoying their individual stories and their interactions. I personally see it now as an arranged marriage where they are growing in love with each other.
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anya
December 17, 2016 at 12:21 AM
yea, you're not the only one. it's killing the mood for me, no matter how hard I try to give it another chance, or keep watching.
I think something in KGE's characterization is throwing everything else off...she has a neutral/default melo vibe to her that doesn't quite ring high schooler so her cutesiness or innocent misunderstandings and interactions with Goblin feel a tad forced...like I'm just watching them in motion but not really interacting.
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hyanggi
December 17, 2016 at 2:49 AM
Yes, and how relived I am, to see a more mature Ji Eun Tak, are we not going to have that? Pleasee.
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:55 AM
For me, I can get over the whole age thing honestly since Eun Tak is technically an adult. It's definitely not the most alarming K-romance premise (what with fauxcest, affairs and teacher-student romances around). And frankly if the romance was compelling and cute enough, I could get over it.
My main gripe is that there I don't understand how either of them have fallen for each other. Like, at all. In the past 5 episodes, there have been no real reason that they've developed this so-called-love to me. It's so puzzling. For example, compare this to WF where you can tell that there are feelings and why. JH likes BJ for her personality. BJ likes JY because he made her feel like a woman/lady. SH likes JH because she wanted to go back to who she was when she was with him at that point in her life.
Here, I can't tell if Goblin likes ET for her personality, does he sympathise with her struggles, is it because she looked pretty crossing the road, because it was predetermined, because he was curious she could follow him to Quebec? Does ET like the Goblin because he's handsome, he's the Goblin she's heard about her whole life? Like I see their moments together and I understand that there's a niceness about it, but there's nothing that screams emotional connection or even romantic sparks to me.
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fgb4877
December 17, 2016 at 3:56 PM
Dear Inxomnia and dear Beanies, how are you?.
My guess is that for a Goblin who has lived so may thing through 900 years, he is probabbly more than jaded. Every human life seems to repeat the same pattern, so he probably is not so invested in human lives anymore. Enter a person that could potentially change the game and he is almost forced to look closer. Now that pattern he has seen so many times then has a face and the narrative that is a person's life now has a face and a heart he can connect to.
On the other hand we have a neglected person who has almost build another world inside her head to escape her horrid reality as an orphan with a family that seems more akin to jailers. Enter someone that hears her, pays her attention and also understands and shares her world (he sees ghosts too and is a part of this "extended" magical reality).
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nomad
December 17, 2016 at 8:44 PM
Sorry for my ignorance..but what are: WF, JH, BJ, JY, etc? Can anyone elaborate?
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Moment
December 17, 2016 at 11:20 PM
@nomad - I only know this because I'm watching this drama, no worries!
"Weightlifting Fairy - Kim Bok joo" , and its main characters :
Joon-hyung
Bok-joo
Jae-yi
It's a beautiful little drama, I only have good things to say about it so far :)
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Moment
December 17, 2016 at 11:28 PM
I think Goblin is a compassionate soul in general, but all his interactions in the last 900 years have either been fleeting or excessively formal, if not both.
This is the first where he repeatedly interacts with a person, not always at his choosing. Plus he is stunned that she's able to follow him, and treat him completely with irreverance and affection simultaneously.
Basically, looks like he got blindsided, just so happens that Euntak is an admirable girl who is doing her best to overcome her circumstances.
I think it was a period of admiration, curiosity, amusement and longing for company that made him suddenly realize he is beginning to care for her.
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6 bips99
December 16, 2016 at 9:13 PM
I am not really sold on the sunny reaper line.. Bec it didnt come off as funny to me...
But i think the main leads really shined today.. They toned down her cuteness.. And she came off as more relatable.. Plus i loved loved loved their bickering scene... I think the way the show keeps emphasizing on her age means that its going to take a time leap so everyone can breathe easy....
The last scene really hits you... Goblin was puzzled that he couldnt see her future when he met her... But finally he does... And it makes me cry ...
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yoadrian
December 16, 2016 at 10:04 PM
That saaad ending.
Because it is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces...
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endo
December 16, 2016 at 10:05 PM
Can you please give me a drama that have a future setting? I haven't watch one so i can't seem to entertain it for now. But if it does, i wonder how they will play it out.
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Julz
December 16, 2016 at 10:44 PM
That ending made me cry too.
I was wondering. In earlier episodes, it said that Shin could see someone's future just by looking at them. In the drama, he saw the serving man first, and then saw Eun Tak. So perhaps he really was seeing a vision of the future, as it is right now, and not a premonition?
It also looks like they may be hinting at a time skip? Possibly? It may happen when the sword is pulled out.
But seeing Gong Yoo's expression at the end of the episode today really struck me. Awwwww goblin.
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sylvia
December 17, 2016 at 1:05 AM
I would love a time skip, but at the same time wonder if it's narratively possible. How sure are we that 2016 = "present" storyline with 19 year old Eun Tak? Because if that's the case, 29 year old Eun Tak lives in the year 2026. ??While I'm sure TvN is putting lots of $$$ into this show, I doubt they have the budget to worldbuild what society might be like in 2026 (self driving cars? Lots of unemployed people? Subway sandwiches delivered by drones??)
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Denise
December 17, 2016 at 2:09 AM
even before the drama aired; they said that the teenager eun tak is in 2008 while the adult eun tak is in 2016. so we have been watching the past all along since ep 1-5 is set in 2008
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Tabitha
December 17, 2016 at 2:57 AM
No. they are very much in 2016. Showed on aunts calender.
nomad
December 17, 2016 at 8:49 PM
The only thing that's really different I remember since 10 years ago is smartphone..I remember expecting flying cars by about 2016, since it was already in the afternoon cartoons I watched back in the 80s. But nope, no flying cars anywhere in sight yet. I'm saying, 2026 may not be as different as 2016, just worse environmentally, I'm betting.
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Iamastonished
December 17, 2016 at 7:24 AM
The final scene of episode 5 is a little convoluted First we are on our way to get steak in Canada at the restaurant that is their favorite place and then there is the time spin. He is now in the future with her but she doesn't see him. She is on the phone saying that she is going to meet someone for dinner (looking beautiful with a very becoming haircut at 26, about 7 years in the future) He says OMG I am not with her she has moved on. Then time spin again he is not with her in the past, not at the ocean not at the park. I feel your loss Kim Shin. Then he thinks he has to move on with ending his life soon because he is not in her future and loving someone means you have to act in their best interest the best you can. In the future, I mean in the present, I mean in past. Eternity for soulmates is a complicated place indeed director Lee Eung Bok and author Kim Eun-Sook I will however, go where ever Goblin takes me even if I have to suspend my suspension of disbelief.....I believe.
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ZENITH
December 16, 2016 at 11:44 PM
Me too they have a sizzling chemistry but something was not right.. It felt dry.. Reaper is fine but sunny fell flat for me..
Goblin might be a 900 old soul but his love experience is even less for dating a high schooler..& Eun tak acts all cutesy but has more experience like an old soul. The way she pulled herself after her mother's death.. I'm sure she'll be fine even after shin's death (I hope he won't) but the future he saw is a strong possibility..
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:39 AM
That last scene was a sad and touching moment for me too. I was actually teary and it did not help that Gong Yoo's voice narrating the sad future(?) hit all the spots for a heartfelt scene. You can feel the sadness from his voice alone. Seeing him looking at older Euntak broke my heart.
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7 anglvue
December 16, 2016 at 9:14 PM
i'm enjoying goblin but as much as i am enjoying it i keep having the ew-factor at the back of mind because she's supposed to be a high school student. i keep wondering when he'll leave so that when he comes back she'll at least be in college (assumption is that he couldn't stay away too long and comes back when she's a junior or senior..hahaha) and i'd feel less icky.
i am so curious about the granny. i keep wondering if she is an incarnation of the queen. i keep wondering what the significance of the ring is other than being previously owned by the queen.
also, reaper has been the biggest highlight of the show. he's just the best...
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anglvue
December 16, 2016 at 9:19 PM
i want a bittersweet ending to this drama...she pulls out sword, he really does disappear and can be in peace. i'm curious where they're heading. my cousin thinks that he doesn't die but gets to live the remainder of his mortal life with her.
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endo
December 16, 2016 at 10:08 PM
Living as a mortal is a good possible ending. I will definitely hope for it.
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koolsuni
December 16, 2016 at 10:10 PM
We'll be getting a happy ending apparently. According to Kim Eun-Sook she doesn't know what a sad ending is haha
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ZENITH
December 16, 2016 at 11:59 PM
I hope you are right.. right now i can't see a possible happy ending for both reaper & goblin...
well goblin might end up mortal (They can't just bring GY to do a drama after all these years to kill him off at the end right!!!)
It's reaper I'm worried about.. With fairy godmother hinting that both will pay for their sins.. there might not be a happy ending for him...
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anglvue
December 17, 2016 at 1:25 AM
but why does reaper have to pay???? he's trying to make up for it right now...isn't he?
i thoroughly enjoy the show cos of him. he's the best...hahaha
anglvue
December 17, 2016 at 1:27 AM
aw...fine! FINE!
i guess that will be okay with me too. that would be the second best ending.
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nomad
December 17, 2016 at 8:51 PM
I'm thinking that exactly...KES doesn't know a sad ending :). I couldn't ever love KES dramas, until Goblin comes along and breaks the spell. I'm head over heels for Goblin!
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:41 PM
I think turning to ashes refers to the death of the mortal body. Pulling the sword would end his immortal life and he will become mortal susceptible to physical death. Yes he will definitely die but it's not clear when.
It's eps 3. He is not going to die yet.
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Diana
December 17, 2016 at 12:05 AM
But he's already dead. He can't live if he's dead. As a goblin, he's just a soul with a sword, he has no flesh. I think the ashes could be literal.
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Min
December 17, 2016 at 12:35 AM
uh huh. as a human, he's not a live. he has been killed. unless he reincarnates?
Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 12:38 AM
He could if he was resurrected. His soul can eat beef, drink beer, cook, drive etc?
On the other hand his ability to teleport and walk through walls would explain why he wouldn't have a body of flesh and bones.
( I don't know. Maybe I played too many video games lol).
Min
December 17, 2016 at 12:41 AM
but his flesh now is goblin flesh. if he returns as human, he returns as ashes?
sylvia
December 17, 2016 at 1:34 AM
I've been thinking about this too! I mean there are only so many permutations of plot outcomes in this case, right? To list the possibilities:
1. Bittersweet ending: he dies, but leaves her enough emotional and material substance to live out a good life. She does well and eventually finds peace. His spirit is there to greet her in the tearoom when she dies at a ripe old age.
2. Happily Ever After: they find a way around the curse; writer pulls a deus ex machine and have Divinity (Lee El?) decide to change the rules ... because, duh, Divinity makes up the rules in the first place. We want OTP to be happy, OTP wants to be happy, and the true Divinity (writer KES) wants OTP happy. So happy ending we get.
3. Early hallyu melo ending: almost everyone dies. Reaper finds out he was the silly king; out of guilt he jumps off cliff. Goblin dies when the sword is removed. Eun Tak gets the dreaded cancer because her fate was terminal in the first place. Sunny moves to Australia and opens a new chicken shop.
4. The narrative loophole ending: OTP is technically separated, but through some kind of narrative loophole or just plain re-framing, they are shown together in a different lifetime or dimension, proving they are Fated To Be No Matter the Time and Place.
5. The open ending: closes on an artistic MV-like sequence showing some ambiguous scenes or scenarios, so viewers can decide themselves what happened, and narrative is open for sequal season 2.
Of these I guess I prefer option 2? but 1 is ok too. Options 4 & 5 would make me flip tables, while 3 would just be amusing.
But truly, deep inside I want KES to do better this time and surprise us with none of the above.
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witchy
December 17, 2016 at 6:16 AM
Or...
6. Sensical ending. No deus ex machina. No loopholes or AUs. Not so open ending but with main conflicts resolved.
It's only going on ep 6, so I hope the writer will do way better than that one we got from DOTS. >.<
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Iamastonished
December 17, 2016 at 7:47 AM
Sylvia good break down. I go with option 2,Gods act in mysterious ways. Sylvia, good break down. I go with option 2: Gods act in mysterious ways.
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 3:17 PM
Love these! I wonder if Eun Tak will die since she was supposed to die and if they will be together in the afterlife? Ghost and Goblin Ghost?
Sharine
December 21, 2016 at 6:47 AM
No 5 is exactly the ending used in MLSHR, and I condemn that ending with all my heart and being. No ambiguous ending, please...
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rabbithatter
December 16, 2016 at 9:26 PM
The granny is like the korean version of a fairy godmother. Essentially, she kinda looks over everyone in this drama. She knows about Sunny & Grim reaper as well as Eun Tak and the Goblin
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13infamyss
December 16, 2016 at 9:58 PM
I would bet that she is the god. She comes in different forms and is very omniscient. No other creatures, but a god can do that. A god's wrath is scary hence he punishes people, but he is merciful at people who has a kind heart. The cabbage lady is very fond and merciful of Eun Tak and her mother.
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:20 PM
I think she is the God (Goddess, deity or whatever they call them) that would finally grant Goblin's wish to die.
I think she was there from the beginning. Maybe the butterfly that Shin saw before he died.
She was there with Eun-tak's mother before she gave birth and she pops in and out keeping the main players on track.
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ZENITH
December 17, 2016 at 12:04 AM
Lee El as Samshin, goddess of birth and fate.. (~Wikipedia~ )
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anglvue
December 17, 2016 at 1:23 AM
i guess that explains a lot...
8 katherine
December 16, 2016 at 9:15 PM
Dear writer,
I beg of you, stop playing with my emotions like this. I can't handle laughing as GY makes a pun out of his life's biggest tragedy and then crying as he decides to end his life.
You can't do this to me. I HAVE FEELINGS TOO. I WANT EVERYBODY TO BE HAPPY. I JUST WANT HAPPINESS FOR ALL.
Please, please, I beg of you, don't give me a sad ending. I love these characters too much. Do I have your (s)word?
Sincerely,
An dedicated, happy, and anxious fan
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9 panshel
December 16, 2016 at 9:17 PM
As much as I love Goblin, Reaper owns my heart. I get a kick out of the off-the-wall humor in this show -- physically going to the Play Store and Reaper's confusion at video calling. I cracked up at Sunny not Sun Hee. What a straightforward way to remember her name. I can't wait to see what Bin name Reaper picks out for himself... which by the way, I felt like Won Bin should have been listed first. Thanks lots for recapping, javabeans!
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anglvue
December 16, 2016 at 9:20 PM
i agree! Reaper is really the god that has me tuning in every week.
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bips99
December 16, 2016 at 9:25 PM
For me its just the opposite.. I dont really like the reapers scene except his interactions with the goblin... I have seen ppl do deadpan much much better... I dont know if its the writing or the actor himself (havent seen anything else of him).. Thats why i found the sunny reaper scenes cumbersome
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Miranda
December 16, 2016 at 11:20 PM
It's exactly the Reaper's style of off-kilter deadpan that's got me completely hooked! When he's talking, his face is usually completely flat and emotionless, but when he's NOT talking his face goes wild transmitting all of his thoughts - I especially loved him watching the morning drama.
It feels like he's been out of the human loop for so long that he's gone glitchy. He interacts with people at the absolute worst, most disorienting time of their lives and has to calmly and swiftly move them along, almost as a non-presence. But at the same time he's stuck doing literal paperwork, documenting his expenses and having to scrape together money for rent... But not having any real friends or interactions outside of work, where he's apparently pretty senior.
I love that he's out of sync within himself and has been reading the same script for so long that he's basically forgotten other words. Eun Taek is helping with that a bit, in that with more than one input source he's starting to have to tailor his reactions, but the Reaper overall is one of my favorite pieces of this drama.
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sylvia
December 17, 2016 at 12:54 AM
Agree with your description. Basically Goblin and Reaper are gay dads raising a kid called Eun Tak and her up-to-no-good cousin Deuk Hwa. Goblin tries to be Cool Dad, while Reaper is the ajumma-with-a-perm mother.
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matcha and the beer
December 17, 2016 at 2:33 AM
This comment is gold!
Kendi
December 17, 2016 at 2:47 AM
What I wouldn't do to watch THIS drama.
Kafiyah Bello
December 17, 2016 at 10:57 AM
You nailed it. This is part of what makes it hard to believe the Goblin and eun tak's romance. The gay days though, I'll bite or even just two friends hanging out.
lea
December 18, 2016 at 8:53 PM
"Basically Goblin and Reaper are gay dads raising a kid called Eun Tak and her up-to-no-good cousin Deuk Hwa. Goblin tries to be Cool Dad, while Reaper is the ajumma-with-a-perm mother."
OMG THIS! I WAS TELLING MY FRIENDS THE EXACT SAME THING LOL!!!
heroonthebeach
December 17, 2016 at 7:59 AM
@Miranda - great point being made here about how Reaper is out of sync with communication because he's been reading the same script for so long. Thanks for highlighting that and it puts his interactions with Sunny in a different light, rather than just being awkward due to his attraction to her. I would even go further to say that he's lost a sense of "self", given that he doesn't even know his name. He's just become an instrument, carrying out the duties required of him, but not needing to relate to anyone as a person.
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rentenmann
December 17, 2016 at 6:38 PM
I love your insight! I like everyone in this drama, all are doing so well sucking me into the stories told. More, please!
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Jane
December 17, 2016 at 2:44 AM
Same with me! As much as I like Gong Yoo as goblin the one who's stealing my heart is the reaper! And the bromance as well! Not really interested in the lovelines of both pair because I can't really feel the chemistry especially with shin and eun tak..maybe it's just me but I can't really feel it!
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cocraze
December 17, 2016 at 5:50 AM
I was waiting for abated breath to see what name he would eventually chose. I thought the writer would go something along the lines of a name similar sounding to the actor's own name (Lee Dong Wook). Afterall I understand there are a couple of korean stars with the same first 2 characters Lee-Dong-XXX.
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:08 AM
I love them both but light up a bit more with the GR scenes as they're less likely to shift to fully melo as has been the case with the Goblin's scenes. I freaking love the spunk in the comedy and light scenes, but am already over the angst and melo scenes because I'm not at all invested in the Goblin & ET's romance.
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10 chocopieb
December 16, 2016 at 9:17 PM
the samsung ppl was done nicely lol
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David
December 16, 2016 at 9:20 PM
Also loved the floating Subway PPL...
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voice
December 16, 2016 at 9:26 PM
the floating subway had me crying of laughter!
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chocopieb
December 16, 2016 at 9:39 PM
lol i had a gut feeling subway would come up!
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bips99
December 16, 2016 at 9:27 PM
How many ppls are there in this show??.. It helps to offset the enormous budget i guess..
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endo
December 16, 2016 at 10:10 PM
Looking at the end credits. It looks a lot. Even the bottled water are sponsored. Lol.
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TheImprintOnMyNose
December 17, 2016 at 1:48 AM
Is the goblin stuffed toy a ppl too?
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endo
December 17, 2016 at 2:27 PM
The actual store was the PPL. So if you want the stuffed goblin you have to go to that store. ?
chingu
December 17, 2016 at 12:28 AM
Too many to count! Haha, I think there was AT LEAST three in this ep:
1. The candle holder in eun tak's new room aka the same one she held when she blew out the wick to call for shin in the last ep
2. The floating subway
3. The Samsung phone (which I'm surprised didn't come sooner bc of sunny and grims' relationship and how sun HEE (ahaha) kept bribing it up
4. The towels in the chit chat laundry folding scene (I'm sure it's the same panda(?) brand that was featured in the ep that grims was teasing the goblin w/ the goblin underwear song)
5. The dal kom (?) coffee/cafe!
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Min
December 17, 2016 at 12:39 AM
water, car, (all the expensive clothes), supermarket of japanese brands,
not from this episode.. make-up too.
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chingu
December 17, 2016 at 12:48 AM
Ooooohhhhh yeeess you're right how could I have missed the water! The one that helps sunny maintain her beauty! Ahaha I wonder if the crunchy nuts(?)/snacks that she eats is a ppl, too! And yes the Japanese store they were in and the plushies! I thought those were the same ones from the cartoons in the opening for this drama
Ren
December 17, 2016 at 2:29 AM
haha it's Miniso, which hilariously is actually a Chinese chain pretending to be Japanese.
celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:43 AM
They did close ups of his car which is a Maserati! Damn!! And I just learned earlier that one of Gong Yoo's coats is an Alexander McQueen.
Dee
December 17, 2016 at 6:27 AM
Deok-hwa's family company is also a real company, so PPL.
nchoe
December 17, 2016 at 1:00 AM
Sunny's chicken restaurant is also PPL... it's BB.Q Olive Chicken Cafe...
I bet BB.Q Olive Chicken Cafe doesn't give this show enough money though. That's why Sunny's chicken restaurant has no customer.
But hey, bad ppl is better than no ppl at all. At least people know now that BB.Q Olive Chicken Cafe does exist.
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:11 AM
If you've got Gong Yoo, you would want to milk that $$$$ too.
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nchoe
December 16, 2016 at 11:52 PM
I never thought there would come a day when I enjoy seeing PPL in K-drama
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:10 AM
Loved the tongue in cheek / blatant reciting of the phone's specs haha
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satsuki92
December 18, 2016 at 3:28 PM
It reminded me of the Gag Concert skit "King of Ratings"
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11 Arhazivory
December 16, 2016 at 9:22 PM
Thanks for the recap. It was a fun read after watching the episode. Some Korean comments (courtesy of kkuljaem's blog) theorized what I was thinking, that the CEO in the future vision is Shin. That's where I left off with my thoughts but they took it a bit further and postulated that when she pills the sword he'll lose the memories of who he was. Hmmmm....that got me thinking. The over voice guy (the diety?) said he'd return to nothingness and find peace. I don't particularly want to see the overused amnesia trope but I wonder if the 'nothingness' will just be a new him.
I'm so loving our Reaper. He's completely adorable. I'm glad Lee Dong Wook is killing it and getting his name at the forefront again. I always want him to do well.
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koolsuni
December 16, 2016 at 10:11 PM
I do wonder if the CEO might even be Deok Hwa.
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Kendi
December 17, 2016 at 2:51 AM
That could be another possibility. They prob have a nice chat remisnicing the old time (I assume Shin and Reaper were already gone by this time), and then adult Eun Tak meets Shin again in another place after the restaurant scene.
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 7:05 AM
Makes sense for Dukkie to be the next CEO after grandpa.
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 3:22 PM
Duckkie as the CEO - wow, makes sense.
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chingu
December 17, 2016 at 6:22 PM
But wouldn't she just call out "oppa!" if it was Deok-hwa? I mean, she's already referring to him as "Deok-hwa oppa" whenever she mentions him to Shin, so if they kept in contact and became closer years later, wouldn't she just call him by his name? Unless they're not THAT close... and does that mean that she's gonna work for him/at his company if she's calling him "CEO"? But she aspired to be a radio producer!
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 3:21 PM
Maybe Shim will drink Reaper's tea, but then be brought back to life - and fate will bring them together.
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12 dramaniac
December 16, 2016 at 9:22 PM
So the last scene caught me off guard...
I saw interesting theories:
1. Shin actually erased her memories and therefore she doesn't remember him 10 years later, but he's still alive and comes to that restaurant where they fall in love again(idk if they have yet right now tho)
2. Actually it wasn't ET's future he was seeing but the waiters?
3. He never left and he just thinks he did, and somehow pulling out the sword won't kill him(reincarnation idk)
These are super rough ideas but I NEED SOME KIND OF REASSURANCE!!!! There's no way he will die by ep 6 right...?
My heart and Brain hurt.
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anrytoma
December 16, 2016 at 9:39 PM
How i missed that part of looking at the waiter's future? Need to watch again ?
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vkook
December 16, 2016 at 10:10 PM
I do think that's the case with that last scene. Shin said that usually when he looked into a person's eyes, he could see that person's future. He can't see Eun-tak's, but he can see the waiter's. So that vision is actually from the waiter's future point of view.
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chingu
December 17, 2016 at 6:26 PM
Oh, you/viewers might be right about the WAITER'S future Shin was seeing! Can't believe that waiter's still there in 10 years, but that's very likely that it was his future because of how time stopped and went slo-mo when Shin looked at the waiter. Oof. My hurt hurts so much and I can't wait to find out how the future will play out and here's to hoping that Shin WILL be a part of Eun-tak's future.
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13 SopheaJane
December 16, 2016 at 9:24 PM
Dear javabeans.... He saw her future through the eyes of the waiter who greeted them on the way in the restaurant.. So he just saw parts of it.. Anything could happen..
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SopheaJane
December 16, 2016 at 9:26 PM
He stil cant see ET past nor present.. because the kids is special that even the Grim Reaper couldn't go through him...
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Miranda
December 16, 2016 at 11:22 PM
I think that's what's unsettling him, that suddenly he CAN see her future, which indicates that her special marker as the goblin's bride alters.
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bubblecha
December 17, 2016 at 2:19 AM
YES thats what i saw too! He still cant see her future but he saw her IN the future of the waiter (who is still working at that restaurant 10 years later) as she is meeting somewhere there.
He can only see that one snapshot of 29yo ET excitedly telling Sunny(?) that shes meeting a man here, but because this restaurant is special to the both of them now that if shes meeting someone else there it must mean he is gone.
I say he is the man shes meeting, just that he became mortal and is the wealthy boss of an antique company selling plates from the time of Louis XIV.
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14 adeenalin
December 16, 2016 at 9:25 PM
Agree. The ending was quite sorrowful. Thank god for Gong Yoo perfect acting on that scene.
Now all we need to prepare for tonight eps.
On the other side I could replace three representatives names that woman like : BIN 'Hyun Bin, Woo Bin, Kim Woo Bin' for YOO (Gong Yoo, Yoo Seung Ho,Yoo Ah In ) ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
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heradom
December 16, 2016 at 11:11 PM
Yoo bin then hahahah
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:11 AM
Better than Young Bin.
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Wag-a-muffin
December 17, 2016 at 1:22 PM
How about "Bin Yoo." (as in the reaper has been you in a past life?)
GROAN!
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maryxiah
December 17, 2016 at 6:22 PM
Bin-yoo = Been You? Brilliant pun! LOL
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Aigoooo
December 17, 2016 at 4:52 AM
For a second there, I thought they were gonna go meta and offer Lee Dong Wook as a possible name. lol Then I realized this is not a Hong sister drama.
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15 Cidorta
December 16, 2016 at 9:28 PM
That last scene it looks more like a premonition to me of a possible future, could it be that he does die but ET memories of him disapear like he never existed but 10 yrs later the person she going to have lunch is the reincarnation of our beloved Goblin???
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Cidorta
December 16, 2016 at 9:35 PM
Also could be that he does not die get to live a normal human life and they are meeting in Canada for a lunch date. Because he cant see his and her future is why we dont get to see who she is meeting. It is possible the scene is due to the waitress future.
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shiitake
December 17, 2016 at 12:08 AM
Shin's reincarnation is definitely one of my many favourite hunches. The last scene can also be a possible future resulting from his CURRENT determination to end his life for ET sake. So, there's a possibility that if he changes, the future changes as well. & I could not agree more on SopheaJane's point that it was seen through the eyes of the waiter.
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heroonthebeach
December 17, 2016 at 8:13 AM
I am also toying with the theory that his current decisions affect the "future" that he sees, given that there's repeated emphasis in this episode and the previous about how he is making a choice, rather than being trapped by faith. In this entire episode, he's been solely focusing on the choice of him dying now, making that decision for Eun Tak; as such, that future he sees does not have him inside. What he doesn't factor in is that Eun Tak too has a choice - he can't force her to take out the sword, she has to decide to do it herself and that will also influence the "future" that's being seen.
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 7:13 PM
Yes it's not just his decision. She is bound to him as his bride and it'll affect her too.
I feel like there is more that needs to happen between them and those from his past before she can really remove that sword.
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16 hazelnuts
December 16, 2016 at 9:30 PM
Love it! Can't wait for more eps! ???
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17 voice
December 16, 2016 at 9:30 PM
GR new name (if he is actually going to make one up) should have a bin in it, it suits him
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Growingbeautifully
December 16, 2016 at 10:51 PM
Let's name GR...
Su Bin (meaning elegant refined?)
Jun Ho (bright and handsome?)
Han Bin (shiny?)
Young Bin (brave?)
Hye Bin (intelligent?)
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:57 PM
Wang Bin so he'd retain his kingly name.
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PeepsLeAwesomePotato
December 17, 2016 at 1:10 AM
SukBin.
Kekekekekeke
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PeepsLeAwesomePotato
December 17, 2016 at 1:15 AM
Or, or, Joo HongBin, Lee DongWook's character's name in Blade Man. He has powers there, he has powers here. Makes sense.
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rentenmann
December 17, 2016 at 6:47 PM
Oooooh, is thatan opportunity for nesting meta dolls I see?
alasecond
December 17, 2016 at 12:52 AM
I actually want him to settle for the actor's real name :)
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lunaticandra
December 17, 2016 at 4:32 AM
Why not name himself Lee Dong Wook?
That works the same for me. Lol
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18 anrytoma
December 16, 2016 at 9:30 PM
Im sad after watching the ending. Can't it just be his imagination? ?
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19 flo
December 16, 2016 at 9:32 PM
sort of off-topic: when ET said Park Bogum my heart leaped because KGE and PBG were both in the movie Coin Locker Girl and i've been wanting them to reunite so badly
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anrytoma
December 16, 2016 at 9:40 PM
i loved both of them too in the movie. too bad their love story was tragic
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flo
December 16, 2016 at 9:42 PM
i knowww.. i'm still not over it :(
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panshel
December 16, 2016 at 10:03 PM
I never understood why Park Bo Gum's character was in love with Kim Go Eun. I understood why she was in love with him -- he was nice, attractive, cooked for her -- but it wasn't explained why he would risk everything to be with her.
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chingu
December 17, 2016 at 12:44 AM
Hmm... from what I can recall of the movie, park bo gum's character was always nice, thoughtful and caring/giving, so I didn't think it as him "risking his life," but the fact that they've both grown to like each other's company and as a person and when he realized the danger they/she was in, he was willing to help his new friend out to escape her harsh reality, bc that's just who he is. He prob didn't think of the possible danger/aftermath bc he just wanted to help her.
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chingu
December 17, 2016 at 12:38 AM
Omg, same. Are you me? Aha, I loved the name dropping meta bits and totally loved it when she mentioned and emphasized park bo gum's name! I loved them in coin locker girl and am hoping for a (happier) reunion. At least we have that adorable cf they did together! Sometimes, it's like ppl knew how much we suffered from their tragic "love" story, so they make it up to us by putting them together and having them wear pastels and pink as if to say, "here, they're bright and cheery and together happily now! Happy!?"
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:45 AM
Me too! And I just love how the name drop totally fit the scene about the sword. hahaha! Perfect!
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redfox
December 17, 2016 at 7:38 AM
Park Bo Gum has seriously been established as an "Instant Click" name that gets dropped in dramas knowing people will no longer ask: "Park Bo Gum? Who is this?"
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20 ck1Oz
December 16, 2016 at 9:33 PM
I feel as if I was a medieval fair maiden drifting through the dimly lit hallways while awaiting for my beloved's curse to be lifted.
* now while I cackle and snort with this idiotic unrealistic description of myself, that's what the drama made me feel.*
I've read in depth analysis of the plot and trajectories and what- not. Let me just say I don't care. This is all about the journey. And BOY, it is a beautiful hour while it passes. My heart and feelings are just caught up in the moments.
And let me just say somewhere in the 56th minute- after my heart froze and I was in shock- fell off my chair laughing. And sent it off on repeats for the next few minutes.
Snicker. Like seriously... what age gap are we talking about? I am laughing out loud right now, typing this, remembering the total embarrassment. And then GR's expressions. Or expressionless face. Off hand can't recall anything more embarassing in Kdramas recently.
Also if NOTHING else the director keeping the camera full on Gong Yoo while his heart is in his eyes? I am going to have that on my phone screensaver. If only it didn't have me looking sappy for ages staring at the screen. That is a beautiful man. Let me take a moment to appreciate all the still moments where the director keeps the camera on both GY and LDW.
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Mary D
December 17, 2016 at 4:43 AM
+1000!!
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:47 AM
"the camera full on Gong Yoo while his heart is in his eyes"
True! The last scene made me teary and broke my heart.
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heroonthebeach
December 17, 2016 at 8:27 AM
I completely agree with this comment. To me, this show is so beautifully constructed that it's like poetry, as I've commented on my blog too.
For once, I'm not focused on the plot and what's going to happen next, but just dwelling in the moment, and appreciating the beautiful intermingling of image, music and words. There are so many beautifully constructed sequences that allow you to just dwell in the moment and appreciate the depth of emotion conveyed.
I really loved the sequence where Goblin's musing at the table with Reaper and he says: “Her smile reflected the light of the sun when it is the brightest. It reminded me of the moment my life was taken away. I made my my mind. I have to disappear before I feel a stronger longing for my life. Before I become happier than now. It’s the decision I have to make for you. I have to end my life.” Throughout the sequence, we get the sun shining on Eun Tak, then the sun shining on Kim Shin’s face while the camera draws slowly away from Goblin’s face in present time, which also represents his decision to step back and disappear before he becomes happier. It’s a powerful portrayal of the tragic state of Goblin’s life and his predicament – he can only find peace when the sword is pulled out, yet that’s also the moment when his existence ends. His choice is therefore between living a life being tormented by the deaths he has seen, or to die and finally have peace.
Perhaps this show is also teaching us to learn to treasure each moment and appreciate the present for all it has to offer.
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21 gaeinalee
December 16, 2016 at 9:36 PM
..Silence. Pause. Awkward frozen moment in time..
I blushed then hide behind my fingers at this scene.. Oh my dear Goblin... you're too cute to be true.
My heart twisted in sadness over the amnesiac no-name Grim Reaper. He was just a pure soul lost in the political intrigue of the palace and now pay his sin to the woman he loved a lifetime ago... Hang on, GR, your wife will come and save you too.
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Growingbeautifully
December 16, 2016 at 10:34 PM
I find it strange that Eun Tak never considered Goblin to be the boyfriend since she's to be his bride. It seemed such a natural thing to 'expect'. I took it as a given.
All along I was thinking, surely she sees that her 3 wishes are fulfilled, whether deliberately or inadvertently by Shin, especially the boyfriend wish... so I'm amused and amazed that this in your face "Me! I'm your boyfriend!" had to happen. I'm also surprised that it embarrassed them both. So cute, but so bewildering for me!!! LOL.
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 11:41 PM
I think they are playing the roles of Goblin (boy friend/husband) and his bride but the feeling is not there yet. Acting on top of acting.
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:49 AM
This is exactly how I feel about them as well. It's the label on each of them. She's the Goblin's bride so naturally he's the husband. I have yet to feel something about them as a pair for real.
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Diana
December 17, 2016 at 3:00 AM
From her questions like which number wife am I, if she's the last wife or not, talk about not liking each other, having a boifriend, I think Eun-tak views the concept of a goblin's bride a bit like JK Rowling's HP "the Chosen One" rather than it being about a romantic relationship. She's cool with her "destiny" because it would be better than her current hard life with no protector, no friends, and no family.
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cinnamon
December 17, 2016 at 3:11 AM
I think she's frustrated on how Shin treated her so far; sometimes he's warm, sometimes sour and he didn't really tell her he loved her. She felt she might like her, but she's not sure. The bond's no other than that pulling sword and she's destined to be his bride. Good for her their bickering happened. Lol.
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gaeinalee
December 17, 2016 at 4:02 AM
Hi GB, yes, as others already pointed out it seems JET knew and accepted her fate to be his bride but not a lover as in boyfriend-girlfriend relation that she longs for. One day soon, she'll fall in love to her awkwardly-cute Goblin ahjussi.. Let them banter and awkward some more. I still want to revel in to their cute awkwardness. ^^
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Growingbeautifully
December 17, 2016 at 7:22 AM
Thanks all! Yeah, I guess that was it. She never saw him as 'boyfriend' material before. Afterall, he's 900+ years older than her and not even human. That's why they have that great camaraderie and a sunbae-hoobae chemistry. Now that Shin has outed his boyfriend status, we'll be seeing some interesting changes in their dynamics... I hope? :)
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 4:18 PM
@GrowingBeautifully - I think she does expect him to be her boyfriend, but he keeps ignoring her and so she is demanding a replacement just to antagonize him.
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22 Lessa
December 16, 2016 at 9:36 PM
I love Gong Yoo's voice when he said "Play Store" <3
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panshel
December 16, 2016 at 10:18 PM
Gong Yoo has really good English pronunciation.
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 10:59 PM
He can sing in English with a very little hint of an accent.
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starandsky
December 17, 2016 at 2:43 AM
Oh really? What song? I would love to hear
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Roz
December 17, 2016 at 3:04 AM
The classic "(the) Last Time". Look it up on YouTube. #swoooonnnn
nchoe
December 17, 2016 at 12:00 AM
I always love Gong Yoo's voice...
I had been replaying his singing for Eun-chan in Coffee Prince for a very loooong time until I got bored.
Ah... and now I want to hear that song again...
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PakalanaPikake
December 18, 2016 at 12:31 AM
I was so startled to hear his English speaking voice... holy cow. Thanks to the kind souls in this thread, I just listened to him singing "The Last Time," and he knocked my socks off...
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23 moose
December 16, 2016 at 9:39 PM
Grrrr. I found this episode quite boring save for the last few minutes.
The story kinda stalled in one place for too long. It began as the spiritual awakening of a 900 yr goblin and then bogged into a repetitive bore of the same scenes and dialogue between ET/Goblin and Goblin/Reaper. The cinematography definitely clouded the weakness of the writing which was glaringly apparent in this episode.
I mean, who is the villain of this drama? The Eunich had a big part in setting the tragedy in motion. Who is he now? I was hoping Sunny would be the sexy femme fatale eunich.
The bright note was ET's transition to 29 yrs which should silence the critics.
Hope the next episode picks up the momentum.
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wapz
December 16, 2016 at 11:48 PM
I agree, this episode was a little slow and I do feel like since 2 episodes the plot is stuck there but the last 5 mins were definitely a save. Hopefully the next episode will be better. If the sword is actually pulled out and there is amnesia, then I don't know how I will continue with this drama. I really don't want it to go in the amnesia/memory loss territory. It destroyed W for me too.
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:20 AM
Was afraid to say it because there is so much love for this drama but I'm actually losing interest because I find it a little erratic. Sometimes it's hilarious, then it goes melo. But also I'm not 100% feeling the conflict? Why can't he stay alive and be by her side until she's like 90s and live a full and happy life together and then she can help him remove the sword? Have I missed a moment somewhere that it's either he dies or she'll die earlier? Or she can die suddenly and he'll just forever be like that? I'm confused. Maybe right now I'm not feeling the anguish because I just feel like there's much ado about nothing. And I really don't care for the romance, as much as I like the five characters so far I really like them as individuals more than as 'romances'. Like, I love the bromances but none of the romances make me want to fall in love.
And please no amnesia. I also had flashbacks to W and it made me miss W, but also felt a little bittersweet because I felt like the amnesia arc was a bit of a miss there.
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sancheezy
December 17, 2016 at 12:54 AM
have the same feeling for the last 2 episode,
it just stall and nothing much going on,
people love the bromance and yeah but I don't think anything had progress,
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TourmalineMillie
December 17, 2016 at 5:01 AM
But why would we need a villain for the story to be compelling?
It's a story about immortals and their quest to be happy.
Is there a need for some Big Bad figure pulling strings melodramatically?
Don't get me wrong. If there's a Big Bad whose fault it is that everything happened, I'll take it and be satisfied.
However, I will also take it if it's a more slice-of-lifey tale of a goblin's quest to die and his conflict at not wanting to die any longer once he met his bride.
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TourmalineMillie
December 17, 2016 at 5:15 AM
*sorry. Meant to reply to Moose.
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sancheezy
December 17, 2016 at 4:58 PM
because they actually don't need to feel that conflicted,
choose to be immortal or not and it's been 5 episode - it;s all about introduction and no answer yet made,
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24 Moment
December 16, 2016 at 9:39 PM
"Why is it we can't see God, when humans see him all the time?"
This sort of embodied how lonely the life of a minor god must look like. Seems to me that while they've got their gold and their superpowers, ultimately they work tirelessly to serve the living, and do their best to be gentle and kind and fair. It's an endless and thankless job, maybe only offset by their own satisfaction in having done it well. (is this why flowers bloomed in winter when Shin saved Eun Tak's mother?)
It's really sweet how Reaper and Shin complement each other (hot goblins fulfill multiple functions, lol!), they now have someone who really gets what their existence is like!
Euntak comments in an early episode that Kim Shin seems to have everything, but still looks sad all the time. He looks like he's hiding the pain of having a sword through his heart - when he is off to a friend's funeral, when he's remembering the day he died, or the day any of his many cherished friends passed on. He seems to also feel that same pain when he's falling in love with Euntak. To put it in less supernatural terms, it's the same physical pain we mortals feel when we experience loneliness, love and longing.
My husband and I have been living on different continents for a year now because of our studies/career. Some days life feels normal and happy, and I can be silly with my friends or drool over one of those 'names' that girls like (Hyun bin/Won bin/Kim woo bin, HA!).
Other days it feels like I'm walking around with a heavy sword in my heart that I wish I could yank out when a winter storm is raging outside.
This drama, while it's all about this wacky, beautiful, supernatural world, still connects in the simplest of ways to our real lives and experiences.
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cozybooks
December 16, 2016 at 11:07 PM
If I can add another quote, "If it’s really true that god only gives you as much hardship as you can endure, I wonder if he hasn’t overestimated me." definitely the most impactful line for me in this episode. Or even in recent drama watching history. It covers a lot of emotional ground but says it so simply.
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:51 AM
It had a tremendous impact for me too. It had me thinking and nodding and sighing for Shin's fate.
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cocraze
December 17, 2016 at 5:56 AM
Me too!
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Moment
December 17, 2016 at 5:25 PM
And me!
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MinaBoom
December 17, 2016 at 2:23 PM
On another note, regarding the quote.
It's actually what keeps me going through hardships, the belief that God would not put me through a test I couldn't pass, a hardship that I can't or wouldn't be able to overcome.
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 4:23 PM
@Cozybooks - yes, that quote for me was an "oof" punch in the gut moment of sadness for me over Goblin.
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 4:21 PM
@Moment - Sorry you and your husband are apart. Hoping you can manage to work on the same continent soon!
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Moment
December 17, 2016 at 6:15 PM
Thankie Mermaid! That's the plan :)
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25 13infamyss
December 16, 2016 at 9:40 PM
Javabeans, I believe what we saw was Eun Tak's future. It's not a premonition. I was confused at first because Shin stopped his tracks at seeing the waiter. I thought he knew the waiter from the past and the waiter might recognize him as somebody who died a while back.
But I finally understood what just happened that made Shin froze. He saw Eun Tak's future through the waiter's eyes. He saw the waiter's future 10 years later. He saw that the waiter would still be working at that restaurant, greeting a warm welcome to Eun Taek as she dines in with a man.
Shin cannot see Eun Tak's future, but because he can see everyone else's. It gave him chills of the future Eun Tak is going to be in - a future of her living happily without him.
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voice
December 16, 2016 at 9:44 PM
omg thanks so much for clearing it up, this whole time i thought he finally could see ET's future but it was actually the waiters
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13infamyss
December 16, 2016 at 9:44 PM
Also. I think I know who the cabbage lady is now. And why she knows so much of the gravity of their sins. She is the god. She comes in different forms and is very omniscient. Only a god can do that.
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lolalarue
December 17, 2016 at 1:58 AM
Yes, she's the granny that is the god of childbirth or something like that. She said to Eun Tak that she (ET) made her so happy being born (like she had something to do with it). Eun Tak's mother asked her to visit and bring ET vegetables (cabbage and something else?) once she (ET's mom) was gone. That's why she still shows up and gives her veggies. She's awesome.
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Kendi
December 16, 2016 at 9:52 PM
Nice theory!
I bet the man is Shin as a mortal. Hopefully the memory is still in tact.
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nchoe
December 16, 2016 at 10:09 PM
Oh wow... That makes sense!
I love everything about that scene... It's very well executed... Gong Yoo's acting is so on point, the way it shot is so dramatic and beautiful, and the background music fits perfectly with the mood... <3
This PD has outdone himself this time
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appie
December 17, 2016 at 12:39 AM
Wow! that theory really works! I was racking my brain thinking how could he suddenly see ET's future. Guess he didnt see 'her' future.
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13infamyss
December 17, 2016 at 5:25 AM
Yeah! he didn't see her future. Also, notice how he wasn't looking at the people in the restaurant as things slowed down for him. His eyes just settled on the waiter as chills were going down his spine. We saw the waiter's hairstyle changed too. That future was all from the waiter's point of view - very limited and narrow as he was serving a lot of customers on that day. He went to Eun Tak's table and that's when we saw a 29 year old Eun Tak, having conversation on the phone.
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lolalarue
December 17, 2016 at 1:59 AM
That makes so much sense, I was wondering why he could see her future. I still want to believe that he's the man sitting opposite her and the vision just wouldn't let him see.
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13infamyss
December 17, 2016 at 5:20 AM
That is my theory too. That he can't see his own future, hence we never got to see who she dines in with. Also, we were only given the glimpse of her future through the eyes of the waiter. The waiter serves a lot of customers on that day, and so our and Shin's vision of Eun Tak's future was only depended on the waiter - our glimpse of her was very limited and narrow.
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maryxiah
December 17, 2016 at 6:31 PM
I know Shin is the focus in this scene where he was reminiscing on Eun-tak's piece of future without him through the waiter's eyes, but I feel sad for the waiter that he's stuck with the job for 10 years and still serving in the same restaurant. My heart goes out to him. Oh my, I'm teary eyed for him and his fate.
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26 erika04
December 16, 2016 at 9:47 PM
I'm loving gong yoo and lee dong wook'scene butwhen kge's scene appear I just ffwrd and I don't know why. It just start like that.
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27 Kendi
December 16, 2016 at 9:50 PM
Am I the only one who is uncomfortable with the excessive amount of the PPL?
Except the cute goblin dolls, I feel the drama is trying to shove those products down my throat and they aren't even subtle about it.
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Moment
December 16, 2016 at 9:53 PM
The PPL does seem to pop up EVERYWHERE, but what I like about this show is how the characters don't break character to accommodate it, and that it's all woven into the storyline. Small compromises :)
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 4:26 PM
This is the first time that I have loved product placement because it doesn't seem to detract from the story. In the cafe, they even matched the straws to the color of the store's name sign. So pretty.
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voice
December 16, 2016 at 10:10 PM
same, i didn't notice it at first but my god there's so much in each episode
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indreams
December 16, 2016 at 10:20 PM
I'm fine with the PPL, no matter how much there is, as long as it fits the story line and the characters.
I'd laugh if they somehow managed to have subway or samsung in Goryeo times but given that all the PPL are happening in present time, with an actual narrative behind it, it doesn't bother me. Like these could be actual products/brands we'd be using or consuming if we were living in Korea anyway.
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DramaNinja
December 17, 2016 at 1:03 AM
Exactly, we use these products in our everyday life too, and if they come up naturally in a drama, is'nt that kinda real. I understand the viewer aversion to PPL, but here it just feels subtle and natural. I only notice it because i want to and not because they want me to.
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 4:53 AM
I think Goblin is one of the few shows that use (so far) PPL quite well. It's not the in your face kind that makes you roll your eyes, but it is woven in the story and it does not linger unnecessarily.
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cozybooks
December 16, 2016 at 11:04 PM
They managed to incorporate the Subway PPL without making it gag-worthy. It was even a pretty natural insertion. That's a feat worthy of my admiration. As for the rest, yeah it's a bit much but since I'm not from Korea I don't notice it as much.
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28 lolalarue
December 16, 2016 at 9:51 PM
This show continue's to impress. Loving all the cast, even though I love Sunny, I'm so pleased by the amount of screentime for the rest of the cast, her screentime is just the perfect amount. I'm actively anticipating more as her role increases but right now, it's the perfect amount of comic relief.
Wow that end scene with grown up Eun Tak was sadder than I was expecting. I think I'm hoping secretly that Goblin will become mortal and live out his life with Eun Tak rather than poof into dust. I think since Goblin sees people's futures (e.g. the little abused boy/lawyer) that he's seeing Eun Tak's future in this scene. The optimist in me thinks we don't see who Eun Tak is sitting with so it conceivably could be Goblin but I really felt for him there.
I desperately love how impressive Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook are as actors, and it makes their every scene together freaking amazing.
After an unsure start about Eun Tak (as a character, love Kim Go Eun to death) I'm really loving her now.
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29 crazyahjummafan
December 16, 2016 at 9:54 PM
I'm wondering: why can't Shin wait about 5 years for Eun-tak to grow up a little bit more; graduate from college; have a job before marrying her? They can have a good life and before she dies, ask her to take the sword out so that they can die together?
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annie
December 16, 2016 at 10:00 PM
He addressed that in this episode: if he spends more time with her, an they both get more attached to each other, he's going to get even more attached to living and it's going to be more painful for both of them when he dies. So he's decided to just do it quickly, and get it over with.
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voice
December 16, 2016 at 10:12 PM
that is the ideal thing to do but what if ET dies suddenly? then he'll have to spend eternity in this world with no way out
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:24 AM
Don't know the Grim Reaper rules... but wouldn't having the Grim Reaper there give them somewhat of a heads up of that?
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endo
December 16, 2016 at 10:16 PM
He fears attachment. It will be harder for him to go if he actually fell harder for ET.
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indreams
December 16, 2016 at 10:30 PM
I thought the exact same thing too actually. That they could just grow old together and she could pull it out when she's about to die. He's lived this long, how long is another 70-80 years really.
But this episode showed us that he's worried about growing more attached to life, holding her back and how the sword does cause him pain from time to time (although how much pain we don't know yet).
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:28 AM
I get it... but really, it's pretty much not the worst trade off imo. Feels a little like noble idiocy for noble idiocy's sake. Also, it seems like it's they should really have a proper conversation and figure our their future together (not like they've ever had one.. which is why the romance feels so half-baked to me)
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Serendipity
December 17, 2016 at 3:45 PM
How will they co-exist together for many years to come when he will not age but she will?
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Lord Cobol
December 17, 2016 at 12:39 AM
As Noble Idiocy goes, deciding to die before one gets happy and attached to life seems more Idiotic than Noble.
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 7:33 AM
Exactly. Why do they always feel like they don't deserve to be happy?
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 4:42 PM
I do think the deeper issue here is that he might lose his chance at mortality. He's waited almost 1,000 years and if he is swayed by her and can't bear to leave her, he runs the risk of living forever (without her eventually since she is mortal and will die). For me, that puts it at a more reasonable level than just noble idiocy.
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Rosa
December 17, 2016 at 7:40 PM
your comment nailed it
hanbin
December 17, 2016 at 12:50 AM
It could happen. But it would be awkward to see an 80-something granny with a 30 year old looking guy. KS doesn't get old.
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Kendi
December 17, 2016 at 3:19 AM
I actually liked the idea and if nobody has problem with 18 years old girl with 30 something guy, so is 80 years old grandma and 30 years old guy couple, right? They can always revert the granny scenes to young ET since that's what shin going to see anyway.
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GedSkaiKru
December 17, 2016 at 5:10 AM
+1000
Thank you very much, but would vanity realise this plot, Korean vanity especially at that? It will be like Benjamin Button except that instead of growing younger, Goblin just won't grow old while his bride does...
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 1:27 PM
Because he doesn't love her yet. That romantic .... I can't live without her ...kind of love.
I don't think he wants to wait around to feel that because he won't want to die and leave her alone.
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Miky
December 17, 2016 at 1:49 PM
I find that neither Eun Tak is in love as the real love yet,she has a crush on him and is happy that at last she found someone and she won't be alone but she doesn't LOVE him as the real one...I think he is more into her by now than her as romantic feelings...She is attached and doesn't want to loose that feeling of being with someone,being home..Lonely people feel it and she was alone all her life after her mother died,it's not weird for her too want to have him in her life after finding him even more when she heard all her life about him...
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30 annie
December 16, 2016 at 9:57 PM
Gong Yoo is going to crush my heart into little pieces in this show, I can feel it already. That last scene, guh.
I continue to enjoy the balance of humor and melancholy that this show does so well. Also, more Canada! That's never a bad thing. ;)
I find it interesting how Eun-tak, now that she has moved beyond the initial giddiness of finding her destined goblin and no longer has to face living on the streets for the immediate future, is starting to question whether this "fate" is what she really wants. I thought the conversation with Sunny about why she wants to get married was illuminating. And although a lot of people have criticized Eun-tak as materialistic, we see now that the $5000 she asked for was a very calculated sum to get her to survive until she turns twenty and can claim her mom's life insurance money. But she's realizing throughout this episode that now that she got what she wanted (staying by Shin's side), it may not make her happy just to be physically cared for if he doesn't return her feelings. Which was why the "I'm your boyfriend!" was so important. He's admitting he wants to be with her for a reason other than her usefulness to him.
I love how Shin and Reaper have become each other's reluctant confidants and de facto best friends. It warms my heart. And makes me laugh, of course!
I wonder if Eun-tak's new haircut means we'll be getting a time skip soon?
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indreams
December 16, 2016 at 10:34 PM
I think they filmed that scene beforehand though... I remember KGE had that hairstyle a while back.
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nchoe
December 17, 2016 at 12:19 AM
I think we need to stop expecting any time gap since we're already in 2016 (well, at least not until we're near the end of this show).
Beside, we have seen that, personality-wise, the 29 y.o. Eun-tak and the 19 y.o. Eun-tak aren't different that much. So why does this time skip matter?
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bubbles
December 17, 2016 at 3:54 AM
I was kind of disappointed at that a little...not that I don't like her happy but I thought she would act just a teensy bit more mature and in the little scene we saw it didn't seem like she changed at all....but then again, this was really just a short moment so who knows really.
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annie
December 17, 2016 at 3:26 PM
I'm actually not one who minds that Eun-tak is 19, and in fact I really love her - was just wondering, as haircuts seem to be the usual kdrama indicator of the passage of time. I'm cool with staying in 2016.
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31 faeee
December 16, 2016 at 9:58 PM
fantastic beings and their ability to erase memories is the new trend on dramaland /sigh
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light
December 16, 2016 at 10:05 PM
I want that sometimes. To erase some of my memories in life. It sounds morose but it could be helpful. Just like the dead who drink the tea so they can move on without looking back or without guilt.
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yoadrian
December 16, 2016 at 11:10 PM
Yup, or a forget me now pill.
Sounds morbid, but sadly sometimes a necessity.
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klurker
December 16, 2016 at 11:43 PM
True that. I hope there's a pill available over the counter.
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32 nchoe
December 16, 2016 at 9:59 PM
When Sunny said "If you need a sister to talk to, then the topic is obvious."
I didn't expect her guess would be "Are you pregnant?"
LOL
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Ren
December 17, 2016 at 2:52 AM
Sunny is pretty freaking gangster. I want to know her backstory, like her recent backstory not the previous life as a Queen one.
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nchoe
December 17, 2016 at 3:32 AM
IKR! At first, I thought she's gonna say "Oh... you want to talk about boy, right?" or something like that... but she said "are you pregnant?" instead... LOL
What kind of girl friends/sisters she has that she thinks a 19 y.o. girl must be pregnant when she needs a sister to talk to.
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Peppa
December 22, 2016 at 12:36 AM
I was shocked when Sunny said that.
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33 light
December 16, 2016 at 10:01 PM
A little slow this time round. I fell asleep 10 minutes in. I do hope the candy character stops soon as it grates on my nerves unfortunately. It distracts me in a jarring way. Do high schoolers really speak that way?
Im invested in our Grim Reaper's and Goblin's story. Such a sad thing for anyone in love. I used to imagine a life without my signing other and it was a cold lonely one. Like a sword through my heart. Ah first love.
Sunny is gorgeous. Stylist did a great job on everyone here.
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light
December 16, 2016 at 10:02 PM
Ugh. *significant other
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Moment
December 16, 2016 at 10:03 PM
The sword is all too real :'(
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light
December 17, 2016 at 4:57 AM
The sword is a constant pain for the goblin. Death may be a relief, but creates another form of pain and depression for the wisher of death and the people around him. Even for the reaper of death.
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Raptor
December 16, 2016 at 10:30 PM
Agreed. Her scenes are really grating at times. This episode, I was just screaming OMG Shin is like her sugar daddy, and she really acts like she's all entitled to these luxuries, just because. The male leads are all awesome, even Deok Hwa (and yes, we have the confirmation of his name given as a shout-out to Andy Lau!) but the way the two female leads is being handled seems questionable IMHO. I find Eun Tak's excessive smiles all so fake, because she'd just as quickly go back to her spoilt, bratty self - a personality I wasn't expecting from the character having such a pitiable background.
Shin and Reaper are gold together. Their palpable chemistry just explodes through the screen. The App Store scene had me in stitches, and Deok Hwa is a very credible support.
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Ren
December 17, 2016 at 5:06 AM
I think if Eun Tak had been played by a lesser actress I would have found her to be completely unbearable. As it so happens I think it's pretty clear from Kim Go Eun's performance that Eun Tak's overly perky nature is a coping mechanism for her loneliness and terrible home/school life.
Eun Tak's someone who has learnt to presume the worse in a situation, ie the Goblin's going to never want to see her again or the Reaper's finally going to claim her life etc. So she acts like someone who's going to have the rug pulled out from under them at any time; when there's food she eats all the food, when someone's offering to buy she's getting everything. When she's in Quebec she's skipping across a pedestrian crossing because there's an expectation that her happiness is fleeting.
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GedSkaiKru
December 17, 2016 at 5:22 AM
I'd love to extend and stretch my understanding about her character so far but I can only supress my dislike on how she's written to a certain extent. It feels like an internal struggle, and matter how much I struggle to accept her, yes I can, but it doesn't mean I like her, Eun Tak I mean. Kim Go Eun, I love her to bits. But Eun Tak grates on my nerves. And no matter how many times I convince myself that it's all a facade, a demeanor to hide her pain and misery and every single bad thing in her life, I just can't, still, get around my exasperation that afterall she's been through, the outcome has to be THIS Eun Tak, where she can be a more mature Eun Tak, who says 19s can't be mature? In the county I'm in, at 19 you're already an adult, and you're expected to be one whether you like it or not, in high school or in college. I'm so riled up, OMG. Why is that?
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 7:41 AM
Acting mature is not these characters' best traits. They are ALL childish especially when you think about these 2 man child who are over 900 years old.
Eun-tak and Dukkie I can understand because they are still young.
inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:33 AM
See the thing is, I feel like I like Eun Tak. I find her endearing sometimes, but she's also way annoying at others. She is childish and I feel like it's jarring because on one side, you have this "epic" romance (from GY's end) and then on her side, it's like ... watching your little sister in her first high school puppy romance that you know isn't going anywhere because of the lack of emotional maturity.
Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 4:46 PM
@Ren +1000 ??
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0613Ang
January 16, 2017 at 7:43 AM
I agree too. I think Eun Tak is just waiting for the inevitable of her not being useful anymore. But then again, she does want Shin to love her. He thinks he would just give her everything in exchange for the sword removal but I think she wants Shin to actually love her. She has never been in love nor him.
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Kiara
December 17, 2016 at 12:02 PM
Kim Go-eun has beautiful smiles. Her face is natural and I don't see anything fake about it. She can brighten up a room with her smiles and I appreciate her not giving in to the current standard of plastic beauty. She is comfortable under her own skin, her eyes, nose, chubby cheeks etc.
She has the talents and acting chops that I wish I could say about anyone in her age group. She doing great with what drama land has to offer.
I love her relationship with Shin. It doesn't have to start off romantic. It's refreshing not to root for that kind of love for once but perhaps something deeper from a young immature and carefree high schooler to a young woman who is starting to see her faults, admit it and do something about it.
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34 Growingbeautifully
December 16, 2016 at 10:07 PM
Thanks JB!
My take on the last scene was that where before Shin could not see the future for Eun Tak (she replied to that by saying perhaps she had no future), now with the change in her status, her future becomes visible to him. The one who should have died before birth now gets to live normally, presumably after ending the existence of one who did die but lived abnormally for so long.
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35 Kestrel
December 16, 2016 at 10:08 PM
This show is dragging me back into kdramas after 2-3 months. The last round of shows did nothing for me.
Can I vote for a Reaper Academy spinoff? I want a group of young Reapers, Kim Class of XX learning the ropes. Reaper lore cracks me up.
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klurker
December 16, 2016 at 11:46 PM
Great idea! And they'd have a sorting hat as well, except it's a ridiculous sorting hat like the ones they wear. lol
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gaeinalee
December 17, 2016 at 4:09 AM
Great idea!
And one of the curriculum is How to Deal with Attractive Human with Sunny as the guest lecturer.
..Count me in if we need to sign petition for this spin-off. ^^
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36 JISG
December 16, 2016 at 10:11 PM
WHAT AN EPISODE!! I immediately watched it again.
I cried so much at the ghost girl-mother scene and then immediately laughed so much at the threesome (Goblin, Reaper, ET) scene and then cried at Goblin's decision and then laughed and sad and happy and melancholy all over again.
Fantastic acting from everyone (except Sunny - I am not enjoying her character yet). For a show where most characters live forever, it strangely illustrate how fleeting life is and how much we should appreciate the time we have.
Every expression by Gong Yoo is a treasure!
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cozybooks
December 16, 2016 at 11:01 PM
Re: Sunny. I think her character has calmed down the quirkiness this episode, which makes me a bit sad--I really loved the wacky first impressions she made.
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37 daph
December 16, 2016 at 10:13 PM
can't wait
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38 Growingbeautifully
December 16, 2016 at 10:23 PM
The interlude with ghost girl and her mother was surprisingly the most touching for me. I was wondering what the reason was for it at first, but now looking back and knowing the end, it seems to be a nice bookend.
Eun Tak is there to help give peace of mind to both the ghost and her mother. The scene is the sad aftermath of a death, from the perspective of one who is left behind (alive)... and this is juxtaposed later with Shin's sudden knowledge of Eun Tak's future. The happy aftermath of his death for Eun Tak who would make him pretty and give him peace.
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Kiara
December 16, 2016 at 11:13 PM
I like it that there is a purpose greater than self service when it comes to her unique abilities.
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cocraze
December 17, 2016 at 6:22 AM
I was also wondering why the story of the young student ghost came up (other than as an aside story to tie in her current ghost-seeing abilities, ingenuity and quick thinking, and insert some DeokHwa & KimShin scenes).
As Growingbeautifully mentioned, I agree that perhaps it is to highlight the pain from losing a loved one. The loss experienced by the one who has to continue living.
EunTak has previously voiced her disillusionment with her current life (no loved ones, no future). She called KimShin a conman and said she does not have a future. Even after living 10 yrs with her aunt, she described it as merely "a place she slept in every night". Right now (in ep 5), she is happy to have a roof over her head, and getting familiar with her lovely 'housemates' (To the extent of "taming" the GR in her 2nd point of her written note, where previously she would hide behind Goblin whenever she saw GR). She can even harbour a dream of becoming a radio PD.
So can you imagine how devastated she would be when the sword is pulled out and Shin leaves? I feel the student ghost+mother story in ep 5 is to underscore the point of how to minimise the hurt EunTak would feel. And thus, we, as the viewer can understand why Shin would ask GR to erase EunTak's memories (hinted in the preview at the end of ep 5).
And as far as EunTak has voiced out her feelings about her ghostseeing ability, we only know she is not too happy about being harrassed (by ghosts) and ignored by humans as a result. We have only seen short snippets of when she was grateful (the incident when they took revenge on her classmate who claimed she smoked) and when they told her about how Shin extended her mother's life. She has not seen how this ability could be used to improve a living person's life or feelings.... til now. At least she can see for herself how her action has helped console the grieving mother.
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Growingbeautifully
December 17, 2016 at 7:54 AM
I was saying elsewhere, that there’s this nice balance and a juxtaposition between pathos and the upbeat, living too long and still being ignorant and new to relationships, or of dying too young, even while being mature about living. And yes, being the one left behind, remembering and sad or not remembering and at least appearing to be happy?
I really like the ironies written into this show. As you mentioned, @Khi, just when Eun Tak is settling into a home of sorts, with mates whom she can interact with, a possible boyfriend and a chance for happiness, she has to fulfill her role that could destroy her peace.
Then there's Shin... It’s so ironic that he has failed in the nine hundred and thirty plus years to figure out that ‘consorting’ with a bride involves feelings, which have begun and will grow and have given him joy he never knew before. He thought, when he found Eun Tak, that he could fulfil his wish to die, but he never thought that his wish would change to become the opposite. Just as he finally becomes happy, is when he has to face the greater sadness of being the means to break the heart of Eun Tak and his own heart as well.
For us viewers, we have the suspense of being tossed between deity's destiny (annihilation?) and human hope for a different ending. So much fun stress!! :)
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Di
December 17, 2016 at 8:33 AM
+1000000000000
DAEBAK comments.
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Mermaid Scribbler
December 17, 2016 at 5:01 PM
@Growingbeautifully -
Love this! I also love the relationships that are developing, especially with Shin and Eun tak. It's like an old-fashioned arranged marriage and they are discovering their own power.
I heard a recent discussion of relationships and how in a marriage there is a certain amount of free will. The speaker said that a husband can't force a wife to love him. Even if he beats her, he can't control her feelings.
It's interesting to see Shin and Eun tak start to look for their own power in the relationship like when she mentioned that if she pulls the sword, she might lose her value to him and therefore lose her home amd security. And the cute notes with her sandwiches belie the deeper truth that he can't make her pull the sword.
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Growingbeautifully
December 17, 2016 at 7:55 PM
Thank you kindly @ Di and Mermaid Scribbler!
I love to look for points of comparison, juxtaposition and controversy. Puts a smile on my face. :)
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WishfulToki
December 17, 2016 at 8:28 AM
Re: girl ghost scene. It was the first time I'd seen Eun Tak reach out and do something to help others. This came as a relief, because I was starting to find her character self-centred.
By the way, I think Reaper and Goblin are the real OTP of this show, but I'm enjoying Reaper's new friendship (?) with Eun Tak.
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Growingbeautifully
December 17, 2016 at 7:53 PM
That girl, she's a-growing! I just love character growth and development, but it has to start from somewhere where a person is less... like when a character is selfish to get to somewhere where he is more.
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39 Lala
December 16, 2016 at 10:27 PM
Just a random thought, what if ET's lunch partner, the CEO, is Deok Hwa? I mean he is an heir to his grandfather's company.
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40 At's
December 16, 2016 at 10:29 PM
I honestly think this episode was a filler, cute, funny and a camouflage for the melo we're going to see in episode 6. I can already feel the tears running! The preview was all rain, tears, gloomy weather, and comforting each other!
And the ratings dropped. I guess its famous, but might not be able to break 1998 finale record! Lol
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maya2825
December 17, 2016 at 12:34 AM
It took 11 episodes for R1988 to reach 11% of rating. It is pretty impressive that Goblin achieved it in its 2nd week. Breaking R1988's record is not impossible tho.
And not, the rating actually didn't drop, it actually rised 0,134% from last episode.
#researchmuch
#obsessedmuch
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celine
December 17, 2016 at 5:00 AM
oh interesting bit of information on how long it took R88 to reach the number that Goblin reached in just its early episodes. I like both shows and wish for Goblin success as well. So far it is good.
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inxomnia
December 17, 2016 at 9:38 AM
R88 had a much lesser-known cast (I only knew PBG from IRY), and Hyeri's casting was widely criticised so it was definitely a huge achievement. Goblin already had the leg up once GY was signed on because he's pretty much universally loved in Korea and he's being having a pretty good year with his movies doing really well in the box office as well. That said, I do think Goblin more or less deserves high ratings.
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41 At's
December 16, 2016 at 10:32 PM
Was it my imagination or did anyone else notice the voice in the phone call, where ET in the future is talking to sounds like samshin grandmother? I don't know maybe I'm just hearing thing? ???
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indreams
December 16, 2016 at 10:36 PM
I thought she was talking to Sunny? It definitely sounded like Yoo Inna's voice...
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annflln
December 16, 2016 at 10:58 PM
Its sound like Sunny for me
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Nessie
December 17, 2016 at 3:00 AM
Yea I thought it was Sunny too.
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42 redfox
December 16, 2016 at 10:39 PM
not a lot happened, it is more like a sketch show with romance now. But the Reaper drinking coffee reminded me of Edward Scissorhands having "lemonade" with Ben in the basement.
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redfox
December 16, 2016 at 10:46 PM
and that 1004 makes me suspicious.
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Miky
December 17, 2016 at 1:54 PM
1004 means "Angel" so Dok Hwa put that as password...Many use it jaja
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43 endo
December 16, 2016 at 10:50 PM
After seeing older ET's short hair. I cannot unsee KGE's hair extensions.Lol.
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44 kanz
December 16, 2016 at 10:51 PM
Mr. Reaper-nim, I suggest you take Lee Dong Wook as your name..
After all, Dong Wook is dawn and Sunny means sunny right.
The dawn and the sun.. good match!
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45 cozybooks
December 16, 2016 at 10:59 PM
Probably one of my favorite episodes to this point, I really enjoyed it. However I did realize one thing: as much as I love Reaper's comedic abilities, I'm finding his character development a little bit flat. His character certainly already has depth (that he portrays fairly well), I'm just not seeing any movement forward. Here's to hoping we make some headway tomorrow and in coming weeks!
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46 Youjungie
December 16, 2016 at 11:01 PM
It's obviously the waiter's p.o.v future and Kim Shin doesn't saw the CEO or who that man is because his focus is on his lover kekeke~ Maybe Kim Shin is the CEO she's waiting and they just starting to know each other in the future. In order for that to happen WE NEED SOME TWIST , MAGIC & LOOOVE cuz ya'll know our FUTURE DO CHANGE EVERYDAY! ?
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47 royal
December 16, 2016 at 11:03 PM
During their car ride scenes, I was thinking, "Hey, couldn't he just teleport them immediately to their destination? I mean, he transported them to Canada for pete's sake."
But then he's probably prolonging their time together. Even with his internal emotional struggles. It's the journey (together), not the destination.
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48 passing by
December 16, 2016 at 11:19 PM
Shin saw Eun Tak's future through the waiter's eyes.
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49 flatbear
December 16, 2016 at 11:35 PM
why is kim shin such a tsundere?
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50 Venson
December 16, 2016 at 11:42 PM
I found this comment in open thread from Goblin spoiler interesting... :)
kumoiwa also replied with more explanation
Either Goblin spoiler is right and this is a lot of coincidences, or kumoiwa is right, and this is just a red herring.
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