Post by ajk on Jul 16, 2017 0:46:31 GMT -5
Another good episode. Like the previous one, pretty standard battle stuff but it was well done. And dang, I thought maybe we'd get a Songi-free episode; we made it to 37:58 before she showed up and there wasn't much of her so hooray for that.
I'm glad they didn't show every last officer at Chulju getting slaughtered. Sometimes the bloody stuff makes a strong impact but it wasn't really needed here, especially after Yi Wonjong died. The next-day aftermath with the dead bodies and the stillness and silence, that got the message across.
Why did they have to show KJ and his two subordinates sneaking right through the enemy camp? Come on, that was silly.
The first narration:
And the fire arrows were useful twice: to burn the siege engines and to light the oils that the raiders spread around the camp. How about that, the moment we complain about abuse of fire arrows in historicals we get some proper uses.
"What the...? Where did the stones come from?" That was great! A real surprise out of nowhere, the fortress having its own catapults. Very clever to hold them back for a while and then surprise the Mongols later on.
That attendant Songi was talking to, there's another supporting player we've seen more than once before. Very recognizable face.
During the second assault, an arrow flew into view and thwacked into a post as Kim Kyongson was talking nearby. That seems like small thing but I loved it. Made the scene feel more authentic. Give everybody credit for that; the actors had to stand there with somebody firing an arrow close to them, and the producers obviously had to pay to hire a good archer to shoot it. Have to appreciate that kind of commitment to making the scene better. Most historicals don't do it.
Dae Jipsung to Yangbaek: "I hear you're quite a drinker." Who told you that--Chunsim?
Songi's point from way back when about Yakson not being a rugged he-man...um, well...that flowing pink robe he's wearing doesn't exactly hurt her case, does it.
"What is it that you want to say?" Thank you Songi...this evil hinting that Yakson is trying to do, and the ominous music that plays in the background, this isn't the first time we've seen this and it's stupid. If he thinks she's in love with KJ he should come right out and confront her about it. Take off your pink robe and be a man.
The third and final narration:
But that aside, I learned a lot from this one and it seems like they did try to stay faithful to the historical record. And still KJ isn't being pushed forward excessively; the war story is being told properly. So a big thumbs-up and I hope it keeps going.
p.s. Here's the book scan that I found. Some good reading on the relevant pages.
books.google.com/books?id=-coUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249&dq=%22kim+chungon%22&source=bl&ots=1ofBjQMoLa&sig=fD2nQXgQfjDWDSEWZPdKlnYvH50&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYsIWU8ozVAhVq_4MKHZqhA8AQ6AEILzAD#v=onepage&q=%22kim%20chungon%22&;f=false
I'm glad they didn't show every last officer at Chulju getting slaughtered. Sometimes the bloody stuff makes a strong impact but it wasn't really needed here, especially after Yi Wonjong died. The next-day aftermath with the dead bodies and the stillness and silence, that got the message across.
Why did they have to show KJ and his two subordinates sneaking right through the enemy camp? Come on, that was silly.
The first narration:
So the armies of Koryo finally left the capital...over a month after the Mongols took Hansim. Koryo had three armies at the time. General Chae Songnyon commanded the North Frontier District. Yi Jasong and Dae Jipsong guarded the rear flanks.Awfully bright out there for a nighttime raid! Ugh. Gotta love TV. But about that raid and the dozen men...I scoffed at it when I was watching it but apparently something like what we saw, it actually did happen. The narration said this:
It was unheard of in all of history. Twelve raiders turned back the Mongol horde. Kim Yongson dared to attack the Mongols with Fort Kwiju's 5,000 men. And so landed a crushing blow to enemy morale.So I got curious...and managed to find a Google page scan of a book called Korea: The Mongol Invasions which bears out a lot of the scene, right down to Kim Kyongson getting wounded. It wasn't exactly like what we saw but the general idea was correct. The one significant thing that seems to be wrong is that Park So did not give up his command, at least not then he didn't.
And the fire arrows were useful twice: to burn the siege engines and to light the oils that the raiders spread around the camp. How about that, the moment we complain about abuse of fire arrows in historicals we get some proper uses.
"What the...? Where did the stones come from?" That was great! A real surprise out of nowhere, the fortress having its own catapults. Very clever to hold them back for a while and then surprise the Mongols later on.
That attendant Songi was talking to, there's another supporting player we've seen more than once before. Very recognizable face.
During the second assault, an arrow flew into view and thwacked into a post as Kim Kyongson was talking nearby. That seems like small thing but I loved it. Made the scene feel more authentic. Give everybody credit for that; the actors had to stand there with somebody firing an arrow close to them, and the producers obviously had to pay to hire a good archer to shoot it. Have to appreciate that kind of commitment to making the scene better. Most historicals don't do it.
Dae Jipsung to Yangbaek: "I hear you're quite a drinker." Who told you that--Chunsim?
Songi's point from way back when about Yakson not being a rugged he-man...um, well...that flowing pink robe he's wearing doesn't exactly hurt her case, does it.
"What is it that you want to say?" Thank you Songi...this evil hinting that Yakson is trying to do, and the ominous music that plays in the background, this isn't the first time we've seen this and it's stupid. If he thinks she's in love with KJ he should come right out and confront her about it. Take off your pink robe and be a man.
The third and final narration:
So it was. As Sartai said, Kwiju was formidable indeed. Now in his seventies, the Mongol marshal had spent his life in battle. Yet he said he had never seen a city take such abuse without surrendering. Who was this warrior, this great general? The Annals of Koryo tell us, General Kim Kyongson.Okay Kim did lead that small raid that had so much effect, but I don't understand why this episode made Kim the star at Park So's expense. What was the point?
But that aside, I learned a lot from this one and it seems like they did try to stay faithful to the historical record. And still KJ isn't being pushed forward excessively; the war story is being told properly. So a big thumbs-up and I hope it keeps going.
p.s. Here's the book scan that I found. Some good reading on the relevant pages.
books.google.com/books?id=-coUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA249&lpg=PA249&dq=%22kim+chungon%22&source=bl&ots=1ofBjQMoLa&sig=fD2nQXgQfjDWDSEWZPdKlnYvH50&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYsIWU8ozVAhVq_4MKHZqhA8AQ6AEILzAD#v=onepage&q=%22kim%20chungon%22&;f=false