Post by ajk on Jan 27, 2019 17:24:54 GMT -5
I was braced for a real stinker this time. All of that who’s-your-daddy nonsense sounded like it was going to be a major low point for the series. And it may still turn out that way...but whoever wrote this episode did a terrific job with it. Despite not being a very eventful episode, it was maybe the most interesting episode yet. All kinds of good stuff throughout it.
The beginning had some good scenes addressing the Mahan situation (finally) and showing work on armor development and food rations for the military, and then about the timing of the attack. And KG telling everybody to eat the test rations, and saying he’ll eat them too, that’s a good leader right there, had to like that. Also got a little foreign relations—although doesn’t it seem like KG should have already reached out to Shilla already? Should have been a first-day-on-the-job thing, but whatever, not a big deal. It adds authenticity when you get these kinds of details.
“Settle the crown prince matter before you leave.” Good heavens she has no off switch on the annoying-ness, does she. Even after KG said it won’t be settled any time soon. Loved the grandfather scolding her later. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be like this. You saw his suffering in Liaoxi. I didn’t think you’d be involved in such a pathetic competition.” Thank you sir.
Then we got into the “chamyo.” This had never come up in any of our historicals before but apparently it was a big deal all over the peninsula for a long time. It’s fascinating stuff—you make up a song that’s simple enough for kids to sing but has an underlying political or social message, and basically you hope it goes viral. Somebody wrote a scholarly article about it and I’m trying to track down the English translation of it, so hopefully I can add a thread with some background information. For now here’s the text of the one we heard: "How can red beans grow when soybeans were planted? Eoraha’s soybean field has Goguryeo red beans. Red beans should be in a red bean field. They should be in a Goguryeo red bean field."
“I brought salted clams. Eat them when you don’t have an appetite.” Wow I know pregnant women get weird cravings but recommending clams for an upset stomach? Really?
“He abandoned me and the Jin clan first.” No, Jin Seung, you abandoned him first - when he was falsely accused of murdering Biryu. Completely turned your back on him, remember? And then some more complaining from him about the two commoners getting high positions...and then later complaining to the grandfather about other clans getting positions: “I want to understand why he’s treating the Jin clan like this.” Because he’s trying to unify the country, you idiot. He really is showing a selfish, ugly side lately...but I have to say it’s making him a more human and complete character.
“Yeowhi would have trained you so well if he were here. I miss him so much.” Yeah you’re not the only one. Still waiting for the reasoning behind that decision.
“I won’t forgive your arrogance. Come with a bunch of misfit soldiers. I’ll cut off your head.” Hey let’s get some more of this guy! We got two of the Mahan state leaders as new characters and you have to love anybody who would fire off a reply like that.
“Unfair things happen in life.” Wow poor Yeohwa. How can you not feel sorry for her. All of her misfortunes come from her father using her as a bargaining chip. He’s dead now but even her child is going to suffer because of him. Have to say the actress continues to do a nice job portraying the character. The scene with her and the grandfather (who also has done a nice job) was painful to watch but well done...
...and strangely enough that scene also had the best music of the entire series so far. It was gorgeous stuff, perfect for the scene, and quite a surprise considering the music overall just hasn’t been up to the typical high standards of other historicals.
And at the end, hooray! They went into the community and we heard what ordinary citizens were saying about how the country was doing and how people felt about conquering Mahan. How many times have I begged for this very thing. Okay it was sort of silly that the king would just go walk onto a public street with a few ministers and no guards. But that aside, just having that little bit of context and bigger picture is so helpful to a story and adds so much. Those scenes are more expensive and complicated because you need a bunch of extras, but they’re sooo worth it.
So bottom line, whoever wrote this episode, I hope they’re writing all the rest of them because this is how they should all be done. It was lively and interesting and touched all of the bases (we even saw the outcast princes again) and it handled both the historical side and the drama side very well. And not one groaner moment in the entire episode. Excellent work, whoever did it.
The beginning had some good scenes addressing the Mahan situation (finally) and showing work on armor development and food rations for the military, and then about the timing of the attack. And KG telling everybody to eat the test rations, and saying he’ll eat them too, that’s a good leader right there, had to like that. Also got a little foreign relations—although doesn’t it seem like KG should have already reached out to Shilla already? Should have been a first-day-on-the-job thing, but whatever, not a big deal. It adds authenticity when you get these kinds of details.
“Settle the crown prince matter before you leave.” Good heavens she has no off switch on the annoying-ness, does she. Even after KG said it won’t be settled any time soon. Loved the grandfather scolding her later. “I was hoping you wouldn’t be like this. You saw his suffering in Liaoxi. I didn’t think you’d be involved in such a pathetic competition.” Thank you sir.
Then we got into the “chamyo.” This had never come up in any of our historicals before but apparently it was a big deal all over the peninsula for a long time. It’s fascinating stuff—you make up a song that’s simple enough for kids to sing but has an underlying political or social message, and basically you hope it goes viral. Somebody wrote a scholarly article about it and I’m trying to track down the English translation of it, so hopefully I can add a thread with some background information. For now here’s the text of the one we heard: "How can red beans grow when soybeans were planted? Eoraha’s soybean field has Goguryeo red beans. Red beans should be in a red bean field. They should be in a Goguryeo red bean field."
“I brought salted clams. Eat them when you don’t have an appetite.” Wow I know pregnant women get weird cravings but recommending clams for an upset stomach? Really?
“He abandoned me and the Jin clan first.” No, Jin Seung, you abandoned him first - when he was falsely accused of murdering Biryu. Completely turned your back on him, remember? And then some more complaining from him about the two commoners getting high positions...and then later complaining to the grandfather about other clans getting positions: “I want to understand why he’s treating the Jin clan like this.” Because he’s trying to unify the country, you idiot. He really is showing a selfish, ugly side lately...but I have to say it’s making him a more human and complete character.
“Yeowhi would have trained you so well if he were here. I miss him so much.” Yeah you’re not the only one. Still waiting for the reasoning behind that decision.
“I won’t forgive your arrogance. Come with a bunch of misfit soldiers. I’ll cut off your head.” Hey let’s get some more of this guy! We got two of the Mahan state leaders as new characters and you have to love anybody who would fire off a reply like that.
“Unfair things happen in life.” Wow poor Yeohwa. How can you not feel sorry for her. All of her misfortunes come from her father using her as a bargaining chip. He’s dead now but even her child is going to suffer because of him. Have to say the actress continues to do a nice job portraying the character. The scene with her and the grandfather (who also has done a nice job) was painful to watch but well done...
...and strangely enough that scene also had the best music of the entire series so far. It was gorgeous stuff, perfect for the scene, and quite a surprise considering the music overall just hasn’t been up to the typical high standards of other historicals.
And at the end, hooray! They went into the community and we heard what ordinary citizens were saying about how the country was doing and how people felt about conquering Mahan. How many times have I begged for this very thing. Okay it was sort of silly that the king would just go walk onto a public street with a few ministers and no guards. But that aside, just having that little bit of context and bigger picture is so helpful to a story and adds so much. Those scenes are more expensive and complicated because you need a bunch of extras, but they’re sooo worth it.
So bottom line, whoever wrote this episode, I hope they’re writing all the rest of them because this is how they should all be done. It was lively and interesting and touched all of the bases (we even saw the outcast princes again) and it handled both the historical side and the drama side very well. And not one groaner moment in the entire episode. Excellent work, whoever did it.
