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Post by tinkerbell on Nov 9, 2007 9:07:04 GMT -5
You're right mugwump. You know they still love each other, but duty calls.
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Post by tinkerbell on Nov 9, 2007 12:57:42 GMT -5
EPISODE# 69
In last night's episode,I was surprised to see the maneuver Mimosa pulled with the money bag. Of course Gulsabiwu added insult to injury by taking the money back to keep Wolf's secret. I never expected the Wolf to grovel and whimper about not letting anyone know what had happened. That was a little strange since earlier he was so tough, it seemed out of character. Although the scene was rather funny,I'm surprised what Mimosa did. Yes, he didn't lie about the money, but he was deceptive about the amount. If the Wolf and his tribe knew what little was involved, they most likely wouldn't have stuck their necks out to help. Then again Mimosa was desperate and they couldn't carry out their plan without help. What bothered me was Mimosa saying that unlike Tang, Goguryeans keep their word and then pulled a fast one.What if they would need their help in the future? Did they just burn another bridge? Maybe I missed something and they thought that was the only way to make it out alive. I laughed my head off when they showed DJY's "giant" opponent . He reminded me of Lurch(Addams Family),or that guy from James Bond movies (didn't he have metal teeth or something?), or the world's tallest man (ironically,I believe he lives in China), but MUCH less attractive(I'm trying to be nice here). More than ever I see a lot of Biblical analogies here. In the beginning, DJY being born under imperial energy (when we saw the shooting star) likened to Jesus' birth under the Star of Bethlehem.Both spared from death while infants and lived in obscurity until the proper time.The suffering servant of the people and the Savior element which we've seen all along. Last night really seemed to allude to Jesus with the long, painful trek to Tang, the scorn and insults of the people, the beating and being hung up in agony awaiting death. On the other hand,the upcoming fight between DJY and Wugol(sp.) looks very much like David and Goliath.Giant,strong, fearsome,unbeatable Tang against smaller, beaten down, looking like a hopeless cause Goguryeo.As we all know David beat Goliath and I'm sure we'll see that repeated, good winning out against evil. Also I wondered if the Empress is poisoning the Emperor. She seems phony in her concern for his failing health and I know she is ambitious and ruthless in her quest for power.The look on her face last night plus other scenes and things she has said in past episodes, I think she is plotting to be the "Top Cat" in the neighborhood.
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Post by jojo on Nov 9, 2007 13:48:15 GMT -5
Good stuff with the money bag. I thought from the start that the Wolf was missing something big by not asking Mimosa about the amount of money. And though the Wolf is po'd about it, but perhaps he realizes he fell for it, so he is to blame. I was surprised he didn't go after Li Wen. The gigantic man they found to enter the duel looks strangely familiar, like I've seen him in other movies, Western movies. Nice effect with him breaking the table, like he's a little out of control. I'm wondering about the Empress too. She seems to follow her advisor's directions without a thought, but I think she has some other moves in mind. Xue Regui has really lost his status in the Tang Court. How fickle those kinds of alliances can be. I even feel a bit sorry for him (again.. not having seen many of the earlier episodes, so I don't know his history). He's been totally ursurped by Li Wen. Back at the camp in the mountains, I kept expecting Xue, after agreeing to spilt up the prisoners, at the last minute to tell Li Wen that Li would take King Bojang, and Xue would take Dae Jo Young. Xue and his advisor's are losing their edge!! Those looks between Chilun and Dae Jo Young are totally unfathomable to me. Another episode of woe; seeing Dae Jo Young being stoned & Li Wen enjoying it was heart-breaking.
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Post by tinkerbell on Nov 9, 2007 15:13:25 GMT -5
EPISODE# 69
I believe the Empress backs whomever most benefits her agenda and right now it's Li Wen. There seems to be something she has for Xue Rengui though, and I'm not quite sure what it is. I thought since the beginning she favored him for some reason. Of course it could've been a power play then or now.I think she only has her best interests in mind. Yeah, I loved the smashed table part too, and the subsequent look of fear on Li Wen's face. Priceless!
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Post by ajk on Nov 10, 2007 14:35:32 GMT -5
tinkerbell, I had the exact same reaction to that whole con-job business when #69 aired in Chicago. I couldn’t believe it. Thought it was just reprehensible behavior. Here we’re supposed to be so sympathetic to these honorable, downtrodden Goguryeans struggling against oppressive Tang, and they go and pull a stunt like that. Not exactly honorable, to put it mildly. There’s a thread about it here that you might find interesting; some people said that the Wolf deserved to be conned for being greedy, but to me that was beside the point. Anyway, I’m with you, I just didn’t think it was a good plot twist at all.
And you and jojo are both right about the Wugol character. He does come across as being very familiar, and he immediately reminded me of the James Bond guy (Richard Kiel, who played the “Jaws” character in two of those films). In fact, my impression watching Wugol is that the actor must have seen those two films and was deliberately playing his role in very much the same way, even down to showing lots of teeth.
I’ll be interested to hear what you thought of #70, for a couple of reasons that I won’t say for now.
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Post by tinkerbell on Nov 11, 2007 15:11:13 GMT -5
EPISODE# 70
Right ajk, even if he was being greedy,it wasn't right to con them for a number of reasons.Character DOES count. A deal was made, promises are meant to be kept, they should have been grateful the Turks were willing to help, and they lost a few hundred men in the endeavor. Like I said, it was even worse after making the comment about keeping their word unlike Tang.
Ha, ha, You're right, he did flash those teeth a lot like "Jaws" and I don't think it was to show off his pearly whites. ;D He does look familiar, unless he just has one of those faces like you see walking down the street(Yikes!!!).
I had reservations about commenting on #70. First I should say I hope I don't offend anyone. I thought the episode was ridiculous, unbelievable,impossible, and sort of an insult to our intelligence. The long walk in bare feet, beatings, stoning, and no food or water for six days, yet every time you saw DJY and his men as they were "hanging" in the public square, they were standing. After all that, they wouldn't have had the strength to stand and their legs would have buckled underneath them. After a few gulps of water the night before, he was slightly energized. Before the fight he did look weak and had trouble focusing, and granted some adrenaline would kick in, but the rest was ridiculous, except for the eye poke that was hilarious. Even before the fight, wouldn't he have had internal injuries and if not, certainly after the bone crunching hugs he was getting from his opponent.
I thought the Empress looked more devilish (it was how they did her makeup). I guess it was appropriate considering her actions. I thought she'd be ruffled at seeing the "letter" Li Kaigu pulled out promising the Khitans Yingzhou and thinking they couldn't possibly have hung onto that after all these years.She didn't even flinch. I think she is getting more brazen as she seems to be acquiring more power. She still does things behind the scenes, but more is being done out in the open now. I really think she is going to off the Emperor, of course I could be totally wrong.
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Post by ajk on Nov 12, 2007 16:33:01 GMT -5
Yeah, there certainly was a comic-book superhero feel about that whole combat storyline, almost like the time he instantaneously shook off his total paralysis. It’s too bad because the whole thing could have been much more compelling, but you’re right, they took it too far. And I also didn’t think that even Li Wen would be stupid enough to starve DJY to that extent before the combat. He’s trying to impress everybody with the fact that he caught this supreme, dangerous warrior, and then he brings DJY out and he’s a physical wreck. And sooner or later it was bound to come out that he starved DJY (which it did: the empress stares daggers into him and says “Is this true?”), and then even if Wugol had won, it would have been a tarnished victory. Yes Li Wen is an idiot, but it just didn’t sit right with me.
I was wondering if you would mention Li Kaigu’s letter! That was one of my favorite scenes in the whole series so far. We hadn’t seen that letter since Episode 15, and for him not only to have it but to throw it in the Empress’ face! Geez that took some big-time cojones. To tell the empress he’d be her enemy for life if he didn’t get Yingzhou...he’s been an annoying character sometimes but you gotta love that kind of moxie. Plus I liked the fact that they wrote the letter back into the plot. It’s one of those things that rewards people for sticking with the series.
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Post by jojo on Nov 13, 2007 9:18:40 GMT -5
At first I was very disappointed to have missed #70, but after reading your comments, tinkerbell & ajk, I don't feel so bad. When Li Wen announced the duel back in #69 I thought it would be a farce, with Dae Jo Young practically dead. In any case, I'm glad he's not!
I read in the synopsis that Dae Jo Young & co end up being beaten by Li Wen at the end. Kind of brazen of him. Doesn't he think he will be the prime suspect? Glad I missed this part.
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Post by jojo on Nov 19, 2007 9:40:23 GMT -5
A twist of fate: Xue Rengui getting Dae Jo Young out of the slave camp. Who wouldda thunk it? Just a few episodes prior, he was saying, What's going on here? We're rooting for Dae Jo Young?!
The terrible decision. Will Dae Jo Young pick the poisoned cup? Perhaps he will grab both cups to spare his beloved king. Perhaps neither cup is poisoned: a test by Empress Wu to see how far Dae Jo Young's loyalty goes.
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Post by jojo on Nov 19, 2007 11:16:44 GMT -5
On the other hand, I could be "out in left field" aka: competely wrong. I love when that happens! ;D
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Post by tinkerbell on Nov 19, 2007 14:27:21 GMT -5
EPISODE# 71 What can I say about episode 71? The food at the camp really STINKS. For someone who has gone through repeated beatings, being kicked, several long treks in bare feet, torture, starvation, and whatever else, DJY sure does an awesome job leading the pack in a mad dash to the feeding trough. Mmm Mmm good! Why do they call it a slave camp and not a prison camp? If only Michael Scofield (Prison Break) were there. He'd definitely help them escape. Episode 72 was better. I was getting tired of the beat and kick scenes. Unless they totally fool us, in his usual saintly fashion, DJY will drink both cups IMO. Yes, right now Xue Rengui would probably want to help DJY get out of prison just to spite Li Wen. I think he has really gotten under XR's skin. I'm not sure Xue will go that far even to get back at Li Wen.We shall see. We can only imagine what's going through Xue Rengui's mind.
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Post by jojo on Nov 21, 2007 8:07:36 GMT -5
Yeah, amazing recovery time from the beatings!!! It's almost unbelieveable! And getting the other prisoners on their side would have taken a long time too. Movies, eh? I thought Xue Rengui was Chinese, but he's referred to as one of the barbarians infecting the Tang Court. Anyone know which ethnic group he comes from?
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Post by mugwump on Nov 21, 2007 16:37:19 GMT -5
In real history I think Xue Rengi was really Chinese, but I'm pretty sure near the beging of the show it said he was from a Khitan tribe and we first saw him as a menial soldier in the Tang army. He rose through the ranks quickly for service to the previous Tang emperor. Because of his ethnic origin he has always been trusted by the Khitans and tries to keep his promises to them.
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Post by tinkerbell on Nov 21, 2007 20:40:48 GMT -5
I got the impression he came from Tang also, but whether he was Chinese or Khitan, I'm not sure. Was he a Khitan roaming around Tang or what? We saw in the beginning that he looked like a peasant and I believe he was a poor farmer or something before he was made a general by the emperor of Tang. I wonder about his ethnicity because how he hooked up with the khan and his men.
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Post by vickieh on Nov 21, 2007 23:15:26 GMT -5
I remember one eps. that Xue Rengi was included in the ethic group of warriors that the Tang had. Such as the Khitan. So I am thinking that he isn't Chinese. Or he maybe half. We may never know.
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