Post by TheBo on Mar 22, 2012 9:41:53 GMT -5
Ep.77- FINAL EPISODE
{I’m going to let myself run on a little bit to tie things up, as it’s the last episode, but I’ll try not to be ridiculous.}
It is the 24th year of the reign of King Jeong-jo (San). In somewhat of a delayed instant replay, the young Crown Prince is refusing his food, insisting on eating what the people eat. Mr Jung exhorts him, Mr Nam worries—no effect. San has asked him a question and he’s going to answer it by himself. His tutors (the half-noble librarian ministers) and Mr Jung laugh over what a fearsome tutor San is. The boy visits his father and gives him similar answers to what San gave Yeong-jo when he was a boy. San corrects him more gently than Yeong-jo had done for him, and the boy’s investigations continue.
There is a coin shortage due to a scarcity of foreign copper, and nobles, merchants and loan sharks are hoarding coins to artificially raise their value. San and his guys decide to import defunct Qing coins to use temporarily alongside their own currency. However, the easily counterfeited Qing coins swiftly lose the merchants’ trust and they riot. Even though the government cracks down on the counterfeiters, the merchants can’t trust the coins, so San calls a halt to the program and Mr Jung investigates alternative metals to copper.
Uncle and Mak-soon, now wealthy, have adopted a child, and he is apparently a handful. “Don’t worry, Dae-su was stupid, too,” quoth Uncle. So they send the boy to live with D-S, who oversees his studies. D-S tells him about Sir Hong Gook-young, who made him the man he is today. The kid tries to wriggle out of studying by invoking his own stupidity, but D-S is having none of THAT.
There’s an exhibition in honor of a new consolidated manual of the fighting arts, put together using Prince Sado’s similar manual as a basis. San then has a fainting spell. “Happens all the time” he assures his alarmed courtiers.
At a Dowahseo luncheon, we learn Artist Lee has “left the service” and works as an independent artist (apparently with some success), perhaps because Artist Tak was the one promoted to Chief Artist. Their former bosses, Park and Kang, pay a friendly visit, and everyone seems amused by and used to Tak and Lee’s continuing rivalry.
Chobi and Lady Kim check on the food offerings for Ui Bin’s upcoming anniversary, and they both notice that they are familiar and comfortable with the court kitchens--almost as if they worked there in a former life. [This is cute and funny, referencing their previous roles on Dae Jang-geum.] At the tomb, Dae-su tells San that he asked Ui Bin to make San take a rest. San complains she’ll be nagging him in his dreams now. San looks over the capital and makes grandiose plans for what he can do for his people.
San’s health suffers from his work schedule. He leaves the palace in connection with the coin shortage. At the palace, the doctor demands that Mr Nam send for San to return, as he’s very ill. He sends D-S, but it’s too late. Mr Jung had left San for a moment, and then he and D-S find him in a dead faint on the floor.
San, suffering greatly and unconscious, is tended by his physician. This unlucky fellow has to report to Queen Hyeoui and Dowager Hye that the tumors which have taken over San’s body have become infected and he may not regain consciousness. They’re treating the fever. Hyeoui sits at San’s side and weeps, telling him if he does not wake three days, he’s toast.
Then she goes out and scolds Chobi and Lady Kim for crying in front of everyone—San must and will recover. D-S prays at Ui Bin’s graveside for her help, and Dowager Hye fervently prays to the Buddha for her son. Even Tebi Mamah is surprised at her own lack of joy, and even realizes she feels actual sadness, at San’s morbid illness.
While San’s people consult with the doctors outside, he receives a mysterious visitor wearing royal dress. She creeps toward his bed and puts down a tonic and some cloth which appears to have a token upon it. The camera sweeps to Ui Bin, who cries over San and tells him she is certain he’ll recover if he tries. Her tears fall on his face and he wakes and sees her. She tells him to gather his strength and stay on this Earth yet a little while, as he still has work to do.
Outside, Queen Hyeoui arrives for a report and hears the nurses yelling from within. San has awakened. Q-H is overjoyed when he recognizes her. [Later, we see San playing with the token Song had given him when she left for Qing to be a painter there.] However, as Mr Nam tells D-S, it was only through some miracle that San woke up at all and he doesn’t have much time left. When D-S begs San to focus on recovery, San tells him he knows he doesn’t have much time and has to finish his work before he leaves. San asks D-S to protect and guide his young son after his death, and D-S promises. San thanks him for his friendship, and later, works in his office, vision steadily failing.
Another day. D-S arrives at the royal office and is announced to the king. It is little King Sun-jo. They walk and discuss D-S and the late king’s friendship, and Sun-jo says his father told him D-S was his closest and most-trusted friend. The little king is fearful he won’t be able to fill his father’s shoes, so D-S assures him he’ll stand by his side for the rest of his life and protect him, so he can concentrate on being a great king.
D-S visits San’s [HUGE] burial mound and remembers San’s ideals and hopes for his people. D-S assures San that one day, those hopes and dreams will come true. Fade to child-D-S, San and Song playing in the falling apple [cherry?] blossoms, then to young-adult San and Song running off together into the distance, hand in hand. In heaven-palace, no doubt. End.
**
Rather than posting my "final thoughts" in this particular thread, since they'd be in the nature of an overview, I'll open a separate thread.
However, regarding THIS episode, I really really liked the scene where Song came back to see him while he was sick. It was nicely done, leaving room for interpretation as to whether she really appeared or he was hallucinating.
I also liked that they had Dae-su provide the closing narration. Very nicely finished, nice performances, didn't seem hurried to me.
{I’m going to let myself run on a little bit to tie things up, as it’s the last episode, but I’ll try not to be ridiculous.}
It is the 24th year of the reign of King Jeong-jo (San). In somewhat of a delayed instant replay, the young Crown Prince is refusing his food, insisting on eating what the people eat. Mr Jung exhorts him, Mr Nam worries—no effect. San has asked him a question and he’s going to answer it by himself. His tutors (the half-noble librarian ministers) and Mr Jung laugh over what a fearsome tutor San is. The boy visits his father and gives him similar answers to what San gave Yeong-jo when he was a boy. San corrects him more gently than Yeong-jo had done for him, and the boy’s investigations continue.
There is a coin shortage due to a scarcity of foreign copper, and nobles, merchants and loan sharks are hoarding coins to artificially raise their value. San and his guys decide to import defunct Qing coins to use temporarily alongside their own currency. However, the easily counterfeited Qing coins swiftly lose the merchants’ trust and they riot. Even though the government cracks down on the counterfeiters, the merchants can’t trust the coins, so San calls a halt to the program and Mr Jung investigates alternative metals to copper.
Uncle and Mak-soon, now wealthy, have adopted a child, and he is apparently a handful. “Don’t worry, Dae-su was stupid, too,” quoth Uncle. So they send the boy to live with D-S, who oversees his studies. D-S tells him about Sir Hong Gook-young, who made him the man he is today. The kid tries to wriggle out of studying by invoking his own stupidity, but D-S is having none of THAT.
There’s an exhibition in honor of a new consolidated manual of the fighting arts, put together using Prince Sado’s similar manual as a basis. San then has a fainting spell. “Happens all the time” he assures his alarmed courtiers.
At a Dowahseo luncheon, we learn Artist Lee has “left the service” and works as an independent artist (apparently with some success), perhaps because Artist Tak was the one promoted to Chief Artist. Their former bosses, Park and Kang, pay a friendly visit, and everyone seems amused by and used to Tak and Lee’s continuing rivalry.
Chobi and Lady Kim check on the food offerings for Ui Bin’s upcoming anniversary, and they both notice that they are familiar and comfortable with the court kitchens--almost as if they worked there in a former life. [This is cute and funny, referencing their previous roles on Dae Jang-geum.] At the tomb, Dae-su tells San that he asked Ui Bin to make San take a rest. San complains she’ll be nagging him in his dreams now. San looks over the capital and makes grandiose plans for what he can do for his people.
San’s health suffers from his work schedule. He leaves the palace in connection with the coin shortage. At the palace, the doctor demands that Mr Nam send for San to return, as he’s very ill. He sends D-S, but it’s too late. Mr Jung had left San for a moment, and then he and D-S find him in a dead faint on the floor.
San, suffering greatly and unconscious, is tended by his physician. This unlucky fellow has to report to Queen Hyeoui and Dowager Hye that the tumors which have taken over San’s body have become infected and he may not regain consciousness. They’re treating the fever. Hyeoui sits at San’s side and weeps, telling him if he does not wake three days, he’s toast.
Then she goes out and scolds Chobi and Lady Kim for crying in front of everyone—San must and will recover. D-S prays at Ui Bin’s graveside for her help, and Dowager Hye fervently prays to the Buddha for her son. Even Tebi Mamah is surprised at her own lack of joy, and even realizes she feels actual sadness, at San’s morbid illness.
While San’s people consult with the doctors outside, he receives a mysterious visitor wearing royal dress. She creeps toward his bed and puts down a tonic and some cloth which appears to have a token upon it. The camera sweeps to Ui Bin, who cries over San and tells him she is certain he’ll recover if he tries. Her tears fall on his face and he wakes and sees her. She tells him to gather his strength and stay on this Earth yet a little while, as he still has work to do.
Outside, Queen Hyeoui arrives for a report and hears the nurses yelling from within. San has awakened. Q-H is overjoyed when he recognizes her. [Later, we see San playing with the token Song had given him when she left for Qing to be a painter there.] However, as Mr Nam tells D-S, it was only through some miracle that San woke up at all and he doesn’t have much time left. When D-S begs San to focus on recovery, San tells him he knows he doesn’t have much time and has to finish his work before he leaves. San asks D-S to protect and guide his young son after his death, and D-S promises. San thanks him for his friendship, and later, works in his office, vision steadily failing.
Another day. D-S arrives at the royal office and is announced to the king. It is little King Sun-jo. They walk and discuss D-S and the late king’s friendship, and Sun-jo says his father told him D-S was his closest and most-trusted friend. The little king is fearful he won’t be able to fill his father’s shoes, so D-S assures him he’ll stand by his side for the rest of his life and protect him, so he can concentrate on being a great king.
D-S visits San’s [HUGE] burial mound and remembers San’s ideals and hopes for his people. D-S assures San that one day, those hopes and dreams will come true. Fade to child-D-S, San and Song playing in the falling apple [cherry?] blossoms, then to young-adult San and Song running off together into the distance, hand in hand. In heaven-palace, no doubt. End.
**
Rather than posting my "final thoughts" in this particular thread, since they'd be in the nature of an overview, I'll open a separate thread.
However, regarding THIS episode, I really really liked the scene where Song came back to see him while he was sick. It was nicely done, leaving room for interpretation as to whether she really appeared or he was hallucinating.
I also liked that they had Dae-su provide the closing narration. Very nicely finished, nice performances, didn't seem hurried to me.