Post by ajk on Mar 30, 2012 20:25:42 GMT -5
Before anything else, we're told by a narrator that the first two episodes will cover "major events from the years 572 to 602 in an abbreviated form" in order to present some necessary background on the major characters. Meaning, there will be some abrupt time jumps and not a lot of detail. Good to know ahead of time.
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We see a man on horseback, galloping across the countryside. Seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere....
Elsewhere, on a mountainside ledge, a dozen or so people are dressed in white robes and taking part in some sort of ceremony. Apparently religious; it's before a likeness of Buddha carved into the rock, with what looks like an elaborate calendar-wheel carved above it. (Later we learn that this is Jung-Ak, a mountain with important religious significance.)
Back to the rider...He's an older man, distinguished-looking, well-dressed. He reaches the top of a tall hill and surveys the land below, with apparent satisfaction. Very quiet, wind rustling...
At the ceremony, the calendar-wheel suddenly cracks!
Two arrows fly through the air and pierce the horse's front legs, causing it to buck and throw the rider. Five black-clad assassins run in and surround the fallen rider. They're from Baekje: "We came to avenge our former king!" (King Seong, that is.) "Slay him!" But precious seconds go by while they stand there and menace him...enough time for three other people on horseback to swoop in. The lead rider, masked but obviously a woman, jumps from a sitting position on her horse, easily ten feet into the air and fifteen feet forward. Then another jump, from a standing position, eight feet in the air with a full flip. (UGH!!!) She and the other two riders fight and kill the assassins. They kneel at the man's feet. "Sire." So this man is Shilla's King Jinheung. (Note: He's supposed to be 39 years old at this point, but looks much, much older.) Jinheung, against the advice of his subordinates, is traveling to Mount Bukhan (just north of present-day Seoul) for the dedication of a stele marking Shilla's territorial expansion. Prince Baekjeong, who is Jinheung's grandson and the royal successor, will be there.
Mount Bukhan: we see the dedication ceremony. Lots of government officials and other important-looking people are there; lots of new faces to absorb. Jinheung speaks to the gathering; he's very gracious in giving credit to various subordinates for their good work in building a strong kingdom and making the expansion possible. You can't help but like the guy for his doing this. We learn several names, including Mishil, the female royal guard from before. Also speaks encouragingly to Baekjeong, a young boy of maybe eight or nine, about building "an even greater legacy" when he rises to the throne. To the side, a man hears this and looks to be upset by it. Subtitling names him as Prince Geumnyun, Jinheung's second son. Who for some reason is NOT the royal successor. Hmm....
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It's now 576. We see the royal procession on its way somewhere through the countryside. Jinheung is inside his palanquin--the biggest palanquin you'll ever see. There must be at least two dozen men hauling the thing. Mishil is inside with him; she's now his concubine. While they're talking, there's a slight lurch that causes the king to spill a little of the tea he's drinking. Mishil opens a side window to see what happened. One of the bearers has stumbled and fallen. She looks at the head guard and twitches her head slightly. The guard nods, pulls out his sword, and the human flat tire is executed on the spot. Mishil closes the window and says, "It was nothing of particular concern, Sire." Yikes--obviously we need to keep an eye on this one. The king then tells her about being cornered by a tiger as a boy, and killing it with a small dagger that he still carries with him to this day. Sometimes, he says, being a king feels like being cornered by a tiger. Why does he think he's survived and been successful? "It is people," he says. "When I fought with that tiger, I surely was alone...At the end, the brave, the fortunate, the sagacious...They all joined forces with me, so that I could contend with any beast. It is not divine providence that bestows glory upon a ruler. It is his people." Mishil isn't sure what to make of that, but accepts the lesson with a smile. Then the king starts coughing--coughing up blood. Uh-oh, we know what that means.
Shilla's capital city of Seorabeol (present-day Gyeongju): Evening inside the royal chambers. The king is on his deathbed and dictates his "last injunctions" to Mishil, who writes them down. Baekjeong is heir to the throne. Eulje (one of the officials we saw on Mt. Bukhan), is to be Head of the Council of Nobles. As for Prince Geumnyun and Mishil, they're both to be removed from royal office and are to "devote their remaining days to serving Buddha." Mishil hears this and freezes. "Are you disheartened?" No, she says, but clearly she is. Still, she tells him she'll accept it. She leaves, looking understandably glum. Next the king orders Eulje and Prince Baekjeong summoned. Seolwon enters; he was summoned earlier. Seolwon was at Mount Bukhan and is another one of the king's royal guards. And now he has the title "Rang," indicating he's a member of the Hwarang. (The Hwarang were an elite group of male Shillan youth.) The king tells him that he gave Mishil his final injunctions...but there's one more that he didn't give her. A secret injunction that he's written down. He hands it to Seolwon, who reads it: "Slay Mishil"! Seolwon is dumbfounded, but Jinheung explains: "Mishil shall never follow my injunctions. As long as I am alive, Mishil is a treasure to Shilla. But once demise shall befall upon me, Mishil will become a treacherous poison afflicting this country." Will you do it? Wow, tough spot to be in, but Seolwon says he will. He leaves. The royal physician enters, but Jinheung waves him off despite his obvious pain. He wants to see Prince Baekjeong.
"His Majesty penetrated through all our subterfuges." Seolwon has taken that last secret written injunction...straight to Mishil! Doink! They're in cahoots; we learn that Seolwon pledged his loyalty to her four years ago. Mishil reads the edict and doesn't seem all that surprised by it. "He is Shilla's greatest ruler," she observes. "Were he not blessed by such sagacious discernment, how could he ever gain such legacy?" She's actually pleased by how everything is playing out. She instructs him, "Make all preparations." Something's cooking....
Back at Jung-Ak: Another ceremony, looks just like the first one. Same man leading it: Munno, who is one of the king's royal guards and who we now learn is gukseon (grand master) of the Hwarang.
Elsewhere: Seolwon enters a courtyard somewhere and reviews a group of roughly 50 armed troops. Who the heck are these guys?
Jinheung presents Baekjeong with his trusty little dagger. "It once rescued me from the jaws of demise," he tells his grandson. "Now it is yourself and this country of ours you must protect."
Outside, Seolwon has shown up with his mysterious troops and they fight their way into the palace courtyard.
The king is in real bad shape, and Baekjeong runs to summon the physicians.
At Jung-Ak, the wind blows out a torch, as though an omen of something....
In the courtyard, the battle continues...but not for long. Seolwon's group prevails, and then Mishil enters. "We rid the council hall of everyone present," Seolwon tells her. We see Baekjeong, who's stumbled onto this mess and is keeping himself hidden as he watches it. The troops back away, and Mishil heads towards the front steps carrying some sort of covered tray. The boy runs back inside and hides behind the throne that Jinheung is sitting in. Mishil enters: "Sire. It is time for your infusion." Not sure what he's to be infused with, but on the tray under that cloth is a bowl full of some kind of liquid. The king doesn't respond to her. She slowly walks up to him, kneels and touches his arm...and he slumps. Dead. Once she realizes it, she takes a moment to absorb it. "I shall never forget the devotion you blessed me with," she says tearfully. "Nor shall I forget the benevolence you granted me..." she reaches for the bowl, and pours the contents into a nearby planter..."in taking your final breath without my assistance. I shall never, ever forget it." Poison! (The guy is on death's door, coughing up blood, and she's going to go through all this and risk getting caught trying to poison him? Really?) As Seolwon and other of the troop leaders enter, Mishil talks to the dead king--with a sudden surge of anger and ruthlessness. She speaks of his lesson to her about how a ruler needs the hearts of people. "Take a look, Sire! These are my people! Not yours, but Mishil's, my people! And it now is...Mishil's time to rule." Wow. Still hiding behind the throne, a terrified Baekjeong silently listens.
At Jung-Ak: a strange wind grabs Munno's attention. He's hearing the king's voice: "Unless the seven stars of the Big Dipper become eight, no one able to contend with Mishil's might shall bless creation. Should anyone possess the power to contend with her, an eighth star will grace the Big Dipper."
Mishil goes straight to Prince Geumnyun, and she's carrying those last written injunctions the king dictated to her. Tells him the king is dead, and shows him the injunctions, which obviously are bad news for him as well as for her. "However," she says deliberately, "final injunctions can always be altered." Ooohhh, she's good--thought this out and is playing the game brilliantly. You can be the "official" royal heir, that's the unspoken offer..."If you only proclaim me as Queen, that is." That part is spoken, of course. "Will you do that?" And then she proceeds to seduce him.
Apparently it worked...because now it's Geumnyun's coronation ceremony. Dancing, symbolic rituals, everything you'd expect. And in the middle of the courtyard, a big hexagonal object. We learn that it's a well, right there in the middle of everything. And it appears to be filled with smoke. Whatever this is, it's a big deal. Dead silence from everyone. The MC of the ceremony announces, "Here is the well that our great founder Park Hyeokgeose spurted from, the Najeong! May you now let the egg of the Hyeokgeose bless you in divine inspiration." (Note: Legend is that Park Hyeokgeose (69BC-4AD), Shilla's founding king, was born from an egg.) Slowly, out of the smoke, a large egg rises up, floating like a balloon. It starts to glow and reaches 20 feet or so, before darkening again and settling back down onto its own custom-made giant egg holder. The egg is presented to the new king; he holds it up by metal plates that are attached to its sides, and the thing glows again. (Nobody even bats an eye at any of this, by the way.) This apparently is the official signal, and now he's the king. King Jinji; 25th king of Shilla. "Before His Majesty the King we are gathered! Hurrah! Hurrah!" And then in an entryway we see Munno, who's just returned to the capital. He comes onto the scene and is deeply disturbed that he was unable to stop it from happening.
Later: Prince Baekjeong is begging Eulje to protect him. He fears Mishil and detests his uncle. But Eulje has been ordered away. He assures the boy that no harm will come to him, and he leaves. Munno has come upon the scene and has heard all this. He looks up to the sky...and sees some sort of vision or hallucination in which a shooting star hits one of the stars in the Big Dipper (Mizar, for all you astronomy addicts) and then energy from Mizar comes to Earth and enters some sort of big box being carried by several people. Munno jumps up with a start; he was sleeping and this was a dream. He's totally confused; is this the eighth star from Jinheung's message? He goes outside into the night and does some sword practice to clear his head. He's very good with the sword, we can see...Suddenly, Seolwon and a dozen of his subordinates are there in front of him. "Join our cause," Seolwon implores him. But Munno wants no part of any of it. "I shall not interfere. Let Mishil Seju do as she pleases."
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"Are you really going to abandon me?" It's now 579, and Mishil stands before King Jinji, holding their baby. "Will you condemn this son borne out of our union to spend life as a mere royal servant's offspring?!" The king is squirming and looking almost ashamed of himself. He still hasn't named Mishil queen; we learn it's because his mother and his subjects (not sure which ones) warned him not to do so. We made a deal, she reminds him, and I altered Jinheung's final injunctions so you could reach the throne. You'd think Jinji would at least be shrewd enough to know better than to screw this woman over, but obviously he isn't. An attendant enters and tells him it's time for the Hwarang ceremony, and he's glad to leave her and get out of the room. But not before he tells her, We're not going to talk about those injunctions ever again. She stands there briefly, stunned, and then once she absorbs the finality of the situation, gently places her baby on the floor. "Forgive me, my child. You are no longer of any use to me." And walks away.
Same day, different location: Prince Baekjeong is a young adult with a consort now. (Yes, it's the old shifting-time problem where some characters age faster than others.) And she's pregnant! "I actually dreamed of the seven stars of the Big Dipper entering my body," she tells the prince; "I thought it was a peculiar dream." The prince is thrilled and Maya (her name; formally she's Lady Kim) is thrilled too. He's been wearing his grandfather's small dagger on a chain around his neck; he takes it off and places it on her. "I now wish it will protect you and our child." Sohwa, Baekjeong's female attendant, enters in a huff, eager to get everyone on their way to the Hwarang ceremony so she can get a good seat. But Maya needs to go to the religious shrine first, to pray for the child. She and Sohwa will join the prince at the ceremony after that.
Warm-up for the ceremony: Baekjeong arrives. Munno is there; sees the prince and gets an odd, unsettling vibe, as though Baekjeong has some new significance to him....
Maya and Sowha arrive at the shrine. It's closed. Weird. They sneak into a back door, and they discover that the Hwarang are in there, and as Seolwon supervises them, they're painting their faces to look like women! Sowha thinks it's funny, but Maya knows this is a very serious situation. "On the day before a military campaign or a great endeavor, Hwarang paint their faces. It means they will fight to their very last drop of blood, while leaving behind their comely visage as their legacy. ("Hwarang" means "flower boys," in reference to the female elite "Wonhwa" groups (of which Mishil had been a member) that preceded them. The reason for the female-face connection.) But why are they doing this now? Can't be for a mere exhibition. Maya and Sowha leave the shrine and head to the ceremony, but Seolwon has spotted them and knows they saw everything. He's with Seori, the older woman who was MC at the coronation ceremony. She's in on this too. They'll have to be dealt with, he tells her. But dealt with VERY quietly.
At the Hwarang ceremony: King Jinji is watching. Mishil's empty chair is next to him. Baekjeong is seated next to the king, with Maya's empty chair on his other side. From a guard tower overlooking the yard, Munno can see the entire area. He sees Maya and Sowha arrive, and sees a guard tell Maya that her mother has suddenly been taken seriously ill. The servant who supposedly brought this news is waiting at the north gate, she's told; she tells Sowha to let Baekjeong know what's happening, and she heads off. Munno then sees Seolwon watching this from behind her. He knows something's not right...so he comes down from the tower and follows Maya as she leaves the yard.
The ceremony is underway. First a martial arts demonstration; the king likes it; Baekjeong keeps looking around for Maya. Seori is MC again, and announces the arrival of the egg of the Hyeokgeose. Sowha reaches the back of the royal risers, climbs up and tells Baekjong where Maya went. Four bearers carry the big egg in its holder; they reach the riser and present the egg to the king...and then pull it away. What? The main gate opens, and there's Mishil standing there with the Hwarang behind her, face paint and all. They calmly walk up to the king, the Hwarang in six neat columns. Strangely, some of the ministers present look at each other like they expected this. Mishil calmly tells the king, "As their wonhwa, I am merely conveying to you my fellow Hwarang's wishes. Sire. May you step down."
Outside the yard, Maya is grabbed by guards and stuffed into a big box, which is hurried out of the area. Munno is a moment too late to see this, but sees the box and sees the bottom few inches of Maya's dress sticking out of it. And he realizes, That box, it's the big box from his vision! He runs after it.
The king stands there, furious, gasping, in utter disbelief. "You rendered vain all of the former king's achievements," Mishil tells him. (Has he? We don't know.) Jinji orders his guards to clear her and the Hwarang out of the place. They run forward. Will there be a battle? The first six Hwarang behind Mishil calmly step forward, brandish daggers...and kill themselves! The next six step forward...and kill themselves! Mishil stands calmly in front of all this, and then tells the king, "This is our Hwarang's resolve. Who could ever stop it?" This is all nonsense to the king; why would anybody want him removed? "Even the Council of Nobles is not voicing a single grievance," he tells her angrily, "so how could the Hwarang..." Uh-oh, spoke too soon. Noribu, the Council's chief, steps forward: "The Council of Nobles does concur with their wishes, and will demonstrate it through our following edict." Sejong steps forward; he's another minister and, as subtitles tell us, Mishil's husband (!). He whips out a scroll and reads: "First, for besmirching his crown, and ignoring heaven's mandate. Second, for allowing his lecherous profligacy to afflict our people, and failing to shelter the former king's achievements. Third, for violating the former king's servant Mishil in contemptuous disdain, not to mention not conveying his final injunctions, the most treasonous of all misdeeds." That last one nearly sets the king hyperventilating with anger. And then Mishil produces another scroll, and proceeds to read Hinjeung's final injunction from three years earlier--that Baekjeong, not Geumnyun, is to inherit the throne. Baekjong stands there dumbfounded; Noribu grabs his hand, leads him forward and proclaims, "We are gathered before our ruler and king!" Shouts of "Sire! Sire!" Officials and soldiers turn to Baekjeong and kneel. Mishil has stood there stone-faced throughout it all, but now, finally, she smiles.
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We see a man on horseback, galloping across the countryside. Seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere....
Elsewhere, on a mountainside ledge, a dozen or so people are dressed in white robes and taking part in some sort of ceremony. Apparently religious; it's before a likeness of Buddha carved into the rock, with what looks like an elaborate calendar-wheel carved above it. (Later we learn that this is Jung-Ak, a mountain with important religious significance.)
Back to the rider...He's an older man, distinguished-looking, well-dressed. He reaches the top of a tall hill and surveys the land below, with apparent satisfaction. Very quiet, wind rustling...
At the ceremony, the calendar-wheel suddenly cracks!
Two arrows fly through the air and pierce the horse's front legs, causing it to buck and throw the rider. Five black-clad assassins run in and surround the fallen rider. They're from Baekje: "We came to avenge our former king!" (King Seong, that is.) "Slay him!" But precious seconds go by while they stand there and menace him...enough time for three other people on horseback to swoop in. The lead rider, masked but obviously a woman, jumps from a sitting position on her horse, easily ten feet into the air and fifteen feet forward. Then another jump, from a standing position, eight feet in the air with a full flip. (UGH!!!) She and the other two riders fight and kill the assassins. They kneel at the man's feet. "Sire." So this man is Shilla's King Jinheung. (Note: He's supposed to be 39 years old at this point, but looks much, much older.) Jinheung, against the advice of his subordinates, is traveling to Mount Bukhan (just north of present-day Seoul) for the dedication of a stele marking Shilla's territorial expansion. Prince Baekjeong, who is Jinheung's grandson and the royal successor, will be there.
Mount Bukhan: we see the dedication ceremony. Lots of government officials and other important-looking people are there; lots of new faces to absorb. Jinheung speaks to the gathering; he's very gracious in giving credit to various subordinates for their good work in building a strong kingdom and making the expansion possible. You can't help but like the guy for his doing this. We learn several names, including Mishil, the female royal guard from before. Also speaks encouragingly to Baekjeong, a young boy of maybe eight or nine, about building "an even greater legacy" when he rises to the throne. To the side, a man hears this and looks to be upset by it. Subtitling names him as Prince Geumnyun, Jinheung's second son. Who for some reason is NOT the royal successor. Hmm....
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It's now 576. We see the royal procession on its way somewhere through the countryside. Jinheung is inside his palanquin--the biggest palanquin you'll ever see. There must be at least two dozen men hauling the thing. Mishil is inside with him; she's now his concubine. While they're talking, there's a slight lurch that causes the king to spill a little of the tea he's drinking. Mishil opens a side window to see what happened. One of the bearers has stumbled and fallen. She looks at the head guard and twitches her head slightly. The guard nods, pulls out his sword, and the human flat tire is executed on the spot. Mishil closes the window and says, "It was nothing of particular concern, Sire." Yikes--obviously we need to keep an eye on this one. The king then tells her about being cornered by a tiger as a boy, and killing it with a small dagger that he still carries with him to this day. Sometimes, he says, being a king feels like being cornered by a tiger. Why does he think he's survived and been successful? "It is people," he says. "When I fought with that tiger, I surely was alone...At the end, the brave, the fortunate, the sagacious...They all joined forces with me, so that I could contend with any beast. It is not divine providence that bestows glory upon a ruler. It is his people." Mishil isn't sure what to make of that, but accepts the lesson with a smile. Then the king starts coughing--coughing up blood. Uh-oh, we know what that means.
Shilla's capital city of Seorabeol (present-day Gyeongju): Evening inside the royal chambers. The king is on his deathbed and dictates his "last injunctions" to Mishil, who writes them down. Baekjeong is heir to the throne. Eulje (one of the officials we saw on Mt. Bukhan), is to be Head of the Council of Nobles. As for Prince Geumnyun and Mishil, they're both to be removed from royal office and are to "devote their remaining days to serving Buddha." Mishil hears this and freezes. "Are you disheartened?" No, she says, but clearly she is. Still, she tells him she'll accept it. She leaves, looking understandably glum. Next the king orders Eulje and Prince Baekjeong summoned. Seolwon enters; he was summoned earlier. Seolwon was at Mount Bukhan and is another one of the king's royal guards. And now he has the title "Rang," indicating he's a member of the Hwarang. (The Hwarang were an elite group of male Shillan youth.) The king tells him that he gave Mishil his final injunctions...but there's one more that he didn't give her. A secret injunction that he's written down. He hands it to Seolwon, who reads it: "Slay Mishil"! Seolwon is dumbfounded, but Jinheung explains: "Mishil shall never follow my injunctions. As long as I am alive, Mishil is a treasure to Shilla. But once demise shall befall upon me, Mishil will become a treacherous poison afflicting this country." Will you do it? Wow, tough spot to be in, but Seolwon says he will. He leaves. The royal physician enters, but Jinheung waves him off despite his obvious pain. He wants to see Prince Baekjeong.
"His Majesty penetrated through all our subterfuges." Seolwon has taken that last secret written injunction...straight to Mishil! Doink! They're in cahoots; we learn that Seolwon pledged his loyalty to her four years ago. Mishil reads the edict and doesn't seem all that surprised by it. "He is Shilla's greatest ruler," she observes. "Were he not blessed by such sagacious discernment, how could he ever gain such legacy?" She's actually pleased by how everything is playing out. She instructs him, "Make all preparations." Something's cooking....
Back at Jung-Ak: Another ceremony, looks just like the first one. Same man leading it: Munno, who is one of the king's royal guards and who we now learn is gukseon (grand master) of the Hwarang.
Elsewhere: Seolwon enters a courtyard somewhere and reviews a group of roughly 50 armed troops. Who the heck are these guys?
Jinheung presents Baekjeong with his trusty little dagger. "It once rescued me from the jaws of demise," he tells his grandson. "Now it is yourself and this country of ours you must protect."
Outside, Seolwon has shown up with his mysterious troops and they fight their way into the palace courtyard.
The king is in real bad shape, and Baekjeong runs to summon the physicians.
At Jung-Ak, the wind blows out a torch, as though an omen of something....
In the courtyard, the battle continues...but not for long. Seolwon's group prevails, and then Mishil enters. "We rid the council hall of everyone present," Seolwon tells her. We see Baekjeong, who's stumbled onto this mess and is keeping himself hidden as he watches it. The troops back away, and Mishil heads towards the front steps carrying some sort of covered tray. The boy runs back inside and hides behind the throne that Jinheung is sitting in. Mishil enters: "Sire. It is time for your infusion." Not sure what he's to be infused with, but on the tray under that cloth is a bowl full of some kind of liquid. The king doesn't respond to her. She slowly walks up to him, kneels and touches his arm...and he slumps. Dead. Once she realizes it, she takes a moment to absorb it. "I shall never forget the devotion you blessed me with," she says tearfully. "Nor shall I forget the benevolence you granted me..." she reaches for the bowl, and pours the contents into a nearby planter..."in taking your final breath without my assistance. I shall never, ever forget it." Poison! (The guy is on death's door, coughing up blood, and she's going to go through all this and risk getting caught trying to poison him? Really?) As Seolwon and other of the troop leaders enter, Mishil talks to the dead king--with a sudden surge of anger and ruthlessness. She speaks of his lesson to her about how a ruler needs the hearts of people. "Take a look, Sire! These are my people! Not yours, but Mishil's, my people! And it now is...Mishil's time to rule." Wow. Still hiding behind the throne, a terrified Baekjeong silently listens.
At Jung-Ak: a strange wind grabs Munno's attention. He's hearing the king's voice: "Unless the seven stars of the Big Dipper become eight, no one able to contend with Mishil's might shall bless creation. Should anyone possess the power to contend with her, an eighth star will grace the Big Dipper."
Mishil goes straight to Prince Geumnyun, and she's carrying those last written injunctions the king dictated to her. Tells him the king is dead, and shows him the injunctions, which obviously are bad news for him as well as for her. "However," she says deliberately, "final injunctions can always be altered." Ooohhh, she's good--thought this out and is playing the game brilliantly. You can be the "official" royal heir, that's the unspoken offer..."If you only proclaim me as Queen, that is." That part is spoken, of course. "Will you do that?" And then she proceeds to seduce him.
Apparently it worked...because now it's Geumnyun's coronation ceremony. Dancing, symbolic rituals, everything you'd expect. And in the middle of the courtyard, a big hexagonal object. We learn that it's a well, right there in the middle of everything. And it appears to be filled with smoke. Whatever this is, it's a big deal. Dead silence from everyone. The MC of the ceremony announces, "Here is the well that our great founder Park Hyeokgeose spurted from, the Najeong! May you now let the egg of the Hyeokgeose bless you in divine inspiration." (Note: Legend is that Park Hyeokgeose (69BC-4AD), Shilla's founding king, was born from an egg.) Slowly, out of the smoke, a large egg rises up, floating like a balloon. It starts to glow and reaches 20 feet or so, before darkening again and settling back down onto its own custom-made giant egg holder. The egg is presented to the new king; he holds it up by metal plates that are attached to its sides, and the thing glows again. (Nobody even bats an eye at any of this, by the way.) This apparently is the official signal, and now he's the king. King Jinji; 25th king of Shilla. "Before His Majesty the King we are gathered! Hurrah! Hurrah!" And then in an entryway we see Munno, who's just returned to the capital. He comes onto the scene and is deeply disturbed that he was unable to stop it from happening.
Later: Prince Baekjeong is begging Eulje to protect him. He fears Mishil and detests his uncle. But Eulje has been ordered away. He assures the boy that no harm will come to him, and he leaves. Munno has come upon the scene and has heard all this. He looks up to the sky...and sees some sort of vision or hallucination in which a shooting star hits one of the stars in the Big Dipper (Mizar, for all you astronomy addicts) and then energy from Mizar comes to Earth and enters some sort of big box being carried by several people. Munno jumps up with a start; he was sleeping and this was a dream. He's totally confused; is this the eighth star from Jinheung's message? He goes outside into the night and does some sword practice to clear his head. He's very good with the sword, we can see...Suddenly, Seolwon and a dozen of his subordinates are there in front of him. "Join our cause," Seolwon implores him. But Munno wants no part of any of it. "I shall not interfere. Let Mishil Seju do as she pleases."
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"Are you really going to abandon me?" It's now 579, and Mishil stands before King Jinji, holding their baby. "Will you condemn this son borne out of our union to spend life as a mere royal servant's offspring?!" The king is squirming and looking almost ashamed of himself. He still hasn't named Mishil queen; we learn it's because his mother and his subjects (not sure which ones) warned him not to do so. We made a deal, she reminds him, and I altered Jinheung's final injunctions so you could reach the throne. You'd think Jinji would at least be shrewd enough to know better than to screw this woman over, but obviously he isn't. An attendant enters and tells him it's time for the Hwarang ceremony, and he's glad to leave her and get out of the room. But not before he tells her, We're not going to talk about those injunctions ever again. She stands there briefly, stunned, and then once she absorbs the finality of the situation, gently places her baby on the floor. "Forgive me, my child. You are no longer of any use to me." And walks away.
Same day, different location: Prince Baekjeong is a young adult with a consort now. (Yes, it's the old shifting-time problem where some characters age faster than others.) And she's pregnant! "I actually dreamed of the seven stars of the Big Dipper entering my body," she tells the prince; "I thought it was a peculiar dream." The prince is thrilled and Maya (her name; formally she's Lady Kim) is thrilled too. He's been wearing his grandfather's small dagger on a chain around his neck; he takes it off and places it on her. "I now wish it will protect you and our child." Sohwa, Baekjeong's female attendant, enters in a huff, eager to get everyone on their way to the Hwarang ceremony so she can get a good seat. But Maya needs to go to the religious shrine first, to pray for the child. She and Sohwa will join the prince at the ceremony after that.
Warm-up for the ceremony: Baekjeong arrives. Munno is there; sees the prince and gets an odd, unsettling vibe, as though Baekjeong has some new significance to him....
Maya and Sowha arrive at the shrine. It's closed. Weird. They sneak into a back door, and they discover that the Hwarang are in there, and as Seolwon supervises them, they're painting their faces to look like women! Sowha thinks it's funny, but Maya knows this is a very serious situation. "On the day before a military campaign or a great endeavor, Hwarang paint their faces. It means they will fight to their very last drop of blood, while leaving behind their comely visage as their legacy. ("Hwarang" means "flower boys," in reference to the female elite "Wonhwa" groups (of which Mishil had been a member) that preceded them. The reason for the female-face connection.) But why are they doing this now? Can't be for a mere exhibition. Maya and Sowha leave the shrine and head to the ceremony, but Seolwon has spotted them and knows they saw everything. He's with Seori, the older woman who was MC at the coronation ceremony. She's in on this too. They'll have to be dealt with, he tells her. But dealt with VERY quietly.
At the Hwarang ceremony: King Jinji is watching. Mishil's empty chair is next to him. Baekjeong is seated next to the king, with Maya's empty chair on his other side. From a guard tower overlooking the yard, Munno can see the entire area. He sees Maya and Sowha arrive, and sees a guard tell Maya that her mother has suddenly been taken seriously ill. The servant who supposedly brought this news is waiting at the north gate, she's told; she tells Sowha to let Baekjeong know what's happening, and she heads off. Munno then sees Seolwon watching this from behind her. He knows something's not right...so he comes down from the tower and follows Maya as she leaves the yard.
The ceremony is underway. First a martial arts demonstration; the king likes it; Baekjeong keeps looking around for Maya. Seori is MC again, and announces the arrival of the egg of the Hyeokgeose. Sowha reaches the back of the royal risers, climbs up and tells Baekjong where Maya went. Four bearers carry the big egg in its holder; they reach the riser and present the egg to the king...and then pull it away. What? The main gate opens, and there's Mishil standing there with the Hwarang behind her, face paint and all. They calmly walk up to the king, the Hwarang in six neat columns. Strangely, some of the ministers present look at each other like they expected this. Mishil calmly tells the king, "As their wonhwa, I am merely conveying to you my fellow Hwarang's wishes. Sire. May you step down."
Outside the yard, Maya is grabbed by guards and stuffed into a big box, which is hurried out of the area. Munno is a moment too late to see this, but sees the box and sees the bottom few inches of Maya's dress sticking out of it. And he realizes, That box, it's the big box from his vision! He runs after it.
The king stands there, furious, gasping, in utter disbelief. "You rendered vain all of the former king's achievements," Mishil tells him. (Has he? We don't know.) Jinji orders his guards to clear her and the Hwarang out of the place. They run forward. Will there be a battle? The first six Hwarang behind Mishil calmly step forward, brandish daggers...and kill themselves! The next six step forward...and kill themselves! Mishil stands calmly in front of all this, and then tells the king, "This is our Hwarang's resolve. Who could ever stop it?" This is all nonsense to the king; why would anybody want him removed? "Even the Council of Nobles is not voicing a single grievance," he tells her angrily, "so how could the Hwarang..." Uh-oh, spoke too soon. Noribu, the Council's chief, steps forward: "The Council of Nobles does concur with their wishes, and will demonstrate it through our following edict." Sejong steps forward; he's another minister and, as subtitles tell us, Mishil's husband (!). He whips out a scroll and reads: "First, for besmirching his crown, and ignoring heaven's mandate. Second, for allowing his lecherous profligacy to afflict our people, and failing to shelter the former king's achievements. Third, for violating the former king's servant Mishil in contemptuous disdain, not to mention not conveying his final injunctions, the most treasonous of all misdeeds." That last one nearly sets the king hyperventilating with anger. And then Mishil produces another scroll, and proceeds to read Hinjeung's final injunction from three years earlier--that Baekjeong, not Geumnyun, is to inherit the throne. Baekjong stands there dumbfounded; Noribu grabs his hand, leads him forward and proclaims, "We are gathered before our ruler and king!" Shouts of "Sire! Sire!" Officials and soldiers turn to Baekjeong and kneel. Mishil has stood there stone-faced throughout it all, but now, finally, she smiles.