Post by ajk on Sept 17, 2017 2:16:16 GMT -5
This was a pretty squishy episode--no history in it at all except maybe for KJ's emancipation--but actually most of it was good. The relationship-y stuff, generally well done (for a change). Just a few things that didn't sit well.
Choe U: "The times need more than scholarship and whining." What a great statement!
Choe is going to hold poor Park Songbi accountable for Yakson's performance? Wow that's harsh. Trying to control somebody who's abusing alcohol is awfully difficult. I felt sorry for Park.
Yakson to Songi: "Will you come back to me?" Strange question, like he thinks she was ever there for him before. Songi: "You should have asked me this long before now." Yes he should have, this was a long-overdue scene, but it was worth waiting for. Presented with just the right touch; good dialogue and it was smart to have very little background music. "You know me. I'm a bad person. Years have passed but I haven't given up. I know it's wrong. I know it's a road I shouldn't go down. And despite that, I can't stop myself." It's interesting how Songi maybe deserves a little sympathy after all this time. She sure didn't before, but she's been so unhappy for so long, you can't help but feel a little sorry for her by now. The one thing I didn't like was Yakson's stubborn, possessive attitude about insisting on clinging to his marriage. Feels like this is a flaw in the character development. We know how much Yakson has always wanted to avoid politics; well if he's gonna stay married to Songi he won't be able to avoid them. And he's never seemed happy in the marriage just like she hasn't. It just doesn't make sense with the rest of Yakson's character that he wouldn't be willing to walk away from it. Maybe it's about the kids but he never mentioned them so I doubt it.
Delaying Yangbaek's and Yi Kongu's emancipation was all a setup? Choe's pretty darned clever. Not sure what the point of it was, why Choe thinks that those two should feel indebted to KJ...but maybe that gets explained down the line. Was it clear to everybody that Yi Kongju was a slave? I never realized it until Choe emancipated him in this one.
But why did messengers have to go deliver the news of KJ's emancipation? What was the big rush? Couldn't wait until he got back home? That was silly.
"If you had that job, we wouldn't envy Qin Shi Huangdi a bit." That was when Choe's sons were talking. In case anybody was wondering, they were referring to the first emperor of China, who united all of the "Warring States." Fascinating story. He's the guy who had the terracotta army made.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang
Yakson: "Too much sucking up is like a poison. It rots us from the inside." Yakson said that? And after drinking heavily? Very insightful observation.
One very good thing right now is that KJ is recovering from his injuries like a normal human would. The instant recovery we routinely see in these historicals drives me nuts. Seeing KJ limping around and needing time to get his strength back, it's great that the series is presenting it this way and treating the viewers like we're not idiots.
"I heard at the Battle of Pakgong he nearly lost his life because of you." What? Did I miss something? What did KJ do that put Yangbaek at risk, and for that matter what's the Battle of Pakgong? No idea what that refers to.
The evening scene between KJ and Anshim...especially after putting up with that awful love triangle in Emperor of the Sea, and then bratty Songi earlier in this one, it was a breath of fresh air. Sincere and heartfelt and sweet and simple, and handled beautifully by everyone, nicely acted and directed. What's so hard about that?
But then the next morning, I wanted to strangle Anshim. The day after telling KJ that being with him is Nirvana, she says Go away and forget about me, and We'll see if it's meant to happen. What possible reason does she have for saying any such thing? I flashed back to EOS, the speculating about Jung-hwa having some sort of severe self-esteem problem and denying herself happiness. Was this just the writers' way of getting her out of the picture temporarily? Whatever the reason, it didn't come off well at all.
The king has a son of marriage age? He doesn't look like it. The capital moved when he was 40; this guy doesn't look 40. Have said before, he's a good piece of casting, but he does look young.
"I'm not freed of my own account, but because Kim Jun is behind me." Uh-oh, Yangbaek's been drinking again and look what's happening. I hope this doesn't continue. He's a free man and he's not happy about it? Come on. So KJ got freed first; would he care about that? Especially considering how he single-handedly screwed up that entire operation against the Mongol commissioners. He's lucky he still has his head after that, much less his freedom.
So there are a few potential trouble spots brewing...but hopefully not, or at least hopefully they'll smooth them out somehow.
Choe U: "The times need more than scholarship and whining." What a great statement!
Choe is going to hold poor Park Songbi accountable for Yakson's performance? Wow that's harsh. Trying to control somebody who's abusing alcohol is awfully difficult. I felt sorry for Park.
Yakson to Songi: "Will you come back to me?" Strange question, like he thinks she was ever there for him before. Songi: "You should have asked me this long before now." Yes he should have, this was a long-overdue scene, but it was worth waiting for. Presented with just the right touch; good dialogue and it was smart to have very little background music. "You know me. I'm a bad person. Years have passed but I haven't given up. I know it's wrong. I know it's a road I shouldn't go down. And despite that, I can't stop myself." It's interesting how Songi maybe deserves a little sympathy after all this time. She sure didn't before, but she's been so unhappy for so long, you can't help but feel a little sorry for her by now. The one thing I didn't like was Yakson's stubborn, possessive attitude about insisting on clinging to his marriage. Feels like this is a flaw in the character development. We know how much Yakson has always wanted to avoid politics; well if he's gonna stay married to Songi he won't be able to avoid them. And he's never seemed happy in the marriage just like she hasn't. It just doesn't make sense with the rest of Yakson's character that he wouldn't be willing to walk away from it. Maybe it's about the kids but he never mentioned them so I doubt it.
Delaying Yangbaek's and Yi Kongu's emancipation was all a setup? Choe's pretty darned clever. Not sure what the point of it was, why Choe thinks that those two should feel indebted to KJ...but maybe that gets explained down the line. Was it clear to everybody that Yi Kongju was a slave? I never realized it until Choe emancipated him in this one.
But why did messengers have to go deliver the news of KJ's emancipation? What was the big rush? Couldn't wait until he got back home? That was silly.
"If you had that job, we wouldn't envy Qin Shi Huangdi a bit." That was when Choe's sons were talking. In case anybody was wondering, they were referring to the first emperor of China, who united all of the "Warring States." Fascinating story. He's the guy who had the terracotta army made.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang
Yakson: "Too much sucking up is like a poison. It rots us from the inside." Yakson said that? And after drinking heavily? Very insightful observation.
One very good thing right now is that KJ is recovering from his injuries like a normal human would. The instant recovery we routinely see in these historicals drives me nuts. Seeing KJ limping around and needing time to get his strength back, it's great that the series is presenting it this way and treating the viewers like we're not idiots.
"I heard at the Battle of Pakgong he nearly lost his life because of you." What? Did I miss something? What did KJ do that put Yangbaek at risk, and for that matter what's the Battle of Pakgong? No idea what that refers to.
The evening scene between KJ and Anshim...especially after putting up with that awful love triangle in Emperor of the Sea, and then bratty Songi earlier in this one, it was a breath of fresh air. Sincere and heartfelt and sweet and simple, and handled beautifully by everyone, nicely acted and directed. What's so hard about that?
But then the next morning, I wanted to strangle Anshim. The day after telling KJ that being with him is Nirvana, she says Go away and forget about me, and We'll see if it's meant to happen. What possible reason does she have for saying any such thing? I flashed back to EOS, the speculating about Jung-hwa having some sort of severe self-esteem problem and denying herself happiness. Was this just the writers' way of getting her out of the picture temporarily? Whatever the reason, it didn't come off well at all.
The king has a son of marriage age? He doesn't look like it. The capital moved when he was 40; this guy doesn't look 40. Have said before, he's a good piece of casting, but he does look young.
"I'm not freed of my own account, but because Kim Jun is behind me." Uh-oh, Yangbaek's been drinking again and look what's happening. I hope this doesn't continue. He's a free man and he's not happy about it? Come on. So KJ got freed first; would he care about that? Especially considering how he single-handedly screwed up that entire operation against the Mongol commissioners. He's lucky he still has his head after that, much less his freedom.
So there are a few potential trouble spots brewing...but hopefully not, or at least hopefully they'll smooth them out somehow.