Post by ajk on Jan 13, 2018 17:48:05 GMT -5
Oh please no. Please, writers and producers, don't do this. This series has been so good about not resorting to stupid stunts and gimmicks to suck up to viewers. But all of a sudden, halfway through this episode, they decide KJ and Yangbaek need to fight? At their age? All of a sudden Yangbaek is overcome by ego and jealousy? And KJ really thinks this is a good use of time and resources and manpower with another Mongol attack looming? Really, KJ? "I like the idea. It's best to settle the question fair and square." Even though you've never had any desire to "settle the question" for what, twenty-plus years, now all of a sudden you do? AAAUUGHH!!
"At your age? You're 40 at least!" Even Choe Hang sees how frivolous this is. "You win, he wins, there's nothing in it for me. The games are meant to find warriors. Not as entertainment." The paranoid nut-job gets it.
"But it's absurd. Neither of you is as young as you used to be." Anshim gets it too.
"Are you kidding? At their age?" See even the grunts get it.
"It makes sense. Lifelong rivals who have never met in battle." Im Yon is a total dweeb so him not getting it only proves the point.
And it's not just KJ and Yangbaek, some of their subordinates are involved in this too, guys the same age as them. I mean, they're probably mid-40s right now so it's not like they're frail, but does anybody really want to see a bunch of guys that age try to fight like they did decades ago? And it isn't going to prove anything, other than which of them has aged better than which others. You have to wonder if some executive was pushing this into the series, it's so inconsistent with the way the series has been written. (And actually that might explain why the writers had so many characters criticizing it--maybe this was their way of expressing how they felt.)
What makes it even more frustrating is that the first half of the episode was excellent. Much better than the previous episodes and very, very well done. A better balance in what we saw of Choe Hang; he wasn't just a raving madman, we got a more complete and interesting character this time. Still off the deep end but much more believable. And those scenes with Jung Ho Keun and the other scholar planting all of those insidious ideas in CH's head, how can you not squirm at them. Halfway through the episode things were looking way up quality-wise and things were as good as they had ever been.
"As you can see, he isn't young. He can't make a long trip." Wikipedia says that's exactly what Koryo told the Mongols. Unfortunately the emperor we're seeing just does not look anywhere near old enough to make that believable. Same problem as with Choe U when he was aging. I don't understand why the production staff was so reluctant to make up these guys to look their ages. It was never an issue with Choe Chungheon.
The narrated text:
"He's on his way now. I can't reach him." Well you could start back and intercept him on his way here. Duh! Shoddy piece of writing there. In fact that whole angle is a shoddy piece of writing. Oh Seungjok gets away with his life and the first thing he wants to do is come right back into the capital to visit his mother? Seriously? That's just stupid. Surprisingly stupid for a series like this one that's had so much thoughtful writing in it.
The classic mistake that these historicals make when they get extended is rehashing previous material instead of coming up with new content. Is that what's happening here with going back to the arena and staging more games? The only reason to doubt it is that the budget for horses, extras, and stunt work must be exorbitant and certainly not the kind of thing you'd be able to just add into a series so close to the end. So maybe it was planned, who knows. Either way an it's extremely disappointing decision, throttling the storyline for this kind of gimmickry. Can't stop it now, they're about to fight it out, so let's hope the next episode gets this over with quickly and moves on, and manages to use it for some larger constructive purpose in the story.
p.s. I still find it amazing that they rebuilt the Tripitaka so soon after the first one was destroyed. Only because with the Mongols still causing so much trouble, certainly the new one was in danger just like the old one was. They took a big risk.
"At your age? You're 40 at least!" Even Choe Hang sees how frivolous this is. "You win, he wins, there's nothing in it for me. The games are meant to find warriors. Not as entertainment." The paranoid nut-job gets it.
"But it's absurd. Neither of you is as young as you used to be." Anshim gets it too.
"Are you kidding? At their age?" See even the grunts get it.
"It makes sense. Lifelong rivals who have never met in battle." Im Yon is a total dweeb so him not getting it only proves the point.
And it's not just KJ and Yangbaek, some of their subordinates are involved in this too, guys the same age as them. I mean, they're probably mid-40s right now so it's not like they're frail, but does anybody really want to see a bunch of guys that age try to fight like they did decades ago? And it isn't going to prove anything, other than which of them has aged better than which others. You have to wonder if some executive was pushing this into the series, it's so inconsistent with the way the series has been written. (And actually that might explain why the writers had so many characters criticizing it--maybe this was their way of expressing how they felt.)
What makes it even more frustrating is that the first half of the episode was excellent. Much better than the previous episodes and very, very well done. A better balance in what we saw of Choe Hang; he wasn't just a raving madman, we got a more complete and interesting character this time. Still off the deep end but much more believable. And those scenes with Jung Ho Keun and the other scholar planting all of those insidious ideas in CH's head, how can you not squirm at them. Halfway through the episode things were looking way up quality-wise and things were as good as they had ever been.
"As you can see, he isn't young. He can't make a long trip." Wikipedia says that's exactly what Koryo told the Mongols. Unfortunately the emperor we're seeing just does not look anywhere near old enough to make that believable. Same problem as with Choe U when he was aging. I don't understand why the production staff was so reluctant to make up these guys to look their ages. It was never an issue with Choe Chungheon.
The narrated text:
The dedication of the Tripitaka. Completed prior to Choe U's death, the dedication was held in September 1251, the 38th year of Kojong's reign. It was a glorious moment in the history of Koryo. In the midst of war, her people shed blood and sweat for a greater good. In May of 1398, during the 7th year of Taejo's reign of the Yi Dynasty, the Tripitaka was moved to Haeinsa, where it is still housed today. Tens of millions of characters carved with care and exactness. Even today it is hailed as one of the great treasures of Korea and all the world.The ceremony looked great. Looks like they used the actual Tripitaka location too. (It would be the current location instead of the 1251 location but nobody's going to make an issue of that.) It's terrific that the series has given so much time and good attention to the Tripitaka story. Big-time credit for that.
"He's on his way now. I can't reach him." Well you could start back and intercept him on his way here. Duh! Shoddy piece of writing there. In fact that whole angle is a shoddy piece of writing. Oh Seungjok gets away with his life and the first thing he wants to do is come right back into the capital to visit his mother? Seriously? That's just stupid. Surprisingly stupid for a series like this one that's had so much thoughtful writing in it.
The classic mistake that these historicals make when they get extended is rehashing previous material instead of coming up with new content. Is that what's happening here with going back to the arena and staging more games? The only reason to doubt it is that the budget for horses, extras, and stunt work must be exorbitant and certainly not the kind of thing you'd be able to just add into a series so close to the end. So maybe it was planned, who knows. Either way an it's extremely disappointing decision, throttling the storyline for this kind of gimmickry. Can't stop it now, they're about to fight it out, so let's hope the next episode gets this over with quickly and moves on, and manages to use it for some larger constructive purpose in the story.
p.s. I still find it amazing that they rebuilt the Tripitaka so soon after the first one was destroyed. Only because with the Mongols still causing so much trouble, certainly the new one was in danger just like the old one was. They took a big risk.