Post by ajk on Oct 6, 2018 16:21:34 GMT -5
I tried to sort out the geography we’re dealing with right now because in this episode we got a good look at a map. This is a screenshot of the map that Sayu was using:
Okay, to start with, the open area at the lower right is the Yellow Sea, and at its left side is Tianjin Inlet, where Yeohwa and the Goguryeo delegation sailed into at the start of the episode. Actually the whole inlet area is called the Bohai Sea and the inlet itself--where the water goes farthest west into the land--is called the Bohai Bay, according to this Wikipedia map (borrowed from Wikipedia's page for Liaodong Bay):
Actually according to the Wikipedia map I’ve relied on previously it’s called the Gulf of Jili. Maybe that was its name at the time. Here's that map (borrowed from Wikipedia's page for Zhao State):
Sayu is pointing to Okjeo. Right away we have a problem because from what I’ve found, Okjeo was actually on the east (Sea of Japan) coast and not near the Liao regions at all. So either there’s something historical that I couldn’t find that explains this, or the writers are messing around with the geography big-time (which has been strongly suggested by past episodes already). Or it might possibly have been a simple mistake in the writing, because a little later we're told that Modikkol is the border are between Goguryeo and Yan and what Sayu is pointing to looks like exactly that. So maybe they should have said Modikkol.
Anyway, the next region over to the left is Liaodong. Sayu calls it Liaodong, the region, but it’s also Yan State, which is threatening Goguryeo at the moment. That’s clear; no problem there.
The next one farther left, we’re told, is Gaeseong, a border area between Yan and Zhao. The skinny one. This one contains Tianjin, where Yeowha landed. This is where things get very confusing because I couldn’t find any information about any such region, and according to the second Wikipedia map Tianjin would clearly be in Yan State and there’s no way that Yan would allow Zhao State to receive foreign leaders there. And whoever controls Tianjin, certainly they're not going to leave the high ground just above the docks completely unguarded for an official state visit!
The maps also show the big problem that I mentioned before, about Zhao being way too far inland to support the storyline as far as Yeogu's group and the Buyeo descendants journeying to Jincheng and Gaoping fortresses in Zhao. So I just don't know...This wouldn't be the first series to play around with geography; far from it. But let's see if any of this clears up in subsequent episodes.
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As far as the episode itself, it got better as it went along. The first ten minutes were lousy; Yeogu/Yeohwa material and it wasn't very good. “Can’t I live for myself for just one second?” Sure but what you CANNOT do is walk away from your people as they're preparing for the fight of their lives to go to the seaside and play your wooden flute and look for Yeohwa. That was awful. And once again his fake flute-playing was completely unconvincing. This has happened in other series too. These shows need to make an effort to teach the actors to at least look like they're actually playing the music we're hearing because it just plain looks bad when they don't.
It sure does seem like two different people are writing the series. The writing for the Baekje story is sooooo much better than the writing for the Yeogu story. The whole business with the two girls running all over the place and getting in as high-level attendants, it's going for a different audience than what we're seeing happening in Baekje. Like two different series.
At least we got some visible breath from those two in the cold evening scene. Credit the two actresses for being out there--of course not their choice but the authenticity is appreciated.
“This is the rule...everyone eats the same and starves the same.” Wait, Yeogu just says that and nobody challenges him? Not even Wi Birang, who had just said the complete opposite? There's another example of inadequate writing. He doesn't have unquestioned authority in this situation.
“I apologize for what happened to her. But if you tried to enthrone Yeogu, you would have killed us.” Wow was that the longest silence ever! What a terrific scene. And then the scene with her and the king, wow...Whatever they paid Choe Myeong-gil, it wasn’t enough. And it’s a great angle, compelling and well written, the way she’s spun this to use Biryu’s death as blackmail.
The intrigue about the guy with the royal seal is a good idea. It may help salvage the eastern storyline if it's handled well in the next episodes. Fingers crossed.
Okay, to start with, the open area at the lower right is the Yellow Sea, and at its left side is Tianjin Inlet, where Yeohwa and the Goguryeo delegation sailed into at the start of the episode. Actually the whole inlet area is called the Bohai Sea and the inlet itself--where the water goes farthest west into the land--is called the Bohai Bay, according to this Wikipedia map (borrowed from Wikipedia's page for Liaodong Bay):
Actually according to the Wikipedia map I’ve relied on previously it’s called the Gulf of Jili. Maybe that was its name at the time. Here's that map (borrowed from Wikipedia's page for Zhao State):
Sayu is pointing to Okjeo. Right away we have a problem because from what I’ve found, Okjeo was actually on the east (Sea of Japan) coast and not near the Liao regions at all. So either there’s something historical that I couldn’t find that explains this, or the writers are messing around with the geography big-time (which has been strongly suggested by past episodes already). Or it might possibly have been a simple mistake in the writing, because a little later we're told that Modikkol is the border are between Goguryeo and Yan and what Sayu is pointing to looks like exactly that. So maybe they should have said Modikkol.
Anyway, the next region over to the left is Liaodong. Sayu calls it Liaodong, the region, but it’s also Yan State, which is threatening Goguryeo at the moment. That’s clear; no problem there.
The next one farther left, we’re told, is Gaeseong, a border area between Yan and Zhao. The skinny one. This one contains Tianjin, where Yeowha landed. This is where things get very confusing because I couldn’t find any information about any such region, and according to the second Wikipedia map Tianjin would clearly be in Yan State and there’s no way that Yan would allow Zhao State to receive foreign leaders there. And whoever controls Tianjin, certainly they're not going to leave the high ground just above the docks completely unguarded for an official state visit!
The maps also show the big problem that I mentioned before, about Zhao being way too far inland to support the storyline as far as Yeogu's group and the Buyeo descendants journeying to Jincheng and Gaoping fortresses in Zhao. So I just don't know...This wouldn't be the first series to play around with geography; far from it. But let's see if any of this clears up in subsequent episodes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As far as the episode itself, it got better as it went along. The first ten minutes were lousy; Yeogu/Yeohwa material and it wasn't very good. “Can’t I live for myself for just one second?” Sure but what you CANNOT do is walk away from your people as they're preparing for the fight of their lives to go to the seaside and play your wooden flute and look for Yeohwa. That was awful. And once again his fake flute-playing was completely unconvincing. This has happened in other series too. These shows need to make an effort to teach the actors to at least look like they're actually playing the music we're hearing because it just plain looks bad when they don't.
It sure does seem like two different people are writing the series. The writing for the Baekje story is sooooo much better than the writing for the Yeogu story. The whole business with the two girls running all over the place and getting in as high-level attendants, it's going for a different audience than what we're seeing happening in Baekje. Like two different series.
At least we got some visible breath from those two in the cold evening scene. Credit the two actresses for being out there--of course not their choice but the authenticity is appreciated.
“This is the rule...everyone eats the same and starves the same.” Wait, Yeogu just says that and nobody challenges him? Not even Wi Birang, who had just said the complete opposite? There's another example of inadequate writing. He doesn't have unquestioned authority in this situation.
“I apologize for what happened to her. But if you tried to enthrone Yeogu, you would have killed us.” Wow was that the longest silence ever! What a terrific scene. And then the scene with her and the king, wow...Whatever they paid Choe Myeong-gil, it wasn’t enough. And it’s a great angle, compelling and well written, the way she’s spun this to use Biryu’s death as blackmail.
The intrigue about the guy with the royal seal is a good idea. It may help salvage the eastern storyline if it's handled well in the next episodes. Fingers crossed.