Post by ajk on Mar 29, 2020 23:15:40 GMT -5
Good episode. Lots of interesting topics and it was entertaining too.
“It was Shilla’s allegiance with Tang that led to the destruction of Koguryo. Koguryo’s old capital Pyungyang is nothing but a field of weeds because of this.” Yeah well nowdays it's got one big stinkweed, doesn't it.
“I’d like you to accompany me on this tour as well.” Oops. Poorly played, dude.
“Unrivaled warrior Sulhee was crushed by a dame?” HAHA! That was actually a darned good scene. Not worth having to endure that awful battle scene for, but well done nonetheless. And you know what, CSJ was good in it. This was the first time all series that WG had to be the big mean boss and lay the smackdown on somebody, and it was totally believable the way he acted it. A little too stiff—he could have at least rolled his eyes or scoffed at the sillier aspects of it—but no complaints.
“You thought of a woman, with that face of yours?” Well THAT was uncalled for, geez. We can’t all be pretty-boys, can we WG.
“Empress is the one I fear most in the world.” The Kyun-hwon stuff was very funny and entertaining, except for the dramatic, suspenseful music they played during his wife’s scene. Why try to overdramatize it? Really it’s very touching how devoted they are to one another. Sure she may have been jealous too but there’s enough suspense and drama in the series, let this be a lighter angle.
Would Lord Park’s daughter have been too old to marry to Kyun-hwon’s son? She’s in her mid-20s maybe, and the elder son is a teen-ager. KH could have established the family ties everyone wanted by having his son marry her if he didn’t want to marry her himself. But maybe they didn’t do older-women-younger-men back then. They sure did the other, didn’t they---I’m sorry but seeing that 15-year-old girl have to marry the middle-aged lord, what a creepy thing to watch. Blecch.
Kind of neat that the subordinate soldier we met way back in Episode 8 shows up here and gets named governor of Mujinju. I like stuff like that. Rewards you for paying attention.
Too bad we only got that quick look at the current Shilla king. As much as I’m enjoying the series, it’s a little disappointing that we haven’t gotten even the occasional look-in on Shilla. Things are happening there too. Watching a nation crash and burn can be morbidly fascinating.
And a heck of a good scene at the end. Jongkahn would help himself more if he’d explain exactly what his concerns are, but give him credit for bringing up a very touchy subject. Nice lead-in for the next episode.
“It was Shilla’s allegiance with Tang that led to the destruction of Koguryo. Koguryo’s old capital Pyungyang is nothing but a field of weeds because of this.” Yeah well nowdays it's got one big stinkweed, doesn't it.
According to records, Goongyae formally declared the resurrection of Koryo in the year 901. However, it is believed that he began calling his state Koryo as he entered Chulwon Castle in 895. This subsequent discussion over the formal declaration indicates that his state had finally matured into a kingdom.“To insure perfect order across the land, each noble and regional official wil be required to submit their child to reside and serve the imperial palace.” WOW that sure came out of nowhere. You can understand why they adopted it considering the situation, but still that’s a rough one.
Jongkahn’s new laws...Sending envoys to publicize Koryo’s existence was undeniably imitative of Bekjae. Keeping children of nobles and officials in royal custody was a highly effective hostage policy to keep regional powers from betraying the king.As soon as Jongkahn proposed that Goongyae tour the country, you figured he was looking forward to getting the king out of town so he could stay home and call the shots himself like he did the last time Goongyae was away.
“I’d like you to accompany me on this tour as well.” Oops. Poorly played, dude.
“Unrivaled warrior Sulhee was crushed by a dame?” HAHA! That was actually a darned good scene. Not worth having to endure that awful battle scene for, but well done nonetheless. And you know what, CSJ was good in it. This was the first time all series that WG had to be the big mean boss and lay the smackdown on somebody, and it was totally believable the way he acted it. A little too stiff—he could have at least rolled his eyes or scoffed at the sillier aspects of it—but no complaints.
“You thought of a woman, with that face of yours?” Well THAT was uncalled for, geez. We can’t all be pretty-boys, can we WG.
Wedlock policy was the best way to secure trust and loyalty in this era of constant shifts and political powers. By establishing blood ties, political power and status was guaranteed and shared. Taejo Wang Guhn would later marry 29 women in different regions throughout Koryo for this same reason.Wow, talk about a spoiler...had no idea. You wonder how he had the energy to unify anything.
“Empress is the one I fear most in the world.” The Kyun-hwon stuff was very funny and entertaining, except for the dramatic, suspenseful music they played during his wife’s scene. Why try to overdramatize it? Really it’s very touching how devoted they are to one another. Sure she may have been jealous too but there’s enough suspense and drama in the series, let this be a lighter angle.
Would Lord Park’s daughter have been too old to marry to Kyun-hwon’s son? She’s in her mid-20s maybe, and the elder son is a teen-ager. KH could have established the family ties everyone wanted by having his son marry her if he didn’t want to marry her himself. But maybe they didn’t do older-women-younger-men back then. They sure did the other, didn’t they---I’m sorry but seeing that 15-year-old girl have to marry the middle-aged lord, what a creepy thing to watch. Blecch.
Kind of neat that the subordinate soldier we met way back in Episode 8 shows up here and gets named governor of Mujinju. I like stuff like that. Rewards you for paying attention.
Yes, Shilla was on its path of downfall for a long time. Their vast territory had been reduced to Surabul and its immediate surroundings, and they helplessly watched as Goongyae and Kyun-hwon claimed independent states on their territory. Shilla’s territory now bordered Kyun-hwon to the west, and Ahjagae’s Sangju and Goongyae’s Myungju to the north. King Hyo-gong who inherited the throne of Queen Jin-sung endeavored to rebuild Shilla in the beginning, but became engrossed in fornication after devastating failure. But Shilla was still alive. A thousand-year-old force does not fall overnight.I was surprised when we saw the map animation—it looks like Kyun-hwon’s father still holds a significant chunk of territory at this time. It’s always seemed like he was just an annoying little fish in a big pond, but that’s a big piece of land right there in the middle of everything.
Too bad we only got that quick look at the current Shilla king. As much as I’m enjoying the series, it’s a little disappointing that we haven’t gotten even the occasional look-in on Shilla. Things are happening there too. Watching a nation crash and burn can be morbidly fascinating.
Invasion of Surabul may have been a long-intended action for Kyun-hwon. Surabul was the heart of Shilla, symbolizing 1,000 years of history. It was impossible for Kyun-hwon not to covet Surabul. However, although Shilla was a failing empire, there were still aged patriots who held up its administration. That was Choi Seung-woo’s concern, but Kyun-hwon did not recognize that. About this time, Wang Guhn was in Chungju anxiously waiting for what’s to come.Still, you wonder if we’ve seen his ego get the better of him for the first time. This will be a big job to take on, and it’s not like he has no other cares in the world.
And a heck of a good scene at the end. Jongkahn would help himself more if he’d explain exactly what his concerns are, but give him credit for bringing up a very touchy subject. Nice lead-in for the next episode.