Post by ajk on Nov 1, 2020 17:34:26 GMT -5
Have been trying to think of an opening scene of an episode that so totally affected the entire tone and direction of a series like this episode’s did. Wow this was a jaw-dropper. Going into it we could see that Goongyae was going off-track, not the person he used to be, and when the religious service started at the end of the previous episode and he said he was writing a replacement Sutra, it seemed even a little scary. But watching the rest of the service to start this episode, well....
The guy’s gone nuts. Actually trash-talking Buddha?!? And that whole story about the peony blossom, you wondered if he had been messing with poppy blossoms before the service! The guy playing Jongkahn did a great job with it--he was subtle but you could see the air going out of Jongkahn, like Well we are in deep doo-doo now. The whole thing was a huge slap in the face, a real jolt of new reality.
And did anybody else wonder whether or not the old monk Sukchong would leave that service alive? I kept watching him and thinking maybe he was about to go bonkers and get up screaming at Goongyae. He’s lucky Huhwal held him back. And then Jongkahn had to bail him out.
Two links for anybody who might want them:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha (“Shakyamuni” Buddha)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum (the mantra chant that Goongyae proclaimed)
Goongyae’s reference to Shakyamuni, that’s the original historical Buddha. The stuff about the mantra, I didn’t really understand why it was so significant. Did anybody else get it? Apparently it’s a big deal. Hopefully we’ll learn more about it in the coming episodes.
Buyong has said very little lately. You wonder what she’s thinking.
“No matter the good intention, despotism begets resentment...He must be made the man he was before—the king who used to share the sufferings of his people.” Park Yu continues to impress. He and Sukchong are probably too smart and honest for their own good.
“I will continue to rigorously preach the truth, and I will not hesitate to use force if necessary.” Give Yunhwa a ton of credit for speaking her mind to her husband and yet doing it carefully enough not to upset him.
Why does Park Sulhee have such a short haircut when everyone around him has long hair? Just wondering.
Kyun-hwon tells Sudal to stay behind and stand guard while the rest of the army makes its big move. Yeah cause that worked out so well the first time!
Park Yu again: “Something must be done. The suffering of the people has reached an extreme.” Has it? We’ve seen no such thing.
Okay, ask and ye shall receive, the next scene showed a village being taken over by military and its grain stores raided and able-bodied men taken away for labor. We needed to see this—but we needed to see more of it, and earlier. Apologies, my grumbling yet again about a series needing to show us more of life out among the common people. But it’s true.
And speaking of repeated complaints...WG and Buyong were presented with the Wine of Union to drink at the wedding...and they each put the ladle to their lips...and clearly, obviously, neither of them actually drank any liquid. AAAUGHH. Nobody swallows, their lips aren’t wet, yes it’s not a major thing but it’s always soooo obvious and phony.
But otherwise it was a nice ceremony. Looked beautiful. Didn’t see Doyoung there anywhere; was she? That was interesting (and probably appropriate). And big credit to Mrs. Yu, she totally came through on the bonnet to cover Buyong’s head. Looked good, did the job, nice work Mrs. Yu.
The guy’s gone nuts. Actually trash-talking Buddha?!? And that whole story about the peony blossom, you wondered if he had been messing with poppy blossoms before the service! The guy playing Jongkahn did a great job with it--he was subtle but you could see the air going out of Jongkahn, like Well we are in deep doo-doo now. The whole thing was a huge slap in the face, a real jolt of new reality.
And did anybody else wonder whether or not the old monk Sukchong would leave that service alive? I kept watching him and thinking maybe he was about to go bonkers and get up screaming at Goongyae. He’s lucky Huhwal held him back. And then Jongkahn had to bail him out.
Two links for anybody who might want them:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha (“Shakyamuni” Buddha)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om_mani_padme_hum (the mantra chant that Goongyae proclaimed)
Goongyae’s reference to Shakyamuni, that’s the original historical Buddha. The stuff about the mantra, I didn’t really understand why it was so significant. Did anybody else get it? Apparently it’s a big deal. Hopefully we’ll learn more about it in the coming episodes.
■ The contents of Goongyae’s Sutra are unknown. But by studying another of his compositions, Hamheung Mooga, we can speculate that his Sutra contained the story about Shakyamuni, Maitreya and the peony blossom. Perhaps this was another device he used to assert himself as the true Maitreya.
Buyong has said very little lately. You wonder what she’s thinking.
“No matter the good intention, despotism begets resentment...He must be made the man he was before—the king who used to share the sufferings of his people.” Park Yu continues to impress. He and Sukchong are probably too smart and honest for their own good.
“I will continue to rigorously preach the truth, and I will not hesitate to use force if necessary.” Give Yunhwa a ton of credit for speaking her mind to her husband and yet doing it carefully enough not to upset him.
Why does Park Sulhee have such a short haircut when everyone around him has long hair? Just wondering.
Kyun-hwon tells Sudal to stay behind and stand guard while the rest of the army makes its big move. Yeah cause that worked out so well the first time!
Park Yu again: “Something must be done. The suffering of the people has reached an extreme.” Has it? We’ve seen no such thing.
Okay, ask and ye shall receive, the next scene showed a village being taken over by military and its grain stores raided and able-bodied men taken away for labor. We needed to see this—but we needed to see more of it, and earlier. Apologies, my grumbling yet again about a series needing to show us more of life out among the common people. But it’s true.
And speaking of repeated complaints...WG and Buyong were presented with the Wine of Union to drink at the wedding...and they each put the ladle to their lips...and clearly, obviously, neither of them actually drank any liquid. AAAUGHH. Nobody swallows, their lips aren’t wet, yes it’s not a major thing but it’s always soooo obvious and phony.
But otherwise it was a nice ceremony. Looked beautiful. Didn’t see Doyoung there anywhere; was she? That was interesting (and probably appropriate). And big credit to Mrs. Yu, she totally came through on the bonnet to cover Buyong’s head. Looked good, did the job, nice work Mrs. Yu.