Post by ajk on Nov 14, 2021 18:37:17 GMT -5
Kind of figured that this would be the mother of all transition episodes...wasn’t quite that drastic but yeah lots of new jobs, new roles, changes in storylines, all kinds of new things. And actually this one gave me some faith that the series could stay very engaging despite the loss of such a great character. I don’t see WG being anywhere near as interesting as Goongyae, but the story itself could become the star. May get kind of policy-wonky but that can work too. There was just one thing in this one that I was disappointed with, but more on that later.
Nice opening scene, looked fantastic! But that hat he has to wear...those dangly beads are so annoying you wonder why so many kings tolerated them for so long.
“I vow to learn from his mistakes and bring about change.” The new king certainly hit all of the right notes with his first speech. Frank and open about previous problems and wanting to do better. All of those important people listening to him, you had to think they were very pleased and relieved.
And you know who looked great, in fact throughout the whole episode? Buyong. Right from the opening she looked like she was born to be an empress. Totally comfortable, excited about it all but not overwhelmed or the least bit rattled. And the kind way she talked to the other wives later, and how kind she was to Doyoung’s son, but at the same time there was no question that she was the alpha in that group...she’s totally got this. Of course most of it is fictional since so little is known about her, but she’ll be a fun one to watch in the remaining 80 episodes.
Well you knew this was coming...not as many as I expected but here are the roster changes:
--Scholar Kim Hangsun is Imperial Guardian
--Choi Ung becomes WG’s adviser in addition to remaining Royal Secretariat
--Bok Jikyum is Chief of the Royal Guards
--Taepyoung “will oversee military affairs” as chief of the Patrol Guards
--Won Kukyu remains minister of Military, with Wang Shikryum appointed as his aide
--Wang Shin is Naval Administrator
--Ip Jun remains Captain of the Justice Guards
--Park Sumoon is Minister of Finance
Not at all sure I’d pick an academic to be my #2 guy running the entire government. We’ll see how that one goes. On the other hand, Bok Jikyum was absolutely killing it from the moment he took his new job. Lots of vigilance and intelligence-gathering involved and he obviously has a terrific knack for it. Looks like a great choice.
You think Taepyoung was unhappy he wasn’t named advisor? Maybe not—he did come from the military so maybe the Patrol Guard position is more appropriate. Still...I guess I don’t really understand how the Patrol Guards fit into the whole military picture. There’s a separate Minister of Military so why would Taepyoung be above him? Hopefully we get some clarity on that going forward.
The one other thing that sticks out from the list is Wang Shin. He’s a lesser character and it’s hard to keep track of them all, but look at his resumé now: started in the military, then became Song-ak’s administrator during the capital transition; then was a teacher at the Foreign Language Academy; and now he’ll be running the navy. Very impressive! Well-rounded guy, we’ll have to keep a closer eye on him.
So WG starts announcing policy changes...and all of the concerned looking-around was a great piece of directing. He proposed some pretty radical stuff for the situation and you could totally understand how much it must have surprised the real court back then in that situation. Particularly the tax holiday—a tax cut probably wouldn’t have been a surprise, maybe it was even expected, but no taxes for three years was a real shocker.
There ya go...you can understand why he had to do some big things, but that’s a big hit to the government’s finances.
Taepyoung: “Chulwon is a city built by the Chungju natives who still have sympathy for the deposed king.” Later we’re told that that many local chiefs did not attend WG’s enthronement. And then Choi Ung says “There are still many devotees of the departed emperor in this kingdom.” Certainly provides more support for the writers’ choice to dispute the historical record regarding Goongyae’s death.
Kyun-hwon: “We have gained a bigger problem trying to solve a small one. Our goal was to break up their government, but they will be stronger with Wang Guhn on the throne.” Didn’t think that through, did ya. Oops.
That meeting with the military leaders was very interesting. WG certainly is consistent, being lenient and reticent even in the face of people urging him to act more forcefully. Sure seems like his advisers are right this time, although maybe holding off on dropping the hammer for just a bit isn’t the worst idea. We shall see.
The ending was really good too, perfect spot for a cliffhanger. But you have to wonder why WG didn’t send someone much more important and experienced on this particular assignment. Chungju would be a very tough task as far as getting his enthronement accepted, and it’s such a big and important place...he absolutely should have sent someone more prominent, with diplomatic experience. At least someone who Kim Soonshik wouldn’t have taken lightly enough to behead on the spot! For that matter, he should have gone straight to Huhwal the monk (Kim Soonshik’s father, remember) and asked for his help, especially because Huhwal was so totally in favor of WG’s ascension. Big mistake by WG.
So overall this was a very good episode. But there was one big thing missing, and it’s the same thing I always crab about—we saw nothing of the larger population in the countryside. We went straight from Goongyae’s death to WG’s enthronement with nothing in between. For all of the talk about “the hearts of the people” there wasn’t a single glimpse of what was actually going on among the people. We need to see their reactions to these big events. The series certainly isn’t suffering for quality but it would be so very, very helpful to have some of these scenes to give a better feeling for what’s motivating what we’re seeing in the capital.
Nice opening scene, looked fantastic! But that hat he has to wear...those dangly beads are so annoying you wonder why so many kings tolerated them for so long.
“I vow to learn from his mistakes and bring about change.” The new king certainly hit all of the right notes with his first speech. Frank and open about previous problems and wanting to do better. All of those important people listening to him, you had to think they were very pleased and relieved.
And you know who looked great, in fact throughout the whole episode? Buyong. Right from the opening she looked like she was born to be an empress. Totally comfortable, excited about it all but not overwhelmed or the least bit rattled. And the kind way she talked to the other wives later, and how kind she was to Doyoung’s son, but at the same time there was no question that she was the alpha in that group...she’s totally got this. Of course most of it is fictional since so little is known about her, but she’ll be a fun one to watch in the remaining 80 episodes.
■ Wang Guhn ascends to the throne at last. History records a number of predictions that foretell his enthronement: Dosun’s prophecy, the dream of a nine level golden pagoda, and master Sukchong’s bestowal of Ganja. But the facts could have been exaggerated after Wang Guhn came to power. In his inauguration, Wang Guhn identified Goongyae’s mistakes and renamed the kingdom and the era. This was a significant move that denounced the old and declared a new beginning. Koryo was an abbreviated name for Koguryo commonly used by the Chinese empires of the previous era. It was on the 15th day of June in 918 A.D. that Wang Guhn official renamed his kingdom Koryo and assumed the crown. He was 41 years of age.
Well you knew this was coming...not as many as I expected but here are the roster changes:
--Scholar Kim Hangsun is Imperial Guardian
--Choi Ung becomes WG’s adviser in addition to remaining Royal Secretariat
--Bok Jikyum is Chief of the Royal Guards
--Taepyoung “will oversee military affairs” as chief of the Patrol Guards
--Won Kukyu remains minister of Military, with Wang Shikryum appointed as his aide
--Wang Shin is Naval Administrator
--Ip Jun remains Captain of the Justice Guards
--Park Sumoon is Minister of Finance
Not at all sure I’d pick an academic to be my #2 guy running the entire government. We’ll see how that one goes. On the other hand, Bok Jikyum was absolutely killing it from the moment he took his new job. Lots of vigilance and intelligence-gathering involved and he obviously has a terrific knack for it. Looks like a great choice.
You think Taepyoung was unhappy he wasn’t named advisor? Maybe not—he did come from the military so maybe the Patrol Guard position is more appropriate. Still...I guess I don’t really understand how the Patrol Guards fit into the whole military picture. There’s a separate Minister of Military so why would Taepyoung be above him? Hopefully we get some clarity on that going forward.
The one other thing that sticks out from the list is Wang Shin. He’s a lesser character and it’s hard to keep track of them all, but look at his resumé now: started in the military, then became Song-ak’s administrator during the capital transition; then was a teacher at the Foreign Language Academy; and now he’ll be running the navy. Very impressive! Well-rounded guy, we’ll have to keep a closer eye on him.
So WG starts announcing policy changes...and all of the concerned looking-around was a great piece of directing. He proposed some pretty radical stuff for the situation and you could totally understand how much it must have surprised the real court back then in that situation. Particularly the tax holiday—a tax cut probably wouldn’t have been a surprise, maybe it was even expected, but no taxes for three years was a real shocker.
■ Wang Guhn’s reform was startling indeed, as this was a time of war in the Later Three Kingdoms, and exemption of tax in such times was a risky move that could jeopardize the financial state of the kingdom. But even after his three-year period, he continued his groundbreaking management by reducing the tax to 1/10 of income from Goongyae’s previous 1/3 policy. Suspension of statute labor and military conscription was also a large sacrifice on the national level, but he would keep his promise, as they were crucial measures in winning the hearts of the people.
There ya go...you can understand why he had to do some big things, but that’s a big hit to the government’s finances.
■ Wang Guhn’s wives...Records indicate there were 29 in all. The first was Madam Yu, the daughter of Lord Yu of Chungju. It is recorded she received her title on the 16th year of Taejong’s reign by Emperor of Later Tang, but she is likely to have been given her title upon Wang Guhn’s enthronement. But second wife Madam Oh received the title Empress Janghwa only after her death. The third wife, Madam Yu of Choongju, also did not have the honor of being called an empress until her children have her the posthumous title Empress Shinmyung-Soonsung.
Taepyoung: “Chulwon is a city built by the Chungju natives who still have sympathy for the deposed king.” Later we’re told that that many local chiefs did not attend WG’s enthronement. And then Choi Ung says “There are still many devotees of the departed emperor in this kingdom.” Certainly provides more support for the writers’ choice to dispute the historical record regarding Goongyae’s death.
Kyun-hwon: “We have gained a bigger problem trying to solve a small one. Our goal was to break up their government, but they will be stronger with Wang Guhn on the throne.” Didn’t think that through, did ya. Oops.
■ Wang Guhn had acquired power by force and knew all too well that he would face defiance. So he dispatched ambassadors plenipotentiary across the kingdom as he came to power, and ceaselessly sought to win the hearts of the people. Among his efforts were (the) freeing of one thousand slaves and ordering reprieve. Not only that, he would take full advantage of his trading background and revive the industry by recalling Shilla immigrants scattered across the Tang Empire. Wang Guhn’s reign had begun at last.
That meeting with the military leaders was very interesting. WG certainly is consistent, being lenient and reticent even in the face of people urging him to act more forcefully. Sure seems like his advisers are right this time, although maybe holding off on dropping the hammer for just a bit isn’t the worst idea. We shall see.
The ending was really good too, perfect spot for a cliffhanger. But you have to wonder why WG didn’t send someone much more important and experienced on this particular assignment. Chungju would be a very tough task as far as getting his enthronement accepted, and it’s such a big and important place...he absolutely should have sent someone more prominent, with diplomatic experience. At least someone who Kim Soonshik wouldn’t have taken lightly enough to behead on the spot! For that matter, he should have gone straight to Huhwal the monk (Kim Soonshik’s father, remember) and asked for his help, especially because Huhwal was so totally in favor of WG’s ascension. Big mistake by WG.
So overall this was a very good episode. But there was one big thing missing, and it’s the same thing I always crab about—we saw nothing of the larger population in the countryside. We went straight from Goongyae’s death to WG’s enthronement with nothing in between. For all of the talk about “the hearts of the people” there wasn’t a single glimpse of what was actually going on among the people. We need to see their reactions to these big events. The series certainly isn’t suffering for quality but it would be so very, very helpful to have some of these scenes to give a better feeling for what’s motivating what we’re seeing in the capital.