Post by ajk on Dec 5, 2021 3:49:04 GMT -5
A more entertaining episode than I expected, considering where the storyline is at the moment. Not perfect but enjoyable.
The whole Hwan Sungil thing...Last time I said that it was hard to take any of it too seriously because Hwan is coming off as such a dimwit. And in this one, while there was a moment of uncertainty in the garden—you did wonder if there might be casualties among WG’s retinue—it still never really felt like the thing was any kind of a serious threat. So it was kind of annoying to be getting so much of it. And then this moment happened:
(click for full size)
This was absolutely bust-out-loud-laughing hilarious. You rarely get a big whopping surprise in these dramas but here was a huge winner! Loved it, still giggling about it. Totally worth whatever it took to set that up. A highlight of the series.
And hey, I’ve said repeatedly, Bok Jikyum is doing a great job as the head man...Well there ya go!
Ugh, Doyoung is being snotty again, reverting more and more to the annoying character she used to be. Please let’s not have any more of this than absolutely necessary.
WG on Jongkahn: “Yes, but he was a man of honor and integrity. I often feel pity for him.” That is a very enlightened point of view. Impressed me.
Kyun-hwon on WG: “Yes but I too, come from a humble background. I was once a nameless warrior of Shilla...Fight is a fight, but we must treat each other with respect.” Ditto.
Physician examining Ahjagae: “There is one treatment that is sure to work. A rare root can detoxify and revitalize the blood and produce a good effect. This disease can be treated effectively by revitalizing the blood.” Okay well we can see where this one is going...I just hope it doesn’t turn into Doyoung dying for the sake of saving Ahjagae. Claiming you can kill cancer with ginseng is bad enough, but that would be awful.
WG: “Hwan Sungil is not a brave warrior, but a thick-witted man.” Maybe Hwan really was this way, or at least described this way in recorded history, and it isn’t just the writers filling out the character.
So Huhwal got it done and calmed down his son, and Myungju backed down. Wow, wish we had seen some of those two in the episode and not just gotten a news report. We definitely need to see more of them in the future.
“You are a man of dignified presence for a unit commander. It is unfit for an inferior officer to grow a mustache.” Good for the writers for bringing that up, because they’re absolutely right, it was hard to buy Hong Yu as a mere unit commander from his looks and age and how he carries himself. Maybe the real Hong Yu actually did this but they had to write it this way because of the actor they cast? Would be interesting to know.
That younger officer who opened the gate for the wrong army, I don’t think his next performance review is going to go very well.
Hey look! Archers! Actual archers with bows and arrows! How about that! What a concept.
The one big stinker in the episode was Hong Yu killing the #2 rebel in about two seconds of “combat” and then slitting the leader’s throat in about three more seconds. Not only was this totally unnecessary, but how seriously can we take this supposedly menacing rebellion now? I felt sort of deceived by the whole thing looking back on it after seeing those two get squashed like bugs so easily. Boo hiss.
And for that matter where did those archers all disappear to? If the idea is to finish off the leaders quickly then just fill them full of holes, that would have been much more sensible.
The last scene with WG, I hope there’s a plan to have him grow into a stronger leader because after watching him squirm over having to punish people (and fair enough, he has good reason to not want more inquisitions), they give him the news about trouble in Naju and his face is like a frightened little bunny rabbit. Naju would always be a difficult location to hang onto because of its remote location, so it’s not like it’s a core territory that’s vital to him right now. Maybe he needs Doyoung to come in again and tell him to suck it up! It’s hard to imagine the real WG being anything like that.
The whole Hwan Sungil thing...Last time I said that it was hard to take any of it too seriously because Hwan is coming off as such a dimwit. And in this one, while there was a moment of uncertainty in the garden—you did wonder if there might be casualties among WG’s retinue—it still never really felt like the thing was any kind of a serious threat. So it was kind of annoying to be getting so much of it. And then this moment happened:
(click for full size)
This was absolutely bust-out-loud-laughing hilarious. You rarely get a big whopping surprise in these dramas but here was a huge winner! Loved it, still giggling about it. Totally worth whatever it took to set that up. A highlight of the series.
And hey, I’ve said repeatedly, Bok Jikyum is doing a great job as the head man...Well there ya go!
Ugh, Doyoung is being snotty again, reverting more and more to the annoying character she used to be. Please let’s not have any more of this than absolutely necessary.
WG on Jongkahn: “Yes, but he was a man of honor and integrity. I often feel pity for him.” That is a very enlightened point of view. Impressed me.
Kyun-hwon on WG: “Yes but I too, come from a humble background. I was once a nameless warrior of Shilla...Fight is a fight, but we must treat each other with respect.” Ditto.
Physician examining Ahjagae: “There is one treatment that is sure to work. A rare root can detoxify and revitalize the blood and produce a good effect. This disease can be treated effectively by revitalizing the blood.” Okay well we can see where this one is going...I just hope it doesn’t turn into Doyoung dying for the sake of saving Ahjagae. Claiming you can kill cancer with ginseng is bad enough, but that would be awful.
WG: “Hwan Sungil is not a brave warrior, but a thick-witted man.” Maybe Hwan really was this way, or at least described this way in recorded history, and it isn’t just the writers filling out the character.
So Huhwal got it done and calmed down his son, and Myungju backed down. Wow, wish we had seen some of those two in the episode and not just gotten a news report. We definitely need to see more of them in the future.
“You are a man of dignified presence for a unit commander. It is unfit for an inferior officer to grow a mustache.” Good for the writers for bringing that up, because they’re absolutely right, it was hard to buy Hong Yu as a mere unit commander from his looks and age and how he carries himself. Maybe the real Hong Yu actually did this but they had to write it this way because of the actor they cast? Would be interesting to know.
That younger officer who opened the gate for the wrong army, I don’t think his next performance review is going to go very well.
Hey look! Archers! Actual archers with bows and arrows! How about that! What a concept.
The one big stinker in the episode was Hong Yu killing the #2 rebel in about two seconds of “combat” and then slitting the leader’s throat in about three more seconds. Not only was this totally unnecessary, but how seriously can we take this supposedly menacing rebellion now? I felt sort of deceived by the whole thing looking back on it after seeing those two get squashed like bugs so easily. Boo hiss.
And for that matter where did those archers all disappear to? If the idea is to finish off the leaders quickly then just fill them full of holes, that would have been much more sensible.
The last scene with WG, I hope there’s a plan to have him grow into a stronger leader because after watching him squirm over having to punish people (and fair enough, he has good reason to not want more inquisitions), they give him the news about trouble in Naju and his face is like a frightened little bunny rabbit. Naju would always be a difficult location to hang onto because of its remote location, so it’s not like it’s a core territory that’s vital to him right now. Maybe he needs Doyoung to come in again and tell him to suck it up! It’s hard to imagine the real WG being anything like that.
