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Post by ajk on Jan 15, 2022 16:21:43 GMT -5
...just went up on Kocowa. Remember you have 24 hours to watch it without a paid subscription.
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Post by sageuk on Jan 15, 2022 18:22:16 GMT -5
They sure are playing up the "manipulative queen" and "evil stepmother" trope here with this version.
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Post by ajk on Jan 15, 2022 18:50:51 GMT -5
“Does saying a few rude words make you feel better?” Heck yeah it does! Always! I understand her point, sometimes you have to hold your tongue...but still it made me laugh.
Anyway, another episode with some good and some not so good. Pretty much we know what the deal is by now.
“I want to make you a truly great man. Right now all we can do is swallow our anger and sorrow, but one day we will get our chance.” I like what the writers are giving us with these two; it’s an interesting relationship they have. She’s way in his head, and he knows it, and it bugs him sometimes, but she’s not just manipulating him for her own purposes—she really does care for him for his sake and obviously holds him in high regard. And he trusts her for it. This is what the series is doing best so far, taking these historical figures and adding depth to them to help us understand them better. Of course if they do so incorrectly then they mis-portray the characters, but so far most of it seems to be working.
On the other hand, this stuff about the queen turning into a master manipulator scheming at Jeong Dojeon’s level...more monkeying around with the story to try to juice it up for extra drama. Again making LSG look silly and weak...Yes I’m beating this to death but the story doesn’t need to be juiced up like this. With this situation I do understand that they want to have as much female involvement as possible, simply because it’s airing on modern-day television and they want people to watch it. But there has to be a better way...we’ve seen some series do it very well so it can be done.
The production also, some good and some not so good. The location shots and just the overall look of the series, it’s wonderful. On the other hand the music is too heavy and there’s too much of it in too many places, way overkill.
So she set up that trap to goad Bangwon into lashing out. But didn’t it seem like she miscalculated badly? Even if Bangwon was angry enough to try something, she’s seen enough of him and his wife together to realize that his wife is almost certainly going to be able to talk him out of it.
And she says she’s so certain that Bangwon wants the throne for himself. Am I the only one who hasn’t seen a shred of any such thing so far? I can’t remember how the Jeong Dojeon series portrayed this, but here there hasn’t been anything in his actions to suggest his intentions have been for anything other than his father and his family. Or is that wrong?
“Now is not the time. Those soldiers are not enough to do it.” Totally in his head! He’s just sitting there motionless and she calls it. That was hilarious. What they’re doing with her is so, so much better than what they’re doing with the queen.
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Post by ajk on Jan 15, 2022 18:53:38 GMT -5
"Trope" is the perfect word for it. Wish I'd thought of that!
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Post by truth on Jan 15, 2022 19:35:06 GMT -5
Flaw of this episode
Yun Sojong is shown to be among people waving goodbye as LBW leaves for Ming.
LBW went to Ming as envoy in 1394.
Yun Sojong died in 1393, so he shouldn't be alive at this point.
He should at least be making his exit by next episode.
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Post by ajk on Jan 16, 2022 5:25:45 GMT -5
That is a heck of a catch--well done sir!
Awfully surprising to let something like that happen. TV shows typically have a person who's assigned to ensure continuity in the story. This isn't exactly continuity but it's a basic fact about a character that would have been easy to find out and should have been known. And it's not like the story needed him to be there. Oh well, hopefully it doesn't become a problem.
I wonder if we'll see the Ming emperor! You could understand it if they just brought Bangwon back home afterwards with a report on what happened but I sure would like to see how they handle the Ming trip.
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Post by sageuk on Jan 16, 2022 18:39:06 GMT -5
^What the annals say about the diplomatic mission to Ming.
Nam Jae is Nam Eun's brother. Those who have watched JDJ will recall that he is a member of Sambong's faction to the very end.
Nam Jae, however, did not appear in Jeong Dojeon.
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Post by simisteve on Feb 20, 2022 14:07:53 GMT -5
This episode aired yesterday (2/19) in LA. I have a different take on the whole depiction of the Queen, and (disclaimer) this is from the perspective of someone whose knowledge of Korean history is from watching KBS's k-dramas over the years.
I think the producers are laying the foundation for why LBW ended up killing off his in-laws and ordering Sejong to do the same. He sees the power this Queen has over her King and state matters...he vows to prevent this from happening to him. If you recall in GKS, there is a scene where he warns Sejong to not let his power "disappear up the Queen's skirts". I'm guessing the writers need to give this as a justification for why he ends up having his wife's parents killed (and ultimately framing Sejong's father in law), instead of simply picturing LBW as a ruthless, cold-blooded tyrant who would not tolerate anyone seeking to lessen his power. Which is pretty much how I felt about him after seeing JDJ, GKS and it's follow-on about Jang Youngsil.
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