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Post by ajk on Mar 12, 2022 17:28:20 GMT -5
...is up on Kocowa now, with subs. As usual, 24 hours to watch it before it goes behind the paywall.
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Post by sageuk on Mar 12, 2022 19:22:29 GMT -5
Usually the sons of Queen Kang are killed in the palace in past dramas. I don't know how it plays out in the records, but this is the first I've seen it potrayed as "killed on the way to exile."
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Post by ajk on Mar 13, 2022 1:43:55 GMT -5
So we got four minutes of the usual contrived, over-choreographed silliness that we usually get at beginnings...and after that it was easily the best episode of the series. By far.
“Have you recovered your consciousness?” Bangwon asks, as LSG is standing there right in front of him and glaring at him. Seriously?
“I will never back down.” And just at that moment a bunch of soldiers just happens to find Bangwon and runs in and surrounds the king. And then in perfect formation boxes him in when he raises the sword, and then again pins his arm as it’s about to move. And then they all disengage and pivot away in unison in visually optimal formation. Yes it’s TV and you have to give some leeway for this kind of flair or whatever you want to call it, but it can get so obviously staged and choreographed that it’s laughable.
Hwasang: “I am also a traitor. If Bangwon dies, I must die too.” Holy cow where did this come from? Out of nowhere, this moment really hit home, as effectively as anything the series has done so far. And it was Jiran’s un-funny bad-comic-relief kid who delivered it. “Did you not do the same? You participated in a great cause with Seong Gye. I did the same with Bang Won...Please forgive me. I am sorry.” And then the silence from Jiran. It was fantastic! Plus he spoke the uncomfortable truth about everyone who was denouncing Bangwon having done the very same thing themselves—certainly not for equally virtuous reasons, but the same thing nonetheless. Did they set up Hwasang as a goof to make this moment stronger? Probably not, but either way, bravo.
Banggwa: “Why are you dragging me into it?! Why?” It was like Hwasang opened up the floodgates--just about every scene after his was solid if not terrific. Banggwa confronting his brother, from the way the characters have been developed so far this was exactly what you’d expect of them and it was well-written and well-acted.
Bangui: “He is treating us like his subordinates.” This was very good too. Bangui has always been irritated with his younger brother and this planted the seed for what happened later.
“A precious person?” Even the grandma scene was good with young Sejong. A welcome bit of relief from the big things happening everywhere else, and it gave substance to Lady Min’s reminder to her husband that he’s doing all this for his children’s sake.
“Father. Please stay alive.” Another terrific scene. This one could have been overdone to death but it was appropriately touching and poignant. The way LSG was with his son, you could feel him clinging to the love he had for his dead wife. Very nice.
At this point we get a stinker. “Why did you have to take my place away?” The crown prince is doe-eyed and embarrassingly naive. And when he shouts “You will be a traitor who ruins Joseon!”, a soldier suddenly pulls out a sword and kills him. Was this Bangwon’s plan, to sentence him to exile and then kill him at the front door where everyone can see it happen? Or did that soldier act on his own (probably not) or on some telepathic command from Bangwon after shouting what turns out to be his last line? This was sloppy.
Bwngwon to his sister: “I need a reason to allow him to live.” That was terrific as well. For the first time in the series I looked at Bangwon and saw the Taejong we saw in GKS, with the bloody history and the demeanor that came from it.
Bangui: “What are you yelling about? Killing all of the future threats is what you have always done.” Totally in character for both princes, and legitimate emotion that made sense from the story.
Right up to the end it was one strong scene after another. And it was because the story was doing the work. Not contrived, phony, silly nonsense with overdone music and pounding drums. It was genuine and came from the story and was made better by interesting, three-dimensional characters that earned our interest. Go figure. More of THIS, please!
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Post by mugwump on Mar 13, 2022 7:20:39 GMT -5
In the scene between Bangui and Bangwon, Bangui points out that Bangwon had earlier eliminated threats by killing people named Shin Wa, Shin Chang and a 10 year old boy. I don't see the names in the character roster. Were these the last of the Wang royals?
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Post by 𝔰𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔪𝔞𝔠𝔩𝔞𝔦𝔯 on Mar 13, 2022 8:45:05 GMT -5
“A precious person?” Even the grandma scene was good with young Sejong. A welcome bit of relief from the big things happening everywhere else, and it gave substance to Lady Min’s reminder to her husband that he’s doing all this for his children’s sake. Oh this was Yangnyeong btw, I remember earlier in the show the eldest son was sent to grandma's house.
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Post by 𝔰𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔪𝔞𝔠𝔩𝔞𝔦𝔯 on Mar 13, 2022 8:45:54 GMT -5
In the scene between Bangui and Bangwon, Bangui points out that Bangwon had earlier eliminated threats by killing people named Shin Wa, Shin Chang and a 10 year old boy. I don't see the names in the character roster. Were these the last of the Wang royals? The subtitles were a bit wrong, they were talking about Shin Woo and Shin Chang (the 10 year old), which are the derogatory names for Wang Woo and Wang Chang bc everyone thinks they're Shin Don's children. (The subtitles also accidentally referred to Prince Hoean as Banggwa once so I was on the lookout for more errors)
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Post by truth on Mar 13, 2022 11:41:14 GMT -5
Bangui: “What are you yelling about? Killing all of the future threats is what you have always done.” Totally in character for both princes, and legitimate emotion that made sense from the story. You have the wrong name. The brother who argued with LBW is Lee Banggan, not Banggui. Usually the sons of Queen Kang are killed in the palace in past dramas. I don't know how it plays out in the records, but this is the first I've seen it potrayed as "killed on the way to exile." Historically, they weren't killed on way to exile. Lee Bangseok was killed by an assassin while under house arrest. Lee Bangbeon was killed by Lee Banggan which made LBW upset just like in the drama.
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Post by mugwump on Mar 13, 2022 12:21:27 GMT -5
Aaaah... missed that connection to Shin Don. And yes, grandchild was Yangnyeong, not Sejong.
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Post by ajk on Mar 13, 2022 13:27:25 GMT -5
You have the wrong name. The brother who argued with LBW is Lee Banggan, not Banggui. Yes I did, sorry about that. Was bound to happen eventually. Fourth brother, hothead, just mixed up the names. Oh this was Yangnyeong btw, I remember earlier in the show the eldest son was sent to grandma's house. Yes it was, sorry about that. Meant to check on it to verify. Have had very little sleep all week and it's catching up with me. Oh and now we screw with our clocks again, that's always good for sleep isn't it. One thing I forgot to bring up in the last couple of summaries is this whole business about the attempt to assassinate the princes. Is there any source anywhere that suggests anything remotely like this actually happened? Certainly not at the same time that Bangwon was making his move, but any time? I assumed it was a fiction but the story here is certainly relying heavily on it to give Bangwon justification for executing everyone he executed.
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