Post by ajk on May 21, 2022 14:45:46 GMT -5
So we have two things to deal with here...which first? What a good episode this was, or the one bizarre question that hung over the whole thing....
Let’s do the question. When the previous episode ended, KH was all fired up about wanting WG to call him Sangbu (foster father, or the way they started talking about it later, more of an older brother). This seemed like an awfully trivial thing to bring up in the middle of such a huge situation, much less turn into a major issue...So for the first half of this episode, it seemed like Choi Seung Woo had a better idea, to get something more meaningful from Koryo that would still satisfy KH. We weren’t told what, but something better than just Sangbu. Well guess what, it turns out that Sangbu was the whole point anyway. I didn’t understand this at all. Okay yes, honor and status and the whole thing...but why is KH making such a big deal out of it, when anybody who would ever hear of it would know that it was forced by conditions and not done willingly? KH could just order his soldiers to wipe out the enemy and it sounds like by now it would be a walk in the park. Why is it more valuable to get WG to utter the word Sangbu? And besides, if KH lets the enemy just walk away from this with no war scars but with such a wound to their pride, they’ll come back both strong and angry, filled with motivation. Maybe the point of this will become clearer later on, but it sure seems strange right now.
But as for the episode...it was terrific. Whatever I might think of Sangbu, to both sides it obviously is a huge deal and everything was filled with tension and intensity. All of it well acted and well produced. Choi Seung Woo actually going into the Koryo camp and facing WG, what a moment that was. Who’d have thought we’d ever see such a thing.
(click for full size)
And one thing I liked was that for whatever else they’ve done in the past to put WG on a pedestal, he did not come off all that heroic in this one. He’s already made the wrong call to not vacate the area immediately; he keeps getting overly emotional about the difficulties; and now when Choi Ung gets the cholera he’s all “How could this be, Choi Ung? Oh, heaven has forsaken me!” Good heavens man where did your spine go? He does get it back later on when he decides to submit to KH and do what’s necessary to save his troops. But right now we’re seeing him as a not-so-perfect leader and nobody’s perfect so I think this helps portray a more complete character.
Hong Kyu to CSW: “You are an important man of Bekjae. I commend your courage for coming here. Have you no fear for your life?” Well said. Choi was extremely impressive in this one.
Wang Shin: “But his majesty is the father of the soldiers and the people of this kingdom. What father would stand by and watch when his children are dying? It is wrong to fight him. Let us offer him our support.” A terrific moment in a terrific scene. This scene was particularly good because it was a little slower than most of the meeting scenes we get, and the silence in between lines was deafening. Very effective. And Wang Shin should be named employee of the month—he was the one guy who gut through all of the irrelevance and nailed it. Turned the rest of them around instantly. We haven’t heard a lot from him but wow, this was remarkable.
But then they all kneel and cry, how is that supportive? What a buzzkill.
Actually this episode had a little bit of the same feel as the previous one, of not much going on ...but you never got the feeling that they were stretching for time like last time because the stakes were so high. So I really liked the episode, notwithstanding the big question.
Let’s do the question. When the previous episode ended, KH was all fired up about wanting WG to call him Sangbu (foster father, or the way they started talking about it later, more of an older brother). This seemed like an awfully trivial thing to bring up in the middle of such a huge situation, much less turn into a major issue...So for the first half of this episode, it seemed like Choi Seung Woo had a better idea, to get something more meaningful from Koryo that would still satisfy KH. We weren’t told what, but something better than just Sangbu. Well guess what, it turns out that Sangbu was the whole point anyway. I didn’t understand this at all. Okay yes, honor and status and the whole thing...but why is KH making such a big deal out of it, when anybody who would ever hear of it would know that it was forced by conditions and not done willingly? KH could just order his soldiers to wipe out the enemy and it sounds like by now it would be a walk in the park. Why is it more valuable to get WG to utter the word Sangbu? And besides, if KH lets the enemy just walk away from this with no war scars but with such a wound to their pride, they’ll come back both strong and angry, filled with motivation. Maybe the point of this will become clearer later on, but it sure seems strange right now.
But as for the episode...it was terrific. Whatever I might think of Sangbu, to both sides it obviously is a huge deal and everything was filled with tension and intensity. All of it well acted and well produced. Choi Seung Woo actually going into the Koryo camp and facing WG, what a moment that was. Who’d have thought we’d ever see such a thing.
(click for full size)
And one thing I liked was that for whatever else they’ve done in the past to put WG on a pedestal, he did not come off all that heroic in this one. He’s already made the wrong call to not vacate the area immediately; he keeps getting overly emotional about the difficulties; and now when Choi Ung gets the cholera he’s all “How could this be, Choi Ung? Oh, heaven has forsaken me!” Good heavens man where did your spine go? He does get it back later on when he decides to submit to KH and do what’s necessary to save his troops. But right now we’re seeing him as a not-so-perfect leader and nobody’s perfect so I think this helps portray a more complete character.
Hong Kyu to CSW: “You are an important man of Bekjae. I commend your courage for coming here. Have you no fear for your life?” Well said. Choi was extremely impressive in this one.
Wang Shin: “But his majesty is the father of the soldiers and the people of this kingdom. What father would stand by and watch when his children are dying? It is wrong to fight him. Let us offer him our support.” A terrific moment in a terrific scene. This scene was particularly good because it was a little slower than most of the meeting scenes we get, and the silence in between lines was deafening. Very effective. And Wang Shin should be named employee of the month—he was the one guy who gut through all of the irrelevance and nailed it. Turned the rest of them around instantly. We haven’t heard a lot from him but wow, this was remarkable.
But then they all kneel and cry, how is that supportive? What a buzzkill.
Actually this episode had a little bit of the same feel as the previous one, of not much going on ...but you never got the feeling that they were stretching for time like last time because the stakes were so high. So I really liked the episode, notwithstanding the big question.