Post by ajk on Nov 20, 2022 19:04:39 GMT -5
So we’re three seconds into the episode and I’ve just about fallen out of my chair laughing.
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Maybe it was just done to give an interesting first image, and nothing to do with the obvious silliness about the empty cups...but whatever, how funny was that.
WG: “How does 20 years sound?”
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What a great scene. One thing these dramas do very well is the scenes of guys getting their chops busted. And frankly this is probably the best scene Choi Soo Jong has had in the entire series so far. He was totally convincing as the big boss and did a great job.
I wasn’t sure if WG was just messing with Yu and Shikryum when he was talking about his own mistakes...but then wow he bows to them and says he neglected his other subjects, that was a powerful gesture right there and yes he was 100 percent serious. I’ll just mention one more time that this didn’t make as much sense as it should have because we most certainly did not see any sort of unreasonable degree of favoritism shown to Yu Geumpil. It would have been very easy to write that into the script so why wasn’t it done? No obvious answers here, very strange.
Speaking of good work, same from the guy playing Kyun-hwon. He’s an old man now and you can sense the change in the character by the way he’s playing it. And yet we still get that terrific glare:
(click for full size)
Just one thing I noticed—and it’s probably been noticeable earlier but there were a lot of close-ups of his face—is that the actor has obvious dental fillings on a couple of his back teeth. Obviously this is something too unimportant to make an issue of, but some of the perfect dental work among the cast does tend to jump out at you. Of course you want the actors to be healthy like anybody else...just sayin’.
“Choi Ung of Koryo is at his life’s end according to the book of divination.” Choi Seung Woo being a diviner/astrologer, I seriously wonder if there’s truth to that. But either way it’s disappointing to see this character of all people resorting to that stuff, real or fictional.
Shin-guhm: “I haven’t had a day of complete sobriety since I reached adulthood...I am sick of living like this.” Now that was VERY interesting. Presumably it’s true—not the kind of thing that the writers would make up, not with their track record in this series. But now you start to wonder if his drinking played a role in some of the dumb decisions that got him to this point. It hasn’t been portrayed that way, not at all, so maybe it didn’t, or maybe it just isn’t known. But it’s an interesting angle.
“One might say that I am a greedy man for having 29 wives and countless children.” Maybe, maybe not...I’d say you’re probably an exhausted man, if nothing else! Anyway glad they tossed this in there; maybe we should be seeing a little more of the family? Of course it’s not critical to the more immediate story of the unification struggles, but it certainly is a fascinating part of WG’s story and it obviously was an important factor in his rise to power and his ability to gain loyalty from many different places. And it would make a nice change from the obligatory Doyoung-and-Suin-being-concerned-about-something scene we get in every single episode.
“Malignant growth has spread throughout the heart, liver and lungs.” Yikes. Maybe inevitable because of genetics or whatever, but that porridge-only diet he’s always insisted on, that cannot have done him any favors.
Whatever else you want to say about Choi Ung, good or bad, give him plenty of credit for treating the physician with respect and courtesy even in the face of bad news. We sure don’t see that often.
Choi Jimong: “What is this man saying, sire? He is no doctor. He is a phony!” Yeah that’s more like it. One more reason to dislike that character. Hey Einstein, you're the genius astrologer, how come you didn't see this coming?
But another very good episode. This one was very much on the calm side but it was directed and presented well, and the soundtrack was good. And gee even Doyoung was wise and sensible and helpful in this one, how often do you see that.
(click for full size)
Maybe it was just done to give an interesting first image, and nothing to do with the obvious silliness about the empty cups...but whatever, how funny was that.
WG: “How does 20 years sound?”
(click for full size)
What a great scene. One thing these dramas do very well is the scenes of guys getting their chops busted. And frankly this is probably the best scene Choi Soo Jong has had in the entire series so far. He was totally convincing as the big boss and did a great job.
I wasn’t sure if WG was just messing with Yu and Shikryum when he was talking about his own mistakes...but then wow he bows to them and says he neglected his other subjects, that was a powerful gesture right there and yes he was 100 percent serious. I’ll just mention one more time that this didn’t make as much sense as it should have because we most certainly did not see any sort of unreasonable degree of favoritism shown to Yu Geumpil. It would have been very easy to write that into the script so why wasn’t it done? No obvious answers here, very strange.
Speaking of good work, same from the guy playing Kyun-hwon. He’s an old man now and you can sense the change in the character by the way he’s playing it. And yet we still get that terrific glare:
(click for full size)
Just one thing I noticed—and it’s probably been noticeable earlier but there were a lot of close-ups of his face—is that the actor has obvious dental fillings on a couple of his back teeth. Obviously this is something too unimportant to make an issue of, but some of the perfect dental work among the cast does tend to jump out at you. Of course you want the actors to be healthy like anybody else...just sayin’.
“Choi Ung of Koryo is at his life’s end according to the book of divination.” Choi Seung Woo being a diviner/astrologer, I seriously wonder if there’s truth to that. But either way it’s disappointing to see this character of all people resorting to that stuff, real or fictional.
Shin-guhm: “I haven’t had a day of complete sobriety since I reached adulthood...I am sick of living like this.” Now that was VERY interesting. Presumably it’s true—not the kind of thing that the writers would make up, not with their track record in this series. But now you start to wonder if his drinking played a role in some of the dumb decisions that got him to this point. It hasn’t been portrayed that way, not at all, so maybe it didn’t, or maybe it just isn’t known. But it’s an interesting angle.
■ Soh—He would grow up to be the 4th king of Koryo Kwangjong. Madam Yu Suin of Choongju was mother to two future kings. Kwangjong’s older brother Yo would succeed Haejong as the 3rd king of Koryo, then pass the throne to Soh. Out of 29 wives, Yu would bear the most children for Wang Guhn. Her five sons were Tae, King Jungjong, King Kwangjong, posthumously honored King Moonwon, and High Monk Jengtong. Her two daughters were princesses Naklang and Hongbang. Among them, the most prominent was King Kwangjong who would place Koryo on secure footing and become known as the Second Founding King.
“One might say that I am a greedy man for having 29 wives and countless children.” Maybe, maybe not...I’d say you’re probably an exhausted man, if nothing else! Anyway glad they tossed this in there; maybe we should be seeing a little more of the family? Of course it’s not critical to the more immediate story of the unification struggles, but it certainly is a fascinating part of WG’s story and it obviously was an important factor in his rise to power and his ability to gain loyalty from many different places. And it would make a nice change from the obligatory Doyoung-and-Suin-being-concerned-about-something scene we get in every single episode.
“Malignant growth has spread throughout the heart, liver and lungs.” Yikes. Maybe inevitable because of genetics or whatever, but that porridge-only diet he’s always insisted on, that cannot have done him any favors.
Whatever else you want to say about Choi Ung, good or bad, give him plenty of credit for treating the physician with respect and courtesy even in the face of bad news. We sure don’t see that often.
Choi Jimong: “What is this man saying, sire? He is no doctor. He is a phony!” Yeah that’s more like it. One more reason to dislike that character. Hey Einstein, you're the genius astrologer, how come you didn't see this coming?
But another very good episode. This one was very much on the calm side but it was directed and presented well, and the soundtrack was good. And gee even Doyoung was wise and sensible and helpful in this one, how often do you see that.
