Post by ajk on Mar 27, 2023 2:27:20 GMT -5
So this one turned into a Twilight Zone episode.
It all seemed so straightforward...Kyun-hwon would fade away and die quickly, bitter and angry. Considering his age and his medical situation, and his tendency to drink heavily because of his recent physical pain and mental stress, of course he would. And Shin-guhm would have his usual bad luck, maybe with some poor judgment thrown in (although he certainly has stepped up lately). And Koryo would end up marching into Bekjae, the end.
But noooo…..KH is insisting that “it isn’t over” and he’s going to make them pay. And then the Koryo guys start talking like they’re actually going to try to flip him. Seriously? To his historic rival and enemy? And then not only are his goofy dad (in his 90s!) and the battleaxe wife both still alive, well they’re baaaaack. And the Koryo guys think that those two will be a drawing card to flip KH, every last bit of prior history notwithstanding and despite both of them saying even now how happy they are to have KH out of their lives. Oh and that the monk Kyungbo is going to willingly stick his nose in politics and help make it all happen.
Even if all of those crazy unlikely things happen, would it really matter? Maybe if the legitimacy/acceptance issue that Shin-guhm is fretting over turns into a real thing, then yeah that could make a difference. But it doesn’t seem like there’s any sort of resistance to Kyun-hwon being dethroned. It’s all so weird....
Loved it when Kyun-hwon snarled at the attendants and snatched the wine jug from them, very funny! And now look at that, somebody alert the media, he really drank from the thing. Actual liquid in the jug. What a concept. No faking, he really drank. You can SO tell and it made such a difference, it was jarring to see and hear him pound back so much wine in those fast gulps.
“Kyun-hwon’s escape from Bekjae”?!? Maybe this is common historical knowledge among the domestic audience but it's still a huge unnecessary spoiler.
Yu Geumpil: “Surprisingly, Bekjae seems unshaken despite the recent chaos. We found border defense promptly stabilized, and regional powers showed no sign of defiance.” Yeah how about that...more evidence that Shin-guhm seems to know what he's doing. Maybe his incompetence is limited to battlefield authority, that's certainly possible.
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THERE is the question of the day. You just sort of figured he had died quietly, but we never did hear for sure.
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So much for my comment about everybody’s perfect teeth. Wow. But come on, that isn’t well done at all. It looks like they just stuck some decals on the front ones, and the back ones are still beautiful. For all of the money this series spent on every last battle sequence, they can't find a few bucks to stain some teeth properly? Just give him something to turn all of the teeth brown, that would be so much more convincing, and more realistic, and less squirmy to have to look at too. Yuck.
Madame Kobe: “Please think about your health. You are only helping Shin-guhm by doing this. They would jump for joy if you should pass away…So please fight this disease and rise again. That is what Geum-kang and Vice Prime Minister would have wanted. You must first stop drinking!” This is the most insightful thing she’s said all series.
KH's flashback sequence served absolutely zero purpose. It certainly wouldn’t be bad right there to remind us of how far KH has come and how much he’s accomplished, but those didn’t feel like the best choice of scenes to convey that.
A smiling Neungae: “Your majesty, I trust you are comfortable.”
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HA!! The glare was good, the sarcasm was good, the whole thing worked. Really good scene. And the silence was the best part. No music stuck in where it wasn't needed.
Although, that was a pretty unconvincing whack in the head Neungae took. If you're going to do that, bring in a stunt guy and shoot him from behind as the cup hits.
Terrible predicament SG has put himself in, thinking he can get his father’s consent and only willing to go forward if he gets it. I don’t know how correct he is, either. We’ve certainly seen other instances of kings who seized the throne without worrying about immediate public acceptance or all of that hearts-of-the-people stuff, and managed to establish themselves successfully. His mom and the rest of them may well be right.
It all seemed so straightforward...Kyun-hwon would fade away and die quickly, bitter and angry. Considering his age and his medical situation, and his tendency to drink heavily because of his recent physical pain and mental stress, of course he would. And Shin-guhm would have his usual bad luck, maybe with some poor judgment thrown in (although he certainly has stepped up lately). And Koryo would end up marching into Bekjae, the end.
But noooo…..KH is insisting that “it isn’t over” and he’s going to make them pay. And then the Koryo guys start talking like they’re actually going to try to flip him. Seriously? To his historic rival and enemy? And then not only are his goofy dad (in his 90s!) and the battleaxe wife both still alive, well they’re baaaaack. And the Koryo guys think that those two will be a drawing card to flip KH, every last bit of prior history notwithstanding and despite both of them saying even now how happy they are to have KH out of their lives. Oh and that the monk Kyungbo is going to willingly stick his nose in politics and help make it all happen.
Even if all of those crazy unlikely things happen, would it really matter? Maybe if the legitimacy/acceptance issue that Shin-guhm is fretting over turns into a real thing, then yeah that could make a difference. But it doesn’t seem like there’s any sort of resistance to Kyun-hwon being dethroned. It’s all so weird....
Loved it when Kyun-hwon snarled at the attendants and snatched the wine jug from them, very funny! And now look at that, somebody alert the media, he really drank from the thing. Actual liquid in the jug. What a concept. No faking, he really drank. You can SO tell and it made such a difference, it was jarring to see and hear him pound back so much wine in those fast gulps.
Grand Dowager: Kyun-hwon’s daughter and the wife of Park Young-kyu. Her daughter would later become one of Wang Guhn’s wives, Madam Dongsan-won. Up to this point, she remained in Park’s homestead in Seung-pyoung. But after Kyun-hwon’s escape from Bekjae she would play a pivotal role in history by convincing her husband to form a connection with Wang Guhn. What’s more, her second and third daughters would marry King Jungjong, and they [became] Empress Moonkong and Empress Moonsung. And she would later be honored Grand Dowager.
“Kyun-hwon’s escape from Bekjae”?!? Maybe this is common historical knowledge among the domestic audience but it's still a huge unnecessary spoiler.
Yu Geumpil: “Surprisingly, Bekjae seems unshaken despite the recent chaos. We found border defense promptly stabilized, and regional powers showed no sign of defiance.” Yeah how about that...more evidence that Shin-guhm seems to know what he's doing. Maybe his incompetence is limited to battlefield authority, that's certainly possible.
(click for full size)
THERE is the question of the day. You just sort of figured he had died quietly, but we never did hear for sure.
(click for full size)
So much for my comment about everybody’s perfect teeth. Wow. But come on, that isn’t well done at all. It looks like they just stuck some decals on the front ones, and the back ones are still beautiful. For all of the money this series spent on every last battle sequence, they can't find a few bucks to stain some teeth properly? Just give him something to turn all of the teeth brown, that would be so much more convincing, and more realistic, and less squirmy to have to look at too. Yuck.
Madame Kobe: “Please think about your health. You are only helping Shin-guhm by doing this. They would jump for joy if you should pass away…So please fight this disease and rise again. That is what Geum-kang and Vice Prime Minister would have wanted. You must first stop drinking!” This is the most insightful thing she’s said all series.
KH's flashback sequence served absolutely zero purpose. It certainly wouldn’t be bad right there to remind us of how far KH has come and how much he’s accomplished, but those didn’t feel like the best choice of scenes to convey that.
A smiling Neungae: “Your majesty, I trust you are comfortable.”
(click for full size)
HA!! The glare was good, the sarcasm was good, the whole thing worked. Really good scene. And the silence was the best part. No music stuck in where it wasn't needed.
Although, that was a pretty unconvincing whack in the head Neungae took. If you're going to do that, bring in a stunt guy and shoot him from behind as the cup hits.
Terrible predicament SG has put himself in, thinking he can get his father’s consent and only willing to go forward if he gets it. I don’t know how correct he is, either. We’ve certainly seen other instances of kings who seized the throne without worrying about immediate public acceptance or all of that hearts-of-the-people stuff, and managed to establish themselves successfully. His mom and the rest of them may well be right.