Post by ajk on Apr 13, 2023 12:40:52 GMT -5
Sorry to be late with this one. The scenes with Kyun-hwon and Kyungbo, I couldn’t stop watching them. They were amazing. Some of the best stuff in the series. The trip we took through KH’s mind as he grieved and considered Kyungbo’s advice and ideas, it was presented beautifully. Especially the prayer scenes, with the voices in his head during the prayers. “A grudge this strong cannot be forgotten overnight, but it can be chipped away at little by little.” Kyungbo was there as a priest but he acted much more like a therapist. Somebody did a wonderful job writing the script for this one.
They made a strange choice of music when Kyungbo first saw KH. The way KH was in tears and pouring his heart out, it was so sad and pathetic, but the music was curious and quirky, like What an odd person this guy is. Didn’t understand that.
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Another smart decision! KH keeps telling everyone what a screw-up Shin-Guhm is going to be, but we continue to see someone who’s making good decisions. Except, of course, for trying to convince his father, that’ll never happen.
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Lady, you’re sixty and you don’t have a single wrinkle on your face. Sell your secret and you’ll have so much money you can buy anything you want.
Dangit, once again they had a pretty good scene going with the Koryo council, and then they tossed it over to the astrologer to tell them what was certainly going to happen because the stars said so. Contrast this with what Kyungbo said at the end, about how he learned to read a man’s fate. It did mention astrology but was much more comprehensive, which is what you’d expect for the time and for someone in his position. This has been going on for a long time now--the Koryo scenes just don’t measure up to the Bekjae scenes.
Must we have the obligatory scene with Wang Guhn’s two wives in it in every single episode? All they do is repeat stuff to each other that we already know. Ugh.
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“Do I intercept this letter? But it is a letter from a father to his son….” Wow how much is riding on this moment. One unnamed monk, long forgotten to history, could crumple up that letter and burn it, and all of history could end up completely different.
“This service is not just for Prince Geum-kang and the vice prime minister, but for all of those poor souls who died in vain. It is a service to atone for all of your wrongs.” It’s amazing that Kyungbo got away with saying some of the things he did. Ordinarily you might have to even fault the writing for it, but this is an old man facing end-of-life reality and in tremendous grief. So he’s vulnerable. Plus he clearly trusts his priest—just like he’s trusted his doctors and treats them better than just about anybody else does.
And on top of everything else that was good about this one, the actor playing general Padal was perfect. The classic extra-enthusiastic semi-dimwit company man, the guy who rises to authority sooooo often in life but things are just a little too far over his head. You had to laugh at him, and it was the right kind of funny, not forced like some series have tried; very much in the run of the story. He’s a great piece of casting.
And we can’t let this one go without mentioning that in the temple scenes, we could see KH’s breath more than once. Apparently they were filming in an actual unheated temple somewhere and it was chilly that evening. How about that for authenticity, big round of applause.
They made a strange choice of music when Kyungbo first saw KH. The way KH was in tears and pouring his heart out, it was so sad and pathetic, but the music was curious and quirky, like What an odd person this guy is. Didn’t understand that.
(click for full size)
Another smart decision! KH keeps telling everyone what a screw-up Shin-Guhm is going to be, but we continue to see someone who’s making good decisions. Except, of course, for trying to convince his father, that’ll never happen.
(click for full size)
Lady, you’re sixty and you don’t have a single wrinkle on your face. Sell your secret and you’ll have so much money you can buy anything you want.
Dangit, once again they had a pretty good scene going with the Koryo council, and then they tossed it over to the astrologer to tell them what was certainly going to happen because the stars said so. Contrast this with what Kyungbo said at the end, about how he learned to read a man’s fate. It did mention astrology but was much more comprehensive, which is what you’d expect for the time and for someone in his position. This has been going on for a long time now--the Koryo scenes just don’t measure up to the Bekjae scenes.
Must we have the obligatory scene with Wang Guhn’s two wives in it in every single episode? All they do is repeat stuff to each other that we already know. Ugh.
(click for full size)
“Do I intercept this letter? But it is a letter from a father to his son….” Wow how much is riding on this moment. One unnamed monk, long forgotten to history, could crumple up that letter and burn it, and all of history could end up completely different.
“This service is not just for Prince Geum-kang and the vice prime minister, but for all of those poor souls who died in vain. It is a service to atone for all of your wrongs.” It’s amazing that Kyungbo got away with saying some of the things he did. Ordinarily you might have to even fault the writing for it, but this is an old man facing end-of-life reality and in tremendous grief. So he’s vulnerable. Plus he clearly trusts his priest—just like he’s trusted his doctors and treats them better than just about anybody else does.
And on top of everything else that was good about this one, the actor playing general Padal was perfect. The classic extra-enthusiastic semi-dimwit company man, the guy who rises to authority sooooo often in life but things are just a little too far over his head. You had to laugh at him, and it was the right kind of funny, not forced like some series have tried; very much in the run of the story. He’s a great piece of casting.
And we can’t let this one go without mentioning that in the temple scenes, we could see KH’s breath more than once. Apparently they were filming in an actual unheated temple somewhere and it was chilly that evening. How about that for authenticity, big round of applause.
