Post by ajk on Nov 9, 2012 23:35:41 GMT -5
"Solidarity...in...life. Longevity...for all." Deokman and Yushin carefully read the tiny characters on the dagger handle. How is that a hidden meaning? Guess what, it's an acronym. Solidarity in life = S.I.L. Longevity for all = L.A. Which spells Shilla, if you don't use the "Sh" spelling and if you ignore the "for." (Presumably this works better in the original Korean.) They're convinced that this is the third meaning. Okay, so why is that such a powder keg? What's so awful about it that Mishil went to such great lengths to bury it forever? Wait a minute, there's more writing. "Three kingdoms...one land." As in, uniting the Three Kingdoms. And Shilla being the one to accomplish it. Deokman and Yushin stand there dumbfounded...and yes, that really is an impossible dream, at least at the present time.
Well, the three days are up. The same cast of characters is back in the Hwarang meeting room and Munno steps forward and asks for the three meanings. None of the other Hwarang found the third one...and Yushin is just sitting there silently! Tick, tick, tick...okay, that's it; Munno turns to walk out. And NOW Yushin speaks up, apparently for dramatic effect (ugh). "Solidarity in life and longevity for all," he says. That certainly gets Munno's attention; his eyes widen. "The words spell S-I-L-L-A," Yushin adds. "So it does," Munno answers; "What does it mean?" Mishil leans forward and gulps, as Yushin stares ahead silently. Again Munno asks, "What is the hidden meaning in the words?" Silence...finally, "I don't believe there is a further meaning. The acronym, Yushin says, "is in itself noble and honorable." Munno thinks about it, and then says he agrees with that. Then he explains that he asked the question to help them understand King Jinheung's thinking in creating the Hwarang. "Reflect on Yushin's answer," he tells them all. "Let the meaning guide you as you prepare for the final event in ten days." And he awards the second event to Yushin.
Later, afterwards, more bickering among the rank-and-file Hwarang. A funny mention of Yushin's interminable rock-smacking, but most of it is pretty sorry for trash-talking. Then Deokman comes outside and Jukbang runs over to her; they're both excited about Yushin's victory. And now what's this...Sohwa is with Deokman--is Jukbang trying to hit on her? Yeah, he is. What brought this on? And she actually turns and looks back at him when she follows Deokman away. Really?
Mishil's cabal thinks that maybe Munno let Yushin win the second event, just because he doesn't know the entire third meaning. Mishil waves them off; she doesn't dispute the result. He doesn't know, she says, but Deokman and Yushin do. And to herself she wonders just what Munno's motivation was for diving into all this: "Was he trying to tell her something? Or trying to show her it's too big for her?" (And does Munno really not know? More and more that doesn't seem like such a certainty.)
Deokman has paid a visit to Munno. To talk about the third meaning, she tells him...
Yushin has just surprised his parents with the news that knows the entire third meaning. So, they ask him, why not reveal it? "I do not dare." Why not?
Bidam is there with Deokman and Munno, and listens silently as they talk. "Is that why you oppose my taking the throne? Because you think it's too big for me?" Munno's shockingly simple answer: "Yes." Deokman smiles at him slyly, and follows up: "Is it because I am a woman?" He replies, "Pardon my saying so, but yes, that's why." It's not that a woman couldn't handle the throne, he explains..."What do you hope to achieve if you take the throne?" Deokman looks around like she's not sure she wants to answer. Finally she volunteers, "My reasons...are my own." Munno doesn't like that: You're only concerned about your personal interests? A very good point he's making. Deokman ducks it. "Why have you gone to all this trouble?", she asks him. "What does Shilla hope to achieve? On his deathbed Jinheung worried about this country's future. He feared that Shilla was too small and too weak, didn't he?" Her insight surprises him. "Mishil's personal interests will never be those of Shilla," she continues, because she's not a royal. And she asks Munno, point-blank: Who would you rather ruled Shilla? "The royal house? Or a group of squabbling nobles?" Kind of a silly question; it doesn't really answer Munno's concerns...."The royal house, of course," he answers, annoyed that she'd even ask him. "But not a queen."
"It's a choice between a chicken's head and a dragon's claws." Yushin is trying to explain the problem to his parents--not sure he's succeeding with an analogy like that. "We have to be the dragon." Then a rambling discussion about having power but not too much of it, which leads to Yushin telling them that he wouldn't marry Deokman because having a Gayan on the throne would cause Mishil to lead the nobles in a revolt against the royal house. "I won't risk the lives of the Gayan refugees," he tells them. I'll stand behind the princess and support her ascension, and that will be our legacy. They look a little surprised, and maybe a little disappointed too. (Which is weird, because Seohyeon was always the pragmatic one about this kind of stuff.)
Munno continues. "Princess, why do you think a woman has never ruled Shilla?" (Because there's a throwing competition for it?) "Why do you suppose King Nulji insisted the crown follow the male line?" He answers himself: "To put an end to the bickering of the royal house." Putting a queen on the throne "would lead to infighting over who will be the queen's husband." Plus, "even the idea of a woman ruler would be opposed by the nobility. And the people, too--just the idea would be beyond them." People pray for their babies to be sons, he reminds her, and you think they'll accept a female ruler? Deokman is starting to look a little overwhelmed by all this. Has she really never thought this all the way through? Maybe not. "Would you divide the people and cause unrest just to satisfy your own ambitions?" And then: "Even if it were possible, why should it be you?" Seems like a little overkill, but he explains himself. "Mishil is the greatest female strategist in history. It should be her." "She has no vision," Deokman angrily protests. And she'll never rule as a queen because she's never dreamed of herself as a sole ruler. (Meaning, she's more the guardian of the interests of the nobles.) How would I handle a divided people? First, she says, by feeling the same anger and indignation "of all of the people Mishil has oppressed." Second, because I'm a royal, "even the nobles must support my claim." And third, well, Shilla's impossible dream "will be my impossible dream." Oh really, is that so. Munno asks how she'll achieve it. "With something more powerful than Mishil's 'mandate of heaven' or her eclipse or her shrine. With hope. Hope that fills your heart and makes you unbeatable. Hope for Shilla's impossible dream."
"Unite the Three Kingdoms," Yushin tells his parents. "It's the only way I and Gaya and the princess and Shilla can survive." (Really? I don't follow.)
"Unify the Three Kingdoms," Deokman continues. "Hope for the nobility, the people...and myself. Hope for a unified land. Hope for a better life...for all people." She stares at him. "Isn't that what 'Solidarity in life and longevity for all' means?" He doesn't answer; he may think she's crazy but he's obviously surprised that she's given him this much to think about.
Yushin leaves his parents house and stares out into the countryside. "I'll be grand marshal," he tells himself. "I must."
Oh dear, Jukbang has spotted Sohwa again. "The more I see her, the more I like her." Totally smitten. The other DFers razz him about it, but he gently walks up to her and starts to talk with her, or at least tries to, awkward...but now here's Chilsuk. Awk-warrrd. Came to see Munno, but Deokman is seeing him at the moment. But now here's Deokman coming out, and seeing Chilsuk. Another layer of awkward. Shoots him a nasty glare.
Inside the royal shrine, a nice tribute has been set up to Cheonmyeong. Deokman goes there and kneels before a portrait of her. "Should I do it?", she asks softly. "CAN I do it?" Do what?
Now alone, Bidam is thinking about this whole new issue about uniting the kingdoms. It rings a bell...Flashback to a younger Munno and the kid-age Bidam of maybe nine or ten, who asks Munno why he's made trips to Goguryeo and Baekje. "Nothing for you to worry about now," he says without explaining, but adds, "I'm doing it all for you. I have great hopes for your future." Which puts a big smile on the boy's face. Munno asks him to recite Confucius, and as they walk through a village market the boy not only recites but also explains the meaning of what he's reciting. He's certainly not old enough to have the wisdom to understand it, but it's impressive nonetheless...Now we see Bidam by himself, carrying a parcel that Munno was carrying before. He's reached what apparently is their home, some sort of a communal village. A woman offers him a meal, but he's headed for the outhouse first. He won't leave the parcel--"this is too important"--and that catches the attention of not only the woman but also of two men who follow him, grab him and rough him up pretty badly, and split with the parcel...Now it's evening and Munno is back; the woman tells him that the boy went to "the refugee camp" by himself. "He took food to trade," she tells him, but he's worried and angry about the boy being out there alone...Now the scene we saw two episodes earlier, of Munno running into the cave and encountering all of those dead and dying people...but now, after the kid confesses that he killed the people, we get more. "I poisoned their food with wolfsbane," he says excitedly. He's excited because he got the parcel back; Munno had told him that no one should see it, and he managed to get it back without it being publicly exposed. The food that he took with them, that's what he gave them. But obviously he added to it on the way. "They couldn't wait to eat it," he says. He's proud of what he's done...Munno goes back into the cave, just to look again. Wow, the image of him standing there in the cave entrance, backlit by the moon, all those dead bodies in front of him, it's the most stark, unsettling image of the entire series...Meanwhile, outside, now we see just what that parcel is, as Bidam unwraps it. It's a series of paperbound books: "Geographical Survey of the Three Kingdoms." Now what is Munno doing with that? Could it be that he always knew the third meaning? Whatever, the kid is paging through them excitedly...
Evening: We see Bidam arrive at Dukil Temple. Three monks greet him politely. Bidam tells them that his master sent him to pick up a book. The head monk is surprised: "He's never permitted anyone to..." Bidam cuts him off: "Yes, but he's busy at the palace." Really? "He intends to show the king and sent me to get a volume." The monk thinks for a moment, and then invites Bidam in. But from Bidam's slightly shifty eyes, it doesn't seem like Munno really did send him. Bidam goes inside a room, by himself, opens a wooden chest, and there are the survey books. He pages through them. "The unification," he thinks to himself. "That's what he was preparing for." He takes the other volumes (five of them) out of the chest, and at the bottom of the chest are two envelopes, one red and one blue. Curious, he opens the red envelope and looks at the paper inside. On it is written a name: Inmyeong. The paper refers to the birth of Inmyeong. Bidam doesn't know who that is, but we learn from subtitling that it's Deokman's original name! And in the other envelope, a similar announcement about the birth of Hyungjong. That's Bidam's birth name, as we already know. He doesn't recognize it, but the birth date is written on the paper and he sees that it's his birthday. Wonders with a laugh who Hyungjong is...and then suddenly the smile vanishes. He remembers the Munno/Sohwa conversation he overheard, about whose kid he is, and now he looks deeply troubled, like he's stumbled into something big that he doesn't understand yet.
We see Bojong training. He's moving well, but he doesn't seem to have all of his focus. Seokpum notices that too, and asks him what's on his mind....
Yushin is training, too...but what's this, here comes Mishil and her retinue. What for?
"Are you still worried about what happened with Yushin in Iseo?" Judging from Bojong's face, Seokpum guessed right. "Don't be. Your hand was hurt then." Dude, it took thirteen seconds--and Bojong, to his great credit, knows it. "It wasn't my hand that beat me," he says.
What is Mishil doing--giving Yushin a pep talk? Come on, what's she up to? "Let nothing distract you," she advises him, and then says to fight like one man against ten, because none of the ten will fight like his life is in danger). "The one has already defeated the ten in his mind," she says. It's interesting advice, if nothing else. And Yushin is thinking it through like he thinks it's sound. But Mishil giving advice to one of her son's opponents?
It wasn't the hand, Bojong says; it was "the will to fight." Yushin was desperate at Iseo and I wasn't. Which is true.
Bojong is strong, Mishil continues, so maintain your focus and don't get distracted. Suspicious and unsettled, Yushin asks the obvious: "Why are you telling me this?" "I don't want to watch some boring little duel," she replies. "Wouldn't it be a shame if you were distracted and lost?" (She obviously doesn't know about the rock-smacking! One thing about it--he trained himself to focus.) "I want to see a vicious bout," she says, caring oddly little for her own son's welfare. "And second, I don't plan on being your enemy." And with that statement, which suggests maybe she's simply covering all her bases here, she turns and leaves.
"For the first time," Bojong tells Seokpum, looking and sounding all business, "I'll risk my life in a competition." (It's not a to-the-death competition; I guess he's just saying he's going to put everything he has into it.)
Yushin is back to training, but now he's interrupted again. By Wolya and Seolji. Dressed like DFers! Turns out, they're Hwarang now. Seohyeon sponsored them and they were allowed in. They're looking forward to Yushin winning the competition and to their helping boost the Gayan influence in the government. Yushin wisely cautions them against getting ahead of themselves. They even think that he has a plan, whether he'll admit it or not, to marry Deokman and take the throne himself. (Score one for Munno.) Wolya adds that no matter who's on the throne, "I'll help in any way I can to avenge the injustice to our people." Hmmm, now Yushin may have a bit of a loose-cannon problem on his hands...but for now, back to training. Now we see Deokman and Bidam watching him from a distance. Bidam thinks he'll win, but Deokman knows how good Bojong is. "Even the littlest thing can affect about between such evenly matched opponents." And Yushin has never done this kind of competition before. "It won't be easy," she says. Then, talk about changing gears, Bidam presents her with some wildflowers he just picked for her. Heard it was your birthday, he tells her. She smiles and politely says No, my birthday is Month of the Hare, Day of the Ox...which is just what was written on that paper he saw the previous night. Inmyeong: February 14, 602..."I'm such a doofus sometimes," he says, laughing it off, but obviously this was his way of finding out what he wanted to know, to confirm that Inmyeong is Deokman. Then Bidam asks for a favor: to be allowed into the royal library "to resume my studies," whatever that means. Done. What's he after? Whatever it is, it's a concern to Seolwon, who happened to be passing by and heard most of the conversation.
Now Bidam is in one of the royal archives. He finds a historical volume on King Jinji's reign. He scans through it and quickly finds what he's looking for. "The 7th day of the 7th month, 584: A son was born to King Jinji and Mishil. His name is Hyungjong." (Good grief. Episode 2 put this birth in 579! And even at 584, it would make Bidam 18 years older than Deokman. No way.) His eyes widen. He quickly grabs a blank sheet and places it over the passage, and now it looks like he's tracing the text with some sort of invisible chalk pencil of some sort. He folds and pockets the paper, replaces the volume on its shelf, and leaves. Seconds later, Seolwon enters (he must have been hiding in a hallway or something). He looks around to see what Bidam was doing. No obvious clues...but uh-oh, Bidam put the volume back upside-down. Seolwon spots that, opens up the volume, turns almost immediately to the same page (he must have suspected something and knew what date in the chronology to check), and reads the same passage. "Hyungjong?!"
Bidam leaves the building, turns a corner, and how about this for a coincidence, here's Mishil returning from visiting Yushin. Well this is interesting. "Munno taught you well," she tells him, trying to start a conversation; "you have wisdom and cunning." "But nothing like yours, my lady," he replies, and we're not sure whether or not he knows he's sassing his mother. Mishil doesn't think he should even be comparing himself to her...but he goes on about not living up to his master's expectations. Too lazy, he says; too cruel; lacking in compassion. And "too quick to kill. Like you, he said." And is all of that true?, she asks. He says he does tend to grin at the prospect of a kill. Don't grin, she answers, offering a disturbing piece of advice; "a quiet little smirk makes you look stronger." So he tries one on her...but now she's bored or annoyed or whatever (or maybe a little unnerved as well) and walks away. Briskly.
Mishil gets home, walks inside, and darned if she doesn't look genuinely rattled. "Is it Bidam?", she wonders to herself.
Now alone, Bidam looks at the paper with the words he had copied. "So it's Mishil," he says to himself. Almost laughs just a bit, then shakes it off and turns to walk away, but uh-oh, now Seolwon is standing in front of him. What does he want? Nothing, not at the moment. Bidam at least gives a respectful bow.
"Knave!! What were you doing at Dukil Temple!?" Bidam has gone back to see Munno and wow, Munno is angrier than we've ever seen him. Yelling-angry. "Why did you look inside the box?" Bidam is momentarily stunned; then manages to blurt out, "You said it's mine." Which he did, long ago. "You said you prepared it all for me. Now I can't look at my own stuff?" Which only makes Munno angrier...but no Munno drops a bomb that nobody saw coming from anywhere: "Tomorrow, I'm entering the competition." Munno instantly shoots it down: "Do that, and you're no longer my pupil." Which surprises Bidam--because it's news to him that Munno ever thought of him as his pupil. Which is kind of said, really--we've seen that Munno hasn't been very nice to him for a long time. "All because of that one day?" And now all of the repressed baggage starts to pour out. "I was just a child!" You were like my father, and I wanted your praise and approval, but you never showed compassion or warmth. "You should have told me what I did wrong" that day. Munno can only see the bigger picture: "So many dead and all you worried about was what I would say?" You had no compassion for them? To which Bidam accuses Munno of being scared of him! Ever since that day. "What kind of master is frightened of his own student?" It's a silly accusation, but Bidam isn't himself--he actually starts to cry and has to turn away. "Would it have killed you to hug me, even once?" And he leaves. Munno sits down; he's visibly shaken by it.
Completely unnerved, Bidam runs from Munno's quarters, into the darkness of the evening, and runs and runs, until he finally stops...and starts screaming and crying. Falls to his knees, sobbing and clutching his heart...well, it's kind of a silly over-display of emotion, but it's been held inside for so long, we can't fault him in the least. Then he barges into the shrine where Deokman is kneeling before Cheonmyeong's portrait. She shows real restraint for not having him tossed out on his butt...but he tells her he's entering the competition! "You'll have what you want," he says; "Yushin will be the grand marshal." So he thinks he's going to fix the outcome?
Sunrise. A new morning...the morning of the third event. The grounds are all prepared; everyone is present; and we see a scoreboard. Looks like 32 slots to start with; five rounds of single-elimination to produce one winner. And we see 32 wooden tags with numbers on them, to be put into a box and drawn by the participants to place them on the scoreboard. (What, no seeding? That doesn't seem like a good idea.) Wooden swords, provided by the military; the matches will start at noon. Win by knockdown-and-don't-get-up or by surrender. If it's a draw, Munno and Chilsuk will choose the winner. And it's not just capital Hwarang participating, as we learn; the participants come from all across the nation. (But we didn't see 32 contestants in the meeting room for the first two events. Did we? Either I missed something or there's a discontinuity here.) Ho Jae is announcing the instructions. He adds, "Don't bear a grudge for what happens in a match." Good advice, but probably gonna be tough in the heat of the moment. With that, an obligatory bow of acknowledgement to Chilsuk the Hwarang master...but what's this now, looks like Bidam headed towards the grounds...
Deokman is back at the shrine, undoubtedly praying for some good luck today. She looks up at her sister's portrait, and tells it that Chunchu will be arriving shortly. "I'm happy...and worried," she says, apparently nervous about meeting her sister's child. Then she adds, "Think you might give Yushin a hand?" But then she starts to wonder about what Bidam said last night. Is that help? Or hindrance?
Seokpum has stepped forward and drawn number 31. Now it's Yushin's turn. Draws number 1, right up front. This may actually be an advantage; if they run the matches from left to right across the board, he'll have a little extra rest time over his opponents, which especially in the later rounds will be to his benefit. But it won't be an easy start for him; number 2 was drawn by Bakui, who's another one of the capital elite Hwarang. (The genius who shot Sohwa in the back at point-blank range.) Bojong leans over to Yushin and tells him, "See you in the final match." So Bojong obviously drew between 17 and 32. At that moment, the side door is pushed open. Bidam walks in. Not the happy-go-lucky weird guy; this Bidam's face is deadly serious. He steps forward and acknowledges Chilsuk and Ho Jae....
Daepung (or is it Geoksaheun? I get the DFers' names confused) runs to tell Deokman about Bidam showing up at the Hwarang compound....
Bidam calmly tells a stunned Ho Jae, "I'm entering the competition."
Well, the three days are up. The same cast of characters is back in the Hwarang meeting room and Munno steps forward and asks for the three meanings. None of the other Hwarang found the third one...and Yushin is just sitting there silently! Tick, tick, tick...okay, that's it; Munno turns to walk out. And NOW Yushin speaks up, apparently for dramatic effect (ugh). "Solidarity in life and longevity for all," he says. That certainly gets Munno's attention; his eyes widen. "The words spell S-I-L-L-A," Yushin adds. "So it does," Munno answers; "What does it mean?" Mishil leans forward and gulps, as Yushin stares ahead silently. Again Munno asks, "What is the hidden meaning in the words?" Silence...finally, "I don't believe there is a further meaning. The acronym, Yushin says, "is in itself noble and honorable." Munno thinks about it, and then says he agrees with that. Then he explains that he asked the question to help them understand King Jinheung's thinking in creating the Hwarang. "Reflect on Yushin's answer," he tells them all. "Let the meaning guide you as you prepare for the final event in ten days." And he awards the second event to Yushin.
Later, afterwards, more bickering among the rank-and-file Hwarang. A funny mention of Yushin's interminable rock-smacking, but most of it is pretty sorry for trash-talking. Then Deokman comes outside and Jukbang runs over to her; they're both excited about Yushin's victory. And now what's this...Sohwa is with Deokman--is Jukbang trying to hit on her? Yeah, he is. What brought this on? And she actually turns and looks back at him when she follows Deokman away. Really?
Mishil's cabal thinks that maybe Munno let Yushin win the second event, just because he doesn't know the entire third meaning. Mishil waves them off; she doesn't dispute the result. He doesn't know, she says, but Deokman and Yushin do. And to herself she wonders just what Munno's motivation was for diving into all this: "Was he trying to tell her something? Or trying to show her it's too big for her?" (And does Munno really not know? More and more that doesn't seem like such a certainty.)
Deokman has paid a visit to Munno. To talk about the third meaning, she tells him...
Yushin has just surprised his parents with the news that knows the entire third meaning. So, they ask him, why not reveal it? "I do not dare." Why not?
Bidam is there with Deokman and Munno, and listens silently as they talk. "Is that why you oppose my taking the throne? Because you think it's too big for me?" Munno's shockingly simple answer: "Yes." Deokman smiles at him slyly, and follows up: "Is it because I am a woman?" He replies, "Pardon my saying so, but yes, that's why." It's not that a woman couldn't handle the throne, he explains..."What do you hope to achieve if you take the throne?" Deokman looks around like she's not sure she wants to answer. Finally she volunteers, "My reasons...are my own." Munno doesn't like that: You're only concerned about your personal interests? A very good point he's making. Deokman ducks it. "Why have you gone to all this trouble?", she asks him. "What does Shilla hope to achieve? On his deathbed Jinheung worried about this country's future. He feared that Shilla was too small and too weak, didn't he?" Her insight surprises him. "Mishil's personal interests will never be those of Shilla," she continues, because she's not a royal. And she asks Munno, point-blank: Who would you rather ruled Shilla? "The royal house? Or a group of squabbling nobles?" Kind of a silly question; it doesn't really answer Munno's concerns...."The royal house, of course," he answers, annoyed that she'd even ask him. "But not a queen."
"It's a choice between a chicken's head and a dragon's claws." Yushin is trying to explain the problem to his parents--not sure he's succeeding with an analogy like that. "We have to be the dragon." Then a rambling discussion about having power but not too much of it, which leads to Yushin telling them that he wouldn't marry Deokman because having a Gayan on the throne would cause Mishil to lead the nobles in a revolt against the royal house. "I won't risk the lives of the Gayan refugees," he tells them. I'll stand behind the princess and support her ascension, and that will be our legacy. They look a little surprised, and maybe a little disappointed too. (Which is weird, because Seohyeon was always the pragmatic one about this kind of stuff.)
Munno continues. "Princess, why do you think a woman has never ruled Shilla?" (Because there's a throwing competition for it?) "Why do you suppose King Nulji insisted the crown follow the male line?" He answers himself: "To put an end to the bickering of the royal house." Putting a queen on the throne "would lead to infighting over who will be the queen's husband." Plus, "even the idea of a woman ruler would be opposed by the nobility. And the people, too--just the idea would be beyond them." People pray for their babies to be sons, he reminds her, and you think they'll accept a female ruler? Deokman is starting to look a little overwhelmed by all this. Has she really never thought this all the way through? Maybe not. "Would you divide the people and cause unrest just to satisfy your own ambitions?" And then: "Even if it were possible, why should it be you?" Seems like a little overkill, but he explains himself. "Mishil is the greatest female strategist in history. It should be her." "She has no vision," Deokman angrily protests. And she'll never rule as a queen because she's never dreamed of herself as a sole ruler. (Meaning, she's more the guardian of the interests of the nobles.) How would I handle a divided people? First, she says, by feeling the same anger and indignation "of all of the people Mishil has oppressed." Second, because I'm a royal, "even the nobles must support my claim." And third, well, Shilla's impossible dream "will be my impossible dream." Oh really, is that so. Munno asks how she'll achieve it. "With something more powerful than Mishil's 'mandate of heaven' or her eclipse or her shrine. With hope. Hope that fills your heart and makes you unbeatable. Hope for Shilla's impossible dream."
"Unite the Three Kingdoms," Yushin tells his parents. "It's the only way I and Gaya and the princess and Shilla can survive." (Really? I don't follow.)
"Unify the Three Kingdoms," Deokman continues. "Hope for the nobility, the people...and myself. Hope for a unified land. Hope for a better life...for all people." She stares at him. "Isn't that what 'Solidarity in life and longevity for all' means?" He doesn't answer; he may think she's crazy but he's obviously surprised that she's given him this much to think about.
Yushin leaves his parents house and stares out into the countryside. "I'll be grand marshal," he tells himself. "I must."
Oh dear, Jukbang has spotted Sohwa again. "The more I see her, the more I like her." Totally smitten. The other DFers razz him about it, but he gently walks up to her and starts to talk with her, or at least tries to, awkward...but now here's Chilsuk. Awk-warrrd. Came to see Munno, but Deokman is seeing him at the moment. But now here's Deokman coming out, and seeing Chilsuk. Another layer of awkward. Shoots him a nasty glare.
Inside the royal shrine, a nice tribute has been set up to Cheonmyeong. Deokman goes there and kneels before a portrait of her. "Should I do it?", she asks softly. "CAN I do it?" Do what?
Now alone, Bidam is thinking about this whole new issue about uniting the kingdoms. It rings a bell...Flashback to a younger Munno and the kid-age Bidam of maybe nine or ten, who asks Munno why he's made trips to Goguryeo and Baekje. "Nothing for you to worry about now," he says without explaining, but adds, "I'm doing it all for you. I have great hopes for your future." Which puts a big smile on the boy's face. Munno asks him to recite Confucius, and as they walk through a village market the boy not only recites but also explains the meaning of what he's reciting. He's certainly not old enough to have the wisdom to understand it, but it's impressive nonetheless...Now we see Bidam by himself, carrying a parcel that Munno was carrying before. He's reached what apparently is their home, some sort of a communal village. A woman offers him a meal, but he's headed for the outhouse first. He won't leave the parcel--"this is too important"--and that catches the attention of not only the woman but also of two men who follow him, grab him and rough him up pretty badly, and split with the parcel...Now it's evening and Munno is back; the woman tells him that the boy went to "the refugee camp" by himself. "He took food to trade," she tells him, but he's worried and angry about the boy being out there alone...Now the scene we saw two episodes earlier, of Munno running into the cave and encountering all of those dead and dying people...but now, after the kid confesses that he killed the people, we get more. "I poisoned their food with wolfsbane," he says excitedly. He's excited because he got the parcel back; Munno had told him that no one should see it, and he managed to get it back without it being publicly exposed. The food that he took with them, that's what he gave them. But obviously he added to it on the way. "They couldn't wait to eat it," he says. He's proud of what he's done...Munno goes back into the cave, just to look again. Wow, the image of him standing there in the cave entrance, backlit by the moon, all those dead bodies in front of him, it's the most stark, unsettling image of the entire series...Meanwhile, outside, now we see just what that parcel is, as Bidam unwraps it. It's a series of paperbound books: "Geographical Survey of the Three Kingdoms." Now what is Munno doing with that? Could it be that he always knew the third meaning? Whatever, the kid is paging through them excitedly...
Evening: We see Bidam arrive at Dukil Temple. Three monks greet him politely. Bidam tells them that his master sent him to pick up a book. The head monk is surprised: "He's never permitted anyone to..." Bidam cuts him off: "Yes, but he's busy at the palace." Really? "He intends to show the king and sent me to get a volume." The monk thinks for a moment, and then invites Bidam in. But from Bidam's slightly shifty eyes, it doesn't seem like Munno really did send him. Bidam goes inside a room, by himself, opens a wooden chest, and there are the survey books. He pages through them. "The unification," he thinks to himself. "That's what he was preparing for." He takes the other volumes (five of them) out of the chest, and at the bottom of the chest are two envelopes, one red and one blue. Curious, he opens the red envelope and looks at the paper inside. On it is written a name: Inmyeong. The paper refers to the birth of Inmyeong. Bidam doesn't know who that is, but we learn from subtitling that it's Deokman's original name! And in the other envelope, a similar announcement about the birth of Hyungjong. That's Bidam's birth name, as we already know. He doesn't recognize it, but the birth date is written on the paper and he sees that it's his birthday. Wonders with a laugh who Hyungjong is...and then suddenly the smile vanishes. He remembers the Munno/Sohwa conversation he overheard, about whose kid he is, and now he looks deeply troubled, like he's stumbled into something big that he doesn't understand yet.
We see Bojong training. He's moving well, but he doesn't seem to have all of his focus. Seokpum notices that too, and asks him what's on his mind....
Yushin is training, too...but what's this, here comes Mishil and her retinue. What for?
"Are you still worried about what happened with Yushin in Iseo?" Judging from Bojong's face, Seokpum guessed right. "Don't be. Your hand was hurt then." Dude, it took thirteen seconds--and Bojong, to his great credit, knows it. "It wasn't my hand that beat me," he says.
What is Mishil doing--giving Yushin a pep talk? Come on, what's she up to? "Let nothing distract you," she advises him, and then says to fight like one man against ten, because none of the ten will fight like his life is in danger). "The one has already defeated the ten in his mind," she says. It's interesting advice, if nothing else. And Yushin is thinking it through like he thinks it's sound. But Mishil giving advice to one of her son's opponents?
It wasn't the hand, Bojong says; it was "the will to fight." Yushin was desperate at Iseo and I wasn't. Which is true.
Bojong is strong, Mishil continues, so maintain your focus and don't get distracted. Suspicious and unsettled, Yushin asks the obvious: "Why are you telling me this?" "I don't want to watch some boring little duel," she replies. "Wouldn't it be a shame if you were distracted and lost?" (She obviously doesn't know about the rock-smacking! One thing about it--he trained himself to focus.) "I want to see a vicious bout," she says, caring oddly little for her own son's welfare. "And second, I don't plan on being your enemy." And with that statement, which suggests maybe she's simply covering all her bases here, she turns and leaves.
"For the first time," Bojong tells Seokpum, looking and sounding all business, "I'll risk my life in a competition." (It's not a to-the-death competition; I guess he's just saying he's going to put everything he has into it.)
Yushin is back to training, but now he's interrupted again. By Wolya and Seolji. Dressed like DFers! Turns out, they're Hwarang now. Seohyeon sponsored them and they were allowed in. They're looking forward to Yushin winning the competition and to their helping boost the Gayan influence in the government. Yushin wisely cautions them against getting ahead of themselves. They even think that he has a plan, whether he'll admit it or not, to marry Deokman and take the throne himself. (Score one for Munno.) Wolya adds that no matter who's on the throne, "I'll help in any way I can to avenge the injustice to our people." Hmmm, now Yushin may have a bit of a loose-cannon problem on his hands...but for now, back to training. Now we see Deokman and Bidam watching him from a distance. Bidam thinks he'll win, but Deokman knows how good Bojong is. "Even the littlest thing can affect about between such evenly matched opponents." And Yushin has never done this kind of competition before. "It won't be easy," she says. Then, talk about changing gears, Bidam presents her with some wildflowers he just picked for her. Heard it was your birthday, he tells her. She smiles and politely says No, my birthday is Month of the Hare, Day of the Ox...which is just what was written on that paper he saw the previous night. Inmyeong: February 14, 602..."I'm such a doofus sometimes," he says, laughing it off, but obviously this was his way of finding out what he wanted to know, to confirm that Inmyeong is Deokman. Then Bidam asks for a favor: to be allowed into the royal library "to resume my studies," whatever that means. Done. What's he after? Whatever it is, it's a concern to Seolwon, who happened to be passing by and heard most of the conversation.
Now Bidam is in one of the royal archives. He finds a historical volume on King Jinji's reign. He scans through it and quickly finds what he's looking for. "The 7th day of the 7th month, 584: A son was born to King Jinji and Mishil. His name is Hyungjong." (Good grief. Episode 2 put this birth in 579! And even at 584, it would make Bidam 18 years older than Deokman. No way.) His eyes widen. He quickly grabs a blank sheet and places it over the passage, and now it looks like he's tracing the text with some sort of invisible chalk pencil of some sort. He folds and pockets the paper, replaces the volume on its shelf, and leaves. Seconds later, Seolwon enters (he must have been hiding in a hallway or something). He looks around to see what Bidam was doing. No obvious clues...but uh-oh, Bidam put the volume back upside-down. Seolwon spots that, opens up the volume, turns almost immediately to the same page (he must have suspected something and knew what date in the chronology to check), and reads the same passage. "Hyungjong?!"
Bidam leaves the building, turns a corner, and how about this for a coincidence, here's Mishil returning from visiting Yushin. Well this is interesting. "Munno taught you well," she tells him, trying to start a conversation; "you have wisdom and cunning." "But nothing like yours, my lady," he replies, and we're not sure whether or not he knows he's sassing his mother. Mishil doesn't think he should even be comparing himself to her...but he goes on about not living up to his master's expectations. Too lazy, he says; too cruel; lacking in compassion. And "too quick to kill. Like you, he said." And is all of that true?, she asks. He says he does tend to grin at the prospect of a kill. Don't grin, she answers, offering a disturbing piece of advice; "a quiet little smirk makes you look stronger." So he tries one on her...but now she's bored or annoyed or whatever (or maybe a little unnerved as well) and walks away. Briskly.
Mishil gets home, walks inside, and darned if she doesn't look genuinely rattled. "Is it Bidam?", she wonders to herself.
Now alone, Bidam looks at the paper with the words he had copied. "So it's Mishil," he says to himself. Almost laughs just a bit, then shakes it off and turns to walk away, but uh-oh, now Seolwon is standing in front of him. What does he want? Nothing, not at the moment. Bidam at least gives a respectful bow.
"Knave!! What were you doing at Dukil Temple!?" Bidam has gone back to see Munno and wow, Munno is angrier than we've ever seen him. Yelling-angry. "Why did you look inside the box?" Bidam is momentarily stunned; then manages to blurt out, "You said it's mine." Which he did, long ago. "You said you prepared it all for me. Now I can't look at my own stuff?" Which only makes Munno angrier...but no Munno drops a bomb that nobody saw coming from anywhere: "Tomorrow, I'm entering the competition." Munno instantly shoots it down: "Do that, and you're no longer my pupil." Which surprises Bidam--because it's news to him that Munno ever thought of him as his pupil. Which is kind of said, really--we've seen that Munno hasn't been very nice to him for a long time. "All because of that one day?" And now all of the repressed baggage starts to pour out. "I was just a child!" You were like my father, and I wanted your praise and approval, but you never showed compassion or warmth. "You should have told me what I did wrong" that day. Munno can only see the bigger picture: "So many dead and all you worried about was what I would say?" You had no compassion for them? To which Bidam accuses Munno of being scared of him! Ever since that day. "What kind of master is frightened of his own student?" It's a silly accusation, but Bidam isn't himself--he actually starts to cry and has to turn away. "Would it have killed you to hug me, even once?" And he leaves. Munno sits down; he's visibly shaken by it.
Completely unnerved, Bidam runs from Munno's quarters, into the darkness of the evening, and runs and runs, until he finally stops...and starts screaming and crying. Falls to his knees, sobbing and clutching his heart...well, it's kind of a silly over-display of emotion, but it's been held inside for so long, we can't fault him in the least. Then he barges into the shrine where Deokman is kneeling before Cheonmyeong's portrait. She shows real restraint for not having him tossed out on his butt...but he tells her he's entering the competition! "You'll have what you want," he says; "Yushin will be the grand marshal." So he thinks he's going to fix the outcome?
Sunrise. A new morning...the morning of the third event. The grounds are all prepared; everyone is present; and we see a scoreboard. Looks like 32 slots to start with; five rounds of single-elimination to produce one winner. And we see 32 wooden tags with numbers on them, to be put into a box and drawn by the participants to place them on the scoreboard. (What, no seeding? That doesn't seem like a good idea.) Wooden swords, provided by the military; the matches will start at noon. Win by knockdown-and-don't-get-up or by surrender. If it's a draw, Munno and Chilsuk will choose the winner. And it's not just capital Hwarang participating, as we learn; the participants come from all across the nation. (But we didn't see 32 contestants in the meeting room for the first two events. Did we? Either I missed something or there's a discontinuity here.) Ho Jae is announcing the instructions. He adds, "Don't bear a grudge for what happens in a match." Good advice, but probably gonna be tough in the heat of the moment. With that, an obligatory bow of acknowledgement to Chilsuk the Hwarang master...but what's this now, looks like Bidam headed towards the grounds...
Deokman is back at the shrine, undoubtedly praying for some good luck today. She looks up at her sister's portrait, and tells it that Chunchu will be arriving shortly. "I'm happy...and worried," she says, apparently nervous about meeting her sister's child. Then she adds, "Think you might give Yushin a hand?" But then she starts to wonder about what Bidam said last night. Is that help? Or hindrance?
Seokpum has stepped forward and drawn number 31. Now it's Yushin's turn. Draws number 1, right up front. This may actually be an advantage; if they run the matches from left to right across the board, he'll have a little extra rest time over his opponents, which especially in the later rounds will be to his benefit. But it won't be an easy start for him; number 2 was drawn by Bakui, who's another one of the capital elite Hwarang. (The genius who shot Sohwa in the back at point-blank range.) Bojong leans over to Yushin and tells him, "See you in the final match." So Bojong obviously drew between 17 and 32. At that moment, the side door is pushed open. Bidam walks in. Not the happy-go-lucky weird guy; this Bidam's face is deadly serious. He steps forward and acknowledges Chilsuk and Ho Jae....
Daepung (or is it Geoksaheun? I get the DFers' names confused) runs to tell Deokman about Bidam showing up at the Hwarang compound....
Bidam calmly tells a stunned Ho Jae, "I'm entering the competition."
I agree with you, it's not surprising that Jukbang would be interested in Sohwa, but the other way around? After the dashing Jilsuk? Seems unlikely. Maybe she was looking back like a cheerleader looks at the weird guy who asks her for a date every Thursday--"Geez. Get a clue." ;D