At only 36 episodes, Gye Baek pales in comparison to Queen Seon Duk’s 62 and Jumong’s 81 episodes. Its lack of a big budget and lavish set pieces notwithstanding, the series does a tremendous job in accentuating its core theme: the price of heroism. Wikipedia’s entry on Gye Baek is brief but harrowing. In fact, you’ll think Gye Baek a demon, a monster, a psychopath. The drama will convince you otherwise. Fighting for an ideal will always end in tragedy and that’s what Gye Baek is, a life spent in the service of his country at the expense of a woman’s love, personal happiness, domestic bliss, etc. The irony of it all is that Gye Baek is brought up by a father who tries his darnedest to steer the boy clear of honor, patriotism, and all “those big words which make us so unhappy,” to quote James Joyce. Tragedy is a word thrown around rather loosely. It should be reserved for deaths that inspire awe and that stir us to act regardless of added pressure to do so. Gye Baek will be on my mind for a very long time and will be especially pertinent whenever heroism and/or tragedy are gratuitously mentioned.