I thought there was a time in the beginning when they said the king's glasses were made using the warding stone,…
That rock is one of the most important parts of the drama. Remember it protected Yeo Ri against Gang Cheol throughout her childhood. She wasn't ready to take on Gang Cheol like she claimed when she was 13. Grandmother understood that. Notice that once the stone is not in her possession that she starts to have feelings for Gang Cheol, and then she falls in love with him. Yeo Ri also found that rock burdensome (because it brings out the fact that Gang Cheol is really a dragon) and gave it to the crown prince who is also too young to rule the kingdom if something happens to his dad. He will need to be protected until he can make good decisions on his own.
Now, the king was also young and a little naive when he first took over the throne. He needed protection from the grandfather and the queen dowager who were trying to bring him down with the spirit of the Celestial General. Grandmother realized that he was just like his father and needed protection. She gave him the rock (an act of motherly love). After 13 years, he feels that he has gained enough wisdom to rule without protection from the rock. He gives the stone to his queen who is carrying his unborn child, who is also too young to rule if something were to happen to him.
Parents protect their children when they are young from all the bad things that could happen, but at some point in their lives the children must experience these things and decide for themselves how they will live their lives. The rock is the symbolism of this protection.
As for why Gang Cheol is weakening. He was once a powerful, hateful spirit. Hate is a very powerful emotion. Now, he has experienced all kinds of emotions and has grown to love Yeo Ri. The hate he had for humans is almost gone. His power is now drawn from love from the blooms of the plant that was kept by the other girl who liked Yun Gap, but bloomed because of love.
What we don't know is if the king's guard from 100 years ago was able to rescue his family from the massacre (it appears not). It was his son who saw Kang Cheol ascend. The Celestial General told Gang Cheol that he was the spirit who saw him because he wanted Gang Cheol to be angry at the royal family and take revenge. He also said it was him because he wanted to protect his son. Again, a father protecting his child.
Hope this helps. This drama is a morality play. Everything in it has meaning, especially the spirits who have haunted the palace. Happy drama watching.
I wonder if the human YG actually knows what’s happened / is happening to him? Does he know he died, does he…
We have seen the Celestial General (8ft. creature) and the effects of the Colossal Shadow (fire).
Yes, the Celestial General brought out Yun Gap's spirit from the Colossal Shadow. I have not watched episode 14, so I will answer more tomorrow about him.
As for grandmother, I don't know what to think about her spirit. She represents the old ways of shamanism and needs to have her own chance at redemption for what she did to the king's father and herself. Will see if she gets it.
Yes, it becomes an entirely different drama when you look at it from the perspective of why characters do what they do. For me, Baek Seom is no longer a villain, but someone who needs many years of therapy to change the mindset he had literally beat into him. Everyone in the drama; parents, students, teachers, cops, and politicians need to change their mindset when it comes to bullying and what it means to be a man. Competition is good, but collaboration is better.
No, they didn't tell her that Yun Gap died. A mom knows her son's behavior and personality. She knows that he…
Yes, she was told that something happened in the woods that he was stabbed, but he had amnesia. Yes, she is a smart woman, and has put two and two together that something has happened to him. But never once did they come right out and say that Yun Gap is dead. They can't as they are trying to reunite his spirit with his body. It has now been achieved. Both Yeo Ri and mom realize this.
Yun Gap is just like the blind shaman. The blind shaman has his own personality, plus two other spirits. How he has his eyes, tells you which personality he is.
I haven't watched episode 14, so if they come out and say it then, I am unaware.
What do you want to happen that would be more dramatic? If my hunch is correct, I think viewers will be getting…
I haven't watched episode 14 yet. As a shaman she knows that spirits inhabit people. Gang Cheol is most likely asleep in Yun Gap. It is Yun Gap's turn to come out and be heard as his voice has not been heard. From Episode 13, it appears that Yun Gap's soul has now reentered his body. He was dead, his body must now make a full recovery. Kang Cheol has been weakening, losing his heavenly essence. Will there be a fight for Yun Gap's body? Two souls in one body. jmo
Imo you are missing the point... The key here is HIS MOTHER'S GRIEF and need to have the mother somehow redeem…
You're right the prince dies because he doesn't atone for his sins. Instead he attacks the girl's family. He was never going to change. Thus why the Celestial General consumes him with bugs. The prince had a chance for redemption and didn't take it.
What MilicaB is trying to say is that in order for the queen dowager to redeem herself she must first be able to show love for her child. She confessed in one episode that she really hadn't shown him much love and felt it was her fault that he was the way he was. In this past episode we find out that she did show her love by making him a spirit protector pouch every year. Now, why did that spirit protector pouch fail, because of the decision of the son, not because of the mother. Parents can only do so much for their children and then the rest must be taken on by the children themselves.
It doesn't mean the viewers have to change their mind about the queen dowager though.
I think what they are trying to prove is that the real yun gap is never a good person from the beginning
People want him to be evil because everyone wants a villain, and they want Yeo Ri to end up with Gang Cheol. Remember he sacrificed himself for Yeo Ri in the beginning, but little did his spirit know that another spirit would use his body. Thus jealousy rears its ugly head. We don't know if Yun Gap loved Yeo Ri as a sister or romantically. Also, he is Yeo Ri's first love. The next couple of episodes will tell us the true tale. What are you hoping for?
Wow I actually didn’t realised they told the mum YG died. How did I miss that???
No, they didn't tell her that Yun Gap died. A mom knows her son's behavior and personality. She knows that he has been acting differently since his near death experience like he has been possessed. With the present situation, he comes back to his senses. He is now acting like himself (not possessed).
I wonder if the human YG actually knows what’s happened / is happening to him? Does he know he died, does he…
The Celestial General is King Yeon Jong's palace guard who suggested that they go to Yongdam to hide from the barbarians. However, the plan was discovered. How did the barbarians know? There must be a traitor among the palace guards.
Instead of facing the barbarians or even sending help to the village, King Yeon Jong sacrificed the people of the village in order to escape on a different path. He left the guard who disagreed with him tied and beat up along the side of the road. At least the king left him alive. It was guard's son who saw Kang Cheol ascend causing Kang Cheol to live as a spirit on earth. Kang Cheol is also a victim of King Yeon Jong's decision.
The Colossal Shadow is the spirits of all the Yongdam Village people who died in that massacre due to the decision of the king to protect his own life rather than help the people in the village. What we don't know is if the guard and his son made it out alive and died later in life or died in the massacre.
Even though the spirits are two separate spirits, you could consider them as one as they both resulted from the same event, the massacre. The palace guard's spirit is more powerful because he was more power than the average villagers. His power was enhanced through BiBi's moonlit pearl that was filled with jealousy, rage, and hate (but with a sliver of love).
Since the entire story has been about the decisions of a person affecting future generations, how will the present king atone for the grievances of something that happened a 100 years ago when his great-great grandfather sacrificed Yongdam village for his own safety. The present king must be willing to sacrifice his own life for the good of the people. Then and only then, will the Celestial General and the The Colossal Shadow be appeased.
As for Yun Gap's situation. The human Yun Gap knows who killed him. He sacrificed his life for Yeo Ri. Now the question is, was this sacrifice one of love for a sister or romantic love? Yun Gap's love story with Yeo Ri (if there is one) needs to be played out. Yun Gap needs to be able to explain himself to Yeo Ri in his own body.
He got a power boost from Bibi's moonlit pearl that was full of rage, jealousy, and hate. However, there is a sliver of love in there. Hope the love over comes the hate.
⚠️SPOILER ALERT!!! ⚠️The commotion in episode 1 is aligned with the Qing Invasion in 1636-1637 during…
Thank you for this history lesson. I don't know a lot about Korean history, but it seems like they were invaded a great deal by other Asian countries.
Something tells me that a 100 years ago a brother colluded with the barbarians from the north to overthrow the present day king's great-great grandfather because the great-great grandfather wanted to change some tradition. To make sure that the brother came into power, the brother killed all the king's sons, but one was saved by the Celestial General. The baby was hiding in the village.
Or the other way around, the great-great grandfather colluded with the barbarians from the north and tried to kill or killed the legitimate king. He found out there as a heir to the throne and went to kill the child or use it as a puppet king. This happened all the time.
However, I also think there is a woman involved, just not sure how.
I am not sure what you mean by shallow and empty as it is far from that. I thought the same thing when I first watched it, and in fact I rated it lower than you as it added nothing new to the genre. However, at the end of it, I had many questions. To find my answers I conversed with many posters, read the book The End of Eternity, read 8 chapters of the source material, and thought about the kinds of roles Zhao Lu Si takes. Once I did that, my mind opened up and was blown away by the sheer genius of the camera work, the changing of the source material to fit the purpose of the drama, and pull off one of the best social commentaries in Chinese dramas. It is not the fluffy, simple love story most viewers believe it to be. It is a social commentary on the age of consent law in China which is 14.
It has taken me two years to fully analyze this drama. Now, I have a deeper appreciation for why Zhao Lu Si did everything in her power to get that drama aired. That Western look you dislike is intentional and many kdramas are social commentaries as well. The closest kmovie that comes close to this is Silenced.
the romance is a key here bc the imugi learns love, compassion, care, loyalty, etc through human contact with…
Yes, I read your review of it and was going to write you about it. I will do so under your review. Trust me it is not counterfeit, and it is as warm and gooey as they could make it. Viewers needed to be at ease with the topic.
Who is he going to get revenge on? Do you think Gang Cheol should get revenge for his brother BiBi?
Exactly, Bibi created the situation that the two brothers were in. The Colossal Shadow just took advantage of the situation. It didn't purposely go out and seek the imugi's pearl. When Bibi ( who has been cultivating jealousy, hatred, and rage) becomes jealous of Gang Cheol, the Colossal Shadow figures out a way to use this to its advantage. Just like the minister of war used Yun Gap being in the woods all by himself to kill him. By the end of that fight, Bibi understands that he created the situation and needs to redeem himself. Thus, he sacrifices himself for the good of the situation.
Presently, we don't know who the Celestial General is, but analyze its behavior. What has it really done? We also don't know what the Colossal Shadow is, but again analyze its behavior. It's coming after the present king, why? Does the Celestial General really want revenge or is it the Colossal Shadow that wants revenge or is it neither?
There is no need for Gang Cheol to get revenge for Bibi. Bibi created the mess they were in and then cleaned it up by sacrificing his life for Gang Cheol and Yeo Ri (the two people he was jealous of). The key word here is change!
Thanks for the discussion, and I understand where you are coming from.
Now, the king was also young and a little naive when he first took over the throne. He needed protection from the grandfather and the queen dowager who were trying to bring him down with the spirit of the Celestial General. Grandmother realized that he was just like his father and needed protection. She gave him the rock (an act of motherly love). After 13 years, he feels that he has gained enough wisdom to rule without protection from the rock. He gives the stone to his queen who is carrying his unborn child, who is also too young to rule if something were to happen to him.
Parents protect their children when they are young from all the bad things that could happen, but at some point in their lives the children must experience these things and decide for themselves how they will live their lives. The rock is the symbolism of this protection.
As for why Gang Cheol is weakening. He was once a powerful, hateful spirit. Hate is a very powerful emotion. Now, he has experienced all kinds of emotions and has grown to love Yeo Ri. The hate he had for humans is almost gone. His power is now drawn from love from the blooms of the plant that was kept by the other girl who liked Yun Gap, but bloomed because of love.
What we don't know is if the king's guard from 100 years ago was able to rescue his family from the massacre (it appears not). It was his son who saw Kang Cheol ascend. The Celestial General told Gang Cheol that he was the spirit who saw him because he wanted Gang Cheol to be angry at the royal family and take revenge. He also said it was him because he wanted to protect his son. Again, a father protecting his child.
Hope this helps. This drama is a morality play. Everything in it has meaning, especially the spirits who have haunted the palace. Happy drama watching.
Yes, the Celestial General brought out Yun Gap's spirit from the Colossal Shadow. I have not watched episode 14, so I will answer more tomorrow about him.
As for grandmother, I don't know what to think about her spirit. She represents the old ways of shamanism and needs to have her own chance at redemption for what she did to the king's father and herself. Will see if she gets it.
Happy drama watching!
Yun Gap is just like the blind shaman. The blind shaman has his own personality, plus two other spirits. How he has his eyes, tells you which personality he is.
I haven't watched episode 14, so if they come out and say it then, I am unaware.
What MilicaB is trying to say is that in order for the queen dowager to redeem herself she must first be able to show love for her child. She confessed in one episode that she really hadn't shown him much love and felt it was her fault that he was the way he was. In this past episode we find out that she did show her love by making him a spirit protector pouch every year. Now, why did that spirit protector pouch fail, because of the decision of the son, not because of the mother. Parents can only do so much for their children and then the rest must be taken on by the children themselves.
It doesn't mean the viewers have to change their mind about the queen dowager though.
Instead of facing the barbarians or even sending help to the village, King Yeon Jong sacrificed the people of the village in order to escape on a different path. He left the guard who disagreed with him tied and beat up along the side of the road. At least the king left him alive. It was guard's son who saw Kang Cheol ascend causing Kang Cheol to live as a spirit on earth. Kang Cheol is also a victim of King Yeon Jong's decision.
The Colossal Shadow is the spirits of all the Yongdam Village people who died in that massacre due to the decision of the king to protect his own life rather than help the people in the village. What we don't know is if the guard and his son made it out alive and died later in life or died in the massacre.
Even though the spirits are two separate spirits, you could consider them as one as they both resulted from the same event, the massacre. The palace guard's spirit is more powerful because he was more power than the average villagers. His power was enhanced through BiBi's moonlit pearl that was filled with jealousy, rage, and hate (but with a sliver of love).
Since the entire story has been about the decisions of a person affecting future generations, how will the present king atone for the grievances of something that happened a 100 years ago when his great-great grandfather sacrificed Yongdam village for his own safety. The present king must be willing to sacrifice his own life for the good of the people. Then and only then, will the Celestial General and the The Colossal Shadow be appeased.
As for Yun Gap's situation. The human Yun Gap knows who killed him. He sacrificed his life for Yeo Ri. Now the question is, was this sacrifice one of love for a sister or romantic love? Yun Gap's love story with Yeo Ri (if there is one) needs to be played out. Yun Gap needs to be able to explain himself to Yeo Ri in his own body.
Something tells me that a 100 years ago a brother colluded with the barbarians from the north to overthrow the present day king's great-great grandfather because the great-great grandfather wanted to change some tradition. To make sure that the brother came into power, the brother killed all the king's sons, but one was saved by the Celestial General. The baby was hiding in the village.
Or the other way around, the great-great grandfather colluded with the barbarians from the north and tried to kill or killed the legitimate king. He found out there as a heir to the throne and went to kill the child or use it as a puppet king. This happened all the time.
However, I also think there is a woman involved, just not sure how.
It has taken me two years to fully analyze this drama. Now, I have a deeper appreciation for why Zhao Lu Si did everything in her power to get that drama aired. That Western look you dislike is intentional and many kdramas are social commentaries as well. The closest kmovie that comes close to this is Silenced.
Presently, we don't know who the Celestial General is, but analyze its behavior. What has it really done? We also don't know what the Colossal Shadow is, but again analyze its behavior. It's coming after the present king, why? Does the Celestial General really want revenge or is it the Colossal Shadow that wants revenge or is it neither?
There is no need for Gang Cheol to get revenge for Bibi. Bibi created the mess they were in and then cleaned it up by sacrificing his life for Gang Cheol and Yeo Ri (the two people he was jealous of). The key word here is change!
Thanks for the discussion, and I understand where you are coming from.