I join you in mourning!

(Ok I am only venting now. The episode was otherwise excellent, it;s just that I love this character too much)



But I am using Red- I SAW RED when I first saw what happened. I love this character, very very very much and I think the writers do not realise that you do not need THIS to make a character memorable. Even though you know, characters like him are, usually, tragic.



AND we may go as far as to say that what happened is trully beautiful, a true gift of friendship, depth of feeling, loyalty. Very much in character. It was to be expected of him. My only hope is...this GIFT, for it is a gift to the King so that hopefully he may succeed, will not go to waste.



I was prepared for it. I knew it was coming, my analysis of episdoe 18 and experience with some steroptyping of characters and dramas like well.. like some other dramas, some of which are my top favourites...(don;t want to spoil!) were telling me this is coming.



Big Signs in episod 18 were telling me- looks like a character who is about to experience exactly THAT what happened in this episode. The urgency, the heartbreak of episode 18...all pointed to THAT. It's one of the later scenes that completely and utterly tore me apart, so beautiful..! And also the ending of the episode itself made me VERY angry. I hope this will not be wasted, what happened here!



I am heartbroken. I love EGS (uniform is his thing too) but I think we can appreciate and feel even more acutely his beauty, his deeply loyal and honourable heart. I love this character. This is porecisely the kind of character that I like the most.And the actor, whom I like since What's Up, was just perfectly cast.

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I really like Yoon and Ahri.

There are a number of highlights to this episode, including the way things are finally looking up for Yoon and Ahri. I am very fond of them. Of course, even here the drama reaches for some cliches. But as long as it's going to work itself out, I can accept it, and it;s not too far fetched, actually it does work. DoJin smartens up, good for them. I feel osrry for the others. Tea San has issues to work through, he is being very controlling and the other marriage too. The ending to this episode is cliche but works so well and it's a killer. It was about time to yoon to start listening to himself, he needed to come out of his shell. I have very good feeling about ep 18...with the exception of tea San. He needs to loosen up and be happy, he is making himself unhappy, but he is very sympathetic in this plight, for his own sake and Sera's, not just for others around him, he needs a wake up call. Fortutnately with episode 17 the drama picks up again and there are moments in this episode that can make adult women gigle like teenagers, if they are in the mood for such cuteness. I do like the cuteness in this particular drama. I do so like this drama.

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best brother scenes...

Since King2hearts, this drama features some of the most touching brother scenes. I knew this was coming, but it still broke my heart :( I love Shin Hyun Joon here. I know it was necessary, but still..other than that the drama is pretty much well executed and viually an eye candy. The costumes are great.



Excuse me, I will go cry a bucket of tears before picking up this drama...and can someone recommend me a drama where the older brother actually has a different fate? Even if it would still happen, this was too soon, too soon! Why couldn't the brother have at least a couple more episodes? I would have love to see at least a little bit of team work.



I think it may be a while before I return to this drama.

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pretty dynamic

It seems what Kim shin says in this episode is already hinting at an open ending.He says future is not set in stone.. It's a bit of a strange thing to say in the particular context that he says it though..but I guess the writer thought it would be justified since he's directing it at the Ahjumma. I think what's going to happen is that the writer takes this part and makes it the entire point of the drama, though the initial idea may have been different.



LDG is totally the lead, though. My intution tells me that the possible mess I am yet to witness in the future episodes resulted from the writer changing the story to accommodate all the Yong Hwa fever.... meh. My preference is for Lee Dong Gun but frankly I don't really care all that much. This episode was pretty dynamic though, there was progress and development and lots of things happening; can you really know the future. In your face, Ahjumma. I wish she'd stop being so confident,

I don't think you have all the answers and I don;t think you trying to change your future is right. Your hating LDG is probably a result of some completely stupid misunderstanding in the first place. However, I guess we can all sympathise with a desire to change the past even though it may be misconceived Live in a way not to have regrets. Well...if you communicate with people then some regrets can be avoided. LDG is clearly the superior lead....even if I still don;t care very much about eith him or present Mi-Rae. I want to see what happens to the older brother, though.

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Spectacular! - Spoilers! one my favourite episodes for sure.

I really really love stories where the underdog has to undergo a trila and show everyone that he's not an undedog at all. In this case, as the finale to the competition for the Crown prince title due to the consideration of the King, Jumong can finally leave the shadow and show what he's made of. He is his father's son! The minister is wrong about him- the heart of the kindgomg. go, you...if Jumong's father had been left alone in the first place, things like this would have never happened. Jumonong's father was a modest and very talented man, he just wanted to do his boit and not much else beyond a simple happiness yet others had somehow led him on a path that tore him apart.



The tournament was the definite highlight in this episode, especially glorious was the archery contest- really captured the fact that his father lives in him. He showed them all right! Another high point was the sword fight..it clearly showed Jumong and his eldest brother evenly tied...they are of equal strength and worthy opponents and Dae So is amart, because he recognizes this fact and feels threatened. And Jumong..oh Jumong is a dream of a man. There is one scene in an earlier episode where the merchant girl comes to see him practising and she is mesmerised. Can't say I blame her. Jumong is nit only hot and perceptive, he also knows and is starting to develop wisdom akin to his father's. He KNOWS how to win the hearts of people. He's bloody perfect. Go, Rookie! Well, hes not such a rookie here anymore.

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an end and a beginning - spoilers follow.

The highlight of this episode is that speech he gave to the students. A very moving speech, but a very reassuiorng one, signalling his change and willingness to move on. It was very touching and my eyes became teary....There is a returning symbolism of the key here- three keyes for three break ups, of sorts, three break ups which were vere meanongful for his journey. Another high point of this episode was how he finally showed maturity in dealing with his brother- and two have become friends again, just a start- but a lovely and prpomising start. after all the confusion and chaos he went through, this episode was really like a breeze of a genuinely new beginning.

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Well..Happy.

I confess I approached the drama with a mixture of excitement and fright and this resulted in a sigh of small, mostly happy but a bit regretful relief. Seriously, this drama made me think back on TPM. However, I am yet to watch it with subs so I may have not appreciated all the nuances...but I just had t watch it...this is the pull this drama had.



Aww...well what can I say? Whilst still recovering from the loss of a beloved character, this ending does lose its impetus for me and seems to lack something that defined the rest of the drama, it's just very ordinary and does not seem like enough, especially for a crazed madman like Bong Gu...



I am a bit disaapointed in the way the last episode has been handled, it felt a bit empty, but I am relieved that it offered aalso a happy resolution, though bitter sweet, (which IS fitting in series such as this one, because it would flatten it down if we had completely perfect sweet happy endings, it ould take from the meaning o some things just have to be accepted, imho) and also there is a scene which looks like it offers a bit of comfort to our poor princess, which I thought was a nice touch too at the very least. What it is for the princess is a fond memory and I suppose she will be all right, but that still doesnt seem to ease my heartache. I blame the writers ad the actors for creating such a completely endearing character as ESG However, the fact that they DO show the princess coming to terms is a big plus for the dram as it offers continuity and ties up lose ends.



Well, we can't have it all, and it was still pretty generous, surprisingly generous- I was starting to expect the wors after yesterday, envisioning Romeo and Juliet like scenarios or else scenarios from some tragic sageuks...so...I am happy mostly. The drama was in the end very rewarding to watch.



Because this drama is definitely one of my top favourites. It had it all the way I liked it: good family relationship, great friendship. loyal friendship, understated and sad romance, happy romance...everything. Very good writing by the sister. Well produced...this drama is very appealing due to setting, beautiful costumes and good plot.



AS very highly recommended drama!



And now excuse me, I shall really go back reminisce our ESG some more. He will be one of my top favourte characters written for a drama.

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Lovely ending but more emapthy for poor hated Asahina

Huyga and Sawaki are one of the mos adorable j-romance couples I've seen in a while. However, what's with this hate on Asahina? He clearly has his own internal turmoils and demons and he has regrets that he is losing them both. He has little self confidence, too.



I think he is troubled and hurt by something, maybe he feels inferior and underappreciated and unnoticed. He's a nice guy, just doesn't want to be Huga's shadow all the time, and everyone is always about Hyuga, Huyga. He tries to give himself some self-respect. I am not condoning the way he's doing it- and I definitely don't like his methods, but honestly, I don't it's easy for him either.



No one is even trying to understand him.



Honestly, this man needs more empathy. I am sure that by the end of this drama things will work out for the two friends as well. At least I'd like to hope so.

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(spoilers follow)

In some ways, this episode released some of the tension and feelings built up by previous episodes. It featured a very touching moment, which really highlighted how judgmenets sould be withheld, because we don't always know the whole story. Professionalism aside- which I really think is something the teachers in this drama lack in general- on human level, this story is very humane. The character, like us in life, have illiuminating experiences which make them realise how narrow-minded the may have been, ow petty in some of their concerns and especially fears. It's very thought provoking, heartwrenching an touching at once. I was very impresse with Saeki for doing what she did. She offered a very humbling lesson and allowed everyone to emapthise with her a little more. I say both natsui and shuji lack professional- and they do. But a teacher's role is also to protect and I think shuji tried to do that in the way I can relate to. He tried not to involve Saeki in any way ad take everythning on himself, even risking his relationship with Natsui, because this was the way he understood his responsibilioty as a teacher. I can relate to that and I really like his character. In fact, all of these characters are very relatable, very real.



This is a beautiful drama.

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The General is obsessed with seeing only just his die of things and causes lots of heartbreak

He really is very obsessed with his own ways. Had he been a king, he would have been a tyrant. But I still think deep down he cares for his son and his mother told the son that his father is a good man. So I am not going to evaluate the General until I see all of it. He has committed atrocities yes, but he has done so because he is so blinded by his way of doing things that he's a man who cannot see reason. Stubborn men like him should not be in power.



The new king has got what he wanted. The general played on his ambition. I feel sorry for the princess and for the young son of the General that they are caught up in the very wrong decisions of their elders. The king was clearly a peace-inclined person but the General thought he was weak and though the king had betrayed the nation.



It's politics that are driving the General, but I will not call him evil. The Princess is really sympathethic in this episode as she has to watch how her father and brother are treated after their death. Shame on the General. HJe knows no respect for his enemies. And while it may seem like he is using his son, I still believe the father cares for him. Otherwise he wouldn;t have left him under the care of his mother. I think he knew it would be best if the son stayed away from the palace.



But..as always..fate intervened.

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So I don't think the General would have made a good king...

As he is a man of action and a proponent, clearly, of the violent way of dealing with those who according to him threaten the stability of a kingdom. what he doesn't realise seemingly is that his ways are in reality what destabilizes a kingdom by sowing discord and hatred and leading to division. And the drama makes this point in a really heart-breaking way.



So we are explained some of the hys in this episode. This drama is doing an excellent job of portraying the consequences of the choices we make and of differences of opinion on politics that lead to conflict, treason and cause a lot more damage by causing pain to those who get caught up in this. Ths episode was really heart breaking and it showed that the General is a proponent of some very ruthless methods. It's sad really because somewhere deep inside he is a man who cared for his son enough to try and protect him. What an ending top this episode, very intense and it seems the Princess, who has just experienced so much tragedy, will really hate UTW character now.



It's sad, really, but the drama, again, doesn't pass judgments, it just shows us what happens when in political context opinions on how to handle politics differ and where it can lead. You just have to feel sorry for all thise who don;t want any of it and yet get caught up in it.



The General has given the Princess even more reason to hate him and his son. This is what sword leads to. Hatred and a desire for revenge. Love cannot win with all this.



And really the son of the general is an innocent man on the inside. It's really a shame but one does not choose the family one is born to. And it sometimes becomes a tragedy.

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Quite a few things here and yes the camerawork is well done now!

The Romeo and Juliet theme is gaining strength.Forget The princess Man if you want a genuinely more Shakspeare-like story. So our brave and love-struck UTW infiltrates the palace to protecxt the princess. He's such a torn person; his loyalties are double. The Crown Princes has the horse accidentd and is rendered unable to walk, so the Princess is chosen to be the Heir to the Throne. And ohh she is ready to kill her beloved because sche knows hios loyalties are divided but at the same time she can't force him to choose either. In the end, the current king wonders what makes a good king..and why is it that the loyal general was the one who betrayed. I JUST love this. The drama really doesn't pass judgments, doesn't moralise and tries to apply more than one perspective and be objective. Very good! And ohh our two your lovers are put against each other. It's their tragic destiny. she as the Crown princess is fated to kill his father. He as the General's son is fated to stop her.



Fate is such a cruel thing. And in these later episodes the camerawork is really justified and well done. I just love the juxtaposing shots wehen they think about their duties and about each other. Lovers who are fated to be enemies. What's next?







In thr meantime, the General and his son have another intense talk.

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