On my way home from Reagan National Airport. Will start watching Episodes 15 and 16 tonight after the Halloween.
One of my favorite scenes.
Initially, I thought this scene was silly considering that there was a drought in the country. Also, the director over-saturated it with green that even the white of HongShim’s eyes looked green.
But now, I liked it because it showed me how HongShim must have been feeling at the time. To her, WonDeuk suddenly looked like nobility, like a person so out of HongShim’s reach. In her eyes, he was walking out of a forest of bamboo, so dense that there was no space between the trees. lol. He was a “god” of the forest.
In reality however, the trees were more scattered and less densely packed. Just look at the forest behind HongShim in the first gif. So nice eye-trick there, director. The color amplified this important moment and the intense green made a cerebral impact.
Episode 16 thoughts!!!
… I mean, idk. lol Where to begin?
I expected a lot to happen, especially since I’d heard that the finale had a ten-minute extension. Now I have no idea why. What purpose did those extra minutes serve? I was excited to see a big showdown with the Vice Premier, but he died within the first twenty minutes. His defeat seems to come too easily to me. It’s hard for me to believe that the Vice Premier, who had basically been two steps ahead of every other character this entire time—who had been scheming to get his grandchild on the throne for ten years!!—did not anticipate a scenario where Yul might be prepared for his ambush. I mean, he gave Yul the meeting time and place ahead, he gave Yul time to plan a countermeasure, and didn’t see that result coming, really? Really?? Even if Yul didn’t have Hong Shim’s help and believed VP’s bluff that he had Hongshim in his clutches, Yul still could’ve had his men surround them…? I just don’t understand what happened to the diabolical schemer here.
I also thought it was a weird choice to have VP use his blank check to spare his children. It’s a nice sentiment, but… VP wasn’t… nice? He hadn’t given a crap about his son throughout the entire drama (in his own words: “I don’t have a son”) and he was only using Sohye. Where did this “take me and spare my babies” softie come from?? It feels unearned lol, like a last stab at giving him some kinda sorta redeemable qualities.
My other big quibble with the finale is Wonshim’s yearlong separation. Just ?? why? I don’t get it lol. Why did they waste a year being away from each other? The show had successfully avoided the noble idiocy trope throughout the past fifteen episodes so I thought we were going to be spared, but nope. Saved it for the end.
All that aside, I’m glad they got a happy ending. Fourth kiss. Flower rain. Pretty darling babies, go live happily ever after. Well, as happy as you can be in the palace anyway. XD
That scene in the bamboo forest was divine. I loved the green (my favourite color).
Thumbs up 👍
As I alluded to in a previous comment, I liked the end for the OTP love story. So many feels. Volumes of journals for love letters filled with longing, desire and poetic language…yes please… Finishing off with a verbal last entry as a proposal… Yes please… Confetti in the form of makeshift petals (cherry blossoms to tie everything back to that promise)… Yes please… Scattered artificially by good hearted friends who mean something to you and sending you best wishes… Yes please… Sealing the proposal with a chaste kiss… Yes please. ❤️ The stuffy Palace can wait with all its rituals, decorum and lack of privacy.
Thumbs down 👎
1. The Jurchen-Joseon war. It was all kinds of weird. How it started. How it ended. How it fitted in the story?
2. Ming envoy sub plot – I was expecting the Ming envoy to ride in like the Calvary to clear up the misunderstanding (?) from 1. but no… Why even bother with it?
3. The abrupt change in the atmosphere in the Palace. As if by magic, all the plotting just ended with KCE’s death. Queen was happy with King stepping down from official duties and her scheming just stopped. What?
4. Along with 3. the just as sudden shift to comedy within the Palace – it was just hard to comprehend and swallow?
5. The whole choosing husband scheme back in the village. I found this tedious and superfluous. Why??
6. Potentially a time jump was required to speed up birth of exCPss’ baby and the above 1, 3-5 were fillers?
7. KCE’s doofus of a son exiled to the village with GD as watchman (I am guessing he’s like the parole officer?)…I thought he was married (it was mentioned in passing) so if he was exiled, his family goes with him? He looked to be alone?
8. Whilst I loved the confetti of cherry blossom scene, a part of me was wondering how the heck a heavily pregnant KN could (and should she even?) get up to the roof?
All in all I am satisfied to have spent all that time watching to the end despite all the plot holes and baby daddy trolling. 🙂
Yes to @goyangi’s thoughts on death of KCE. The other weird thing was he had the blank check written out already and in his pocket? Almost pre-empting his death? Not like him at all to go there pocketing his last will and testament…defeatist?
And the weird response by the King upon reading that blank check…declaring, “You think I will keep that promise?” I was waiting for him to rip it up and declare it null and void…then…nothing?? The scene as abruptly cut? The Queen suddenly turning all sappy and abandons all schemes for the throne?
Yes to the weird time jump and therefore the year apart for OTP? Not like YS is getting any younger…28? With the time jump…29? Maybe time for her to establish her own identity perchance? As a single career woman? Before she’s wedded to LY and therefore assumes royal duties of err…embroidery (of cherry blossoms) and they get busy being fruitful and multiplying and making legitimate royal babies. ❤️
Many questions and the editing definitely needed tweaking but still not a lost cause. I enjoyed it immensely in spite of my grumblings. 😂
They extended it for fan service. Hehehe. I found the ending rushed yet filled with mundane scenes, I don’t really understand.