Here’s my interpretation of her words, “Their fates from a distant past have met. He would have to take care of her so that she suffers less.” @flying_tool and @Growing_Beautifully commented on them.
First, let’s go back to the scene. I’m taking the subs from Viki.
Sanchez gets a digital photo album to show the picture of Mira to Manwol. But Manwol has already left the house. He scrolls the pictures and wonders aloud, “Is Chansung late from meeting Mira?”
Then camera switches to the princess tearfully looking at the Captain fighting Yeonwoo. The focus of the camera is on the Captain.
Of course, the impression we are SUPPOSED to get here from the transition of the camera from the couple picture of Chansung and Mira is that they’re the reincarnated Captain and the Princess.
Then, in a voiceover, Ma GoSin narrates, “Their fates from a distant past have met,” while the camera shows close-ups, first of the Captain, then of the Princess.
Nice try persuading me, Director! But I’m not falling for it…yet.
The next shot is the leafy tree.
Ma Gosin regards the tree and says aloud, “He would have to take care of her so that she suffers less.”
If we follow a SIMPLE line of reasoning here, then we can assume that Ma Gosin was enjoining Chansung, the reincarnated Captain, to take care of Mira, the reincarnated Princess. She’s telling — or reassuring — the tree (which is Manwol’s tree-spirit) that he (the man who made the leaves appear) will ensure that Manwol isn’t hurt as badly as before.
lol.
This is another one of the Hong Sisters’ tricks. They take advantage of the fact that, in conversations, pronouns are often omitted or dropped because it’s assumed that the people in the conversation already know who or what they’re talking about.
The Korean language relies heavily on context and shared assumptions. And the Hong sisters use the ambiguity in the language to create confusion in the plot, misunderstandings among the characters, and ambiguity for the viewers. I’m not Korean (or Asian but you, my readers, can adopt me, of course) so I find it an adventure parsing through their dialogues.
However, there’s an ALTERNATIVE way to interpret this scene that does NOT involve a reincarnated Captain. And it makes perfect sense, too.
Here:
When Ma Gosin narrates “Their fates from a distant past have met,” she’s referring to Mira and the absentee Manwol who just left.
THEIR fates = Mira and Manwol
Their paths are about to cross again and their connection goes a long way back.
A thousand years ago, they were linked together by the Captain. The Princess was enamored with him and he had a shady relationship with her.
But this time around, the ladies’ connection is Chansung.
Note: There’s another mirror-image here. In another lifetime, the Captain served the Princess as her bodyguard (and something else…lover? suitor? who knows?) and Manwol was the Captain’s love interest (or at least, he was flirting with her). In this lifetime, Chansung serves Manwol as her hotel manager, and Mira is the ex-girlfriend. Do you see their reverse situation? lol.
I’m beginning to see that this is a recurring feature in this kdrama. Read what I wrote about the Lakeshore vs Seashore.
Anyway, to continue.
Although Chansung and Mira had a previous relationship, Chansung is decidedly incensed with Mira for her shady dealings with his money. He wants to sue her.
To me, the fate that Old Woman was referring to was Mira and Manwol’s. They have this unfortunate fate of falling over (or fighting over) the same type of men — but not the same man reincarnated in a different body. 🙂
A thousand years ago, Manwol wasn’t protected so she ended up suffering a lot. This time around, Chansung must take care of Manwol so she’ll suffer less.
Note: Ma Gosin didn’t say that Manwol wouldn’t suffer. Just that she’d suffer LESS than before.
*****************
Toodles! I’ll be back in a New York minute (ha!)
How long is a New York minute? LOL.
Yes, this is nice. I was thinking of the misdirection and of how the images were edited to appear to us while Ma Go addresses the tree. It’s better this than matching up a man and a woman as the ‘they’ and then trying to figure out who is whom. If the ‘they’ are the two women, then the mirror image thing works out well, and we need never see the reincarnation of either men of MW’s past.
I still feel that CS is not a reincarnation of anyone we’ve seen so far. If they suddenly introduce a person who looks like CS in MW’s past, then that’s that … however, it would be strange that she does not recognise him if this were the case.
We have to see her reaction if and when she finally meets that ex-girlfriend. Will she recognise Mi Rae as the ex-princess…
Makes much more sense! Thanks.
GB – I also do not think CS is a reincarnation of anyone in MW’s past. I too think it’s a bit late to be dropping in a major character.
Given the “mirrored” situation – MW is the “princess”, and Mira is the poor thief – do we expect a different outcome? That MW will let go of her grudges? Talk about a scenario to raise up all the buried passions…
@flying tool nice catch on the reversal of princess and thief in the present!
I was imagining a scenario where MW is aghast to see Mi Rae whom she believes will lead to CS’s death (as I imagine the Princess did to the men in MW’s past life) and starts to engineer something to remove her. The ghosts (probably her staff) will be roped in to help.
CS finds out and in an effort to stop MW from committing the sins that get her reincarnated as a pig or chicken (LOL) puts himself at risk to save both the females. I’m sure it will be all twisty and Ma Go will probably have to come in to guide them into untangling themselves… which reminds me of Pink Ma Go and her tangled knitting.
Regardless of how the reincarnation thing works out, I anticipate it’s going to be fun. 😆
It will be interesting to see the past unfold in parallel with the present, the past mirrored in the present, and what different choices MW, CS, and MR make. At least I presume that is how the story will unfold, with the climax of the past coinciding with the crisis of the present.
The differences that I see are one, MW knows what happened the last time, and “is” the same person but in the princess role. Two, CS is dreaming parts of MW’s past – not yet whole, but is a different person in the same role – the Captain, Three, MR has no memory (yet?), and is a different person, in the thief role. It’s a twisted mirror, and a twisted cloth the sister weaves… I am really curious how this will play out!
If Manwol’s time stopped, and what Mago wants is to have it start to move at a normal rate, rather than “catch up”, she still has a potentially long life ahead of her. Which leaves room for a happy ending kdrama style…
@Flying Tool
Yes, I anticipate the OTP having a normal long and relatively happy life, with lots of cynical repartee.
I’m all for that!
The Hong sisters can’t write two unhappy endings in a row. In Hwayugi’s finale, the lead female died and the Monkey King God (actor Lee Sunggi) vowed to search for her all around the world, for however long it took to find her again.
Yeahhhhh. I was annoyed to hear about that ending, I didn’t even bother to watch it when I returned home from travel. lol.
If they mess this ending, too, I’m going to put their future shows on a Do-Not-Watch list. Grrrr.
I was thinking about this show and Goblin and wondering why I feel that this show is somehow lighter and does not have the vibes that suggest a sad and bitter ending for our OTP. In Goblin, with that sword sticking out the whole time long, and the unavoidable separation because that sword just had to go, and one of them at least, if not both, would just have to die as a result, I think I was all geared up for OTP separation.
This show will somehow surprise me if it goes that route. I can’t put my finger on the reason why. It just does not feel right to have that ending, eventhough or maybe especially because the OTP are supposed to be both mortal, and therefore to have as good a chance as any other mortal couple to live out their natural lives.
The tone in this show, despite the tragic and perhaps horrific past, seems lighter and fluffier, with more hope and a nicer deity in Ma Go. A blooming tree also seems so not-ominous. I think I’ll howl in protest if we get an unhappy ending.
Did you read packmule3’s comments on the ending of Goblin? Agree or not, It was lovely!
Having live watched Hwayugi to its bitter end, I too am hoping for a better ending. If it must be sad, at least done well.
Huh? Which comment? I wrote so many op-ed pieces on soompi (because so many people were upset about it) that I can’t remember anymore what I said.
By the major point I tried to get across was that Confucianism/Buddhism and Christianity viewed death and the afterlife differently.
If we were going with the Confucian/Buddhist way, then Goblin’s life is ridiculous and futile. Why? Because DESPITE the girl Euntak returning to him, in the finale minute of the finale episode (and after he spent sooooo many decades of waiting alone!) EVENTUALLY Euntak would die again. And Goblin would be alone again.
Why?
Because she was still human. Goblin was an immortal. To use a mathematical analogy, two parallel lines will never intersect. Their lives don’t dovetail.
I said that the Goblin ending would never EVER be a happy ending under the Confucian/Buddhist reincarnation cycle. Euntak was going to die over and over again, and he was doomed to wait for her return after decades, a century or more, a millenium, whatever. What’s the romance there?
I insisted (and I still insist) that the only happy ending for the couple was the Christian solution. (lol. !00% guaranteed)
I pointed out that Euntak was Catholic. (Sigh…here we go again with Catholic appropriation!!) She prayed in a Catholic Church and if I remember correctly, she lit candles in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Christians don’t venerate Mary like Catholics do.)
So, within the Christian paradigm, Euntak lived a good life and she died sacrificing her life to save the schoolkids. She died in a “state of grace” and heaven was her final destination. (This very simplified theology, okay, but it works.)
In fact, I pointed out that when Euntak climbed the stairs, there was a flash of light which again in a Catholic (mis)appropriating kdrama, indicated being welcome into the “celestial” heavenly world with the choirs of angels. 🙂
She was NOT going to be reincarnated; she was going to live for the rest of her life in heaven aka paradise.
I also reminded people that the concept of heaven/paradise is commonly associated with “clouds” ” or “skies” or the atmosphere. However, paradise is really any place, outside of time and space, where you and your loved ones can live eternally with God. That’s why she returned to Goblin. Her ETERNAL paradise is beside him. She’s not going to die again and be reincarnated. She’s reached her final home.
I think that was the gist of my post.
Of course, a few people in soompi grumbled that heyyy, it was a Korean drama and Koreans weren’t supposed to be Christian — or some kind of weird shit that feeble-minded posters normally spew out. I ignored them because I’m THE goddess of my own realm lol and I’m sure the writer, Kim Eunsook, felt the same way about her writing. 🙂
The Christian version … you reposted it in your throw back Thursdays area. Euntak and Goblin finding heaven on earth was a fitting and beautiful interpretation. I loved it.
The other Goblin blogs in the Throwback Thursdays made me wish for the rest of the Goblin essays.
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