For Lee Gummybear and Capitalistheart. Thank you.
Updated 5/11/2020 to include @Wenchanteur’s take on TaeEul’s Zero. Thanks WEnchanteur!!
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In mathematics, number theory is just studying numbers to discover their attributes and special relationships when you put them together. For instance,
These are even numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10,…
These are odd numbers: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9,…
Square numbers: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25,…
Cubes: 1, 8, 27, 64, 125,…
Prime numbers (its factors are 1 and itself): 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19,
Composite numbers (more than two factors): 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15,
And this is Fibonacci: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21,…
lol. I threw in Fibonacci just to keep you awake. Fibonacci numbers are interesting, though. You start by adding 1 to 1 to make 2, and then you add 2 plus the previous number 1, and so on. You keep adding the last two numbers, to get the next number.
To me, number theory is just manipulating numbers to see if I can find a pattern. It’s different from “numerology.” I associate numerology with superstition, “angel theories” and astrology (and as you know, I don’t buy that junk). If you want an analogy, numerology is to number theory as alchemy is to chemistry.
Well, in this episode, if you were playing close attention, you’d hear the characters mention numbers casually. The characters were throwing out numbers here and there (i.e., Eunsup saying that he had 63 dreams, TaeEul giving 17 Do’s and Don’ts for LG, and so on).
So, for the purposes of this blog, number theory for Bitches simply means looking at the numbers mentioned by the characters and understand what they mean by those numbers. THAT’S “number theory” — in quotation marks — for Bitchesoverdramas. 🙂
See that? There’s nothing intimidating here. This is Math for liberal arts graduates. The only hard math concept which I MIGHT discuss at the end (if I’ve time) is the zero-sum game. 🙂
Anyway, let’s go at it.
1. At 0:42, the number 24
24 is an even number, composite
Lady Noh: It was the year after he committed treason, so it’s been 24 years. Back then, and even now the view here has always been stunning.
I find this interesting because for LG, he always counted these years as 25 years. This told me that Lady Noh had only breathed easily after she thought that Lee Lim died. But Lee Gon had the ID of TaeEul protecting him like a talisman and inspiring to find her for 25 years.
LG: Every time something like this happens, it feels like that person is there. When it happened 25 years ago, and today as well.
2. At 2:42, the number 2
2 is an even number, prime. It’s the only even prime number.
Prince Buyeong to Lady Noh: Usually when two people have a conversation like this, one of them kills the other.
Lady Noh: That’s an absurd joke.
Sigh. These two old people consistently spoke is cryptic language.
One interpretation: Prince B was talking about Lady Noh and himself meeting in a place like this. Lady Noh thought he was being preposterous, like “Why would we kill each other?” But all Prince B meant was that in this type of situation, it’s so easy for one person to betray the other and dump the body in the lake. Nobody would know.
And that’s true, it’s easy to coverup a crime when only two are involved. TaeEul would mention this later (53:10) when discussing her unsolved murder case. She had found a 2G phone which belonged to LG’s world and told LG, “I can’t really tell anyone about this. Nobody will believe it anyway.”
LG: What are you thinking of doing?
TE: I need to investigate further. This was my case before I even met you.
LG: It could be more dangerous than you think.
TE: That’s why I thought about just covering it up. But if I cover it up, then no one will ever find out about this since there would be only two people who know about this. Me and the culprit.
Do you see that? It’s an iteration (or variation) of one of those Benjamin Franklin’s pithy quote. “Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.” Well, according to Prince B two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead. lol.
So that’s one interpretation of Prince B’s comment.
Here’s another interpretation. He was talking about his confession to Lee Gon. In cases like that, he would have bee sentenced to death for the deception. He falsified court document. So he was surprised that Lee Gon let him go easily.
I’d like to think that Prince B harbored no ulterior motive. But you know I’m a Cynical Islander. I regard Prince B like Ronald Reagan regarded the Soviet Union (or Russia for the young ones here) on the nuclear disarmament. “Trust, by verify.”
Besides, why is he keeping the Bad Uncle Lee Lim’s ring? Why didn’t he turn it over to the LG?
From Ep 8.
3. At 3:55, the fraction half and half
Fraction
lol. And I don’t mean the coffee that LG was addicted to.
LG finally realized that his Uncle committed regicide not for the throne, but to acquire Manpsikjeok. We’d known this as early as Episode 1, when @Growing Beautifully asked why LG had to use deadly force instead of poison to kill the king. I said LG’s ambition wasn’t to be king of Corea. His escape plan was NOT a “contingency” plan in case his coup failed. His escape plan was a fugitive’s flight to evade capture after stealing the flute.
LG: If the purpose of his treason had been the Manpasikjeok and not the throne since I have its other half, he will definitely come to me to retrieve it. So, Head court Lady was wrong. Jaeng TaeEul was not a danger to me. But I am a danger to Jaeng TaeEul.
Here, he realized the true meaning of “half and half.”
LG had a half of the flute, and Bad Uncle had the other half. Bad Uncle wanted LG’s half because when had both no one could stop him.
But more importantly, LG realized that being “half and half” doesn’t mean the same burden. He and TaeEul are unequal halves in their union. Because he was the King, it was assumed that TE was the one to compromise his future. In reality, the blame of endangering her existence rested solely on him.
Later in Episode 6, we see exactly what it means to be a “half” of a dangerous relationship. After Luna beat up a man, she said, “Do you know what’s good about having nothing? I have nothing to lose. You have a pretty wife and an ugly son, who looks just like you…. Why would a douchebag like you even get married, knowing it’d be nothing but your weakness? I don’t get it.”
Luna was saying that having a “better half” and a son as well, wasn’t a smart idea when people want you dead. Because of family association, the loved ones are always exposed to danger.
Unlike in math where halves meant equal parts, in a relationship, equal parts don’t necessarily happen.
4. At 8:23, 32 people met with LG
32 is even number, composite
Out of 32 palace workers, 21 had social media accounts. These 21 people had a combined total of 40 accounts. When Press Girl investigated, she found 1 spy.
This one admitted to spreading it on social media,
but this one looked suspicious.
Who is she? Have we seen her character?
Is she this woman?
5. At 13:55, the score that TaeEul had to pass
47 is an odd number, prime number
Boss: Out of 100 points for your promotion test, do you know what takes up 47 points?
Jangmi: The immediate supervisor’s work evaluation score?
Boss: That’s right. Usually everyone just gets full points for that. Do you want to lose all those points?
TE: I don’t care.
Meaning practically half of the test was based on likability or cooperation with the boss. lol. The test was essentially subjective and she didn’t even try to put in her best foot forward with the boss.
6. At 14:46, the lottery ticket and 10,000
10k is an even number, composite
TE: Wow, you won 5000 won. Let’s go buy rice cake skewers.
But ShinJae pettily refused because he was going to save them all. He wanted to win 50 million. He calculated that he would have to save 10 thousand of these to get 50 million. To me, it was obvious that he was sulking because lately she’d been bailing out on their night get-togethers. (How many times had she done it already? One, on the night of LG’s mathematical proposal. Two, November 11 on poker night when she went LG to Corea.)
But TE was oblivious as ever because she had friend-zoned him. Rubbing salt on his wounded ego, she even poked fun at his loser’s luck, saying that he’d already bought ten thousand in lottery tickets. He’d never won anything much.
To change topics, he asked what happened to the 10,000 she “won” when he enrolled at her Taekwondo center. “Where did you spend that 10,000 you won?” She didn’t have an idea what he was talking about, so he clarified, “You know, you won 10,000 when I went to the Taekwondo center.” Here, he was trying to say that she’d been “lucky” to get him.
I guess that was SJ’s brusque way of flirting. She didn’t get him of course. She said that she saved his tuition fees to get a double eyelid surgery.
SJ: And so…?
TE: (looked at him oddly) Look at my eyes. If I had managed to save it, I’d have double eyelids right now. But I don’t.
We know this was a dig at the actress’ Kim GoEun’s detractors for her ordinary looks. But I laughed because TE didn’t know sorely tempted SJ was at that moment, with her eyes closed and lips so close to him.
Essentially, SJ’s attempt to make her notice how “lucky” she was to have him in her life, just boomeranged on him. She really was oblivious to his feelings for her. And worse, she really didn’t have the remotest idea of her effect on him. Ouch.
Remember this shot from a previous episode? This captures any romance between them. Their romantic lives are never going to intersect.
Like parallel lines.
****Note: This did NOT actually happen, okay? TaeEul did NOT actually see SJ’s doppelganger in Corea. This is just an imaginary shot to show that TE was walking in Corea while at the same time, in Korea, SJ was crossing the road to visit his old family home.
Intermission.
Can I just mention how regal Lee Gon looked here. Even with those pleated skirts?
And hmmm…I guess have to explain a theory about the water sometime. Moving on.
7. At 18:20, the Chinese visa opens 661 cities
661 is an odd number, prime
Ambassador: From the new year, all citizens of the Kingdom of Corea will be able to visit 661 cities in China without a visa.
LG: It’s an amazing thing for anyone to be able to go anywhere, at any time, as they wish. Your country’s gift will be remembered as a precious moment of history.
I’m sure he was thinking about him and TE. It would have been convenient if he could see TaeEul in the other world without a “visa” or a portal, or without having to rearrange his schedule for the visit. But LG could be hatching up a plan to bring Yeong with him on this trip.
8. At 19:38, the two worlds
2 is an even number, prime
TaeEul: Let’s say there’s another world and there’s someone who looks exactly like you there. How would you feel if you met that someone?
Nari: Are you talking about a doppelganger? I’d have to kill her, of course.
TE protested that she shouldn’t talk about committing a crime in front a detective like her. So Nari explained herself.
Nari: One of the doppelgangers always ends up dying. That’s the rule of the universe.
TE: Why? Why is that the rule?
Nari: If there’s two of something when there’s just supposed to be one, it’ll cause chaos in the world. One café is enough in this street, and Hero Taekwondo center is enough for this neighborhood. The world needs balance. Unni, why else would NASA hide the existence of aliens? (lol) If there are two wolrds then one world is bound to destroy the other. We can’t be the ones destroyed.
This doppelganger theory is quite interesting because I’m actually having a difficult time seeing the similarities between these doppelgangers. Apart from Nari and Songah, and Eunsub and Yeong, the rest look different from each other because of their hair and make-up. For instance, the ShinJae’s real mom in Corea and his “adopted” gambling mom in Korea. They looked different to me. And the bookstore/salt farm henchman of the Bad Uncle in Corea, and his counterpart, the killer/driver in Korea. I had a hard time figuring them out.
Of course, it’s an urban legend that doppelgangers are compelled to kill the other lookalike when they accidentally meet. I think this urban legend is a misapplication of the law of physics that states no two matters can occupy the same space at the same time.
However, this law of physics is only true for objects. It’s not true for waves. Different waves can exist at the same place at same time. And when waves occupy the same place, then they can either cancel (think of noise-cancelling headphones) or AMPLIFY each other.
So when I apply this factoid to story, I’m not that worried that Yeong or EunSub would kill each other, or that Nari would kill Songhwa. These pairs could actually help and boost each other.
lol. At least that’s MY hope…
9. At 32:00, TaeEul the Zero
These two consecutive scenes showed me that the director and the KES were brilliant. Per Lee Gon, TaeEul is the “zero.” And the scene when TaeEul looked at her case report on Lee Gon and realized that there was nothing there about Lee Gon.
For name, she’d written “Unknown” and she remembered how she wanted to name him Kim Gaeddong (or dog-poop).
For birthdate, she’d written unknown but now she remembered that he said that he was three years older than her.
She also recalled him striding towards her at the Gwanghwamun Square and greeting her with “I’ve finally met you, Lieutenant Jeong Tae-eul.”
Back then, everything about him struck her as insane. And that’s because she didn’t know any better. She knew nothing about him. On his case file, she’d written that his address and contact info were unknown. There was no way she would believe any of the fantastical things he was telling her.
She began to type his name, but instead of saving the changes, she decided not to save it.
Why?
Because she was “zero.” Unlike Lee Gon who held on to her ID and her hairband, she kept nothing of him. Zero. She was being true to her identity.
Then when she returned home to the “Hero Taekwondo Center,” she saw Lee Gon standing in the courtyard. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t wail, “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you?”
LG: How have you been?
TE: (She smiled and nodded once.)
LG: Have you been waiting for me?
TE: (not saying a word, she nodded again.)
LG: That’s a relief. I was a bit scared that you didn’t want me to come back –
TE: (running to hug him)
Do you know why she didn’t say anything?
Again, she was being true to her identity. She was a “zero.”
She missed him terribly yet she pretended as if nothing was terribly amiss. She must have been ecstatic to see him come back, but no words could express how she felt to see him again.
So she said nothing.
All she could do was embrace him. And that was a zero, too. Did you see it?
When she embraced him, she enclosed him in the circle of her arms, like a zero.
And there was zero space separating them.
That’s why I say I like these scenes. They showed what a “zero” she truly was without the director and writer mentioning the number itself. “Heyyyy!! Look here, she’s a zero!!!!”
Instead, they let the nothingness speak for itself. The void left by his absence makes it a zero and her silence is a zero.
🙂
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Edited: 5/11/2020
I like WEnchanteur’s comment on “Zero” so I’m re-posting it here. Thanks, WEnchanteur. This explanation sets up the “saranghae scene” in Episode 8.
I agree that this reunion + embrace in Episode 7 prefigures (the word “foreshadow” has been overused lately, lol) her acceptance of their short-lived romance in Episode 8.
I liked that final hug scene. The emotion was there.I haven’t analyzed why, but the last part of your article gives clues.Reading a few comments on another site, viewers were disappointed, because the sentimental story didn’t seem natural, too fast. So why does this scene give me emotion, others don’t?The audience got used to standardised romances, “slow burn”. Maybe that’s what’s unnatural. Or maybe it doesn’t fit the personality of TKEM’s characters.When TE doesn’t save LG’s data: a simple scene that can be interpreted in many ways.For example: she knows that he never gives his name. So out of respect, she doesn’t save.But as the scene insists on TE’s face for a long time, we suspect that there is something else. Especially since the song from the drama is in the background music, and that gives another feeling.
- She accepts the idea of never seeing him again and erases everything.
- She is uncertain of ever seeing him again and she experiences a kind of recollection.
Recollection: as she thinks more and more about LG and misses him, something is happening inside her. LG represents something in her inner world, not the outer world in which she lives. And nothing in that outside world will give proof of what she feels. So she erases, because she knows that the truth of her feelings is inside her.In short, she accepts her feelings.This last explanation is more consistent with the personality of TE, and is more compatible with the sentimental story as it unfolds.If I were to apply the idea of zero, I would make sense of it in relation to the Zen mind. Maybe KES is Buddhist?!The idea is that when the mind is at peace, everything can be accepted. It’s the concept of emptiness. It’s a principle that’s strange to Westerners. One wonders what would be so interesting about meditating for hours on end to find emptiness! 🙂So TE doesn’t behave like an ordinary drama heroine. There is no inner conflict in her. No “I love him but I pretend I don’t for X psychological reasons” kind of things. Obviously, with this kind of maturity, there is no reason to drag out a sentimental story! 🙂The first explanation is also compatible. Accepting the loss. It is the “letting go”. Desire one thing, but stop being obstinate. It’s a principle that may seem irrational, but it’s often after that that the unexpected happens. It’s also the same kind of spirit, emptiness, accepting all.With this type of mind, speech is often useless. Hence the fact that there is no need to speak, but rather to go straight to the hug!That was my interpretation of “zero” for the heroine’s personality.I don’t know to what extent KES wanted to match the figure to this, or whether even she wanted to apply the figure to heroin mathematically by systematic calculation. Some correlations are instinctive. For example, the fact that the arms in the hug form a zero. I take that more as a welcome coincidence. But it’s just as brilliant, because it’s inspired.Thank you for this article, it helps me appreciate more this drama that I have a lot of difficulty with.
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To be continued….
Wow! Numbers again and there were so many but I like your gif saying the only number you need is me + you = forever 😂
I haven’t finished episode 8 coz I went to the office today and did some secretarial stuff for Mom but I’ll definitely finish it today.
For some reason when I click reply straight from my email when a comment goes up, nothing’s happening. I think I need a new phone. ☹️
How was your Mother’s Day? ☺️
Amusing changing numbers: scene Lee Gon’s attempt to eat Budaejjigae – a total fail LOL!
LG does not realise that the one walking with him is not Yeong but the timid Eun Seob.
8 Gangsters come out of the restaurant and ask: “Is it just 2 of you?”
However Eun Seob takes the first opportunity to run away at top speed. So LG says he’s alone: the number changed to 1.
He did hope that Yeong might still turn up and he did! So once again there were 2, but only 1 did the fighting against 8.
Chief Park and Det Shim come out of the restaurant and think Yeong is ES, who’s successfully beaten the ruffians. All but one run away.
The gangster who’s caught says of Yeong: “I’m sure he’s not the guy who ran away. That lanky prick said he came alone, but there five (5) of you in total.”
Shim :” What? Are you a rapper or what? Come on yo!” LOL.
2 : 8
1 : 8
2 : 8
5 : 1
Thank you. I look forward to more numbers and the water theory. I have a request too 🙂
Please decode JTE’s voice over at the beginning of episode 8 (it is connected to the time in episode 7 when she is looking at her id) when she speaks about fate and how she should have investigated the case of the missing id.
Also, her voice over (with fate featuring in it, again!) before she says I love you in episode 8.
Why do the creators keep focusing on JTE’s family photograph?
Some not King related statements 🙂
I think, I am a fan of your analysis more than the writer’s as am not sure if she thought everything that you add significance/value to.
Btw just an idea… if you ever decide to decode Miyazaki’s work then I think I will literally be sending you a card of gratitude!
And I plan to read why grim reaper was Goblin’s sister. It makes sense to me but I want to read how you explain why the series didn’t show it that way. And yup, I plan to rewatch that in June just because I want to read your analysis 🙂
Stay safe and thank you so much for sharing. I am in awe with regard to your systematic thinking and time spent on this.
이 – zero and one. That’s my contribution to the number theory 😂
@packmule3 So happy to see you posting again😊
Hope you had a good Mother’s Day with your sons! Was really sad that you may decide to password protect everything.
Hope the plagiarism issue is sorted out now.
I’m not good at maths at all; so will try to read this 3-4 times after work for it to sink in😝
I am such a fan of your analysis and I’m learning ALOT. And now that you mentioned the numbers, I remembered Lee Gon asking Shinjae what his relationship is with Tae Eul and he answered, “Between two and three, the relationship between Hongdae and Kondae.” If Lee Gon tagged Tae eul as Zero (nothing) then it seems like Tae Eul for Shinjae has something lol.
LG missed out on his Budaejjigae twice.
The PM missed out on her facial treatment mask twice.
I had to google Budaejjigae. It’s a stew made up of army rations type things including spam and hot dogs, probably reflecting U.S. army influence at the time and desperation. There are probably many variations. I wonder if LG and JY would have liked it or not.
I think the half and half LG likes is that fried chicken platter – half hot and spicy and half regular.
I was thinking it was the chicken too @Fern, the half and half ☺️
I’m having some this coming Saturday 😂 I can’t eat the spicy ones so boys can have those.
Enjoy it! Is it a special event?
I saw that it’s available near to where I used to live in Seattle. It wasn’t really around when I lived there and there’s nothing comparable at all here – only branches of KFC sadly which is not my thing.
That fried chicken looked delicious..one more reason to plan a trip to SK😋😋😋
Nothing special just going to visit sister this coming Saturday because restrictions are slowly easing and she’s got a few options when it comes to Korean Fried Chicken. We haven’t had it for awhile. ☺️
“I’d like to think that Prince B harbored no ulterior motive. But you know I’m a Cynical Islander.” @packmule3, the fact that Prince B seems to have kept the ring in his private quarters plus the long cover-up bodes ill for his allegiance. We never saw the face of the body in the car trunk, so I can believe your theory that it is his double.
We also haven’t seen the face of the room mate who was murdered in the RoK. She was wearing a face mask. That must mean something to someone in the KoC, too. Face mask – could it be the PM’s double?
About doubles, I was wondering why the actress room mate was being recruited if her KoC double is already passing information over to the dark side. I suppose it’s like the henchman and the bookstore owner – LL isn’t above using both doubles to work for him and may get rid of one, the other or both when they’re no longer useful.
Hopefully the good side will be able to recruit both doubles of our favourites as well. As others have said, it would be good to see some working together, twin-like.
@Phoenix, we really think alike! 😆 When LG ate that chicken I was like ‘I want some too’ 😂 it did look delicious.
@Fern, I think you’re onto something because the killed roommate can easily match the one that appeared on PM’s computer monitor .
@agdr03, have a great visit with your sister!
Haha. I was just thinking that budaejjigae stew is a far cry from the steak and rice dish that LG made for Tae-Eul. I think I’d rather try the latter. 😊
“@Fern, I think you’re onto something because the killed roommate can easily match the one that appeared on PM’s computer monitor.” @agdr03, it’s only a theory as I was trying to think of any other women around that age in KoC. It doesn’t match with PM’s mother’s premonition about an incident to do with a car – at least I can’t think of how it would match at this point.
@Fern, I was matching it with the PM not being able to finish her mask thing twice because her people kept interrupting her and the killed roommate had a mask on too. But it’s probably product placement with that whole big mask thing on the PM’s face. heheheh
I’m sure it’s product placement as well. Haha. Like that unbelievably obvious cheesy bottled coffee PP in ep 8 and LG praising the fried chicken, too. I wonder if he’s being over the top on purpose, or whether he was asked to so the footage can be cut straight into an advert. Tae-eul was a bit more subtle about the bubble tea, but the camera always takes care to zoom in and focus on the logo. 🙄😁
But two women, two masks, yes.
And another golden turtle.
I know right? When the camera focuses on the full product and it’s name and it covers your whole TV. LOL. Yeah, I thought the way LMH ate that chicken felt to commercial. hahahaha
Oh the golden turtle will always remind me of Taek from Reply 1988, there he used it as a wedding proposal, LG used it to rent a building. hahaha
Exactly!!! If you see more, pop them in here.
I’ve more, too. Like, The PM Koo’s number is 9.
And that turtle has reappeared in Hospital Playlist. 3 dramas, 3 turtles. 4 if you count the one in Dr Cutie. 🐢😊
Then maybe it’s both. He likes the concept of half-and-half.
Yes, he would. 😊
Do you know, he’s growing on me now that he’s becoming both more ‘bad-ass’ and funny. I love the way he stepped back and enjoyed the show when TE, JY and ES met up in Ep. 7.
You know what, I thought about that, too. But I didn’t have time to check the dates on newspaper and match it with the time of crime. (Actually too lazy too) so I’ll just make a note of them and wait for writer.
You see, Prince B is suspicious but at the same time, I think his doppelgänger is the director in the nursing home/care.
I originally thought it was the Lee in the car trunk too but the ages don’t match. The Lee in the car trunk “seemed” to have been a middle-aged man bec his wife was only middle-aged woman. 😂
Wow!!! That’s deep, nrllee!! 😂 I totally didn’t see that.
You win the prize!!! ✅ 💯
🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
And that turtle has reappeared in Hospital Playlist. 3 dramas, 3 turtles. 4 if you count the one in Dr Cutie. 🐢😊
Isn’t that amazing? Even the turtles are following us. LOL.
“Then maybe it’s both. He likes the concept of half-and-half.”
Yes, half is LG and other half is TE. 🙂 But he’s so into her now, she can pretty much boss him around.LOL.
“I was just thinking that budaejjigae stew is a far cry from the steak and rice dish that LG made for Tae-Eul. I think I’d rather try the latter. 😊”
Hmm, as much as LG’s steak and rice looked so yummy and regal too, I think I don’t mind trying the budaejjiegae just because I’ve been trained to eat everything. ahhahahahhaha
“But he’s so into her now, she can pretty much boss him around.LOL.” Yes, she said that she was in charge of the investigation in ep. 8. And when she called him Mr Lee, he said he missed her calling him rude names and then grabbed her hand and left, leaving E-S and JY to reflect.
I think I’ll miss this King later @Fern 😄
The Grim Reaper = sister the Queen.
Off the top of my head? Here are some of the reasons I could STILL remember
1. The way GR slept on the bed with blanket on her face like he was dead = she’s buried.
2. The way GR gingerly walks around bed = flashback of how she was drilled to walk tippytoes, ladylike = residual memory of the past carried over in reincarnation
3. GR accidentally dropping dishes = the queen, as lady in training, dropped her pot balancing on head. That was an important memory, wasn’t it?
4. GR’s collection of hats = the sister with her shoe collection. Didn’t Goblin enjoy buying his sister shoes.
5. The fortune-teller saying that Yoo Inna’s character/the chicken lady/Merry? has NO sibling = Goblin is not her brother
6. There was a female Grim Reaper who was in cahoots with the Bad Guy: She used to be lady-in-waiting beside the King. She recognized who Merry/Chicken Lady was, but she didn’t tell the Grim Reaper the truth. She was so burdened by her knowledge but the GR forgave her so that was end of story.
7. GR pursued by the Chicken Lady = cycle repeats itself. The King pursued the sister and they both fell in love
8. Personality of Merry/Chicken Lady matches personality of King: broody, demanding, jealous, obsessive, etc.
9. Personality of GR matches the sister, teasing her Orabeoni, organized, pouting when she doesn’t get her way, spoiled by her big brother.
10. Rules of reincarnation: Personality doesn’t change in reincarnation; faults carry over and mistakes repeat themselves until the individual atones for grave sins.
11. Bromance??!!! Ha! That was the hidden joke. They really are brother-and-sister
12. Chicken lady self-exiled to atone/the king had to atone for the massacre. It was the chicken lady, not GR, who had to atone for massacre so they could meet in the next lifetime and REALLY have their happy ending. GR was waiting for her, like the Queen would wait for the King to come to his senses and get over his jealousy.
13. Goblin kept saying that Chicken Lady didn’t feel like his sister = trust the goblin! He’s right. She wasn’t his sister.
14. Goblin knew what would please, annoy, console, tease, comfort GR = because he doted on his young sister = Goblin felt bonded to the GR because the soul recognizes past family members
15. Their bickering? Sibling fights
16. The false memory began when GR misinterpreted the vision he saw from wearing the bracelet (or was it ring?). He couldn’t believe it himself but convinced himself it was true. This is like the repressed memory/false memory syndrome.
“I think I’ll miss this King later @Fern 😄” Me, too. I’ve been needing and enjoying the comic interludes.
Yes, even Tae-Eul perceives that it won’t last long.
“ Wow!!! That’s deep, nrllee!! 😂 I totally didn’t see that.”
😂 I didn’t see it either till the pic above with LG’s name…and voila…binary pair. ❤️
https://i1.wp.com/i.imgur.com/jQ6oBPW.jpg?zoom=2&ssl=1
How many portals would there be??? In episode 7, the guy at the KOC horse stables stared at LG as he rode away to the bamboo forest. Not long after, he appeared in ROK to kill his doppelganger and take over the conglomerate. How did LG not spot him? And how did he come over without LR transporting him? We know LR didnt cross over to KOC and back to bring the guy over because time did not stop for LG.
‘Yes, even Tae-Eul perceives that it won’t last long.’
True, I was surprised when she said saranghae because I thought LG will be the one to say it but I guess if he did then he’s done it all for her. But I liked his ditto. 😍
Here’s a definition of ditto, beyond common speech: ‘the same thing again (used in lists and accounts and often indicated by a ditto mark under the word or figure to be repeated).’ Does that make it a mathematical acknowledgement? 😂
TE said saranghae and LG said saranghae too.
1:1? I think so. 😆 The first time I acknowledged the word ditto was in Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. 😍
@packmule wrote, “She had found a 2G phone which belonged to LG’s world and told LG, “I can’t really tell anyone about this. Nobody will believe it anyway.”
The phone had information about Lee Jong-In using a news broadcast. The phone the pregnant double contained information that would be relevant to her double using a talk show broadcast, so I think the phones are used to educate doubles and for one-way communication. It will be interesting if Tae Eul can find something similar should she find the room mate’s phone. Also the phone that LG took off the man he and JY captured.
I liked that final hug scene. The emotion was there.
I haven’t analyzed why, but the last part of your article gives clues.
Reading a few comments on another site, viewers were disappointed, because the sentimental story didn’t seem natural, too fast. So why does this scene give me emotion, others don’t?
The audience got used to standardised romances, “slow burn”. Maybe that’s what’s unnatural. Or maybe it doesn’t fit the personality of TKEM’s characters.
When TE doesn’t save LG’s data: a simple scene that can be interpreted in many ways.
For example: she knows that he never gives his name. So out of respect, she doesn’t save.
But as the scene insists on TE’s face for a long time, we suspect that there is something else. Especially since the song from the drama is in the background music, and that gives another feeling.
– She accepts the idea of never seeing him again and erases everything.
– She is uncertain of ever seeing him again and she experiences a kind of recollection.
Recollection: as she thinks more and more about LG and misses him, something is happening inside her. LG represents something in her inner world, not the outer world in which she lives. And nothing in that outside world will give proof of what she feels. So she erases, because she knows that the truth of her feelings is inside her.
In short, she accepts her feelings.
This last explanation is more consistent with the personality of TE, and is more compatible with the sentimental story as it unfolds.
If I were to apply the idea of zero, I would make sense of it in relation to the Zen mind. Maybe KES is Buddhist?!
The idea is that when the mind is at peace, everything can be accepted. It’s the concept of emptiness. It’s a principle that’s strange to Westerners. One wonders what would be so interesting about meditating for hours on end to find emptiness! 🙂
So TE doesn’t behave like an ordinary drama heroine. There is no inner conflict in her. No “I love him but I pretend I don’t for X psychological reasons” kind of things. Obviously, with this kind of maturity, there is no reason to drag out a sentimental story! 🙂
The first explanation is also compatible. Accepting the loss. It is the “letting go”. Desire one thing, but stop being obstinate. It’s a principle that may seem irrational, but it’s often after that that the unexpected happens. It’s also the same kind of spirit, emptiness, accepting all.
With this type of mind, speech is often useless. Hence the fact that there is no need to speak, but rather to go straight to the hug!
That was my interpretation of “zero” for the heroine’s personality.
I don’t know to what extent KES wanted to match the figure to this, or whether even she wanted to apply the figure to heroin mathematically by systematic calculation. Some correlations are instinctive. For example, the fact that the arms in the hug form a zero. I take that more as a welcome coincidence. But it’s just as brilliant, because it’s inspired.
Thank you for this article, it helps me appreciate more this drama that I have a lot of difficulty with.
👍👍 Good points, WEnchanteur!!
I’ll re-edit my post to include your take. That way, I don’t have to search for this.
@WEnchanteur wrote, “When TE doesn’t save LG’s data: a simple scene that can be interpreted in many ways.” She also knows his name but has made a conscious decision to not give him an official identity. The state has his fingerprints but no name, unlike her in the KoC, where her fingerprints and a name (Luna), a reputation and a police record could now be linked to her. This protects him to an extent as she doesn’t know who she can trust, even within the PD.
Such a wonderful work you make here.
My humble contribution: I think NaRi is wrong about the doppelgangers. I agree with the concept of balance but then, if you kill one of the doppelgangers, then that messes up with the balance. Like, if you put ROK and KOC on each side of a balance scale, the ways to keep the balance are:
* Both doppelgangers must be alive. 1 – 1
* Both doppelgangers must be killed / dead. O – 0
If you go and kill your doppelganger, you’ll be making one of the world’s “heavier than the other”.
And this is the core of the problem. LR has been messing up with the balance by bringing people from one world to the other, deciding who lives and who dies, like a “God”, which has always been his plan as he said to his brother before killing him.
And, certainly, since protection is also an act of love, I support @WEnchanteur’s theories, too.
@nrllee your number theory is mind blowing!
My contribution: Except 17 Do’s and Don’ts for LG,
Ep 5 TE called to the The Royal’s court 17 times asking for LG.
I am wondering the 17th must-do might be something like”come back to me”
I love your way of decoding many little and big clues in this drama. I enjoyed reading them all. It is a pity that people copied your work and make it their own. However, I hope that is settled and things are good again for you. I hope your future articles about The King: Eternal Monarch are not protected cause I do not know what password should I use to read 😁 Even so, if you plan to put your article in protected mode, please kindly email me on how to read to article. I am not that good with technology 😂 Thank you. Keep up good work and have a nice day ahead 💖
P/S: Please interprate the meanings behind Taeul’s lines in this movie, monologues and her expression. I would love to study the art of acting through Kim Go Eun (Jung Taeul) from your article. I admire her cause she has won like bunch of awards 😍
Another number to consider:
* 16890: the K Stadium has 16890 seats (110 seats away of 17000). Funny, the 17 is repeated along the show like @kuroshio mentioned before. And the 110 includes 11 (which looks like the two obelisks) and 0 (Jung Taeul).
Either we’re trying so hard to find connections where there aren’t or we have a clue right there.
Does anyone else thinks it’s weird that they did not talk about the Navy’s encounter with Japan??
My thoughts and contribution to the number theory: When I was watching the episodes this week, it struck me that Yeong, LG’s right-hand man, actually also means “zero” in Korean. It’s interesting that LG likes the number zero so much, he now has two of them by his side.
@Fern
Bravo! This scene seems simple, but it has so many ramifications. It was really the right scene for the writer to write.
I forgot two details:
– The hug scene, TE throws herself rather brutally into LG’s arms. It’s a reference to the hug scene of their first meeting, in which LG forces TE to do the brutal hug.
(@Alxmar97: since you’re looking for what’s given back and the duality of the show, this is for you).
– The song in the background music is the OST “please don’t cry”. This confirms what I felt, this song is very good to support a stage. And it’s also pretty enough to be listened to.
@Packmule3
You’re welcome! My reactions are often more instinctive than analytical. So if by chance I find something, there is no copyright on it.
Now that the drama is advanced, I found French subtitles. I should go re-watch the episodes with these. To be fair, you have to see at least twice an episode, to compensate for the fact that the drama is weekly. That way, I’ll have the same feeling I get when I binge watch it. It should also put me on the same level as a Korean who watches the episode only once.
I become intrigued by the whole mechanics of the story. In theory, this is the kind of script I should like. That’s why I insist on keeping watching it, but also why I get so frustrated and then annoyed. As soon as there are riddles, a malignant force inside me pushes me to insist.
While I was disappointed by the screenwriter because her previous dramas lacked plot and were boring, in this one she falls into the opposite excess! Besides, it doesn’t fit with what she said in her interview either, because it’s difficult for the audience to understand or accept the story.
A story such as this one is very difficult to structure. All the blocks have to be interconnected, the chronology is hell to establish, you have to juggle thousands of parameters, and end up with good scenes full of meaning.
A choice was made: a very long exposure, based on exploded situations. Unfortunately, this leads to a lack of legibility and easy forgetting of isolated characters or events (at least, isolated at the moment they are exposed). On the other hand, it also makes the drama boring, whereas in the background, it is the opposite. If I want to understand why, I have to review the scenes, and focus on the reason that makes a scene unreadable or confusing.
For the rest, too much scattered content, actors/characters too similar. For the doopleganger, it would have been simpler not to differentiate them too much, so that the viewer’s eye can easily spot them.
Sometimes a doopleganger doesn’t need a background scene (or it could have been done in flashback). For example, the doopleganger holding the restaurant in episode 8, the scene is clear enough to understand that he is one. Even if this character is new in the story, it doesn’t need any pre preview content about him. This allows you to remove characters and/or scenes. The more characters there are, the harder it is to follow everything. If you compare TKEM to other dramas, the number of characters is much higher. Significant characters, even minor ones, I mean. I don’t count a temporary character, such as a sausage seller! In other dramas, you also find a lot of characters, but only a small number that are significant, and a large number of sausage sellers. 😀
There is one more reason why this drama is difficult to follow. And that’s not the fault of the production team, or anyone else for that matter.
The drama is Korean and this causes several problems for a westerner:
– Reading subtitles (especially mistranslated ones like mine) prevents you from focusing on a scene that deserves maximum visual attention. In an ordinary drama, this is not a problem, but here it is.
– Lots of details and inscriptions everywhere, in Korean. Impossible to notice these details, which often have no subtitle.
– Greater difficulty to recognize morphological differences. A Westerner has more ease to differentiate between two Westerners than two Asians, with the same rate of resemblance.
– Many dialogues refer to other characters by name. Memorizing many names in Korean is quite difficult. Often, you don’t know who the character is talking about.
This makes me doubt: is the drama so badly constructed, or do I have specific problems following it for these reasons?
Why did the screenwriter proceed in this way, rather than trying to identify two or three storylines with as much tracking as possible? Something more addictive, attractive and thrilling for the viewer? Here, I don’t count the exceptional spectators like Packmule3, delighted to appreciate drama for the quality of the details, the poetry and the meaning, more than the rhythm. I understand that drama is exciting to watch from this angle. My focus is more on how a drama is thrilling and as emotionally powerful as possible. If hidden details help that, I’m interested. If I’m referring to Goblin, the screenwriter isn’t trying to write thrilling stories. She’s producing blockbuster drama in a different way. Too bad for me! She’s not my ideal type! As a screenwriter, I mean… 🙂
KES is a professional screenwriter with a very long experience who has always been able to make her dramas very readable. Of all the dramas she has written and that I have seen, this is the first one that reaches this level of complexity. Did she build a story that is too full for 16 episodes? Was she trapped by the complexity of her story? It sounds funny and irrational, but that’s how it really works. A story like this is a crazy horse that’s impossible to tame. A screenwriter of her level is not immune, it’s happened to others. It’s like living in the shadow of a tyranny.
For example, the sentimental story. The development of the relationship is forced to fit into the chronology of the general plot. If during episode 9 a dramatic event occurs that requires the two characters to be already in love, the screenwriter has no choice. She has to make sure that the romantic story is at that point in time. There is no freedom to say “Ok, I’m going to let this story unfold naturally, focus on the characters, and make it convincing with the length and number of encounters”. Here, KES faces the problem of plot-loaded dramas: having to develop this relationship, when the time of the drama is mainly monopolized by the main plot and various screenplay frames. I think she is doing well. It’s hard to get emotion out of it in this context and she does. On that note, even if you don’t like other aspects of her writing, you can trust her: her sentimental stories are often good.
Maybe someone at the back of the room will tell me: in that case, there’s no need to put this event during episode 9! Yes, but if we put it in episode 12, how do we connect everything else?
Ok, in that case, table raze, we have to rewrite everything? Except in the world of drama, everything has to be done quickly and well. You can’t rewrite a story like that. Too many dependencies, it’s labyrinthine. We have to make the best of what we already have. Even the writer is trapped once things are in place. Sometimes there are even devastating unforeseen events, such as a badly estimated duration, and you have to postpone scenes planned for the current episode to the next episode, or delete content. Pre-production doesn’t prevent this kind of hassle. With a complicated script as a basis, a lot of distortions can result because it then goes through the whole chain of production, directing, and finally editing. Ideally, each person involved should have a perfect understanding of the writer’s thinking and intentions, using 16 documents of 40 pages, or 640 pages. That sounds enormous. But reading the Packmule3 analysis, do you think that’s enough?
The only time with a bit of freedom is before writing the script. There, choices can be made, firing characters for example. And if you can’t fire them because, too late, they are already branching out to essential scenes or events, make them appear differently in the story.
This scenario is daring, with great risk taking. Despite all my complaints, this is not common in dramaland. It reminds me of another drama that I liked but which disappointed me: Save Me. A drama for which I chose to remember only the best aspects, because after consideration, no one was really at fault for the flaws in the drama. It’s the kind of drama where it’s only after the fact that you can say, “such and such a thing should have been done like that”. The conclusion being that it was impossible to anticipate and arrive at anything other than the result as it was delivered. So, I did like TE, I just accepted things as they were, having in spite of myself tons of ideas for possible re-scripting.
“@nrllee your number theory is mind blowing!”
Sometimes I surprise even myself 😂. Nah, it clicked because of @packmule3’s talk about “Maths for Liberal Arts”. YOU + ME = FOREVER. So similarly, ㅇ + ㅣ = ETERNAL ❤️. All his talk about Zero and One and it was right there for her to see, in his name. 😂. Frankly it was meant to be facetious. I have no idea if it was meant to be anything significant 😂
It’s brilliant though because it functions like a placeholder, a zero, really. hahaha.
The accidental genius. 🙂
Oh really??? His name means zero? Too funny. Okay. I’ll post that later. I’ve to finish another now.
@soapbeans what a brilliant idea!
Jo Young 조영
조(Jo) is family name
영(Young) is given name.
영 has several meanings：
1, ZERO
2, SHADOW Jo Young’s family served King for generations. So as the elderest son of the falmily in his generation, he was meant to be the shadow of the King . That is why his name YOUNG –said by mandarin wiki
@pm3 oh well, technically his name is Jo Yeong but then Lee Gon always calls him Yeong, or affectionately, Yeong-i, Yeong-ah, haha. 🙂
looking forward to a new post! sad that didn’t get to read the red king dream ones before they became private though. hope everything is/will be sorted out soon!
“Besides, why is he [Prince Buyeong] keeping the Bad Uncle Lee Lim’s ring? Why didn’t he turn it over to LG?”
I am uncomfortable with this, and also uncomfortable with Jo Young not revealing to LG that he saw the photo of Lee Lim at the rowing competition. I also wonder if HCL Noh would have kept the Manpasikjeong riding crop and TE’s ID from him if he hadn’t asked for them. That scene was odd:
1) HCL Noh said she didn’t know how much LG remembered about the day of the assassination because he didn’t speak of it.
2) HCL Noh said she wishes LG didn’t remember it.
3) So why does HCL Noh have the riding crop and ID with her during their conversation? Was she expecting LG to ask about them at that moment? Why? She said he hadn’t talked about it before. Did she always carry them with her?
“Because of family association, the loved ones are always exposed to danger.”
I have a theory that Lee Lim kidnapped Shin Jae as a child and placed him with the family in KOC in order to have leverage over the woman who works in the palace. It may be some positions require so much inside information that even a lookalike is likely to get busted. That palace informant may have been a trusted employee for a long time, but was turned when her son was taken from her and his life was threatened. She may have felt she had no choice but to do Lee Lim’s bidding to keep her son alive. He sends her photos of Shin Jae to 1) show that her son is still alive, giving her incentive to continue working for LL so he’ll send more photos 2) show her that her son’s location is known, so his life is still in danger.
“Who is she? Have we seen her character? Is she this woman?”
Yes, the KOC female palace guard and the ROK murderous roommate are doppelgängers. We’ve seen that female palace guard in ep. 1 at the palace security checkpoint doing the pat-down of PM Koo, as well as in this scene where HCL Noh is interrogating the staffer who leaked info on social media. This means the two hadn’t been swapped when the roommate is murdered. In the detention center meeting, she asks LL’s henchman, “When can I go to the other side?” not when she can go home.
“Can I just mention how regal Lee Gon looked here. Even with those pleated skirts?”
I thought it was sweet he was wearing Tae Eul’s elastic hair tie on his wrist while in his royal robes to meet the Chinese delegation. He did it despite learning earlier that it was too tight and would leave a mark. He’d told JY, “This mark shows that there’s someone who comes in and out of my heart. It’s kind of tight, though. As if my heart is going to burst.”
“Nari: One of the doppelgangers always ends up dying. That’s the rule of the universe.
TE: Why? Why is that the rule?
Nari: If there’s two of something when there’s just supposed to be one, it’ll cause chaos in the world….”
Na Ri probably learned this rule from dramas, fanfics, or other forms of fiction. She’s not aware that the two parallel worlds have existed for hundreds of years, since Prince Sohyeon in 1645, without inhabitants of one world coming to destroy the other…until Evil Lee Lim started going back and forth through the portal and murdering people in both worlds.
“I’m not that worried that Yeong or EuSub would kill each other, or that Nari would kill Songhwa. These pairs could actually help and boost each other.”
We’ve seen Lee Lim exploit doppelgängers that have wide disparities economically or in terms of opportunity, or believe he can help them gain something they can’t on their own. Eun Seob doesn’t seem covetous or unhappy with his lot in life. Jo Young is not low-hanging fruit for Lee Lim to pick: he’s got too much specialized knowledge, unique knowledge, when it comes to his work and his friendship with LG. He couldn’t be mimicked convincingly. Na Ri and Seung A seem to be from similar economic backgrounds and both seem fulfilled in their jobs. I don’t see them being open to easy manipulation. Of course, all are in danger because of Lee Lim, but I don’t think he can slyly replace one for another with these pairs.
“She began to type his name, but instead of saving the changes she decided not to save it.”
I was yelling at the screen, “No! Don’t do it!” I’m so glad LG’s name wasn’t entered into a database in ROK. The fewer people who know he’s there, the better. But his secret may be out because LL appears to be very open with his minions about the existence of parallel worlds, whether they be from ROK or KOC.
DITTO 😉
You all really make me enjoy this show a lot more. Anyone mentioned the title? “The king: Eternal Monarch”. It looks like a 1:1 ratio like someone (sorry I forgot who) mentioned earlier. We all know this is about a parallel world mirrored, much like how our reflections on the mirror looks exactly the same BUT it is backwards…or inverted. Inverse numbers are like 7 and 1/7. Look alike but opposite in character…just like the characters in the story.
On the title, does it give a clue to the eventual ending? That on one side he is the king (with limited life span) and the other side he is the eternal monarch. I wondered why no other kings/monarchs before him do not make use of the flute for “eternal life”. And then I remember in the Goblin how living forever is not always nice as it sounds.
Hi
I do not know english.
My Turkey.
I am reading you with Google translate.
You want a password to read the “Dream of the Red King”.
How can I get this password, I could not figure it out.
Yours.
Bringing over a previous input sometime in April, as my contribution for this particular post –
And just recently, I noticed this – LG’s & TE’s shadows seem like the obelisk/portal
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19OLGsfs0fVsQWzXFZeeCFl8WzDo5LVxJ/view
Ah! I got another idea about this whole zero and heroin personality thing.
So I wrote another long comment, with a slightly “Packmule3 like” part.
I had previously written a commentary with a naughty joke about the kissing scene in episode 5, so if a naughty joke comes to mind, there must be a reason!
To sum up: from the beginning to the end of the scene, TE lets things happen without offering any resistance. She sees perfectly what LG wants to do awkwardly, and even tends to provoke him a bit to make him less shy. Moreover, she makes remarks that indicate that she has already dated several men, and accuses LG of having no experience at all.
Already, she is not the usual romantic drama heroine.
If I apply the zero theory: she does nothing, she lets LG put his head on her shoulder, then she lets him kiss her, and never move.
A detail I didn’t mention, the kiss itself.
I’ve read on many comments that it was another “fish eyes” kiss. So think of Park Shin Hye, the queen of kissing with bulging fish eyes. In “The Heirs”, the hero kisses her out of the blue. She’s frozen, motionless, making exuberant eyes. “OMG, Otoke?!”.
I bring a categorical denial: TKEM’s kiss is not a “fish eyes” kiss at all. Besides, the actress doesn’t have her eyes wide open. She has her eyes open in a normal way. She is certainly motionless, which could have been confusing. This immobility is explained by what I said before, and which I will explain now.
It would be more like an “octopus eyes” kiss. There are no surprises for her, none of the usual effects. All this kind of cliche is nullified ! Zero !
So what does the actress’s expression mean at that moment, and why is she motionless ?
00:33:55.
Observe the movement of her eyes. It’s quite light. There’s also a very slight twitching of the eyebrow. It’s all subtle. Good acting performance, by the way.
What does it make you think of?
It reminds me of someone who takes her time while analyzing her own sensations. It’s daring, isn’t it? She’s testing the taste of kissing. In a very calm way, she’s testing the effect it has on her. Live and consciously!! She’s focused on that, so she’s immobile. No drama heroine usually does something that explicit. She tests her physical and sensory compatibility with the man. She’s already kissed many men in her life. If that man is different and a love relationship is possible with him, then the kiss will be different too, and the feeling will have something magical too. She’s clearly raising eyebrows, surprised, obviously that’s the case. However, it doesn’t disturb her any more, she remains calm. Zen spirit. This is only a step, there is no need to get enamored for the moment.
Continuation of the scene after the kiss.
LG makes a speech, but she doesn’t say anything (refer to the hug scene, where she doesn’t say anything either). Not only does she say nothing, but she looks him straight in the eye. Calmly, there is no defiance in the gaze. She dares to look at him like this, quietly. Again, no reaction. Zero.
Just an assumption: her attitude is also introspective. At the same time she looks at him, and at the same time she looks into herself what she feels when she looks at him. The character has a great capacity of perception, linked to her immense experience in martial arts. Let’s not forget that martial arts also bring a Zen philosophy and self-control. To this I add the mastery of space, the measurement of distances. So the mastery of the emptiness between objects and opponents/partners. She makes a remark about this at the shooting range (Ep07 00:48:26): “Shooting is the act of filling the void between me and the target. It’s too late if you shoot after you look. You need to look after you shoot.”. It’s a sentence that seems insane, since anyone knows that you have to aim (so look) to shoot. But in martial arts, a usual sense like sight doesn’t focus. It is a more global vision, and the estimation of distances is precise, while being instinctive. The usual chain of command “Perception – Brain – Action” is much more direct. A bit as if the brain was integrated in the reflexes, because the usual circuit takes too much time, and does not allow to fight efficiently. You are fully here and now, without mental discursion.
Continuation of Continuation of the scene after the kiss.
Referring to episode 06 (00:49:00), you will notice that TE remains silent for much longer in the sequel, and the first thing she will say is “get undressed”! Oo !
THAT is what I call a perfect, high-flying replica. It’s brilliant !!! A lot of writers would kill to find that. It’s counterintuitive and against what should be there. So not easy to imagine. When the idea came into her mind, KES certainly screamed, scaring her assistants. (unless it was the assistant who came up with the idea, LOL).
– That’s surprising, and immediately catches the attention.
– It’s funny and daring as a gag.
– It makes sense in the plot, because this gag has a serious background: she wants to check the scar.
– LG cuts out several nice, but still cliché and suitable tirades for this kind of scene, and TE’s line totally breaks his drama cliché.
– TE’s line has a double meaning. It’s been a minute that LG has been making a lot of shy platitudes. He’s not in the present moment. During this time TE is really present and conscious, in the moment of real sensations, without distracting and superficial speech. So the line is sharp, abrupt, to remind LG to himself. “Get undressed” in the figurative sense. Roughly speaking: Stop playing, stop losing yourself in artifice and empty speeches. If this is an important moment for you, feel it for real. Show me what you really feel without frills, so that only the truth remains in the present moment.
Is this really a meaning that TE also wants to give to her line? Not certain, but very possible, because otherwise she wouldn’t say it so abruptly. That the screenwriter thought about it is even more likely. Maybe she understood it only afterwards, after analyzing her idea. But that she didn’t notice anything, I would find it hard to believe.
“Octopus eyes” kiss?
I called it an octopus-eye kiss because every attribute of this animal matches everything I just said. The number of correlations is very high. I’ll let you find out for yourself, with this description from an article about the animal. Help for one of the correlations, the scene where LG visits the world of QOK alone 😉
————————————————–
The octopus
There is no doubt that the octopus is the most intelligent animal among our invertebrate friends. Octopods have only a third of the neurons in the brain, the rest is scattered among all its tentacles.
They are solitary animals that discover their environment on their own and remember it over the long term. They are also able to use logic and tools. Thanks to their tentacles, octopuses are able to touch and taste, obtaining all kinds of information about their environment.
————————————————–
@WEnchanteur, excellent. “It reminds me of someone who takes her time while analyzing her own sensations.” That is how I saw it as well, even though I differ with you about her experience. Still, she is watching him and analysing it rather than being stunned by it.
Ref octopus, that is a good analogy. In addition, the females are utterly and ultimately self-sacrificing when it comes to their young. I think you could apply this octopus trait to the desperation of various mothers in this drama.
@kuroshio – wow! nice about the shadow meaning!!
@WEnchanteur – love your analysis/interpretation! totally agree with you about the kiss and how TE is not being the usual “deer in headlights” situation.
Hi mürüvvet çakırerk.
The two posts on “The Red King’s Dream” are temporarily locked.
They are not important theories.
You do not need them to enjoy the show.
You can still enjoy the show without the “Red King’s Dream.”
I will re-open the “Red King’s Dream” posts if they become important in the future.
Hello from Washington DC.
On the “two women, two masks”, for some reason it makes me think of the movie Man in the Iron Mask starred by Leonardo DiCaprio who was mentioned by TE because his birthday is November 11.
@Say08.
It remind me Marvel’ “Iron Man”. 😀
Haha! LG is smart and charismatic as Tony. Not bad.😊
Tony is also well-versed about parallel universes and time-travel like the back of his hand.
Dear Ladies, as always it is a pleasure to read you.
There is a lot to say about a zero. A zero could be an infinity in disguise. (Any Real number)/(Infinite number) tends to zero, lim(x->infinite)n/x—>0 (here n represents any real number). That means that both Tae-Eul and Luna are wildcards, but even if this mathematical definition is interesting, this post is about infinity and the relation it has in our lives.
Carl Sagan said that a mind was something very vast inside something very small (our minds can explore and map the Universe, yet our brains are around 1500 cubic centimeters).
In the Book of Secrets (by Osho) one of the first methods of meditation he gives is based in observing our breathing, for in that minuscule moment where the respiration changes direction Enlightenment can be found. It is also interesting to notice that these 112 methods to attain the Enlightenment are derived from a conversation between Lovers, Lord Shiva and his Consort Devi. They represent the two methods to attain it (Lord Shiva uses the Way of Will so he knows these 112 tools, but Devi has attained such a state using her Devotion, that is, she has Surrendered to the Divinity).
The point is that Tae-Eul has become a zero in that moment of absolute interior silence and stillness that is her unexpected meeting with her beloved, but in that Sacred Space (that Emptiness) that has become her heart and her mind lurks that Infinity that is Love, for she is Devoted.
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Hello…
Just wanted to add as i think this was missed:
Eun sup has 63 desires
Episode 2: 63 floors of a building wherein King says in his country there are 63 buildings
Episode 6: jTE uses 63 buildings to orient herself to learn that the King has lied from nari counterpart in Corea.
Thanks!! Will have to continue part 2 later.
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