To be honest, I’m not feeling this drama. What the heck is a “Nine-Tailed”? Shouldn’t it be a “Nine-Tailed FOX”?
Primarily because I’m struggling to care a lot for the female lead. Jo Bo Ah isn’t my type.
However, just go ahead and start discussing the show. Maybe I’m just cranky because I’m tired from work. I’ll get my groove back after I commune with nature in the mountains…if the bears don’t eat me first.
****************
I’ll transfer the other comments here.
From @Growing Beautifully
I caught the first 2 episodes of Tale of the Nine Tailed and like the dynamics of the main leads. Some slight differences, there’s no coyness about cohabitation (which I appreciate), although he has to save her a few times she’s no shrinking violet or hopeless damsel herself, also it’s reasonable that he steps in since the attacks are by non-humans.
Also interesting, a twist to the premise, it’s not just that he thinks she might be his long, lost love, but she thinks he killed her. So is it really worth it giving up all his position and family (cute, pain in the butt, evil brother) for hundreds of years of menial toil, waiting for a human being to reincarnate, who ultimately may not appreciate it?
The mystery of the misisng parents, too, is intriguing, and the question about whether FL is all that she appears to be.
I loved the meta about how our gumiho commented on the incorrect dressing of a Grim Reaper on the TV show, because he’s something of an expert on Grim Reapers LOLOL.
From me, the party-pooper
Thanks, GB. I’ll look into it again. I skimmed through Ep 1 earlier and I couldn’t feel Lee Dong Wook and his female lead. I liked that she wasn’t stupid. At first, I thought she was dumb enough to bring home a killer with her. But was mollified when I saw that she’d left him a note.
Yes, I get the sense that the subject was the value of self-sacrifice. But if she thinks his act of self-sacrifice was in reality, an act of self-preservation (i.e., he killed her in order that he could live), then there’s going to be a conflict too in their perspective on hope.
He was able to survive on hope that she’d be reincarnated after a thousand years. She however would have no reason to hope since she believed that her lover betrayed her.
I’ll check it again when I come home from the hike. I need mountain air to detox my brains. Maybe I’ll be in the mood to look at Gumihos after communing with trees and wild animals. 🦊
From Phoenix
@GB I found that comment on Grim Reaper’s dressing sense super funny too
By the way, I do not think the lady in the kast scene is the PD at all but someone impersonating her (some other supernatural being he has killed in the past as part of his duties). Did you see the snake like markings that appeared on her skin? I don’t think she is a human and he was fooled by her face. The real PD may be back at the guest house.
I’m liking this for the mystery element as much as the creep factor (the romance is yet to kick in). How did her parents truly disappear and what’s wrong with that island and why are all the heads turning up?
Happy that there’s someone else watching this with me@agdr03 Are you watching this too?
@packmule3 Yes, I too like it that the FL is not dumb and is brave even in the face of unnatural things happening around her.
I also like cool Lee Dong Wook in this role so far – just the right mix of ruthlessness and secretly not so bad at heart. Also like Kim Bum as the unabashedly villainous bro.
From @GB
@pkml3 Yes, precisely that point about paradoxical points of view – self-sacrifice or self-preservation.
If I don’t watch it for the good stuff, I may watch it from a cynical viewpoint. Often enough shows start with smart and kickass female leads who become dumb and weak as they ‘fall in love’. I’d like to see that this show does not go the same way or if it does, I may hang around long enough to denounce it LOL.
I wish I had a mountain to hike in with clean, cool air and lots of space. I’ll have to settle for a hill, surrounded by cars and housing. Tell us if any tree spirits or animals speak to you, like they did in the gumiho show. Communing with trees and animals may have a different meaning. Hehheheh!
From agdr03
Yes girlfriend @Phoenix, I’m watching it. It picked my interest in the 2 episodes and the quick pacing was good. I am intrigued by her missing parents and whether she is his lover reincarnated. Even with the creepy factor I’m able to handle it
From @GB
@Phoenix @agdr03 @Snow Flower @Old American Lady
Hey great, if we’re watching TotNT, we can keep each other company on this show!
Good point @Phoenix. Maybe that really wasn’t our FL at all. Not only did she have those strange markings but she suddenly became strong. She might be another supernatural ‘being’ who can’t take those herbal remedies on their skin LOL. However the way it was shot had her first talking to the elderly ladies about the head, and finding out about other heads that had been found.
She’s shown on the phone with her assistant talking about this, and she runs after the panicking fisherman who attacks her with a hammer. So there seems to be no stage at which she got replaced. It seemed more like that there was another spirit hiding inside her that woke up because the herbs burnt her. Or rather, the non-human part in her couldn’t take the herbal cure and was driven into the open.
She may also be experiencing supernatural attacks or attempts to contact her which are made to seem like dreams. The first time was when she was a child and witnessed the replacements of her parents at the freak accident, and in Episode 2 she thought she had a dream of her mum throwing the head at her. This coincides too neatly with the head being found near the island.
I hope this will be a fun and crazy show and not too stressful with the scary bits. 😀
From @Phoenix
@GB You could be right. I need to rewatch to see if there was any point where there could have been a switch. Something weird is also happening with the other helper in that boat, the one who got away in the forest – seems like hevis hiding something. Till now, this show is more of a mystery to me anx ends on cliffhangers which keep me hooked.
It will be fun watching it together 😊
From agdr03
@Phoenix and @GB, yeah let’s not have too many scary/creepy bit but then again it’s a fantasy and supernatural drama so I think there might be a few more. 😄
Hopefully I’ll be able to handle it. 🤞🏻😁
It’ll be good to watch with you both, @Snow Flower and @Old American Lady. ☺️
Thanks in advance for the TotNT thread, BBQ! 🍪🍪🍪
Enjoy the drama!
Yaayyy..thank you @packmule3 😍😍 Maybe that forest walk will revive your interest to watch episode 2🤞🤞
Same here. Not feeling the female lead, too. I know there are other actress who could do worse than her but she just doesn’t click with me.
I do appreciate that she is written to be supposedly ballsy and smart but there is a difference between falling from a tall tree and a high rise building. I wasn’t impressed with that last scene in Episode 1.
I’ll probably tune in for a couple more episodes to see if it’s worth watching till the end.
I have watched the first two episodes and I found them pretty to look at (LDW included), though the CGI was a little cheesy at times. I will probably continue watching, although I’m not exactly hooked on the story yet. It’s been so long since I’ve watched something currently airing that I thought it would be fun to watch a show along with everyone else (and to be able to comment in the present rather than the future/past).
I also enjoyed the references to Goblin throughout the first two episodes (the mention of the Grim Reaper’s clothing, the lights going out in the tunnel, the secret room/building where the dead go during their transition to the afterlife–though this place looks like a library instead of a tearoom). I assume that means it will have a small amount of humor to it.
Does anyone know why scenes would sometimes repeat exactly as they had, without any visible differences? (Perhaps something for us to figure out as we go along?). I didn’t mark when it happened in the first two episodes, but will be more vigilant the next time I watch.
Also, is there any meaning in the Gumiho’s tattoo-ed rings on his fingers? (# of kills?)
Thanks @pkml3 for giving us this space!
Generally, I’ve never liked the characters played by Jo Bo Ah, but somehow I didn’t mind this one. I was also able to get over the centre-parting and fringe of our ML … I guess it’s supposed to make him look more like a gumiho, although I felt his brother looked great without a centre parting and with darker hair.
[Sidenote: It’s the other show’s (SSLLDDL) FL that I find harder to watch, but I may give it and her another shot.]
I want to see what other supernatural creatures pop-up and what weaknesses or powers they are supposed to have. It’s a lazy way to pick up bits of folklore LOL.
This has 6 episodes to impress me. Tbh not doing so, so far. Dont know why i expected so much more but its leaving feeling unbothered. This show just reminds me of vampire diaries and many many supernatural reincarnation dopple ganger love stories so i just like dont care. But like i said 6 episodes, i’ll watch it as a halloween thing for the month. I hope it gets better
Episode 1
I don’t know if I like this show yet. For one thing, I found myself nodding off several times while watching it, but it could be because I just need more sleep! However these are the thoughts that hit me and will keep me watching for a spell.
The Intriguing Character of Ji Ah
I believe it’s this character that got me more into the show than the gumiho did, which is also strange because I’ve never particularly cared for this actress and I never liked the characters she portrayed in the past. All I can say about Ji Ah is that she piques my curiosity, because she’s different.
1) She says that she believes in ghosts and monsters but is not afraid. And so far her actions do bear this out. So the question I have is … is Ji Ah herself fully human? Why does she have no fear?
2)She is precociously intelligent. With what seems insufficient evidence, she observes and makes accurate deductions to come up with a theory. (Sherlock Holmes comes to mind.)
3)She is scientific. Once she has her theory, she goes straight ahead to make a valid test and confirm it, and does so without hesitating to take extreme risks to life and limb.
We see that when she tests her fake mother about wanting walnut cookies, when her real mother would have known that she is allergic to nuts. She actually approaches the fake mother fearlessly with a scissors as her only weapon and attacks first.
Having met Lee Yeon after he gets rid of the fake parents, she does not succumb to his memory removal, and since he says that if she does not forget, she’ll die, she continues to wait for him to come and get her again, without fear.
4)In going about unwarranted risk taking and theory confirming, she is totally reckless but also totally cool, in control, far-thinking and inexorable. She brings danger right into her home or goes to confront possible danger in the lion’s den and she does it single-handedly.
Observing LY on the bus and at the hospital, where Soo Young is, she draws conclusions that he is after SY, and plans on baiting him while risking her life.
Quickly coming to the conclusion that Soo Yong is a fake person, simply based on the lack of defensive wounds (very risky deduction), she actually brings the ‘monster’ into her home and bides her time. There is no way that she could know when the fake SY would strike, so it was a terrible risk. At the same time she’s video recording all the goings-on.
With Soo Young in her grasp but without knowing the full extent of SY’s powers, she dares to threaten her, again attacking first, with an inadequate glass shard, simply banking on LY coming in time to help her.
The last scene that takes the cake though is a little unclear what else she wanted to prove. She already saw LY in action and knew that he couldn’t possibly be human, but she still deliberately fell off his balcony to goad him into saving her. Possibly her real aim was to keep him off his guard while she administered a dose of anaesthetic to knock him out. That was recklessness to an unfathomable degree just to get an unconscious gumiho.
She’s one scary woman to cross paths with, even if one is a supernatural monster!!!
5) She is a magnet for gumihos. Lee Yeon, himself a gumiho, comes by to check on her identity, just in time to save her life.
I take it that the fake parents were also gumihos because, the hand of the father that came through the door was black clawed (like the gumiho bride’s hands) and when they were being despatched by Lee Yeon, there was the sound of dog-like whimpering.
That brings me to the questions I have below.
Mysteries
Question: why was Ji Ah and her family targeted? – The street lights went out before their car was attacked, and the fake parents took the shape of the real parents even before approaching the car. It looked like it had been planned.
Question: what happened to her real parents? – They should have been found dead or injured but they had simply disappeared. If they’d been found, she might have left it alone and not even ended up as a PD of the ‘Unveiling Urban Legends’ show.
If the real parents had been ‘eaten’ by the fake parents, then their deaths should have been known to the Afterlife Immigration, but they were not found dead or alive. Why this is the case, is the mystery.
Question about the scene with her fake parents at home: was that really a case of her being at home with the fake parents or was that an alternative reality? In the end, Lee Yeon has returned her to the scene of the accident and watched her in secret to ensure that the she was safe with the police.
But it was as if time had stood still. The police were still there with the car not yet towed away. Did the whole episode of her being at home with her fake parents take place in her mind?
World Building
I like that this show takes trouble to fill us in on the lore of gumihos (and other supernatural beings)
We are told that “When a fox turns 100, it can turn into a beautiful woman or become a man who has relations with one. However, a fox of 1,000 years receives the sky’s blessing and becomes a celestial fox. Its abilities mach that of a powerful shaman which allows it to see what are miles ahead.”
The long conversation with the little boy in the park and his exercising his ability to bring back the lost balloon for the little girl gives us information about Lee Yeon.
Boy : “Are you an alien?”
LY : “No”
Boy : “Then what are you?”
LY : “A Gumiho”
Boy : “Are you over 100 years old?”
LY : “Actually, I’m over 1,000.”
Boy : “What are you doing here though?”
LY : “Nothing other than waiting for someone.”
Boy : “Who?”
LY : “My first love.”
Boy : “Why?”
He looks at the little boy but answers: “Because a fox can only love one person til death.”
Boy : “My mum waits for the delivery man every day. She only has to wait for 2 days.”
LY : “Not for me even after 100 or 1,000 nights.”
Boy : “How are you coping with that?”
LY : “Not well.”
Boy : “Then what if I kept you company?”
LY : “No”
Boy : “Why not?”
LY : “Just look at you. I hate those with a runny nose.” (Boy tries to suck it all in) “Besides, humans die too early to properly have a friendship.” (Boy looks at him) “I’m saying that life is short, so try your best in life but know to let go when something’s too unbearable. it extends to people, love, and so on and so forth. Okay?” He goes.
“Okay!”
At the Afterlife Immigration Office the scroll that LY had signed confirms his identity and duties:
“I, Lee Yeon, former mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan, will punish those who disrupt the order between the Living Realm and the Afterlife in return for A Eum’s resurrection.”
Basically he’s a nice guy gumiho who has an affinity to humans and can be compassionate with them, but who’s ruthless with bad gumihos. He advises the Boy to let go, but he himself is stuck in a tabooed love relationship with a human who died. I figure that he does not allow himself to have short-lived human friends, but he does have his Vet assistant and beings in the Afterlife Immigration Department to chat with.
According to some gumiho code or characteristic, he would have to repay any debt and therefore hates to be beholden to anyone. This can be used against him. I wonder if his brother has the same code that he has to stick to.
I was amused by Lee Yeon’s blasé attitude of having to go to work to kill another gumiho, (all in a day’s work and so boring!) and of simply being fed up with his brother, when the stakes were actually life and death. He was more affronted that JA had the gall to leave him that note, manipulating him to come to her home, than he was interested in saving her from his brother. LOL.
@GB Wonderful insights! Couldn’t have put it better!
I also wanted to add another mystery – Lee Yeon had put a fox bead into the mouth of his mate when she was being transported to the otherworld in the boat. He knew he was risking breaking code and punishment but ge still wanted to leave that bead so that he could recognize her when she was reborn. After that, everytime he saw someone with her face, he tried to see if she carried his bead, but never found his mate. So now the mystery is he has already checked Ji Ah when he had saved her as a child and later too in the guest house and she doesn’t carry his fox bead. So is she his mate or not? If not, then why is she able to withstand his magic of erasing memories every time?
She is definitely not a normal human, as you have pointed out.
About the fake parents, I think Lee Yeon two gumihos replaced or ate her parents and had assumed their places, till Ji Ah realized that they were not her real parents. When Lee Yeon erases her memories, he transports her back to the accident site as if the subsequent days with fake parents had not happened (he killed the gumihos as part of his crime punishing work).
Hi @Phoenix, Thanks! Yes, that fox bead mystery is another one to put up on our mystery board. Your mention of it made me look it up. Here’s a blog entry with a Fox Bead story and another link to the Wikipedia article.
From these I gather that gumihos want to become human and one method (among a few!) might be to use the Fox Bead (which provides power to the gumiho) to obtain the spirits/energy of people. It could be given to a person and retrieved by the gumiho, but if swallowed by the human being, the bead might not be retrievable by the gumiho. Without the bead a gumiho could die.
http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/contents_view.htm?lang=e&menu_cate=culture&id=&board_seq=129322&page=17&board_code=akoreas_ani#:~:text=A%20fox%20with%20nine%20tails,turn%20into%20a%20human%20being.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumiho#:~:text=A%20kumiho%20(gumiho)%20(Korean,its%20Japanese%20and%20Chinese%20counterparts.
I wondered if the bead had been swallowed by the spirit of Lee Yeon’s first love (likely Ji Ah), and therefore was not easily retrievable. Since in folklore the fox bead gave humans knowledge and intelligence, this might actually explain Ji Ah’s being so smart and so quick to jump to the correct conclusions from so little data.
Anyway, this is just a theory of mine, so we’ll have to see if the show actually does explain to us if Ji Ah has the Fox Bead or how she got to be so smart.
The other point about her vanished parents … I felt that if they’d been eaten, there would have been a record of their deaths in the Afterlife Immigration Dept. In Episode 2, LY says there’s no record of them, and that therefore, they are alive.
I just realised the obvious reason why they were taken away – it was so that the fake gumiho parents could replace them. If we imagine that the fake parents did not get found out by Ji Ah, what would that have meant? It would have enabled 2 gumihos to live in disguise for 21 years, possibly eating lots of human livers along the way. However, they had targeted the wrong family, because it just so happened that Lee Yeon was bound to visit another first love look-alike to check if she had the Fox Bead. Therefore, they would have been killed for sure.
Then the other question is, why did they not kill the real parents? (And where have they been for 21 years?) 🙂
@GB I have the same questions.
One more mystery I just remembered: The shaman who was doing the last rites of the dead fisherman said something about his body reached the island earlier than the head..didn’t she? What does that mean? Something super suspicious about this island, that cave and all the people connected to it..and what’s the connection of that island with her parent’s disappearance? There has to be one because the tree/forest spirit girl told Ji Ah she will get her answers there.
Also while we are at it, why are all the spirit Gods helping Ji Ah? Did you notice that the mysterious old man who saved her by making her miss the bus was some sort of a tree spirit too? He even made a mysterious comment about how his debt is paid or something like that (need to rewatch). I don’t think he was sent by Lee Yeon, as LY didn’t even know JA was trying to get on the bus. Ji Ah must be some important being.
@BethB I found those repetitions of scenes on Viki and my assumption is that those where the scenes where there were ad breaks during live telecast. So for some reason, after resumption of the scene after the break, the drama director chooses to show the exact scene where we left off, like a recap. That would explain only the last dialogues getting repeated. I have seen this in some other dramas (non korean).
About the tattoo, I was wondering what those black threads on LY’s fingers are. Didn’t realize they are tattoos. One more mystery there to add to our list, @GB😛
Thank you, @BethB for bringing it up.
@Phoenix I agree, the few seconds of repetition are to facilitate the insertion of ads without editing any of the episode.
I haven’t properly done up a list of mysteries. I’ve started notes on urban legends though which I post below. 🙂
Notes on Urban Legends
After 2 episodes, I feel that this show is a meta show. It’s not a romantic story of a gumiho searching for his first love, and in the process meeting with creatures of the supernatural realm, rather this is the actual “Unveiling Urban Legends” show that we are watching. What show is doing is enabling us to explore and discover the many different myths in a non-documentary format, while at the same time, we are told the story of a gumiho who’s searching for his only love, and of a PD who’s searching for her parents.
Watched through this lens, it’s not surprising that we can list a whole bunch of the supernatural that show has introduced. The following are not based on any research, but on what is revealed in the first 2 episodes, and it’s rather a lot!!
Here are some of the urban legends/folklore that it’s been unveiling in just 2 episodes:
The creatures of myth, folklore and legend might be pretty common and might be living all around us without our recognising them. We are possibly surrounded by many beings from the supernatural realm who look and behave like us. Sometimes they make mistakes and cannot pass off as human, (like Lee Rang), but most of the time we do not observe if they are behaving as humans normally do or not. They may either mean us no harm, help us or harm us.
Dreams (or Nightmares) – there is a belief that some dreams might have been ‘sent’ to the dreamer by bulgasaris. Some dreams have meaning and can be interpreted. LY proclaimed that when more than 1 person had a nightmare, they were contagious nightmares. A dream of someone in mourning might be prophetic. A dream of teeth being lost might mean that someone would die. A dream of a dead person leading away a living person, might mean that the latter would die.
Bulgasaris – they are creatures who feed on nightmares and are revealed in their true form when they eat metal. They are able to move fast climbing walls and jumping across large spaces. Dreams can possibly be sent by them, according to this show when Ji Ah asks ” Are all the dreams from Bulgasaris, the legendary creatures, true?” LY replies that they cunningly mix truth with lies and wait for people to fall for them. The contagion of nightmares, we assume, was the result of having a bulgasari as a security guard in the TV Station. LY was able to control the bulgasari and keep him in the fridge!
Spirits of trees – they can be bound to a place by the prayers and wishes of humans and can only be freed by humans. They are not all knowing, depending on other spirits to give them news. There was also a totem or tree spirit in the form of the drunkard who kept Ji Ah from boarding the bus, was possibly sent to keep her alive. (Question: if sent, then by whom and why is Ji Ah so important?)
Shamanism – it is widely accepted still. Shamans may be able to withstand the memory wipe of gumihos. In this show, Shamans commune with spirits/(and the elements?) to obtain messages for the living.
Custom of Fishermen – if the dead are found at sea, they must be appeased or acknowledged so that they do not haunt the boat. The remains must be brought to shore and should be properly buried.
Sacrifices/Heads and Evil brought by a storm – this may not be what this show is going to say but is guesswork based on urban legend. There’s a belief that a project or new construction is made safe by human sacrifice. The head might be buried under the construction. Human sacrifice might take place from time to time for certain reasons. Is it a coincidence that the Korean War ended in 1953 and the first head was found in 1954? Also the tree Spirit said that she had been abandoned “since immediately after the end of the Korean War. Something evil came to the island riding a typhoon. But I couldn’t see it and I was too weak to stop it.”
Reincarnation – not only humans but even gumihos can reincarnate. This is assumed from LY’s telling the gumiho bride to be good in her next time (or next life). What a person becomes in his next life is random. He may not look the same or be of the same gender, even if he reincarnates as a human being. Conversely, many doppelgangers are not reincarnations of each other.
The Afterlife – has a bureaucracy of its own and 5 layers of it, set up by King Hades. Afterlife figures can have family relationships and get married as in King Hades is brother to Taluipa who ferrys the dead across the river to Hades, and Taluipa is married.
1) Grim reapers bring in the dead and brief them on their deaths
2) The dead go to the Afterlife Immigration to be briefed on the next steps
3) Afterlife judges will judge them on their sins.
4) We assume that good people get to reincarnate and evil ones go to the Underworld where they stay forever.
Gumihos – Gumihos shape shift and even in human form they can change shape to look like another human. They can be evil. LR killed people and controlled the fishermen and made them commit suicide. LR and Yoo Ri consider eating people. Eating humans is a ‘crime’, and some gumihos like LY are tasked with punishing the criminals. LY can recognise other mythical creatures. Lee Rang who was masquerading as Soo Young kept looking at the drunkard at the bus stop, but did not show any signs of recognising that he was a spirit.
A gumiho has a Fox Bead that can be given and retrieved from the spirit of a person (both living or) who dies. He mates for life and may follow rules on indebtedness which compels him to repay all debts.
Other Notes
General taboo : Creatures of the supernatural realm should not fall in love with humans.
The greatest criminal in this show is Lee Rang who leaves a trail of death in his wake in his effort to make his brother miserable. Knowing his brother’s weakness, he’ll try to harm A Eum or make her a game piece to force LY to make some impossible choice.
Lee Yeon should actually have despatched his brother long ago, but he dismissed him as having a ‘brother complex’ instead of recognising his evilness. The big conflict towards the end of the series might be the choice of destroying his brother (and possibly A Eum) or destroying himself. (Something in line with Goblin‘s dilemma). 😉
Either as a story with legends or vice versa, I’m finding it a fun, ‘educational’ watch.
Wow @GB! 🙌🏻 That’s awesome information there on what you’ve picked up from the drama. Thanks a lot! ☺️
I am intrigued by the different creatures that will come during the drama. That totem really did return a favor to Ji Ah by not getting on the bus.
I thought that conversation with the young boy was great. 😊
Yeah it makes me wonder too whether JA is not a human herself. But I like her confidence and courage in trying to find the truth about her parents.
OT, I like that red umbrella that LY has 😂 I wonder what the drawings on it mean.
@agdr03 I really like his umbrella. I am amused that it has been upgraded from a paper one to a modern, auto spring openable umbrella, (or umbrella sword?) and that the flower design was transferred over. I’d like to know what flowers they are too and if they have any significance.
Yup, me too. I’m hoping that there’ll be more mythical creatures in the following episodes.
That spirit of the totem was intriguing. There was a bottle of alcoholic drink (makgoelli?) left next to the totem, therefore he took the form of a drunkard, however at the end, he seemed quite sober. Yes, he did her a favour by keeping her away from the bus and definite death, and then took payment by making her carry him home.
@GB That is an awesome post! What a comprehensive list of urban legends – I had missed some of them! Your meticulous research, as always, has now heightened my curiosity levels for this drama 🙂 Do you think the heads might have been sacrifices…hmm…very interesting..
About Lee Rang, did you see how upset he was that his big brother had left the mountain and renounced godly powers for a human and had abandoned him? I have a feeling that Lee Rang was also somehow responsible for A Eum’s death (it is never mentioned how she actually died at a young age). It’s a theory of mine (and I may be wrong) that Lee Rang got jealous of his brother not giving him enough attention because of his human mate (Lee Rang looks like he hates humans).
So far, I’m enjoying the show because it has left me curious to know more about the mysteries it is throwing up at regular intervals.
Hi @Phoenix
The heads as sacrifices thing was something I heard of before … it wasn’t mentioned in the show. I do not want to post a link, but a quick search shocked me that rumours of ‘heads’ for big building projects is still around as late as 2019. Caused a lot of unnecessary anger and killing of innocent people who were suspected of kidnapping etc. So sad. Urban legends can be dangerous.
– Yup, I was quite surprised that there was that childlike resentment that his big bro hadn’t given him priority. He did not want to be surpassed in attention and affection by a mere, human. I feel that Lee Yeon should have observed how LR really wanted him to acknowledge that he’d abandoned him, and been more considerate of it. Instead, he spoiled that moment by making light of it, as if LR did not have the right to feel that way.
I feel that LR’s reaction to LY’s attitude will cause a lot more deaths and problems. If LR could be less childish and ‘tantrum throwing’, or if LY had been more empathetic towards his brother, the situation might not explode into more murder and mayhem. It sounds like such an inadequate reason, but at the moment, it appears that LR’s acting up is because he wants attention. LY was right in that LR had lacked affection. But he’s not helping any by failing to be a bit more brotherly towards him.
About empathy, I was thinking that it’s ironic LY originally tells JA that he’s not interested in helping her find her parents (who are not dead) while he himself is searching for a lost and ‘dead’ girlfriend. He kind of lacks empathy sometimes. And yet, he sees the distress of the child who lost the balloon and retrieves the balloon for her.
So, he does not think he should bother much with short-lived humans, and says so verbally, but when pressed by situations, he behaves with a degree of compassion. If action speaks louder than words, then we know that LY is just deceiving himself if he says he does not care about humans.
– This is a sobering thought. He seems more than willing to kill where it suits him. I believe that he deliberately jostled the man who was throwing coins into the Lucky Fountain in order to start a conversation with him and find an excuse to commit murder. He killed that man’s parents ‘as a favour’ to him.
LR might even kill for no other reason than for a bet or so that other gumihos can ‘enjoy’ the sadness of humans. This explains why the fake parents of Ji Ah laughed at the distress of the fire victims on the news. It seems at least some of them feed off the misery of human beings.
@GB Thanks for answering some of the questions I had.
After reading your post, it seems to me that empathy may be one other theme explored in this drama, along with coexistence of the two species. We see that not all supernatural beings are bad – case in point, the tree spirit and totem, in addition to Lee Yeon.
To underscore the interdependence of humans and supernatural beings, we have that scene where only a human hand can free the strings that bound the child tree spirit, and in return she points Ji Ah in the right direction.
“It seems that at least some of them feed off the misery of human beings.”
– I feel so too. Lee Rang’s sidekick gumiho lady, Nari (I missed whatever her name is in this drama 😛) was actually looking delighted at misery of the mourners at the funeral of the bus victims. This shows the other side – supernatural beings who lack empathy.
I kind of like the deadpan humor of the immigration office lady too – she looks to be a sympathetic character, along with her husband who guides newly deceased souls entering the otherworld.
That immigration lady is the leader of the ladies group in NK from CLOY 😊
Yeah the series is not super funny but it has its moments which is entertaining enough. 😁
Oh yes, now I realize why that lady looked so familiar 🧐🧐 Thank you for pointing that out, girlfriend 🙌
@GB,
I have started this today! Oh, I am going to regret that I will have to wait every week for the new episode… 😅🤣
Hi @Cleopatra LOL, try not to binge watch it too quickly. We’re just into episode 9 and 10 this week. I’m glad to see that a ‘new’ urban legend has been explained. It saves me rooting around vaguely trying to research it.
See which relationship you find most compelling. I’m watching for that and for a logical, magical solution. （*´▽｀*）
Dear @GB et al,
Good morning from my part of the world.
I have seen the first 3 episodes but I will stick to the first two for now.
About the tatoos, I believe that LY has them because he is mated. They are two circles. In my mind I think these two circles are representing the Infinity symbol. He is mated for life = for eternity!
Check the 3rd picture I found below:
https://i2.wp.com/beautyglown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Infinity-tattoos-with-initials.jpg?w=500&ssl=1
About the Folklore / Urban Myths.
Since I am Greek there are some things I want to say about the Dream / Nightmares. In our urgan legends, there is a creature, so called “Mora”, that can come to your dreams making you unable to move, but I haven’t heard before about the Bulgasaris.
Also, I have heard myself that when you dream of tooth that someone close to you might die. Or If you see a dead person in your dream, DON’T take anything he gives you. (I mean something you can eat).
I have to connect this part with the Afterlife. In Greek Mythology, King Hades (Άδης) fell in love with the Kore (Κόρη), the daughter of Zeus (Δίας) and Demeter / Dimitra (Δήμητρα). So he kidnapped her. Her name after that was Persephone (Περσεφόνη). For six months she had to stay to the underworld (Autumn and Winter) and then she could return for six months to the world (Spring and Summer).
Also, the souls of the dead people had to cross with the Boatman the Aherontas River (Αχέροντας) by giving him a coin. The river exists in Epirus.
As for the Tree Spirits it is known that there were Neraides / Fairies. I have to check though if there is something in our mythology about them. Now that I remember the rivers and winds were minor deities with certain genealogy.
I haven’t met in a Series though an evil Shaman. She was using what she knew about the Earth and the Spirits to summon an Evil spirit.
I have a gut feeling since I am in the beginning of these series, that the LC is partly human. That there is something in her that is not human and will be activated from the events we get to see after the 3rd episode.
That’s for now!
Hi @Cleopatra! Thanks for your notes on Greek myths, urban legends and the tattoos. I’ve heard or read the Greek myths of the gods and the Afterlife before and I do know that many different cultures have some aspects of myths and legends that are similar, and you’ve rightly pointed out the relevant ones, that are popping up in this show.
I went back to look for the tattoos but I can’t recall where they appear. Can you tell me the episode and roughly what time in the episode that they appear and are they on Lee Yeon?
What you mention about the “Mora” sounds like sleep paralysis is being attributed to a creature. That’s new to me.
Korean shamans do appear in shows quite a bit. They do seem to be involved in either exorcising or summoning spirits.
Yes, this seems to be playing out as we guessed. Taking a leaf from Harry Potter, she seems to be a horcrux of the Imoogi.
It left part of itself hidden with her, until the right time came for it to be ‘reborn’. Hence she was lured to the island where the Imoogi ‘slept’, by the video of her parents with the head, and by the crime on the island where the human head was found. The shaman was tasked to sacrifice her or to make her bleed and throw her into the well. In order for Imoogi to be reborn, her blood had to be shed and ‘fed’ to the Imoogi that hid in the well.
I re-watched a bit of the 2 episodes and realised I’ve forgotten a lot. LOL.
Hey GB!
I remember seeing the tattoo on LY fingers [Index and middle Finger (of his left hand?)] when he was eating icecream with his Vet Doc friend. I think it was in Episode 1. I have to check again when I have time for the exact minute though.
Yes, “Mora” sounds like sleep paralysis.
I realized that in Episode 3 there was a major revelation regarding the Imoogi / Dragon picture / Shaman Lady, but I haven’t watched Episode 4 in order to know more.
The more I watch, the more I realize that LGW is a very talented person.
He has charisma and a very distiguished way to transform himself in any persona he wants…
I do hope you are okay. We are heading to a second lockdown this Saturday…
@Cleopatra Aaaah! Right, the rings around his fingers. Yes, I like your idea about them being infinity rings and meaning that he’s ‘mated for life’. Come to think of it, I can’t recall if we have had any more close ups of his hands in the later episodes. Maybe I got so used to seeing the rings that I no longer noticed them.
Oh, how stringent is your lockdown? Will all stores be closed, everyone stays home, no visitors allowed and online learning instead of going to school?
@GB I was excited when I spotted them! I will watch episode 4 tomorrow and I will have in mind, to check if they will show them again.
Yes you are correct. I have to read for further details.
I will be working as I used to do back in March – May. How are things in your part of the world?
@Cleopatra, I’m in Singapore where the virus has been under good enough control that we’re hoping for opening up further in December. We are given tokens to enable quick tracing in the event of someone being sick. When practically everyone has got their token, we hope we’ll be freer to have bigger gatherings and open up more businesses.
@GB I am glad you are okay! I have read an article about the way some countries take measures for the Pandemic.
It is Autumn over here. The weather is getting worse, so for the past 10 days the numbers climbed unexpectedly. We shall see what will happen…
I pray for everyone to be okay…