The thread is open.
Wow. Hard to believe that we’re almost at the end of this 30 episode drama.
gifs from donqyeon’s tumblr
I get the appeal of this scene. All of us would like to have a guy like Uk in our corner to take to task an unreasonable parent, professor, in-law, client, team leader, director, CEO, and even the President of the United States….
Uk: My wife cannot sleep. Please refrain from calling her in the middle of the night.
Me: Boom! Thank you, Uk.
Let’s enjoy the show.
Kalimera amd Merry Christmas @Packmule3,
I enjoyed this scene so much.
It is true. We are nearing the end… We are in the mid of Part 2 🙄😊
Let us see what it will happen tonight. Master Lee and Seo Yul, who will be the catalyst for Jang Uk to fight Jin Mu?
He does hanbok swagger very well.
Thank you, @packmule3. I hope that your Christmas is blessed.
Episode 5
So, I was wondering during the summer, if The Crown Prince knew what Jin Mu did to MuDeok / Naksu all along and guess what? We are having an answer. Are you going to redeem yourself ? I think you will.
Smooth, Jang Uk. You were not dreaming…Thanks goodness Hong Sisters, the line was not cheesy. Although, you made him a jerk. #notsohappywiththat
The plot continues to thicken, and the romance continues to deepen! CP, please wake up and stop following Jin Mu.
It seems like each character has a piece of information, but no one knows the whole picture. They just need to get together and brainstorm. Easier said than done though…
Park Jin and Kim Yeon❤️❤️❤️
Merry Christmas chingus!
Episode 6 is the best we have seen in Part 2!
So many things happened in short time and at last some ACTION!
Always been a reader of this blog, as I loved the insight on this website. Honestly episode 6 kind of dampened any of my wishful thinking of a happy ending for this show… The latest revelation by Master Lee regarding Naksu’s body is interesting to say the least.
Not sure what to make of Seo Yul’s dream/plan of killing himself and Naksu. I’ve read some comments that say it’s the bloodworm affecting his thoughts, but I remember parallels of S1, where Seo Yul had talked about exterminating soul shifters.
Any thoughts on the parallels between Uk and Yeong vs Seol Gyeong and Seol Ran? Are they doomed to repeat the same tragic fate of two hundred years ago?
As always, love reading the comments here and not looking forward to the heartbreak in the next two weeks.
Phew! Episode 6 was a doozy but I think there are two important scenes we should be paying attention to
1. The scene with Master Lee & Park Jin where the former makes a seemingly important distinction of ‘When Jin Buyeon’s Divine powers return, Naksu will retrieve her old memories & will be ejected from the body
I thought we no longer had JB’s soul, just her body with Naksu’s soul. So what’s regaining divine memories? JB’s body??
2. The scene with Maidservant Kim & Park Jin where they agree ‘both must be saved’ I know we’re being told something important here but I don’t want to jump into conclusions
Anyway, I look forward to next week’s episodes. *Hong Sister’s plsss*
@nith, Yes, the latest revelation by Master Lee about the body Naksu is in. I feel a bit blindsided. Why bother saving her in the first place if she’s doomed? Yes, it seems to be a repeat, but we’ll see.
Also that conversation between Park Jin and Kim Yeon about who to choose to save seems to have some foreshadowing.
Then the creepy queen is eyeing up the lovely Jin Cho-Yeon as a potential host body. Euuuwww.
Must go to bed, but will probably have nightmares!
@nith, your thoughts echo my own. Right now it seems that JU and CY are doomed to repeat Master Seo and Seol Ran’s tragic fate. If I remember correctly, 200 years ago they saved Daeho but could not be together because she died. I hope that this is just a red herring for us. The Hong sisters seem to like Deus ex Machina endings, so I hope things will work out in the end.
Hi, hello, I found this blog when I was searching for insights on the show extraordinary you and found some really good answers to my questions (att) or some things I was confused about. So now I’m confused again with this show && here to get some clarity if you will.
I noticed in episode 6 when master Lee and Park Jin were talking about Bu-Yeon regaining her divine power back, ML was particular about the order in which of the two she regain first? He is so sure that she will regain her divine power first and Naksu’s memory will follow therefore the body and soul would clash? Okay but isn’t this a parallel to season 1?
Naksu living in BY original body but she didn’t turn wild until Naksu’s power got summoned by Jin mu which turned her wild? I don’t think it was so much the “spell” or whatever dust he blew her way as the actual summoning of Naksu’s soul to come out and gain her powers which then clashed with the body of BY (bc again power) so she became petrified..
So BY can regain her memories as naksu but as long as the BY does not regain any kind of power… the body and soul will maintain balance just like in S1…
Bu-Yeon was killed by her mother (her soul is gone) but naksu was still able to live in her body until well, the cowbells aka getting her assassin powers back.
Right?!?!
Also, and last comment, ML said he won’t have to kill MD unless she holds her sword again (becomes naksu) is he implying that if she becomes naksu in md’s body she will then become wild so he would have to kill her? Is the cowbells just a distraction so they can go on with this storyline in season 2??
If so this tells me that if the powers don’t come back Naksu’s (S1) & BY (S2) then we can finally have a tragic free ending?
I’m thinking too much aren’t I? 🥲😅
I’m really liking all the scenes of UK and CY. ☺️
The drawing the line scene was funny when UK crossed it first! Ya! Why did you kiss her? Was it a thank you kiss? Maybe? 🤔 He’s had trouble sleeping all this time but for once, he had a good one. That change in him when he realised that the wraith was gone in the room and it was warm indeed, says a lot.
I’m glad CY crossed the line still. UK accepted it anyway. ☺️
I like that she can give him a hug and he hugs her back. I liked his outburst about friends not hugging and not putting them to sleep. 😂 I like that he’s starting to feel a little jealous now.
I think it’s better that he’s telling her what’s happening now. Like when they went to see the Queen, to see the fire bird and helping Yul out of Jinyowon and the last scene with the fight with Jin Mu’s men.
I’d like to believe that UK and CY don’t have the same fate as Master Seo and Seol-Ran even if it’s written in history and they have the powers needed to bring peace in Daeho. If CY dies then I’d hate the Hong Sisters for good. 🤣
Kalimera!
So everything we were waiting for happened in Episode 6. Action loaded and the plot moved…in order to escalate in the last 4 episodes.
Seo Yul’s secret about his condition is out. Finally! So-I indeed died to protect him. We were correct about it.
Those two were the first outsiders to realize what happened with Jin Bu Yeon, although I am a bit confused how come So-I learned about Jin BuYeon in captivity. Who gave that information to her?
Master Lee, the Crown Prince and Cho Yeong were the ones who reminded Jang Uk his duty as the King’s Star. He is a protector.
Master Lee is also giving us misleading information on Jin BuYeon.
We learned that as BuYeon’s divine powers are coming back to her, the Jin Body will cast away the Soul that is Cho Yeong’s?
I Simply Don’t Buy That!!!
Are the Hong Sisters kidding us? The body without a soul is a vessel and here that body has its own power? *facepalm*
If Master Lee was so worried about Cho Yeong, he wouldn’t order Park Jin to continue using her divine powers to find the earthenware. That means something is not being told to us. My guess is that CY won’t be rejected at all. Because if that happens then we are running in circles…and if that happens then it is called a plot hole or bad writing.
The current Jin BuYeon is a hybrid of BuYeon’s body and Cho Yeong’s soul.
As I have told since the beginning of Part 2, the solution Hong Sisters gave us was not satisfactory about Jin BuYeon ‘s arc. As @Packmule3 wrote and her explanation made it easier for me to digest it, not that I agree with what they have done. I just don’t like the usage of this sub plot at all.
Just decide Hong Sisters what you have written and why. I do hope this won’t drag for too long. It has already confused so many.
I was waiting for Jang Uk to make an grand entrance in the end and he did exactly that! Uk-ah is royally pissed off and now he can retaliate for what they did to his friend. I am glad we got to see that flashback with Park Jin taking with Uk about everything. At least, they know that they manipulated Naksu in order to become a killer machine. I was happy for that.
Let us see what will happen to Yul. Who will be the “bird” to take out the worm / parasite?
P.S. I have written this post late last night, in order to post it this morning, and I just saw an influx of comments.
Regarding the parallels of Master Seo and Jin Seol Ran and Jang Uk and Cho Yeong I have written about it in Part 1, but I will do another comment later on.
The only thing I will say for now is that Jang Uk and Cho Yeong already died once in the end of Part 1. Technically speaking, the only ending in Part 2 should be a happy ending, but with the Hong Sisters we cannot be sure..
There are so many birds involved in this drama:
the wild birds Naksu called as a younger woman,
the pheasant she fed to UK rather than to Master Lee,
the caged birds owned by the Jin matriarch, one of which flew to Naksu,
the bird of prey description of Naksu from Maidservant Kim,
the chicken v. pheasant in Maidservant Kim’s story to Uk,
the peacock (the other woman) in the story by the CP,
the firebird and its volcanic earthenware replicas found by Park Jin and Buyeon/Naksu.
When the Jin matriarch says that a bird is needed to deal with the worm, I wonder which bird she means.
So we have some new concepts now: the Firebird in Jinyowon that would destroy Jinyowon if loosed. Surprise. 🙄 How is it that this is the first we have heard about it?
— Also the new information about a clash between Naksu’s soul/memories and Buyeon’s body as others mentioned above. Does that mean that just as Naksu’s memories peak, she will disappear/die since Buyeon’s soul is already gone and a body without a soul is a dead body, right? Did Master Lee save her knowing that she has a temporary lifespan and is hoping that she can help save the country before perishing in a blaze or glory? 🙄 Or am I interpreting that incorrectly?
@Cleopatra, I’m a bit worried about the fall out if/when Jang Uk retaliates against the mages who killed So-i and were about to kill Yul. While satisfying, he is only supposed to use his sword against soul-shifters and he has pledged that on Park Jin’s life, right?
i screamed at JangUk when he spat such bitchy and spiteful remark to ChoYeong…if it were me, i would walked away the second he open his mouth.. i know it just his defense mechanism but still, she is Naksu..his master and love, right there!in front of him..!!ugh!!!how can Uk be so cruel to miss cutie sunshine …???
maybe he is blinded by the darkness & depression…the plot not really moving on ep 5…Uk kissed Yeong & after confirmed it that he knows who he kiss, they just leave it at that…why would he kiss her…?i need the insight…is it because she is an unmatched beauty..?or is it the start of showing his unknown attraction to unpredictable Yeong…?
anyhow, UK has claimed Yeong as his person even as far as threatened Queen/Shaman Cho to never touch what his..ok..he kinda redeem himself many times and my heart fluttered at the tsundere movement..i don’t know if it his pride but we can see Uk is wrapped within Yeong’s finger..
and at eps 6, Uk feel jealous over Yeong and SeoYul friendship..less hateful speech towards Yeong…Uk reciprocate Yeong’s hug with smile though still confuse between Yeong and Naksu…so yeah…its one of my fave eps so far…Uk being a softie towards Yeong…alas, the heart want what it wants..
just stating the obvious, i only care the dynamic between Yeong, Yul, Uk and Won the whole time while live streaming…why the need to drag amnesia though..?
I gathered people saying JinBuyeon will reject Yeong soul sooner or later…and Naksu is a fire bird/pheonix that will reborn from the ashes and save Yul from blood worm..
I dunno why they need to make it seem like Yul had fall in love with So-i..i know So-i need to redeem herself but i cannot see Yul fall for someone…i refused to see Yul likig someone else..the whole time , i just wish Hong Sis kill So-i as soon as she done redeem herself & showing how deep her love for Yul…
I’m a bit shocked by how Yul going to take responsibility of discovering Naksu first…he want to die together with her after confessing being in love with her all those time..??what the heck…?
i’m hoping for wars and bloodbath for the next eps..JinMu need to hasten all of his evil plan because we only have 4 eps to go..don’t just stand there and running your mouth..!!u got 3 good years to plan it forgodsake!moooooove….!with this pogress at ep 6, i’m afraid the good will prevail…we don’t want that, JinMu..!!u need to step up and make 2,3 steps ahead of everyone..i had high expectation of JinMu as he still alive to this day…
*sigh
based on the next preview, i don’t understand the neccesity for HeoYunOk be a bitch..she been dragging her pettiness as far as 3 eps…i thought she’s pretty and soft enough to be SeoYul’s other half…she is Master Heo’s grandchild after all..maybe her brain fry enough after learning so much medicine or the Queen vibe infected her…and her maidservant is rude too…if she need to be a housewrecker so much and making Yeong get her memory and power faster, then i can appreciate her a bit…YunOk girl had 3 years to make herself a Jang lady but Yeong make him hers within 2 meet up…why girls need to fight for man’s love..???
Hey my dear @Fern,
I understand that you are worried about Uk retaliation’s againgst Cheonbugwan and the Royal Family consequently.
I have to remind you a post I have written back in Episode 19-20’s thread in which I was saying that the corruption in Daeho was so immense that the King’s Star would be born regardless if that person was Jang Uk.
In Episode 6, Master, The Crown Prince and Cho Yeong reminded Jang Uk to act against the corrupted regime. Yes, he is the King’s Star.
Yes, Park Jin told him not to do that because he would fight him over.
BUT
This is not simply a revolt because Jang Uk is avenging Naksu and the wrongdoings they did to her.
He is to become a protector of Daeho because Jin Mu along with the Queen are trying to awake the Fire Bird in order to destroy the land.
So-I’s death and the fact that Cheonbugwan’s people tried to kill Seo Yul in order to conceal their past mistakes, are giving to Jang Uk a chance to bypass the Unanimous Assemply and act accordingly.
You see, So-I was the fake Jin BuYeon. Seo Yul tried to protect her for Songrim, Jang Uk can say and in the meantime those Cheonbugwan’s people were going to kill Yul because he is now the one who has the blood parasite.
So, Jang Uk will act with giseya / vigor once more, to save his friend and all his loved ones.
It is better to die, than do nothing.
The fact the Crown Prince urged him to do something is not to be taken lightly. Yes, they have differences between them, but the CP is indeed worried about the world. He is going to redeem himself and maybe kill Jin Mu with his own hands.
Regarding your bird comment, you need to add that Jin Bu Yeon is wearing an ornament jewel with three birds in her hanbok. Check it and you will see it in the scene where Seo Yul hugs her.
For me it is crystal clear, Cho Yeong IS THE BIRD we are looking for.
I don’t believe that what Master Lee said is true.
I think that the Hong Sisters are confusing us again because they haven’t decided which one is the primary source : is it Soul vs Body? or Body vs Soul?
That was the reason I was pissed off when the Hong Sisters didn’t close properly Jin Bu Yeon’s / MuDeok’s arc back in Episode 1.
They chose to make Cho Yeong / Jin BuYeon a hybrid and now, they are saying that the body itself is manifesting divine powers and it will reject Cho Yeong’s Soul.
This is crappy writing and it has inconsistencies.
I am taking this to be false information. Cho Yeong won’t be rejected and if they do such a thing, then the Hong Sisters don’t know their craft.
Jang Uk and Cho Yeong are the Phoenix.
I think it would have been better if the series had been split equally – 16 episodes each. Season 1 had a bit too much filler for 20 eps, and season 2 seems a bit rushed for 10. It would have been interesting to explore what love is – how to move on after your love died, how to face a new love, how to reconcile conflicting feelings after discovering the new love is actually the old one – and how one views vengeance after memory loss, and after regaining one’s memories. How would Jin Buyeon/Cho Yeong/Naksu reconcile the different fragments of their identity, and how would it affect their relationships? I doubt these will be explored adequately in the remaining 4 episodes.
@Yzabella, I don’t think it’s out of character for Yul to want to help So-yi. He’s kind by nature and would help any person in need, and because she did attempt to save him (though in the worst way possible), he views it as a debt to repay. Unfortunately, her actions, no matter how well intended, invariably leads him to more strife.
I’m hoping that the Crown Prince eventually does the right thing. And that Master Lee be less cryptic. If only information were shared among those on the same side, the chances of success would undoubtedly be higher. Sigh… stop working in silos everyone!
dear @L, i’m not talking about SeoYul kindness or out of character of him to help So-i..it’s just, love plotline of SeoYul and So-i feel forced. Maybe i’m too attached for Yul’s puppy first love for Naksu…huhu..
I almost cannot see him loving someone else other than Naksu, they are my fave dumb & dumber duo after all. I’m greedy like that, sorry.
When he destroy the wooden bird of Naksu, my heart broke into pieces…Yul so ready to die for Naksu, with Naksu this time around after live with pain, guilt and regret..to stabbed or to be stabbed?that’s the real question. Is this why people said first love is overrated?
Crown Prince is not entirely a bad person and i hope he can realize sooner or later who the real enemy first. Also, he’s funny.
I think Yul accepted the pain of the blood worm. His dream/fantasy with Naksu at the river was about a murder/suicide. The blade went through them both so they would die together. He seemed to think that was suitable, since he believed he was fated to kill Naksu as an assassin and soul-shifter, and hadn’t been able to make himself do it before because of his love. He didn’t want to contemplate living after that. Now that So-i has urged Yul to live, I wonder what will happen in the next episodes?
I can see potential problems with Yul going to the Jin matriarch for a cure. She won’t do it for free, but may want to use his life as a bargaining chip for something else.
@Yzabella, I think there’s not a love plotline as such between Seo Yul and So-i. It was altogether one-sided on her part. Yul said he understands that she wanted to help him. He said so when she asked why he didn’t want to punish her for giving him the blood worm. As you said, it’s his kindness and sense of justice that makes him help her, both before and now in episode 6. He knows she’s imperfect, but understands that she was used as a pawn.
Now that i think again, ChoYeong never live as herself. She never had a chance to claimed her life as her own.
She said in eps 6 to Uk :
“I plan to find my own room. I will find out who I really am and decorate my room with my own traits. I hope that makes it easier for you to find me. ( proceed to hug Uk and pat him softly) I will keep you warm and help you rest comfortably.”
She has live as Naksu who full of hatred and want to avenge his father & whole Cho clan, being trained and used by JinMu, also fear by the Daeho people as a shadow assassin running rampant killing mages. Then she live as Mudeok, a blind and weak girl, becoming a maid. She almost die so many times living as Mudeok too. Now, she have to live as JinBuyeon, the heiress of Jinyowon and risk to be killed anytime she caused inconvenience.
I really hope Hong sis can justify all the pain that ChoYeong going through will gonna worth it.
She really need to find herself, discover who she really is. Not through JangUk or SeoYul or even Master Lee. She deserve to know herself by her own. She need to remember and accept her existance.
She been having so many flashback by touching her sword and jade’s, or just being together with Uk but everytime, she will deny it and confused herself, even JangUk. All of her ( ChoYeong, Naksu, Mudeok, JinBuyeon) exist. Only by then, can JangUk can accept her wholly, not confused her with anyone else.
She just have many names, switch bodies or appearance and purpose of her existance but ultimately it is her soul and choice how to live life that matter.
Is it weird that i take a whole perspective about ChoYeong, Naksu, JinBuyeon identity like this..?
Been a while since I commented here, I usually just lurk.
Anyone think the “Bird” is Naksu/Cho Yeoung? and she will probably save Seo?
I was sad when So-I died…but then again, she never just told Seo what happened to him…probably out of some need to keep some tie to him, infatuation, etc. In the end however, I guess she saw him as some kind of light from her chosen life. On that vein, everyone seems to want to keep a secret, so she doesn’t look any worse than Seo, or even Master Lee, who just won’t say “Hey Jang, that’s Naksu/MuDeok!” probably for good reason, but it feels like Jang is treated as dumb child who can’t handle truth. Maybe that’s justified.
The Crown Prince “I’m supposed to be a bad guy” act is so ridiculously easy to see through that you don’t even need Bu Yeon’s divine powers to laugh at it. But I actually like his nearly indignant and angry reaction to Jang Uk’s lack of care. He was furious that Jang wouldn’t do the right thing. He pretty much sets himself beside Park. Question is, will the Prince do the right thing?
Cho Yeoung/Naksu has really grown on me, I find myself cheering her on all the time. For someone with a memory problem, who has been locked up for has long as she has, she is very well put together. She wants Jang to love her for her, and rather than deliver several tons of melodrama, she confidently sets her standards and puts her obvious love for Jang Uk as something worthy of protecting and cherishing. Getting her memories back is going to be devastating.
Surprisingly, the villians are the worst part of the show so far. Jin Mu is hopelessly in the dark about everything, the Queen…a sympathetic figure last season…spends most of her time being seen through and looking pathetic. They don’t feel intimidating. Even the show basically tells us that Jin Mu is only alive because of the Prince’s ego. The Jin Mother is crazy and powerful enough to be the big problem…I wonder if things will come down to her, even with the differences she has with the other schemers.
Yes, @Charles Haynes, Cho Yeong will save Seo Yul.
According to Lady Jin, a bird can eat worms. And we all know from the very beginning that Cho Yeong is the symbolic bird here. In Season 1, she saw herself as a baby egg. The mother bird would come by and sit on here. She saw Uk was the mother bird she had to cling to for survival. This whole “I’m an egg” scene was in Ep 5.
Now, in Season 2, Cho Yeong sees herself as a bird on a tree.
Then there’s that bird link between Yul and Naksu. Naksu was fascinated by Yul’s bird whistle, and it ended up with her.
And let’s not forget that Naksu learned Yul’s breathing technique. If ever Yul needs to breathe for dear life, then Naksu can help him with that. Lol. There’s no need for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
The Crown Prince will do the right thing. How do I know? 😂 Just because.
The Hong sisters have definite views of good and evil, and for the most part, I get them. That’s how I knew that Jang Gang was their fall guy as early as Ep 1. And that’s how I knew that Captain Firefly in “Hotel Del Luna” was the biggest arse when gazillion fangirls were falling in love with him.
Here, the Crown Prince is on the good list of the Hong sisters, and they’ll give him a decent enough character arc. Besides, Jin Mu is gaslighting him.
belated Christmas greetings, and advanced new year ones to everyone! sorry it’s been a while that i’ve posted (though have been lurking)!
i just wanted to say how much i loved that tender moment between kim do joo and jang uk when the former told her of her betrothal to park jin. we’ve known that kim do joo is the mother that jang uk never had but to also see him struggle to address her appropriately in her now-betrothed status reveals how deep his affection and respect for her is. and her response, is just to just shoo off the need for titles and honorifics, but to cover him with her warmth and presence. ♥️♥️
as an aside, i was also really happy for park jin and kim do joo! our main otp aside, the “older couple” romance has been such a hoot and satisfying to watch, as they root and care for the jang uk (at their own expense) whereas the jin parents have only showed contempt and abuse for their daughters, whether real or fake, for selfish gain.
There are mentioned about fate of SeoGyeong & JinSeolRan will be followed by JangUk and ChoYeong respectively. Can Hong sis be funny and twisted the path so JangUk can follow the fate of JinSeolRan and ChoYeong as SeoGyeong?
We just have a sneak peek into Naksu skill and awesomeness on ep 1 part 1 that i really cling into the probability of Naksu display of power in part 2. Seeing people aura doesn’t satisfy me, i guess. I only see ChoYeong running around like a lost child in bustling market, if that making any sense.
PM! I actually had forgotten about the hilarious breathing sequence with Mudeok.
What is it with fangirls and their obsession with the most ridiculous people…I still remember oppa from “Start Up”.
As for the CP…he has a turtle. I think I’m going to buy a turtle now.
I know I am very late to this blog, but I stumbled across it (thank God) while waiting anxiously for the next episodes. I have tried to binge read most of the posts to catch up. I just really love it and thank you @pm3!
Asides from her obsession with wanting a new and younger body, I think we should all watch out for the whiles of the OG queen. I feel like she will have a trick up her sleeve, other than trying to steal Jin Cho Yeon’s body. Her wickedness was hinted at by Shaman Choi at the end of p1 when she mentioned how the Queen got involved with her in the first place.
Forgive me if it has been mentioned here before, but can anyone tell me if Jin BuYeon’s father was really Shaman Choi’s brother? He seemed to mentioned that she was not his biological daughter, whose child is she then? Is there a significance in the fact that she died in the womb? Maybe she is the incarnation of Seol Ran…all these thoughts going through my head. Shaman Choi’s brother said he was only able to marry lady Jin because of the pregnancy.
The fact that Lady Jin had to go to Jang Gang to utilise the ice stone for he to revive the baby, how come her brother (Jin Mu) who is technically not a Jin) is able to use the stone at will?
I like the CP, I know he is spoilt and arrogant at times, but doesn’t that go with the territory of his upbringing? Is it really fair to blame CP for his role in the situation, namely taking credit for breaking the barrier and being the owner of the King’s Star, when JU specifically asked him to do this? Maybe JU asked for this favour so he could live freely in obscurity with Mu Doek (without the restraints of royalty), regardless of the fact that CP wasn’t keen on this idea
I also forget to mention that even though Lady Jin is inherently wicked for how she treats her daughters, I do not disregard 2 facts:
She has every right to hate Naksu as the person that killed her husband and took over her daughter’s body through alchemy (although we now know this is not the case)
ML basically presented her with two choices; let your daughter’s body and soul die, or just let her body die. She chose the latter, better to have part of something than all of nothing?
Shame is a huge driver in her life for many reasons;
Pregnancy outside of marriage
The weight that comes from being the only Matriarch in a land mainly ruled by Patriarchy
The shame of possibly becoming the first generation to lose control of Jinyowon due to inadequate powers
Being constantly at odds with her family members and this being presented publicly on many occasions
I really don’t agree with her methods, but somehow, I get it
Hi all,
Would appreciate inputs/theories on how the ending might possibly play out –especially given all the new possibly game-changing breadcrumbs and bombshells dropped in 5 & 6: (body rejection, again? / Fire Bird egg / two drowning chestnuts / locked in secret chamber moral dilemma poser)
My theories: (feel free to add/refute/throw curve ball)
Motif of Incarceration:
1) We see parallels of both BY & JU being incarcerated respectively in the secret locked chambers (of Songrim & Jinyowon)
2) Master Lee also recently let on that Jinyowon was originally built by the two lovers (Master Seo & Jin Seol-ran) to “imprison” the Fire Bird.
Again, incarceration
3) Coupled with my new theory that the Ice Stone and Fire Bird are not just relics but persons (our OTP), it kind of paves the road down that same dark corridor into the secret chamber of S1: Ep17-18.
You lock the door behind you and face the monster. You either kill it and save everyone, or die trying. But we all know how that ended.
——————————
Theory 2: What drops from the Sky
I have commented that the rain ritual / drought plot beat will open up a few narrative possibilities:
(a) another ice stone drops on us, triggering a frenzy of power grab and wars;
(b) A wild card that is basically Kryptonite to the ice stone drops on us and zeroize everything thus bringing balance to the Force again. Chaos ceases.
(c) The Fire bird works so well here cos it is basically the medieval equivalent of DARPA (weaponizing weather) in order to replicate the same meteorological crisis of 200 years back — on their timetable and schedule.
(d) In some parts of the world, a firebird is synonymous with the phoenix — who builds a funeral pyre burns itself up and is reborn. This is the theme of death and resurrection — so central to AoS and our OTP.
So this theory argues for a repeat scenario (BUT I also beg to differ, later)
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Plot Twist #1: If Jang Uk realises BY is Naksu, and he needs to save her (again) from being ejected from the body he may be tempted to use/get the Ice Stone.
IF he cannot extract it from himself to save her (and die in the process) he may well be the one to unleash the Fire Bird, plunge the whole world into chaos, just to procure an Ice Stone to save his true love.
Plot Twist #2: The villains fail to utilize the Fire Bird, instead they found a way to forcibly extract it from Jang Uk’s body. But Uk may prove to be safer than the Bank Vault of England — after all the most secure place to deposit the Ice Stone may not be in a place, but in a person.
Plot Twist #3: everything was within the calculations of Master Lee all along. His prophecy: “A star will rise, a stone will drop” was fulfilled when Uk sacrificed all his energy to the Ice Stone. It precipitated in the King’s Star rising over them that night, while the Ice Stone dropped into Uk.
Master Lee enigmatically teased Uk in the Dark Forest, that maybe ” Master Seo left the Ice Stone…for you.” (this may not be a joke after all).
In the fullness of time (and that timetable is determined by the birth & hatching of the Fire Bird) in their era, Master Lee will reveal the key to extract the Ice Stone from Uk to stop Chaos.
He was using Uk as the safest vault he can ever find. For whoever has the Ice Stone embedded in them is invincible. It cannot be heisted or broken into the way Jinyowon can be (which is why that citadel of relics has been the source of much coveting and political intrigue in both seasons).
So for that reason, Park Jin’s threat to stop Jang Uk is an empty threat. No one can kill Jang Uk now, literally no human (except Master Lee).
Since in this Daeho universe only two humans alive have actually attained Hwansu — the highest level of Mage powers: Master Lee & Jang Uk. The person we need to worry about (in case he turns rogue on our OTP for “the greater good”) is Master Lee.
Theory continues: (throwing a possible curveball here)
We always thought of the Ice Stone or the Fire Bird as relics from Jinyowon, yes?
But, what IF they are actually most fully realized or embodied in a person?
I am going to go out on a limb and say the Drought of 200 years ago will repeat, and yet it will be different as well because Jang Uk doesn’t just have an Ice Stone, he IS the Ice Stone.
And the Fire Bird (wild card here) that will hatch and that has been foreshadowed since S1 (the bird egg on a treetop, the egret, the bird of prey) is Naksu/BY.
The perfect confluence of Naksu/BY is also intensified by:
(a) their names put together literally means “amplified / falling water (which is rain, innit?);
(b) The real Jin Bu-Yeon hit the jackpot in her gene pool with the divine priestess powers from her Jin matrilineal line and the shaman powers from her Choi patrilineal line (who first forged the “alchemy of souls” sorcery);
(c) Cho Yeong has some special constellation over her as well (not revealed to us in S1; just that she has two stars rising on her that night of her birth);
So, “還魂” — the original Korean title — literally means “the return of the soul / summoning the soul back”.
For East Asians like us, this has a very specific meaning and imagery of the shamanistic rites performed to revive the dead by summoning them BACK to their body (and not so much shifting souls, which is the illegal territory or application in this world).
So if the writers decide to faithfully keep to the spirit of the original title — then the ultimate theme is one of RETURN; a restoration of all things to what they should be.
Master Lee: “When the King’s Star rises, those who should return shall return, and those who should depart will depart.” I think this cryptic dictum will unfold several more layers by the time we are done in 10 eps.
I feel they will escape the fate of 200 years ago.
But maybe not the kind of “happy happy” we want (i.e. rearing 3 kids in a hut like Uk said in S1).
BUT it will be different. Cos the two lovers from 200 years ago are not the two lovers we have now.
JU & Naksu/BY are way way way more powerful.
We are seeing the most powerful alignment and confluence of timing, bloodlines, astronomy, soul alchemy, and LOVE.
Another pet theory (IF they don’t have that showdown in a locked room as foreshadowed by Park Jin & Mai Kim very key chestnut peeling scene), is the chestnut drowning dilemma — who do you save?
The final solution / showdown / resolution of all narrative loose ends (hopefully they don’t suddenly send in some deus ex machina relic from the storehouse of Jonwoyon) — may be at the Lake Gyeongcheongdaeho
Reasons:
1) The story beat of drought & rain will escalate, inciting incident for “rain ritual”; (which we know now is a pretext for the release of Fire Bird)
2) Bu-Yeon & Naksu names combined (just as they are combined in one body/soul/will) means “amplified falling water” (RAIN)
3) Two chestnuts will drown (who?)
4) That douchebag of an uncle Seo has just jettisoned a whole cargo-load of firebird earthenware voodoo items INTO the lake Gyeongcheongdaeho (the very fountainhead of Daeho’s life and power)
It is s@#$ waiting to happen
I’ve now caught up to episode 6. I previously commented that I wouldn’t be opposed to a part three that featured Jin Buyeon since parts 1 and 2 are about Cho Yeong and whatever role (Naksu) she’s taken on or body
shes inhabiting (JBY/Mudeok and the JBY body with Naksu/CY face).
That idea didn’t seem possible at the time since allegedly JBY soul had died and Naksu was transferred into her body. At the time, it most resembled the soul shifting master Lee did when he shifted into the body of the young boy who had died. The only difference was the body taking on Naksu/CY face. Now, however, it seems like it won’t be anything like Master Lee’s soul shifting since apparently the body will “reject Naksu”. Can’t wait to see what new scenario the sisters Hong come up with now. 😏
Could I please have access or directions on how to request a password for password-protected posts? Thanks!
Hi, Kelley. In my experience, this just means the post is still being edited or is pending. We’ll probably see it soon. @packmule sometimes starts a post, but real life takes over so she enters the password blurb to keep it in place in a particular order.
thank you @Fern!
I know it’s a drama, and I enjoyed the CP’s reveal conversation at Jinyowon, but I kept seeing the sandglass with Yul’s time running out (shades of Wizard of Oz) while the trio were chatting and reminiscing.
Also, that gold arrived so quickly. The need for the gold was interesting. Jin Matriarch must have been impatient whilst that was arriving – the door would have had to be opened again and again. Has it become Bu Yeon’s bride price?