The thread is open.
I posting this set of kiss gif because I don’t want any Debbie Downers and Nervous Nellies on the blog for the final episodes. Que sera sera.
gifs from fefe-marty’s tumblr
Let’s enjoy the show.
95 Comments On “Alchemy of Souls 2: Eps 9 & 10 Open Thread”
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Kalimera @Packmule3!
I do hope you are feeling better.
Let us see what the last two episodes will bring us…
I am so excited for this weekend’s conclusion!
Best wishes to your health @Packmule3!!
Thank you, @packmule3. I hope that the ending is satisfactory for us.
What an episode… Wow…. Genuinely curious how it’ll end.. Seems like we could get a happy ending because it just seems so desolate? Or is that wishful thinking haha.
I feel my giseya leave me temporarily, I need to go to the kitchen for a stiff drink.
You end Ep 9 with a mass funeral with three family crests. Seriously?!
Seriously? 🙄
😂😂 Now, you understand @nrllee’s boycott of the Hong sisters. They have a death wish, those two. I wonder who hurt them. 🤪
@Packmule3,
I had braced myself, but this left me speechless as well…
@Cleopatra, something good must also happen for a balance must be restored tomorrow, right? Hang in there. It may be tragic, but justified. At least I hope so.
Won’t the queen’s lantern extinguish as well as Yul’s treacherous uncle’s?
@Fern,
I have no expectations. We shall see tomorrow.
I was thinking that this could be like the epic battle in Twilight: Breaking Dawn. If you have seen that.
But I cannot think the Hong Sisters will do so…
So whose family crest are those?
From left to right.
Is that the flower crest of Jinyowon on the left? It looks like the crest on the wall in the Jinyowon garden (Season 1, Ep 17, at 8:41)
The middle one is Songrim’s. That’s the Park family’s stronghold and their leader is Park Jin.
Is rightmost crest for the Kim family? Maidservant Kim’s family came from the Wol Fortress. Or is that the Jang family crest?
Ok good points:
1) The Queen got her just desserts.
2) Jin Mu finally demonstrated more evil than his smirk! I was wondering if he was all facial contortion and no action…
Bad points:
1) The rest of it.
This episode made me happy the series is ending tomorrow. Although, part of me still feels like there will be a surprise “continued in season 3” announcement tomorrow. I hope not though. Let’s just end it 😳
@Packmule3,
It was Jang Uk’s crest, so we are talking about Kim Do Joo.
You are right, the Jin Matriarch, then Park Jin and then Kim Do Joo…
Good day *itches, I have enjoyed watching this show in real-time with you, but I do think if there is a season 3 I will wait until it ends. I really hate the spoonfeeding of each episode and having to wait in between.
For this episode, I did find myself chuckling at CP and JK getting closer and him telling CP not too close. I also loved the fight scene.
I thought the back story explanation of how the CP and JK were working together and all others in on the plan felt very rushed in comparison to how other things have been told or revealed so that felt a little out of place for the tempo of Season 2 to date.
I loved JK telling Nakuso/CY or whoever she is that “no one should be that close to her” and her agreeing. For both of the reasons – so they could not see the blue flecks and that no other person would be that physically close to her but him. woo-woo!
I loved the “excuse and reason” conversation/plot path.
And finally, as I watched the kiss, I thought about your analysis @packmule (hope and trust you are feeling better) but truthfully stopped thinking and allowed myself to feel it (and this one felt better!)
Fingers crossed for a happy Hong Sisters ending.
Wait, whaaaaaat? I need a stiff drink too! At least now everyone knows that there is only one soul-shifter left, and just it happens that Jin Mu conveniently soul-shifted himself. So when Jin Mu is finally dispatched (he better!), no one, except JU and Yul, will suspect Cho Yeong/Naksu to be a soul-shifter.
I honestly don’t have words rn. Just going to wait for the final episode
A few points for Ep 9
1. From their biggest doubter to their biggest fan, Yul is working so hard to get Naksu and Uk have their happy ending. In Season 1, he wanted to take Naksu away from Uk. In the first half of Season 2, he wanted to commit murder-suicide with Naksu to spare Uk the pain of losing her again. And now, after his own near death experience, and his discovery of Naksu’s impending death, he’s blackmailed Lady Jin to allow Naksu stay with Uk, encouraged Naksu to stay with Uk, and encouraged Uk to spend time with Naksu before she dies.
Poor guy. From being the pragmatic, He’s becoming romantic
2. And awwww. Uk has grown up! I remember in Season 1, when he was adamant that he would follow his heart. He told Yul, “We can also choose to protect the monsters from this world. If we keep the monsters in check, the world won’t worry about them. Everyone had high hopes for you ever since you were little, so you think that you need to do something grand. But…but I was told not to do anything my whole life. So I’m… I’m going to follow my heart from now on.”
Follow one’s heart? (snort) Back then, I said that only someone naïve and credulous could think that way. And now he’s finally getting it.
3. What did I say about the morality of an action? I said three things determine if an action is good or evil: a) act itself is good, b) the intention is good, and c) the circumstances are good. Good intentions alone — like “following one’s heart” — don’t cut it.
And in this episode, Park Jin teaches the same thing.
He tells Yul, “Depending on who Uk’s target is, and which path he takes, he could dry out this world, just like Jin Mu wishes or he could stop him. Deciding whom to target and which path to take will always be painful and a burden. It may be too much for a human to handle.”
Deciding whom to target = the intention and the objective of the action
Deciding which path to take = the act itself or the method used to achieve the objective
He should have included:
Deciding the right timing and place = the circumstances
But is it really too much for a human to handle? Yeahhhhh…yes and no.
Morally good actions and undertakings are often difficult because a) doing a bad thing is often easier, more convenient, and more pleasurable, b) there’s little reward in doing the right thing except…the right thing itself, and c) people are not TRAINED to think morally. Lol. Case in point, how many of the readers here were even AWARE of the three standards of morality till I wrote about them? People just watch kdramas for fun and kisses, not to grow ethical awareness.
However, if a person does the morally correct thing over and over again, it becomes a HABIT. And when it becomes a habit, it’s becomes easier to do the morally correct action. That’s why we start teaching children right from wrong at a early age, and we keep teaching them until good conduct becomes second nature.
4. the key phrase in this episode is “to feign ignorance”. That’s the coping mechanism of the leading protagonists. Uk and Cho Yeong have to feign ignorance in order to endure the unendurable.
It’s also related to the last lines of the “Words of the Heart” poem. They have to behave like “a fool who dares not shed a single tear.” Because if they allow themselves to cry, they won’t be able to stop.
Feigning ignorance = one way of getting a grip on themselves, controlling their feelings so they don’t break down.
Uk to Yul: Do you know how I felt when I decided to feign ignorance and leave her behind? I turned away with the knowledge that I must slay her if I acknowledged who she was. Her approaching death cannot be an excuse for us to be together.
Cho Yeong: Instead of using my coming death as a cowardly excuse to be together…
Uk to Yul: It is much better for us to be tormented instead.
5. I’m ready for the Hong sisters’ concept of death having survived them in their last 4 dramas.
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010): she died because her nine tails are gone, but came back in the last 5 minutes
The Master’s Sun (2013): it’s about dead spirits that she keeps seeing
A Korean Odyssey (2017): she died killing some stupid dragon
Hotel Del Luna (2019): she died because she’s tired of living 1000 years
Alchemy of Souls (2022): whatever.
By the way, these aren’t spoilers. If you haven’t watched these dramas, the burden’s on YOU to get informed, not on ME to feign ignorance.
lol.
I still have hope for a happy ending but whatever happens I’m glad I watched CY and UK in this season.
Thank you.
Omooooo!!!
I didn’t see these kiss gifs till now.
Wowow! 😍😍😍
Last time they had a happy ending was 2015. “Warm and Cozy.” That’s when we met, @agdr03.
🙂 The gifs are nice…as long as you just feign ignorance or forget that the soul of Jin BuYeon was present in that same body while Uk was kissing Cho Yeong.
Hahaha.
Yes, Warm and Cozy will always be very special to me. ☺️
In my heart UK Is kissing CY, not JB. 😉
😂😂😂. So I dodged a bullet with this drama? Hubby has actually been watching this and I have yet to ask him how he’s found ep9. He’s only just watched it just then and has gone outdoors to take his frustrations out on the lawn 😂😂😂 (mowing). He was frustrated at the ending of S1 I know that much. He’s had the luxury of starting this drama midway through the live screening of S2. So he binged watched S1 and has only had to wait this past fortnight for the new eps to drop. Here’s hoping Hong sisters give Uk and CY a happy ending.
Oh man I get sucked in into the Hong Sisters EVERY time. At this point I am prepared to watch it all tomorrow. Hoping for the best, but I may just scream if there’s not a satisfactory ending.
And can Jin Mu die please.
I enjoyed CP and UK the most in this episode. Happy watching to all!!
@nrllee,
The Hong sisters have just ONE job to do. Just one job. ☝️
To give Uk and Cho Yeong a happy ending with friends and family, and a brood of their own.
Yet we’re still worried that they’ll mess it up, royally.
And it’s not because they’re incompetent. It’s because they’re perverse and sadistic. They know better than the audience and they won’t yield nor cede ground. 😂
They’ve been like this since “Warm and Cozy,” 2015. They were criticized for writing a predictable romcom with happy ending. 😂 The criticisms must have short-circuited something in them since they began churning out maudlin and morose dramas after that. 😂😂😂
@packmule3 well I am seeing some clips of Ep10 circulating and it seems like there will be a wedding? So they may concede this time. Although the wedding is in a field of flowers, with CY wearing a flower crown…and many have had Goblin dejavu 😂😂 so they are still jittery.
@nrllee,
You’re definitely this blog’s sleuth-hound.
I don’t like to trawl the internet for info because I’d have to sift through trash to get one good nugget of info. Who was that poster on this blog who spread the misinformation that Season 2 would dwell on:
a) YUL’s family background because his uncle would be brought in and the uncle was some sort of powerful mage, and
b) and the 2nd daughter ChoYeon’s death because she was given some sort of ornament
just because some “reporter” on some weirdo fans’ news outlet collected all the weirdest theories and hysterical ramblings on twitter and published them? Lazy writing.
I was so annoyed that unhinged speculations were brought onto my blog that the poster was this close –> <-- to getting booted off this blog. 🙂 I had to quickly step in and disabuse her of that idea, saying "With only 10 episodes slated for Season 2 do we really need to know about a secondary character’s family background? Most likely he’s another villain from the Seoho Fortress to serve as counterweight to Master Lee/Park Jin/Jang Gang (if he returns) trifecta." I don't mind a wedding in a field of flowers...as long as it isn't a PREQUEL to death and carnage. When it comes to droughts, there's a more serious dry spell of happily-ever-after endings in the Hong sisters' kdramaland than there's water shortage in Daeho. I thirst. lol.
I’m thinking of watching the last 5 minutes first to see if I should invest 1+ hour on the last ep…
It’s a happy ending so go ahead.
Lol. I just watched the last 5 minutes too.
Yay! Thanks for the heads up!
And the three coffins? They were head fakes.
Lady Jin, Park Jin and Maidservant Kim are alive.
They pulled a happy ending with miracles and deus ex machina. They succeed at their one job but I couldn’t help laughing at the new rules and the absurdity of it all at many moments.
And I shall now fulfil my pledge to defend the scriptwriting honour of the Hing Sisters for the next 5 years even if every single drama tanks — BECAUSE they did give my OTP a happy ending. Which is what I wanted all along. I will sleep well tonight LOL
I know, @wapz. I just skimmed through the ending and I must agree with the dei ex machina.
But shhhhhh. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. If the Hong sisters get miffed again because viewers criticize their happy endings, we may be punished with suck-y, unhappy endings in future kdramas… for about a decade. lol.
Just one job. It all boils down to one job.
Lol. Pledge away, @Empress New Clothes.
I wish I can join you for a drink, but I’m still under medication. But this celebration calls for a tub of Ben&Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk that I’ve been reserving in my freezer.
YES, we’ve got a Happy Ending! 🎉🌺💕
I had closed my internet data, so as not to get SPOILERs. I wanted to watch it first!
I just finished it! It’s full of random headscratchers just to move the plot to where it needs to be, but at least it’s a happy ending for everyone we care about.
I did shed a couple of tears when Park Jin had to seal the cave with Maidservant Kim in it, and when he put the ring on his pinkie (how did it fall off hers? It must have been a bad fit; practical lesson of the day – resize your ring as needed to prevent losing it unnecessarily.
I liked Cho Yeong’s comment about not wanting to expend effort to get her mage powers back. Totally can emphasise – if you migrate to some place which doesn’t recognise your PhD, but it turns out you’ve got a different skill set which was just as viable, I doubt you’d want to suffer through the process of trying to get that PhD again…
Also, I was glad that there was a brief discussion on her various identities and names. Thank you, @packmule3, for raising that discussion way in advance! It was fitting that she reclaimed her name, even if it was only in front of Jang Uk and Master Lee.
*empathise, not emphasise
What do you mean, @L?
She chose to be called Cho Yeong? 😂 I didn’t see that. I’ll have to watch this episode instead of just skim through it. I noticed that, in the end, she was still being called BuYeon so I thought the issue wasn’t revisited.
So what’s in a name? As I opined in another thread, as long as the real name is already engraved in the lover’s heart, who cares what the outside world thinks her name is.
I can only skip through the episode now. We’ll watch it tonight.
Thanks goodness, it was a nice ending.
I am glad the deaths of Kim Do Joo and Park Jin along with the Jin Matriarch didn’t actually happen. Jang Uk went to Songrim, while he knew they were alive.
I got emotional too with the scene where Park Jin before he fell unconscious put the ring in his little finger.
You all saw that he was attacked from behind. Jin Mu was always a coward.
I am also glad that the CP used the gold plaque his cousin left for him and became the ruler. That was a foreshadow from Part 1. After the fight, the CP and JU had a conversation and that actually happen…
In the end, everyone got what they deserved.
I am glad that we learn what light and shadow actually means.
Yeong protected Uk from the darkness and she didn’t die per se. She was there too. When the other Stars where all together in the basin.
Maybe I will write some more tomorrow. I am trying to calm myself down…*smiles*
During the wedding ceremony, Master Lee mentioned she had 4 names, Cho Yeong, Naksu, Mudeok and Jin Cho-yeon, and she said that she chose to marry Jang Wook with the name given by her parents.
@Packmule3,
@L answered to you. In the end, I think those around them really knew who she was , regardless the name. The Jin Matriarch, Master Lee for sure. For the others we don’t know.
Still, she was Cho Yeong who had divine powers. For the rest of the world was Jin BuYeon.
Thanks. I swiped through the wedding scene bec I was in a hurry to see what happened to Jin Mu. 😂
Thoroughly enjoyed this series. So glad for the nice finish.
It has hints of some dramas I have watched, the idea of things/people having varied forms of energy. The other idea is sacrificing the world (aka all the world die) for my gain. I’m watching Ancient Love Poetry and that idea is the same in there where one of the main leads would rather sacrifice the 3 realms so his loved one will not die. JinMu’s idea of allowing the world to die so he & his friends can live forever is similar. Though it is rather impractical, rather boring even, if everyone dies and you are left alone…oh with the unanimous committee. Still…
What I loved about this series is the really interesting world building that is refreshing. The scattered humour that I sometimes don’t see coming. I also loved that it was not boring at the last episode though it put has to put us through tears before the climax and happy ending. Looking forward to everyone’s after-watch reactions!
Unlurking because this drama just caught my heart and took it for a ride and, for once, the Hong sisters wrapped up a drama in a cohesive and positive way. Alchemy of Souls now moves to #2 (behind Goblin) in my list of all time favorite k-dramas. These are the takeaway quotes for me, from Ep 10 Netflix translation:
“Evil always does what it wants without ever stopping.
But why is it that virtue always needs to prove itself over and over again?”
“If the disaster created by human greed was foreseen, the will to stop it can become a variable…and change the outcome.”
“A light that embraces a shadow will never be lost in darkness.”
To me, this is a beautiful love story that was the hook to get the viewers to think about how hard it is to hold back evil, and that no matter how weak an individual is, that individual may be the keystone to protect what is good. These themes are timeless, and we can interpret them to present experience or history. Brilliant storytelling.
I am so happy to read your comments throughout a show like this, and I apologize for my habitual lurkiness!
@Jane M – Those were very good lines.
There were so many thoughtful lines of dialogue in all of P2 episodes! Appreciate the identity layout at the wedding ceremony; CY got to choose how she wanted to be presented at her husband. Appreciate the explanation of Light and Shadow at the end to close out the story. The AoS story is one my top 3 of kdramas.
@Jane M and @Fan of TKEM,
In one of the interviews for Season 2, the main actors including the one playing Park Jin was asked about the most memorable lines. And he said he was really moved by that line about evil being able to do what it wants without ever stopping, while goodness and virtue had to prove itself over and over again.
That’s a trademark Hong sisters’ worldview.
They do think that evil men (and women) can act with impunity and with approval of society, while good men have to prove themselves virtuous and struggle against overwhelming odds every single step of the way.
It’s never easy to be good. But you have to be good for goodness’ sake.
Once you get this, it’s easy to predict where the characters are going to fall in the spectrum, and what form of “noble idiocy” the main leads will have.
Park Jin, as I have stated from the beginning, was going to be the absolutist or purist in the drama. He could be insufferable at times, especially in the beginning, because he didn’t want to show lenience and mercy. He didn’t waver in his virtue.
As for Jang Uk, he butted heads with Park Jin in the beginning, like a typical adolescent would, but he predictably moved right-of-center, closer to Park Jin.
The Hong sisters are NOTHING like those screenwriters of “Little Women,” “Hospital Playlist,” “My Liberation Notes,” “Twenty Five, Twenty One,” “Crash Landing on You” and “Mr Queen.” Though these screenwriters are famous in the trade, I find that the moral underpinnings of their dramas rather sketchy or deficient.
I havent read all the comments and I dont have much time, but had to come and write here that I was so happy with the ending. Despite having low expectations and hating Jin Mu. I really thought they were going to throw a curve ball there.
I cried when Park & MK died. I was happy to see the themes that @PM3 mentioned come full circle morality, fate/destiny, and love.
Then we have our resolution of happy endings with babies too. I’ll be petty and say I wanted a baby from UK and CH 😉
That wedding was adorably perfect 😍
Bu Yeon = Jin Seol Ran = the greatest deus ex machina ever. Is there a convient power she didn’t have? I still don’t like her…
Park Jin and Maidservent Kim stole the finale in my opinion. Of course, it helps when you’ve been given the best lines!
I’m satisfied, very satisfied.
I’m glad that the CP was made into a king who is wise and practical.
I’m glad that the trainee mages are from more than the main families – a bit of diversity was shown to be the better option.
How sweet that Yul brings Seo Yun Ok flowers whenever he visits. At least, he’s the only young man who once had a broken arm that I can remember, so it must be him?
Seeing some lovely babies is good, more would have been even better. I hoped that the CP would find someone, too. Between ‘Bu Yeon’ and Master Lee, hopefully it wouldn’t take long.
Haha, Master Lee scaring little children with stories about the relics.
I had been thinking that the relics would all be destroyed with the awakening of the firebird; that the world would have to function without that sort of magic. Instead some escaped and needed to be recaptured.
Park Jin did have the most memorable lines. His speech at Cheonbugwan was the highlight of the episode for me. The finale made me very happy. Yay babies!
As for other drama writers, I am still upset with Crash Landing On You writer’s treatment of the 2nd ML and have not been able to rewatch the drama ever since…
@Fern,
Is there a reason lurkers and newbies are interested to know about the Seo family tree? 🤔 I assumed it’s already clear by now that Yul is the queen’s nephew.
I’m scratching my head for the surge in interest in my old post. Despite its password-protection, it’s still gaining clicks and views. 😂😂
As for the Late King, a lurker just asked a question.
Here’s my short answer: the Late King, aka Uk’s father, is the Crown Prince’s uncle.
The Late King had a brother who succeeded him to the throne. That brother became the weak-willed, perpetually anxious King who wanted a son born under a King’s Star so he kept bedding one concubine after another. I think his insecurity spilled over and caused his Queen to become insecure herself. She wanted to remain beautiful and young forever.
Fortunately for them, the Crown Prince wasn’t bothered about the King’s Star. To him, it’s just horoscope.
@packmule3, I can’t imagine why people are fixated on the Seo family tree. Maybe they are fixated on the actor who plays Yul? If Yul and Yun Ok get together, I suppose they would be cousins of sorts, but who cares? Yul’s father the general never came into the picture. Early in season 2 I thought he might be drawn down to the town by the fact that Yul’s lantern must have been flickering when he was dying or when the Queen died and the dastardly cousin had his soul swapped into the dying body of Jin Mu. We didn’t get any further talk about the Seo soul lanterns. They didn’t seem necessary, imo, except that their existence meant that the original queen couldn’t be killed outright without an alarm being raised – and that it didn’t happen is a plot hole of sorts, isn’t it?
Yes, about the Crown Prince who wasn’t bothered, at least not for long. I liked that he and Uk spoke about it and Uk reiterated that he wasn’t interested in the crown – he had a different high goal which he had already reached. I would think that if the CP had joined his father and stayed true to Jin Mu, Uk’s thoughts may have been different, but the CP was always his own man – he was portrayed as more morally upright and intelligent than his own parents. You were right early on, that Uk would never covet the crown.
Something I don’t completely understand – unless she learned it when imprisoned for the 3 years at Jinyowon – why, at the end, did Cho Yeong know details about the relics? (I’m assuming that Jin Seol Ran/Jin Bu Yeon completely abdicated in Cho Yeong’s favour once the situation was under control.)
So many great highlights from Eps 9-10 and what a finale!
I am glad that virtually all narrative beats had satisfying pay-offs, and almost all the characters (at least the ones we care for) achieve a closure that is consistent to their characterization and arcs thus far.
The ones that are gratifying (in NO order of merit):
1) Wedding(s): we got all the onscreen and offscreen weddings we have been gunning for. As well as babies! JU & CY’s wedding is symbolic, fitting and moving: I love that she reclaimed her lineage, her identity and the past when she said she wished to be married as Cho Yeong. I love that Master Lee (who has been onboard in their secret from Day One) is their wedding witness.
I love that they did it in a field of white wild flowers (yes, the same ones he gifted to Maid Kim as a token of his love in S1) — the wild flowers are weeds. They remind me of Cho Yeong/Naksu who grew up wild, unsheltered, in the harsh winters of Danghyangok, with a resilience and strength beyond the ordinary, to blossom and bloom everywhere she goes, and whatever name/persona she has to take.
1b) side note: this is also for me, the major redemptive arc of Master Lee (finally!) — instead of continuing that running theme of “feigning ignorance” (which has worked well as an MO.O. thus far in S1 due to the outlawed & clandestine nature of out OTP’s relationship), Lee stepped in and stepped up to give them that final push towards life, and then crossed his fingers and prayed hard. “Announcing to the skies you would never be parted again” is his plea to Jin Seol-ran to take pity on our OTP and do the right thing.
2) Villains destroyed: Not gonna waste precious column inches on them, but I am GLAD they got dispatched and toasted to cinders at one shot. Of particular satisfaction is Jin Mu & the mage clans — not just because they are evil, but really also because I want to rid Daeho of any last threat that can hunt down our OTP.
That last sword of Damocles hanging over their heads is removed once every last witness & covetor of the Ice Stone is dead: No one will clamour for the Ice Stone to be extracted from Jang Uk again, or for that last soul-shifter (Cho Yeong) to be hunted down.
3) CP becoming King: thank God, common sense prevails. His father the King really had an alarming and rapid descent into unhinged madness and greed in the last 2 eps. I mean, he even sacrificed the Queen in exchange for Jin Mu so that he can facilitate the procurement of the Ice Stone. Talk about heartlessness.
3b) The Gold Plaque plot device is well played and a great pay-off, also fitting to finally seal and sever this long-standing issue of “will he/ will he not fight for the throne?”
JU decisively effected and endorsed this emergency transfer of power & backed the coup to dethrone the king gone rogue. I love that line: “I have already gone to the top of the world with the one person I made the promise to. That is enough for me.” (SO GOOD)
4) Climbing the tall tree at Danghyanggok: It was on my wish-list so I am gratified we had many scenes in front of the tree and right on top of it. The last scene was brilliant when they descended into the most realistic and comic married couple bickering: “Darling, do I have to carry you every time up here? Unto eternity!” Hilarious. Also, I really like how they ended the series — with our OTP fully exercising their respective powers of mage and priestess to nab the relics. Here’s healthy and awesome couple teamwork for you!
5) Master Lee closing the larger-than-life mythology of Daeho universe with his usual parable before children
6) Lady Jin finally coming to peace with herself and Bu-Yeon’s fate: it is almost moving to watch her mini redemptive arc. Honestly she hasn’t been the easiest character to watch yet there is something so sympathetic about her plight as well.
This is a woman whose sole and overarching purpose and mission in life is to guard the honor and safety of Jinyowon vault as its sect leader and heiress. She has sacrificed many things (and even people) to do just that — and true to form, when it comes to the crunch (and firebird), she was consistent and true to form. She would even sacrifice herself to save Jinyowon. I find that sense of duty admirable.
7) Seo Yul moving past his Naksu-fixation (thank God he totally redeemed himself in the last 2 eps, finally practising open communications and sharing key intel!) and becoming the head of Jeongjingak (a fitting end), aided no less by Cho Yeong.
That they are working together with synergy is itself a beautiful redemptive arc — sometimes we don’t get the one we love in the way we desire them, but to be able to love and have them in a different way — as work partners and comrades for a common cause or passion is a form of love too.
8) Cho Yeong using her energies in diversified forms (I can almost see her monetizing this into multiple income streams in the future, haha. That is the shrewd and streetwise Naksu channeling here): as the ultimate Interview Panel that you cannot rig (cos I can SEE your energies!).
Love that she is also paying back all her former suitors in appropriately fitting karmic ways (Like helping CP to shortlist his future Queen consorts)
9) Definitely the egalitarian transmission of mage powers/knowledge: I LURVE that sly delicious irony that maid Sun-I is tagged as having even more potential than Jang Uk (LOL), and that the person nastiest to Bu-Yeon in the entire S2 arc is the one she picked as having the best energy to succeed as a mage. Kudos Show. I am also delighted that the other candidate is the errand boy of So-Yi.
It is reminiscent of the ending of Stars Wars 7: The Force Awakens where we see a little sweeper boy casually opens his hand and a broom flies to his grip, hinting that the Force is agnostic and can manifest in anyone not just those with Jedi lineage.
10) Was hoping for the Turtle to feature somewhere as a cheeky callback, and also the dishes of Park Jin for a wedding celebration. Didn’t happen, but oh well, what we got in Ep 9-10 is way way way more than enough. Kudos to the Hong Sisters
11) How can I forget: Jin-Seol-ran as Bu-Yeon.
I recant every negative comment I made about her for the past 2 eps. I am so glad that she isn’t some sinister parasite Blood Worm equivalent bent on annexing its host. Instead JSR played the long game (for 203 years) because of her precognition where she foretold and tried to prevent a future of disaster.
Once she has accomplished her altruistic goal, she departed and “returned” the shadow to its light. Therefore fulfilling yet another layer of that prophecy: “When the King’s star rises, those who shall depart will depart, those who shall return will return.” (JSR departed; Cho Yeong returns)
I also like the fact that this logic and narrative conclusion is coherent, does not feel like a contrived and hasty deus ex machina, and has been systematically seeded from S1.
Thank You JSR/Bu-Yeon: you have made millions of fans happy.
12) That our OTP’s love isn’t something you can glibly chalk up as merely “fate” or “destiny”. It was a conscious choice; an exercise of human free will.
I love what Uk said to Yeong right before she died, that they chose each other, that they found each other in their darkest moment when they most desperately needed each other.
That they went in with their eyes fully open (blue light and all), they knew the cost, they embraced the shadows, and they paid for it dearly.
————————————–
Best lines for me: (in no order of merit)
It is not fate that got us to recognize each other at first sight. We lightened up each other’s lives at the time when we needed each other the most. We embrace the shadows that come with it and chose to love each other
If a disaster from human greed can be foreseen, then the will to stop it can also become a variable to change the outcome
A light that embraces its shadow can never be overcome by darkness
For the light that has saved the world, I now return your shadow to you
I am getting the English phonetic spelling of character names from Mydramalist.
@Fern – Heo Yoon Ok, medicine woman, is not related to Seo Yul. (you may have misspelled her surname above). I didn’t know who the broken-arm man was. If it is Seo Yul then that is a good open-end love story for them! They are both good people and I can see them as a couple.
Jin Mu – I can only speak for Part 2. This villain was consistent. He was a powerhouse of identifying weaknesses and of persuading an alternative to his targets. He was the ultimate spinner of alternative facts! How did he conduct so many silo campaigns of persuasions? Did the King and Queen even know that each of them was played by JM? Did each of the leaders of the Unanimous Assembly know of each other’s alliance to JM?
In ep 9, JM’s demise by CY was more awesome than ep 10, dying amongst the Unanimous Assembly in the ring of fire. In ep 9, JM asked for the ice stone and CY delivered. He was dying in isolation and in an unbreakable prison, shriveling up for who knows how long! In the end, his character showed consistency. His last lines summed up his philosophy of the weak and strong. “In a world where those with strength gain greater power, the weak will perish”. He accepted that Jang Uk, as the greater power, and Jin Mu as the weak, while he was perishing into the fire. He laughed at his ironic (second and final) death.
Lady Jin Ho Kyung was also a consistent character. In ep. 10 she showed us viewers what her one job has always been: protecting Jinyowon. She was not afraid of giving up her life in preventing the relics from running wild. She has power, and she wants her clan’s power to pass down to the next leader. Her path of “means to an end” could have been better, e.g. her treatment of CY/JBY for last three years.
OMG @Empress New Clothes, I had all the same thoughts as your Posts. I am just not a good writer.
@Packmule3 – I saw some Posters that said The King Eternal Monarch brought them here, and it’s the same for me. Your write-ups and this community’s comments for TKEM were so good!
I have to say this drama’s ending (and Our Blues) are the top 2 for me for all the K-dramas I have seen. Similar to C-dramas, I find the time to set-up the story is good, but the closing is rushed, dis-connected, and sometimes non-sensical. Yes, I am pointing to you all: Black, Bulgasal, DoDoLaLaSol.
What a finale! I am absolutely satisfied with the ending. Thank you, Hong Sisters-nim for a fairytale ending. Thank you, @packmule3 for the analysis and predictions. Season 3 next???
It went the way I thought it would, and I couldn’t be more happy with the ending.
Still they really tried to worry you.
I guess Lady Jin ended up playing the part of Rockhound in the movie “Armageddon” where he basically goes crazy and even starts shooting a gun at random near a nuclear weapon…but then he kind of redeems himself and he hopes we forgot what we just saw. LOL.
I kind of loved to hate Jin Mu…and I almost miss the psycho. The actor that 0lays his soul switch did a good job…even with that unfortunate natural smirk he has.
I knew Bu Yeon wasn’t going to end up an evil enchantres, but she gets a little justice here as the world’s “savior”. She even admits that she probably did more harm than good. I liked the element of uncertainty to a centuries old soul…she was worried because mages tend to be greedy turds, hung around, and still had to rely on an improbable series of events and tragedies. Or I guess we can call that wtfdeusexmachina.
I kept waiting for Cho Yeoung to ask for her sword back. Then again, she likes being a priestess, and getting carried around my Jang…nothing wrong with that. Well some people probably were hoping she would slaughter people again…but I think she’s had more than enough.
Kim and Park lit up every scene they were in. I’m glad that put a stop to turning young heo into the eternally jealous spurned-girl….way too beautiful and competent for that…her character should have moved on immediately, same for “heartthrob” Yul.
I liked It! Good ending for me.
@ Charles Haynes:
1) Yes – mini cheers when Lady Heo got back her groove (and back to the dating circuit) again! You have always been classy, please stay classy.
2) Kim Doo Jo & Park Jin: her grouses about him baby-sitting the twins and being taken for granted even though they are also newly weds and not being able to go for long vacay is SO SO SO spot-on!
It has this sly and surprising modern-day sensibility that made me LOL.
3) Cho Yeong refusing to train as mage again / forcing Uk to carry her up the tree “for eternity”: LURVE it. I love the realistic comic deflation of audience expectations too. Very meta. Like, c’mon. Are you kidding me? You really want me to be an assassin again in S2?!
4) Random note: AND can I just say — how did Sang-Ho look SO HOT in the last 10 minutes of the finale?? They should have shaved his face clean from Day 1! I foresee future leading male potential on this one. The Force is strong on this one. LOL
Kalimera Ladies and Gentz!
I was thinking what to write after watching the last episode of Part 2. If I think about it, we invested into a dramaverse that lasted 4 months of our lives.
I kinda feel like I did a meta-Phd on AoS. I wrote my thoughts, my theories, we communicated with my B.o.D friends and @Packmule3 gave us her beautiful train of thought. I am happy that most of the times, our thoughts were in tune with each other.
I was thinking the famous quote by Neil Gaiman:
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” (From the book Coraline)
I was so happy when Park Jin incorporated in his words, his ethical code. The scene where he was accused by Jin Mu as a hypocrite because he wanted to save his wife Kim Yeon and the corrupted King and his Unanimous Assembly laughed at him.
Park Jin:
Evil…always does what it wants without ever stopping.
But why is it that virtue always needs to prove itself over and over again?
Yes. I do wish to save her. I would do anything to save her, even if it meant I would lose my sanity. But even so, I will…stop you from getting what you want. Not a single one of you has the right to laugh at me…and call me…a hypocrite.
I have to say that I was so disgusted by all of them. To laugh at a person who thought he lost the love of his life, his wife because of their greed. Of course, Jin Mu the coward he was, stabbed him from behind. Park Jin was fighting and securing the fire bird at the same time.
The other scene that made me teary was the last goodbye Cho Yeong was saying to Jang Uk.
CY: I guess we were never fated to recognize each other at first sight.
JU: My birth led to your father’s death. Then you killed me to avenge him.
You are right. Judging by the fate that we share…we probably should not have met.
Hajiman / BUT…
Fate was not what brought us…to recognize each other at first sight.
We…lightened up each other’s lives when we needed each other the most.
We embraced our shadows that came with it…and chose to love each other.
CY: So now…there is only one reply I can give you in our last moment together.
Saranghe | I love you.
I am keeping that the Hong Sisters gave us a story with very strong messages on love, friendship, family and ethics. The strongest and universal messages are the following:
Love conquers all.
Light along with its Shadow beats the Darkness.
Virtue / Good beats Evil.
And for that I know that it won’t easy to let all those characters go. This story has become one of my dearest and I know that I will be returning from time to time to watch it, like a good book that you cherish and you want to revisit it.
P.S. I will return to discuss some things for the plot. For now, I will just let all these thoughts and emotions to sink.
@charleshaynes, i second hoping to have seen cho young reunite with her sword, but having said that, she chose to be identified with her birth name at the wedding scene (so I guess that just closed the door on a return of naksu the trained assassin). as others have said before me, choice is a grand theme of the show and despite where the choices led our characters through part 1 and 2, the right ones were still made in the end for a satisfying finish.
@ Cleopatra @Fan of TEKM:
Yes agree, AoS is definitely one of my all-time favorites. The last time I acted with such geeky passion and obsession, writing and deconstructing a story was back in….college LOL (a lifetime ago).
P.S. I also love the idea of the “last love letter”
Such a brilliant fitting resolution that entwines and parallels the romances of our OTP with the Savior Couple 203 years ago. Now we finally understand why Master Seo never sent that last love letter to JSR.
It parallels the present day impasse of our OTP: recalling that last memory of Cho Yeong will inevitably spell her demise as well. She will expire, as JSR/Bu Yeon fully awakens and takes over.
YET, that last recovery of memory will also give them both closure and the answer Uk has been pining for, as well as the confession love Yeong has always wished she made: “I love you.” (those were the last thoughts of her dying moments as Naksu, & also as Cho Yeong in S1 &2)
That was the last love letter that she sent out, not just to Uk but also across time retrospectively to JSR (from Master Seo, “the words of the heart”).
With her last breath, Cho Yeong verbalised her love, answered Uk’s burning question, and died.
I finally also can see that parallel to S1 (when an indignant Uk insists “Words of the Heart” be sent to Jinyowon and kept there because it was a private love letter intended for the founder). Unwittingly, he has fulfilled the delivery of the first love letter.
Conversely, the other token of love (Ice Stone) that was kept in Jinyowon all along was inadvertently delivered / sent back to Songrim (when fate has it that it got embedded in Jang Uk, a Songrim mage).
The love letter arc of sending and receiving is complete.
In S2: that same delivery of a love letter is completed when they get married officially and “informed the skies.” (JSR)
And they finally got the answer they have been pining for, when Cho Yeong’s soul was returned to her (thereby fulfilling the final layer of meaning in the Series Title in Korean script -“the Return of the Soul”)
2) Theme of Light & Shadow:
Again, very nicely unfolded in this finale.
First in their names, then in the energy signatures as JSR has identified in them, in their relational dynamics with each other, and finally like “Moon Embracing the Sun”, in how she protects him from the darkness surrounding him.
Thank you, @Fan of TKEM, for answering my question.
@CharlesHayes and @Swiss Postscripts, we were teased with a vision of Naksu slashing away in the previews. I expected to see it at some point in ep. 10. For one, I’m glad it didn’t happen. It was something she was forced into by Jin Mu and ultimately it went against her natural personality. As others have pointed out, she has been given a new skill set which is not the same as Uk’s, but complementary.
@EmpressNewClothes, yes to Sang-Ho, who always had the prettiest eyes in the drama, bar none. Because he was valuable, but largely worked behind-the-scenes, I really didn’t expect him to survive.
I completely missed the identities of the two new mages – they both looked much younger. 🤦♀️😃 Very fitting.
@Empress New Clothes
Your analysis is paramount to say the least – to call it a meta-phD thesis is really fitting and for it I thank you from the bottom of my AoS-fan heart
I think it’s interesting how most viewers were skeptical of season 2 when it was first revealed or thought it was a spontaneous executive decision made to take advantage of season 1’s incredible popularity. However it is crystal clear (to any viewers who have done enough thinking and reached enough analysis) that the 30 episodes across 2 seasons have always been the plan and season 2 added so much values: moral lessons, dilemmas, tensions, exercise of human’s free choice, conflicts (which were underlying in season 1 and are fully fletched out in season 2) and resolutions (that are not only happy but deeply logical and connected to the whole 2-season progression of events/ individual characterisation)
to me for one, season 2 is what makes AoS the no. 1 kdrama in my book (followed by Mr. Sunshine and Goblin)
@cocole883:
Oh no, I think you may be mistaken LOL. The one who is going to write a meta-phD thesis on AoS is @Cleopatra, not I.
I was just doing a listicle of my favorite highlights LOL
Agree with you that they have thought through the blueprint and world-building of AoS. It is actually more apparent in S2; S2 is very tightly written and short-fused, and the pleasure of watching S2 is much more augmented when one is familiar with S1.
The entire AoS canon is deffo one of my all-time favorites. Kudos to the Hong Sisters 🙂
Things we should pay attention to:
AoS Part 1 Episode 1 started with a battle in the lake.
Park Jin along with Songrim’s Mages were fighting against Naksu.
Park Jin used his bow to hit and wound gravely Naksu.
AoS Part 2 Episode 20 ended with a battle in the lake.
Jang Uk, the King’s Star ended the Fire Bird with a water bow. His power was multiplied by the King’s Star along with the seven stars that were accompanying him. So the arrow penetrated the Fire Bird and ended it in the Lake.
In Part 1’s threads I have written about the Seven Stars being the people around Jang Uk. I have written and you can find it for yourselves the six of them, I only missed the 7th one.
1. MuDeok / Jin BuYeon or Jin Seol Ran
2. Cho Yeong / Naksu
3. Seo Yul
4. Park Gu
5. Go Won / The Crown Prince
6. Jin Cho Yeong
7. Sang-Ho
If I was watching this scene without waiting for the epic battle I would have realized sooner that Jin Seol Ran had kept Cho Yeong in limbo.
She was there as well, all along. That’s why she utilized the energy of the seven stars and send it to the arrow of the King’s Stars aka Jang Uk.
Foreshadowing and mirroring scenes. The Hong Sisters really a great job working their dramaverse in a while that many things we saw in Part 1, they were also there in Part 2.
I also wanted to pinpoint that the phrase: “Not a single one of you that Park Jin said last night, it was also said by Jang Uk when Seo Yul felt unconscious after fighting against the Cheonbugwan Mages, while he was trying to save So-I. Like father, like son…
That’s all I wanted to write for now. 😊
@cocole883,
Thank you for your kind words. @Empress New Clothes made the correction first, but I really enjoying being on B.o.D. and contributing with every way that I can to the conversations, theories and questions my fellow B.o.D’ers have had.
I loved AoS for the world building and as a avid Fantasy and SciFi fan, I was happy when this drama started because it was done very precisely. We had to learn the rules and use our knowledge to understand and explain the signs.
Since you were reading quietly since Part 1, as you have realized when I love something, my passion comes out naturally.
Yes the Hong Sisters have built their world to end as it started.
It was planned thorougly and although there were some plot holes, overall they have created a world from scratch that has some rules and hierarcy and they were consistent on that.
The most important aspect when you are creating a new world is to set the rules and how this world works. I think the Hong Sisters did an amazing job in this aspect.
As for their material, they can easily do a spin off.
Are they going to do it?
If they were literature writers they would continue to write more stories in this world until they felt satisfied with it. Since they are script writers, I don’t think they will continue to do so, for the time being.
I am happy that we got to watch this and feel happy about its ending.
Yes, the messages that came through, can make you feel optimistic.
Evil might do harm repeatedly, but Virtue / Good always follows and wins every single time.
@Cleopatra:
1) Yes, I noticed that S2 Fire Bird Finale showdown parallels the opening showdown on the pilot of S1 with Naksu too!
(aside: can I just say one of the greatest pleasures of watching S2 is watching how well they do their mirrored parallelism, variations and inversions? and finding Easter eggs and callbacks LOL)
2) Also, I noted that the Lake Gyeongcheondaeho was frozen over.
Jang Uk is now in his natural element, and so is Jin Seol-Ran.
As one of the 4 great mage dynasties, Uk is always identified with the season Winter, whilst JSR’s name literally means “orchid blooming in white snow.” They reach the apex of their powers together. The stars have truly aligned now.
3) In these 2 scenes, Naksu would be the direct parallel of the Fire Bird.
I once had this fanciful theory about how Naksu and Jang Uk may well be the human avatars and fullest embodiments of what we normally regard as relics (Fire Bird & Ice Stone respectively). I am somewhat glad the writers didn’t go down this path of narration and took a cleaner, more elegant route than I did!
4) Nonetheless, Naksu does symbolize the Fire Bird in a certain way. In many parts of the world, a firebird is synonymous with the phoenix (the symbol of resurrection after death).
And true to form, immediately after this scene when JSR announced that Jang Uk succeeded and the Fire Bird has disappeared, JSR (as Jin Bu Yeon) collapses in exhaustion and her soul drops into the alchemic pool while Cho Yeong’s soul rises up to be resurrected.
5) I take no credit for this, and am going to quote an AoS fan here for her VERY poetic comment on our OTP:
“In part 1 she was last seen turning to stone while he strode out of a funeral pyre of pine logs. She was pulled from the water but she’d become solid rock. He walked out of the fire and turned to ice. We’re set up for the reverse – the stone walls can’t hold her, and he’s going to heat up and reclaim his fiery nature as the King’s Star.”
Personally I LOVE this paragraph by a fellow fan. From water, to stone, to fire, and ice — they have embodied virtually every element of the ice stone, transmuting the realities of alchemy.
And that, to me, speaks of the nature of their love: transcending time, transcending the seasons of life, transcending all its shifting states and faces — and still cleaving tightly to each other beyond death, and back again.
I am just SO SO happy for them. So happy.
@Fern
what a great pickup that the man who brought flowers to the physician could have been Seo Yul because of the broken arm.
One of the reasons I lurk on BoD is that I don’t always make connections until I see them here.
jo3edc
Kalimera @Empress New Clothes
Regarding your comment about Jang Uk and that is identified with the Season Winter, you need to check AoS Part 1’s threads, because @Packmule3 has written after his flogging in Episode 3 that Jang Uk is in tune with the Water Element, and later on Cho Yeong had to do with rocks aka the Earth Element.
That’s why in the Soundtrack the theme that is for Jang Uk is also called:
The Energy of Water. In order to jog your memory, the theme was used in the scene in Part 1 Episode 20 when Jang Uk was resurrected.
I have written since beginning that Jang Uk and Cho Yeong / Naksu had complementary powers. They represented the yin and yan aspect, long before they had the jade eggs. So, throught AoS we saw that.
Later on we found out that Naksu’s real name is Cho Yeong and that Yeong means Shadow, while Uk’s name means Light. So the Hong Sisters worked their union and its meaning from the beginning.
For me it was crystal clear that they are both the Phoenix.
They both died and were came back to life. And yes, Cho Yeong using Jin BuYeon’s body was the Fire Bird that took out the blood parasite from Seo Yul. I have also written those things in the previous threads of Part 2.
So, yes Jang Uk and Cho Yeong / Jin Bu Yeon are the human counterpart of the yin yan aspect or to make it a little funny they are the Jin Jang. *winks*
Things I forgot to mention last night:
1. In the scene where Jang Uk uses his bow to finish the Fire Bird, the Arrow when Jin Seol Ran sent the energy of the Seven Stars / Loyal Companions of Jang Uk was represented with the engravement of Jang Gang’s sword. I will try to post a picture, but it was so profound that Jang Uk will take back that sword,before even the King asked him to become the Gwanju.
2. Let me write some more about what actually happened when the life lanterns of the Queen and the Uncle were turned off and informed Seo Yul’s father that they were dead.
I think the most logical answer is that Seo Yul sent a message himself with a courier bird, as it was shown in Part 1. That’s why his father never came to Daeho fortress. He informed him, that both his Aunt and Uncle were dead because of Jin Mu and that Jang Uk had to deal with him and the Unanimous Commitee. Most likely this scene was edited out and to be honest with you, it was not needed, since we never met Seo Yul’s father anyway.
@Cleopatra, thanks for a theory about the life lanterns and why that was not addressed in the drama. –Probably not enough time and not as important.
I just rewatched S1, episode 5 and laughed when Master Lee asked if they were married. “NO!” Horrified looks. Such a nice return when he becomes the unique witness and officiator of their wedding in S2.
Kalimera my dear @Fern!
I read on MDL that a lot of scenes they had taken they were edited out. So, as it seems it may have happened or it was omitted altogether.
Yes, Master Lee told us that in the end they will marry each other. *grins*
@ Fern:
Yes I love that scene at Danghyangok when Master Lee asked the bickering couple if they are married LOL.
I love that nice circularity and narrative closure that once again, here they are – back at the same hut, in the same village.
Except this time Master Lee isn’t asking, he is TELLING them to get married for goodness sake! LOL so good
@ Cleopatra:
Oh I don’t remember the engravement on Jang Gang’s sword pls do post a pic if you can find it, thanks!
@Empress New Clothes
This is from Part 1 Episode 4
https://64.media.tumblr.com/6ccc4ea81addda4c7abb9ebe7b06002b/35c7d8be2a6b67a9-46/s1280x1920/72ba004ff2fd98e3d30c3ae638ea6bd947af5774.gifv
From offbeatcappucino.tumblr.com
Oh that’s the chamber-pot shenanigans scene LOL.
Random thought: It will be such a sly callback or just great foreshadowing IF S1E6 Mirror of Longing story beat actually comes to pass (in S3 or some AoS Expanded Universe spin-off)
Before the mirror, Jang Uk told Mu-deok he thought of how to keep her by his side forever, by becoming the Gwanju so that she can be the Assistant Gwanju (because she refused to remain by his side as a mere servant girl)
Her answer: “Keeping a soul-shifter by your side as Assistant Gwanju? That is crazy.”
With King Go Won repeatedly calling him back to the Royal Court as his Gwanju, that may well be reality lol
@jo3edc, I’m not sure about it. That’s why I put a “?” in. But it could be a clue.
@Empress New Clothes, that would be a good way to start a new series, or a post-script episode.
There are several things I would enjoy: the CP/King Won with an amusing and wise queen who is as good at double meanings as he is; Sang Ho to have some of his own plotlines; Park Dan Gu and Jin Cho Yeon to have about a dozen boys with nary a girl; adventures with the new recruits.
Here are some humorous ideas for Season 3:
Daeho TV presents these brand new reality shows:
Relic Hunting with Jang Uk and Cho Yeong: 12 relics down, 19 more to go!
Park Jin’s Kitchen – with a special episode on baby food!
More Daeho reality TV:
Train Your Inner Mage with Master Seo Yul
King Go Won is choosing a bride
Raising Magical Twins with Park Dang Gu and Jin Cho Yeon, with special appearance by Mama Jin
@Snowflower, 🤣. How about Master Lee being the host of a dating or marriage compatibility programme?
@snowflower: that’s totally a hoot!
@fern: i would nominate joo-wol and sang-ho as contestants for that reality show.
may I also suggest a project runway-esque show for kim do-joo and the many dresses?
@swiss_postcripts, Joo Wol might be better as a commentator/sub-host since she’s a professional girlfriend of sorts. She’d be very good as dishing the gossip about contestants’ histories and judging them as an onlooker. I really liked her character in the drama. But Sang-ho as a contestant, yes indeedy.
Kim Do Joo would be great in a fashion consultation show. Good plan!
@swiss_posstcripts here are some things I didn’t know about Park So Jin, the actress who plays Joo Wol:
She was the leader of Girl’s Day kpop group,
She studies mechanical engineering at University level,
She was a voice coach for a boys’ group before she debuted.
I recognised her from “Sh**ting Stars” but didn’t know that she was so multi-talented.
@fern: you’re actually right! I’m thinking something like the commentators on terrace house? joo wol did root for/defend/protect the right people, dished the necessary information to propel the characters to act on certain motivations (mostly for Team Good) and also best girlfriend to our female leads. as for sang-ho, i can’t decide if I prefer his contestant look to be from AOS part 1, part 2 or the very last bit of part 2, in ep10!
and also on park so jin, this is the first time that i’ve come across her work, so thank you for that bit of info (maybe I will now go check out sh**ting stars!). tbh I didn’t also know how big minhyun (the actor playing seo yul) was until AOS as well. but I definitely remember seo hye won (so-i in AOS) from business proposal (where she played the hilarious OTT cousin)!
@swiss_postscripts, Seo Hye Won was also in ‘May I Help You’ and she had a mostly comic role there, but stole scenes constantly. She is very good.
I’m not familiar with terrace house – I had to look it up! I was thinking of the sort of panel that observes without participating in a reality TV show. Joo Wol could function as a fly on the wall narrator, the Greek chorus and/or the personal historian.
@Snow Flower: you’re an evil genius and frankly those are really good spin-offs I would pay to watch LOL
1) Many fans are clamoring for the equivalent of The Bachelor – Hunt for a New Queen, OR Cho Yeong doing her “Britain’s Got Talent” spin in the judge’s chair to slam a YES button.
(after all she’s the Interview Panel you cannot rig, cos “I can SEE energies!”)
2) We also thought Ju-wol would be such a great match for the King, cos she knows the grapevine on just about everything in Daeho. (if not love match, maybe his intel Dept Head).
3) Definitely Sang-Ho in the LAST 10 minutes of S2! He is so hot!
(maybe put him on the Extreme Makeover show, or Eye for a (Mage) Guy as contestant.
4) Park Jin & His dishes — I would sign up!
They should throw in a Fear Factor element for food-tasting contestants, since even the most powerful mages quake before his wild card cuisine.
e.g. Last man standing after eating 100 dumplings with dubious fillings — WINS. Like some Mukbang livestream show.
5) Jang Uk can do a relationship column with scenario role-play. I predict the most popular modules will be:
How To Manage Epic Strife with your MIL from hell 201
Setting Boundaries: MIL & Life as Newly-weds 101
@Fern: YES, DG & CY popping baby boys all the way would be such perverse hilarity! Thwarting the Jin dynasty ambitions of Lady Jin hahahaha!
Anyhow Wookie has made DG promise him not to have daughters, cos our OTP are going to. (can you imagine — any girl born to our OTP will really be the MOST powerful person seen in centuries? Who can be her husband then?)
@Empress New Clothes, to your final suggestion – can you imagine having the OTP as your in-laws? The FIL could beat you at anything and the MIL can see your energies? 😫😆
@Fern: OTP as in-laws *faint* (the husband will need regular marital counselling from Master Lee)
BUT I can so imagine a future where:
(a) OTP has a daughter, and King Go Won has a son. The kids grow up as peers and fall in love. That would be the deadliest trifecta union — of divine, mage, and political powers.
But we always need balance to the force.
(b) Scenario 2: down the route of Queen Padme & Anakin Skywalker.
She — a total blueblood; he a talented nobody from Seo Yul’s egalitarian Jeongjingak mage academy. That would be nice too 🙂
@Empress New Clothes. I think I like your 2nd option given how the storyline is going. I believed I commented in Season 1 how the Songrim mages seemed to be a men only club, so it was refreshing that it changed. Balance is good. But I like both ideas.
Oh oh oh, she should have two vying suitors! (conflating Options A & B) For what is a drama, without SLS and angst? LOL
@Packmule3 @Cleopatra:
If either of you are going to write a post-mortem on AoS series, I would really like to read your thoughts and unpacking on:
1) The Catch-22 dilemma of our OTP (upon their mutual recognition)
Initially it felt underwhelming because of the huge anticipation from fans on how this long-awaited reunion will pan out.
But the more I think about it, the more I realise how masterful (and underrated) the writing was.
2) The end our villain met:
Again, lots of fans were thrown off by that “double-death” because there was a lot of expectation of a dramatically satisfying end. But again, once the dust settles I realise they made a very good narrative call, that showed us how coherent their worldbuilding has been.
@Packmule3:
Would really like to go back to AoS S1 and reread the various analyses — is it possible to get the passwords for the protected posts?
Thanks and much appreciated!
I don’t think the Hong sisters are perverse or sadistic. I find their dramas sweet and gentle on the audience, with some dramatic moments of course. But maybe my vision is distorted by other, nastier writers. Like Kim Soon Ok and her makjangs. She’s dedicated her whole life to writing dramas where 90% of the cast are villains. One wonders what she’s been through to get there. But there’s dark humor in what she does, and it’s more likely social satire to laugh at people’s greed, stupidity and nastiness.
As far as the moral actions of the characters are concerned, Hong sisters gives the characters dilemmas, and they manage to act virtuously, even if it means sacrifice.
As for dramas containing immoral actions, I hope viewers are able to distinguish between the two. I like dramas of this kind, and the one I’m writing contains immoral actions. However, just as a virtuous action can lead to a sacrifice, an unethical action can lead to dramatic consequences for the person committing it. The law of karma.
This drama was very good in terms of structure and complexity, subtle dialogues, visual way.
Pm3 noted plot-holes in previous articles, but I was too absorbed to take the time to analyze. So I didn’t find any plot-holes. The mass of information on family lines led me astray. So, I could have been told anything, I could just answer “Ok”.
My main difficulty was the slow pace, with some scenes running too long.
There were a few other little flaws here and there, like people doing useless monologues about what they do, but they didn’t really affect my watching pleasure.
The scriptwriters had to work hard on the information to be conveyed to the characters and audience, having to distill this down as the scenes progressed. Labyrinthic.
When the audience has no information, we have a plot twist based on surprise. The emotional effect is mainly “WOW!” for the audience. Then it has to be explained. Perhaps a little foreshadowing beforehand, but discreet, otherwise the surprise effect is lost.
But for other types of emotion, this drama gave me proof that a set-up is preferable. When a character dies, the effect is sudden, and the audience has very little emotion. Instead, we have the example of Master Jin and Lady Kim.
In an earlier episode, they have a conversation about what they would do if they were trapped in an insurmountable situation, separated, forced to let the other die. This scene smacked of a prediction that this would happen. It’s not even foreshadowing anymore, it’s so apparent. We just don’t know when or where.
It happens in the last episode, and the scene was very moving. Announcing the scene in advance amplified the emotion rather than diminishing it.
I don’t know if you talked about it in an article I didn’t read yet, but:
THE TURTLE!
Gosh, I was puzzled with the first scene with the turtle. It was light comedy, but not crazy funny. I was thinking, maybe this scene is a comedy filler? Warm slice-of-life?
Then… the turtle keep coming again and again in the drama. Sure now, this damn turtle have an important role, on top of making us laugh a bit. It was a magic animal, but it made me think about one of the relics.