11 Comments On “Our Blooming Youth: Eps 7 & 8 Open Thread”
Cleopatra
Thank you @Packmule3!
Let us see what it will happen tonight!
Cleopatra
Anneyong!
Episode 7 didn’t give us info about what is happening, but we get to see our Main Leads being separated.
The Maiden is furious with the Crown Prince who accused her and didn’t want to listen to her. On the other hand, the CP just followed his father’s advice. Trust noone.
They are both unhappy of course and I am glad he hears her angry remarks about him. At least she continues to be herself.
Regarding the mystery, we have peonies burned as incense in the Shaman’s house and the name of Oh Wol that was mentioned from the Tavern Keepers’ couple.
So far the white hair of the Shaman and the deceaased Shim Young is not connected nor they have connected it.
Also, the CP made a mistake, he promised to the Sergeant that he will return to him the Maiden, BUT I don’t think so… 😁😋
BethB
@Cleopatra I can’t believe that no one noticed that the brother—a young man in his early 20s (or late teens)—had white hair! They need to explain that… unless it later comes to light that the investigators of his suicide were part of a wider cover-up/conspiracy.
In other historicals I’ve watched, people are forced to confess or lie with the threat of harm to their families. But the FL’s adopted brother didn’t appear to have any other family (assuming he was the boy the FL saved at the beginning). So I can’t imagine what led him to the false confession about the FL or the suicide note.
As for the peonies: I looked up the botanical properties of peonies. They are slightly toxic—they can cause diarrhea but not throwing up blood! Also the peonies I’ve grown have been heavily scented when blooming, so I thought it was strange that the foursome investigating the dried peonies said that the flower is not known for its scent. I don’t think they are hallucinogenic either.
Cleopatra
Kalimera @BethB!
Yes, it is so curious that noone is referring to this fact! I mean the soldier should say this to the Crown Prince, if he had seen the body. Instead they were saying that he was looking like a crazy one for the Maiden inside the empty house.
If we want to interpret that, he could be drugged and with hallucinations before he died!
I believe that the peony is the trademark of the Sect we are looking for.
Those who are involved are burning peonies as a sign i.e. in order every member to recognize each other. At the same time, it could also mean that whoever they are targeting they are using peonies along with another substance that is a hallucinogenic agent.
The Maiden cannot remember properly what happened when her family was murdered, not only because of the trauma, she was also drugged!
The peony means that her family was targeted and the poison would be on their food. Hence the burning peonies in the kitchen. WHO put them there from the people who were in the household?
Since the adopted brother said so, he was involved somehow and then the mastermind behind the murders, made him commit suicide.
This is how I see the whole thing:
There is the Head Shaman that went to the Maiden’s hometown to pray and somehow got wicked. Her hair turned into white within a month. In the meantinme, she committed murders, while murmuring a incomprehensible Prophecy. The peonies were in the Head Shaman’s house.
Then, we found out that the peonies made an appearance the day the Maiden’s family was murdered.
So until now, the peonies can be seen as a symbol used in crime scenes!
Since they didn’t look for more clues when Shim Young hung himself, we cannot know if there were peonies in his crime scene as well.
BethB
Greetings! It’s so fun to discuss a drama originating across the Pacific (in South Korea) with someone who is across the Atlantic Ocean from me! For these purposes, the Internet is a blessing.
I’m glad you’ve analyzed the peonies and how they are being used by the cult(?) to signal their influence/involvement at the crime scenes. (I was only looking up the properties of peonies to determine if they could poison or intoxicate people so we could move on from there if it wasn’t true.)
I looked up the meaning of peonies–specifically, red peonies since the dried flowers appeared to have been red when alive, and this is what I found:
“(The red peony) represents respect, honor, abundance, and wealth. It’s enormously meaningful in that regard. In fact, the humble peony was the preferred flower of Chinese royalty, and they would often use the red flower to accent their gardens and add color and personality to their balconies. In China, red symbolizes royalty, and it was this hue that most often made an appearance in regal circles.” [from: https://urbanstems.com/blog/guide/peony-color-meaning%5D
So I’m wondering if the peonies appeared in the original Chinese novel and if Chinese readers would have been aware of this symbolism? If anyone here has read the novels, can you tell us if the peonies appeared there (but please no major spoilers if revealing anything about them would give away too much of the plot).
While it’s fun to analyze the crimes along with the maiden, what I’ve most enjoyed about this show is seeing the comradery among the FL, her maid, and the coroner/chemist, with Scholar Park along for the ride. Right now Myung-jin (the coroner) is my favorite character.
It would be easy to compare this to The Forbidden Marriage, a show that I overall found more fun to watch. But what I appreciate about this show is that I think Park Hyung-sik is a stronger ML/actor than Kim Young-dae (though Park Ju-hyun was a stronger FL). And I don’t have SML syndrome at all with this one (it was painful in TFM!). The SML seems to be a chauvinist and I don’t think the FL would have had a happy marriage with him.
Cleopatra
Kalispera! Episode 8 was awesome and loaded with lots of information!
BTW, @BethB I will answer to you later on!
Finally, the cases are connected! And the Crown Prince noticed the similaries of the white hair between the Head Shaman and the late Shim Young’s suicide report! He was also the one who made the connection that the Mastermind behind his “curse” and the Maiden’s case is the same one!
We also “saw” the person who is in a higher rank in the conspiracy. So far, we heard his voice and I can assure you that it is not a character/ person we have encountered so far.
We have a soldier in the Royal Guard who took orders from that Court Lady and most likely, the uniform he wore while vising the Head Shaman was most likely stolen from the Royal Guards or that Royal Guard gave it to him.
So, THAT man brought a knife and an amur viper to the Head Shaman who bowed her head with respect to the Mastermind behing the Ghost and the Royal Curse masterplan.
It was good to see that the Crown Prince realized the connection between his case and his Master’s murder.
We also know that the plum tree on fire is still on fire because they threw an agent that cannot be exstinguished only by water.
CHEMISTRY as @Packmule3 would have said !
So, we have a conspiracy that runs deep not only inside the Palace, but around the City and Provinces, since those ninja made an appearance again in order to share the 4 letter that completed the phrase in the killings.
Also, we need to more information regarding the SONG family the Head Shaman mentioned in her Prophecy. Were they deposed by the Previous King or his Subjects or both?
Kim Myung-Jin’s teacher is somehow involved. Did you look his face when GaRam asked him about the red fish? Is he really that old OR is it simply a mirage and he is younger?
The Right Minister was in shock when the Head Shaman also threatened the Grand Prince. That means, the Right Minister and his minions targets only the current Crown Prince, as the Left Minister does.
So far we have :
1. The officials who want to control Seja
2. The officials who want to depose Seja and
3. The Mastermind behind the Curse and Prophecy who want to eradicate the whole Yi / Lee Royal Family.
The reason they killed the Maiden’s Family is still unclear, but it is all connected.
Cleopatra
Hey @BethB! Greeting from the Mediterranean Sea! Those are the good things the Internet gave us indeed!
I am glad that Seja / the Crown Prince also added the peonies as evidence in their connecting case.
He said the amur poison, the peonies, the white hair, his curse and his Master’s family murders are connected. He and the Maiden are being targeted by the same people.
So the conspiracy is bigger than we thought before!
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen on BoD, the Fine Ladies that have read the Novels to comment on the threads! I do hope they will come and give us some information regarding what is happening so far, although my hunch is that the jakkanim is using the material from the books, in her own unique way, aka she altered it.
I am also glad that Tae-Gang is not betraying Seja Lee Hwan’s trust. I was pretty sure since the beginning that was a red herring and I was right.
Since I haven’t watched the Forbidden Marriage, I cannot say much. I love their comaraderie very much and I enjoy their shenanigans.
Kim Myung-Jin as a character is priceless! I do hope that he will marry GaRam in the end!
Park Hyung Shik is the reason I am watching this drama and I am rooting for his character to get the girl. Simple as that! LOL 😁😅😂
Koalatown
@BethB. I do believe the writernim has chosen bits and pieces to include which are also a bit convoluted to account for a lot of the larger changes. As far as I know peonies are not in the book with any significance. The fish are. She may be taking some elements of the fish and merging or augmenting with the peonies.
In the book there was another group/clan trying to gain control of the country which the ML was instrumental during a large battle to defeat and kill the leader of that rebellion. The killed leader was the supposed “ghost” that cursed the prince and sent a mysterious message which was far more succinct with only 3 words- widowed, lonely and diseased. Sadly the actual battle was just referenced in the past and why the prince had been strongly favored after the war to be the CP but later events in the books due to the “curse”diminish his reputation/prestige.
My guess is that this Song family will be some prior ruling family of a prior rebellion group wanting to return to power (maybe had been crushed by the king). Now whether the writer will deviate from who was behind all of it is unknown.
In the book the FL did have a teenage like romance with the guy who was supposed to be her adopted brother. They only vaguely refer to their blushing love. Sounded like innocent first love from her eyes prior to the killing of her family with poison during a meal she served as in the show. I think to keep the Korean purity of first and only true love the writer erased the love component.
Overall I agree that the writer is trying to use MJ and coroner as the pragmatic people to solve the mysteries/crimes with science/logic/chemistry and overcome superstition. The book also shows that too. Although I do think the writer tends to forget and brings in some odd elements that come across as supernatural such as the lighting suddenly appearing and timed when the king was going to kill the shaman as well as the black plume that seem to possess the shaman earlier. Maybe it’s to make it more dramatic of a watch.
I think it may have been hard to understand how Seja could so quickly trust MJ and then appear to do a 180 after reading the suicide note. Originally I think he has been so lonely and paranoid that she was the first Ray of sunshine in his very dark and bleak life so he grabbed onto it quickly. It must have been devastating to read that suicide note and have all that apparent relief evaporate.
I appreciate that the writer used the conversation on the bridge to explain and it was MJ who told Seja that although he was harsh to abandon her and throw her out of the eastern palace she could see his perspective and reasons. Even though he was quick to anger at the perceived betrayal, in his heart of hearts he must not have believed she was a murderer since he didn’t immediately imprison her but sent her away from him. He even expected that she would sleep in the library and didn’t anticipate his guard locking her out. I think it also shows that he has a soft heart but has been forced to hide it/actively harden it to survive (only made worse by the curse and his arm injury). The dialogue with his dad gave some insight into his constant battle to stay in a position of power amongst all the backstabbing ministers who just want to take him down. How sad that his dad told him to rehabilitate his arm injury himself in secret or else if it’s still a problem and people find out, his dad has no qualms about dethroning him. Tough love to the max.
Of note in the book the father is dead and the older brother is the king. There is no trust issue between FL and ML in the book but he plays a fairly supportive role for most of book 1. He does fall first in the book and fairly early he is admiring her beauty since he knew she was a girl from the beginning. He doesn’t act on it or tell her and she is slower to realize hers. In the book the fiancé and prince know each other but aren’t besties so none of this long angst about a potential betrayal.
I really enjoy the show so far. I find the coroner and his assistant to be a fresh of breath air although it can be a bit jarring flipping from the intense dark palace/power struggle to lighter funnier scenes about the coroner’s doomed betrothing. When Seja goes and interacts with them too I think it’s so nice to see him sort of let down his guard. His fish out of water tropes as a commoner works as a source of humor for me. How insightful of the coroner to realize that scholar park came to deliver the flowers because he missed someone but he was a bit off target as to whom.
Koalatown
*sorry I noticed I use MJ for FL since character’s name is Min Jae-yi, but the coroner’s initials could also be MJ since his name is Myung-jin.
Welmaris
@Koalatown, I’m also bothered by how the show seems to be backtracking from the worldview that phenomena can be explained by scientific inquiry. Early on the FL firmly declares “there’s no such thing in this world as ghosts.” Our Scooby Doo group does their mystery busting from the premise that they’ll find their answers in the natural world, not supernatural. Then all of a sudden we see the shaman being encircled by, then swallowing a stream of dark smoke while a disembodied voice teaches her the malevolent prophecy. When I saw that scene, I shrugged my shoulders and assumed we were seeing her perspective of an experience she had while under the influence of an hallucinogenic, and that the voice we heard uttering the prophecy came from a real person, in hiding. We saw that the Crown Prince had repeating nightmares because he was exposed to the concoction burning as he slept. The fact that the nightmares repeated could be explained by the hallucinogen leaving the victim susceptible to suggestion, like a person under hypnosis.
In the case of the Crown Prince’s nightmares, they stopped when he was no longer exposed to the smoke from whatever had been burning as he slept. In the case of the shaman, the results of her exposure to mind-altering smoke appear long term, as she is still fully convinced of the validity of the prophecy–to the point of self harm–even when she isn’t in the presence of the burning substance. Once she was arrested and held in jail, could something have been burned to affect her without the guards noticing or also being affected? I think not.
Where I most am baffled by the screenwriter’s worldbuilding is during the shaman’s interrogation, when she goes into a trancelike state. That seems to run counter to the concept of all things having a logical explanation. And her dramatic death by viper bite…come on! An agitated snake could have bitten her at any time through that cloth bag tucked in her clothing. To have the snake escape the bag at just the right time, coil around her neck and tighten like a boa, conveniently leave a bite mark where it could be seen by onlookers, then coolly slither toward a standing human rather than try to escape…it was all terribly unnatural. And a thunderstorm arising precisely at a climactic moment is a trope connected to supernatural activity. So I take points off for the screenplay not being consistent in its worldview.
Koalatown
@Welmaris haha. Maybe there was a snake charmer hidden somewhere who also has control of lighting. Was there thunder too? Also how did they target that plum tree with “lighting” to put it on fire and presumably doused it ahead of time with oil? I hope there is some science to explain all although I can suspend my disbelief and just roll with it if I get more polo games and Scholar Park and scooby doo investigating team.
Thank you @Packmule3!
Let us see what it will happen tonight!
Anneyong!
Episode 7 didn’t give us info about what is happening, but we get to see our Main Leads being separated.
The Maiden is furious with the Crown Prince who accused her and didn’t want to listen to her. On the other hand, the CP just followed his father’s advice. Trust noone.
They are both unhappy of course and I am glad he hears her angry remarks about him. At least she continues to be herself.
Regarding the mystery, we have peonies burned as incense in the Shaman’s house and the name of Oh Wol that was mentioned from the Tavern Keepers’ couple.
So far the white hair of the Shaman and the deceaased Shim Young is not connected nor they have connected it.
Also, the CP made a mistake, he promised to the Sergeant that he will return to him the Maiden, BUT I don’t think so… 😁😋
@Cleopatra I can’t believe that no one noticed that the brother—a young man in his early 20s (or late teens)—had white hair! They need to explain that… unless it later comes to light that the investigators of his suicide were part of a wider cover-up/conspiracy.
In other historicals I’ve watched, people are forced to confess or lie with the threat of harm to their families. But the FL’s adopted brother didn’t appear to have any other family (assuming he was the boy the FL saved at the beginning). So I can’t imagine what led him to the false confession about the FL or the suicide note.
As for the peonies: I looked up the botanical properties of peonies. They are slightly toxic—they can cause diarrhea but not throwing up blood! Also the peonies I’ve grown have been heavily scented when blooming, so I thought it was strange that the foursome investigating the dried peonies said that the flower is not known for its scent. I don’t think they are hallucinogenic either.
Kalimera @BethB!
Yes, it is so curious that noone is referring to this fact! I mean the soldier should say this to the Crown Prince, if he had seen the body. Instead they were saying that he was looking like a crazy one for the Maiden inside the empty house.
If we want to interpret that, he could be drugged and with hallucinations before he died!
I believe that the peony is the trademark of the Sect we are looking for.
Those who are involved are burning peonies as a sign i.e. in order every member to recognize each other. At the same time, it could also mean that whoever they are targeting they are using peonies along with another substance that is a hallucinogenic agent.
The Maiden cannot remember properly what happened when her family was murdered, not only because of the trauma, she was also drugged!
The peony means that her family was targeted and the poison would be on their food. Hence the burning peonies in the kitchen. WHO put them there from the people who were in the household?
Since the adopted brother said so, he was involved somehow and then the mastermind behind the murders, made him commit suicide.
This is how I see the whole thing:
There is the Head Shaman that went to the Maiden’s hometown to pray and somehow got wicked. Her hair turned into white within a month. In the meantinme, she committed murders, while murmuring a incomprehensible Prophecy. The peonies were in the Head Shaman’s house.
Then, we found out that the peonies made an appearance the day the Maiden’s family was murdered.
So until now, the peonies can be seen as a symbol used in crime scenes!
Since they didn’t look for more clues when Shim Young hung himself, we cannot know if there were peonies in his crime scene as well.
Greetings! It’s so fun to discuss a drama originating across the Pacific (in South Korea) with someone who is across the Atlantic Ocean from me! For these purposes, the Internet is a blessing.
I’m glad you’ve analyzed the peonies and how they are being used by the cult(?) to signal their influence/involvement at the crime scenes. (I was only looking up the properties of peonies to determine if they could poison or intoxicate people so we could move on from there if it wasn’t true.)
I looked up the meaning of peonies–specifically, red peonies since the dried flowers appeared to have been red when alive, and this is what I found:
“(The red peony) represents respect, honor, abundance, and wealth. It’s enormously meaningful in that regard. In fact, the humble peony was the preferred flower of Chinese royalty, and they would often use the red flower to accent their gardens and add color and personality to their balconies. In China, red symbolizes royalty, and it was this hue that most often made an appearance in regal circles.” [from: https://urbanstems.com/blog/guide/peony-color-meaning%5D
So I’m wondering if the peonies appeared in the original Chinese novel and if Chinese readers would have been aware of this symbolism? If anyone here has read the novels, can you tell us if the peonies appeared there (but please no major spoilers if revealing anything about them would give away too much of the plot).
While it’s fun to analyze the crimes along with the maiden, what I’ve most enjoyed about this show is seeing the comradery among the FL, her maid, and the coroner/chemist, with Scholar Park along for the ride. Right now Myung-jin (the coroner) is my favorite character.
It would be easy to compare this to The Forbidden Marriage, a show that I overall found more fun to watch. But what I appreciate about this show is that I think Park Hyung-sik is a stronger ML/actor than Kim Young-dae (though Park Ju-hyun was a stronger FL). And I don’t have SML syndrome at all with this one (it was painful in TFM!). The SML seems to be a chauvinist and I don’t think the FL would have had a happy marriage with him.
Kalispera! Episode 8 was awesome and loaded with lots of information!
BTW, @BethB I will answer to you later on!
Finally, the cases are connected! And the Crown Prince noticed the similaries of the white hair between the Head Shaman and the late Shim Young’s suicide report! He was also the one who made the connection that the Mastermind behind his “curse” and the Maiden’s case is the same one!
We also “saw” the person who is in a higher rank in the conspiracy. So far, we heard his voice and I can assure you that it is not a character/ person we have encountered so far.
We have a soldier in the Royal Guard who took orders from that Court Lady and most likely, the uniform he wore while vising the Head Shaman was most likely stolen from the Royal Guards or that Royal Guard gave it to him.
So, THAT man brought a knife and an amur viper to the Head Shaman who bowed her head with respect to the Mastermind behing the Ghost and the Royal Curse masterplan.
It was good to see that the Crown Prince realized the connection between his case and his Master’s murder.
We also know that the plum tree on fire is still on fire because they threw an agent that cannot be exstinguished only by water.
CHEMISTRY as @Packmule3 would have said !
So, we have a conspiracy that runs deep not only inside the Palace, but around the City and Provinces, since those ninja made an appearance again in order to share the 4 letter that completed the phrase in the killings.
Also, we need to more information regarding the SONG family the Head Shaman mentioned in her Prophecy. Were they deposed by the Previous King or his Subjects or both?
Kim Myung-Jin’s teacher is somehow involved. Did you look his face when GaRam asked him about the red fish? Is he really that old OR is it simply a mirage and he is younger?
The Right Minister was in shock when the Head Shaman also threatened the Grand Prince. That means, the Right Minister and his minions targets only the current Crown Prince, as the Left Minister does.
So far we have :
1. The officials who want to control Seja
2. The officials who want to depose Seja and
3. The Mastermind behind the Curse and Prophecy who want to eradicate the whole Yi / Lee Royal Family.
The reason they killed the Maiden’s Family is still unclear, but it is all connected.
Hey @BethB! Greeting from the Mediterranean Sea! Those are the good things the Internet gave us indeed!
I am glad that Seja / the Crown Prince also added the peonies as evidence in their connecting case.
He said the amur poison, the peonies, the white hair, his curse and his Master’s family murders are connected. He and the Maiden are being targeted by the same people.
So the conspiracy is bigger than we thought before!
Unfortunately, I haven’t seen on BoD, the Fine Ladies that have read the Novels to comment on the threads! I do hope they will come and give us some information regarding what is happening so far, although my hunch is that the jakkanim is using the material from the books, in her own unique way, aka she altered it.
I am also glad that Tae-Gang is not betraying Seja Lee Hwan’s trust. I was pretty sure since the beginning that was a red herring and I was right.
Since I haven’t watched the Forbidden Marriage, I cannot say much. I love their comaraderie very much and I enjoy their shenanigans.
Kim Myung-Jin as a character is priceless! I do hope that he will marry GaRam in the end!
Park Hyung Shik is the reason I am watching this drama and I am rooting for his character to get the girl. Simple as that! LOL 😁😅😂
@BethB. I do believe the writernim has chosen bits and pieces to include which are also a bit convoluted to account for a lot of the larger changes. As far as I know peonies are not in the book with any significance. The fish are. She may be taking some elements of the fish and merging or augmenting with the peonies.
In the book there was another group/clan trying to gain control of the country which the ML was instrumental during a large battle to defeat and kill the leader of that rebellion. The killed leader was the supposed “ghost” that cursed the prince and sent a mysterious message which was far more succinct with only 3 words- widowed, lonely and diseased. Sadly the actual battle was just referenced in the past and why the prince had been strongly favored after the war to be the CP but later events in the books due to the “curse”diminish his reputation/prestige.
My guess is that this Song family will be some prior ruling family of a prior rebellion group wanting to return to power (maybe had been crushed by the king). Now whether the writer will deviate from who was behind all of it is unknown.
In the book the FL did have a teenage like romance with the guy who was supposed to be her adopted brother. They only vaguely refer to their blushing love. Sounded like innocent first love from her eyes prior to the killing of her family with poison during a meal she served as in the show. I think to keep the Korean purity of first and only true love the writer erased the love component.
Overall I agree that the writer is trying to use MJ and coroner as the pragmatic people to solve the mysteries/crimes with science/logic/chemistry and overcome superstition. The book also shows that too. Although I do think the writer tends to forget and brings in some odd elements that come across as supernatural such as the lighting suddenly appearing and timed when the king was going to kill the shaman as well as the black plume that seem to possess the shaman earlier. Maybe it’s to make it more dramatic of a watch.
I think it may have been hard to understand how Seja could so quickly trust MJ and then appear to do a 180 after reading the suicide note. Originally I think he has been so lonely and paranoid that she was the first Ray of sunshine in his very dark and bleak life so he grabbed onto it quickly. It must have been devastating to read that suicide note and have all that apparent relief evaporate.
I appreciate that the writer used the conversation on the bridge to explain and it was MJ who told Seja that although he was harsh to abandon her and throw her out of the eastern palace she could see his perspective and reasons. Even though he was quick to anger at the perceived betrayal, in his heart of hearts he must not have believed she was a murderer since he didn’t immediately imprison her but sent her away from him. He even expected that she would sleep in the library and didn’t anticipate his guard locking her out. I think it also shows that he has a soft heart but has been forced to hide it/actively harden it to survive (only made worse by the curse and his arm injury). The dialogue with his dad gave some insight into his constant battle to stay in a position of power amongst all the backstabbing ministers who just want to take him down. How sad that his dad told him to rehabilitate his arm injury himself in secret or else if it’s still a problem and people find out, his dad has no qualms about dethroning him. Tough love to the max.
Of note in the book the father is dead and the older brother is the king. There is no trust issue between FL and ML in the book but he plays a fairly supportive role for most of book 1. He does fall first in the book and fairly early he is admiring her beauty since he knew she was a girl from the beginning. He doesn’t act on it or tell her and she is slower to realize hers. In the book the fiancé and prince know each other but aren’t besties so none of this long angst about a potential betrayal.
I really enjoy the show so far. I find the coroner and his assistant to be a fresh of breath air although it can be a bit jarring flipping from the intense dark palace/power struggle to lighter funnier scenes about the coroner’s doomed betrothing. When Seja goes and interacts with them too I think it’s so nice to see him sort of let down his guard. His fish out of water tropes as a commoner works as a source of humor for me. How insightful of the coroner to realize that scholar park came to deliver the flowers because he missed someone but he was a bit off target as to whom.
*sorry I noticed I use MJ for FL since character’s name is Min Jae-yi, but the coroner’s initials could also be MJ since his name is Myung-jin.
@Koalatown, I’m also bothered by how the show seems to be backtracking from the worldview that phenomena can be explained by scientific inquiry. Early on the FL firmly declares “there’s no such thing in this world as ghosts.” Our Scooby Doo group does their mystery busting from the premise that they’ll find their answers in the natural world, not supernatural. Then all of a sudden we see the shaman being encircled by, then swallowing a stream of dark smoke while a disembodied voice teaches her the malevolent prophecy. When I saw that scene, I shrugged my shoulders and assumed we were seeing her perspective of an experience she had while under the influence of an hallucinogenic, and that the voice we heard uttering the prophecy came from a real person, in hiding. We saw that the Crown Prince had repeating nightmares because he was exposed to the concoction burning as he slept. The fact that the nightmares repeated could be explained by the hallucinogen leaving the victim susceptible to suggestion, like a person under hypnosis.
In the case of the Crown Prince’s nightmares, they stopped when he was no longer exposed to the smoke from whatever had been burning as he slept. In the case of the shaman, the results of her exposure to mind-altering smoke appear long term, as she is still fully convinced of the validity of the prophecy–to the point of self harm–even when she isn’t in the presence of the burning substance. Once she was arrested and held in jail, could something have been burned to affect her without the guards noticing or also being affected? I think not.
Where I most am baffled by the screenwriter’s worldbuilding is during the shaman’s interrogation, when she goes into a trancelike state. That seems to run counter to the concept of all things having a logical explanation. And her dramatic death by viper bite…come on! An agitated snake could have bitten her at any time through that cloth bag tucked in her clothing. To have the snake escape the bag at just the right time, coil around her neck and tighten like a boa, conveniently leave a bite mark where it could be seen by onlookers, then coolly slither toward a standing human rather than try to escape…it was all terribly unnatural. And a thunderstorm arising precisely at a climactic moment is a trope connected to supernatural activity. So I take points off for the screenplay not being consistent in its worldview.
@Welmaris haha. Maybe there was a snake charmer hidden somewhere who also has control of lighting. Was there thunder too? Also how did they target that plum tree with “lighting” to put it on fire and presumably doused it ahead of time with oil? I hope there is some science to explain all although I can suspend my disbelief and just roll with it if I get more polo games and Scholar Park and scooby doo investigating team.