Boys Over Flowers: Episode 3

CeeFu2 Comments

Oh my! I think this episode does a lot for character development and interaction.

So, I love the interplay between Jun Pyo and Jan Di (I’m not totally against her….yet…she still has her moments). You can tell that when he calls her a punk and a gangster that it is done from a place of LOVE. He’s so cheeky, that Jun Pyo. He was completely enjoying getting his life saved!  Jan Di has a positive effect on him, he smiles much more, even if he still hasn’t gotten down the correct way to share his feelings of affection. Did you see how tickled he was when he put the ducks in the swimming pool? I thought he was going to fall out of his chair from cackling so much.  He clearly cares about her, but he also relates to her in a completely different way than Ji Hoo. He’s kinda real with his. He insults her, and she gives it right back to him. For some reason, I enjoy this back and forth. Whereas Jan Di’s interaction with Ji Hoo is weird (girl, get off your knees! you could have totally bandaged his finger standing up!)

Ji Hoo and his emotional state, now that’s a different story. I know you think I’m always on Ji Hoo’s side because of his fabulous wardrobe choices, but this time I think that while Ji Hoo is a man responsible for his own choices, I wonder if his association with Min isn’t entirely healthy. I know we briefly mentioned this last time, but I’m with Ji Hoo, “Exactly who are you to him?” Are you the motherly figure, are you a potential girlfriend? Have you been playing Ji Hoo all these years, feeding your own narcissism to have an incredibly rich and attractive man at your beck and call? Min can’t be all, I’m a little jealous of Jan Di, but then continue to STRING JI HOO ALONG!!!! Ji Hoo is a MAN, with MAN feelings, you gotta treat him like a man. So her own kind of vagueness doesn’t help. Is she dumping Ji Hoo on Jan Di? Is she now supposed to fulfill this mother/girlfriend freaky role for him? I’m not really buying that Min is all that torn up about leaving Ji Hoo. C’mon! You know how emotionally fragile that man is!

This is also the episode where I get more interested in the interplay among the boys. Jun Pyo clearly knows that Ji Hoo has a thing for Jan Di, even if Ji Ho doesn’t, so he’s taking every opportunity to throw his ‘relationship’ in his face.  Look, I’ve got my arm around Jan Di!  Look, Jan Di’s in my room!  Yet, they all rush over when there is an emergency, and that emergency is JUN PYO’S WITCH OF A MOTHER!!! You need to prepare yourself, there is a reason why they are all afraid of her. You know it’s bad when Yi Jung can barely pull of his charming wiles. SHE. IS. BAD. Although it tickles me that Jun Pyo refers to her as “the hag,” you notice he doesn’t do it to her face.  She is a piece of work. Even when things are rocky, they rally to each other’s side, and this is why the Boys become more interesting to me than Jan Di.

I also find the class dynamics getting more pronounced: Jan Di is a dry cleaner’s daughter with a ‘commoner’s pride.’ They talk about her like she’s an alien. And yet Jun Pyo is cool with crossing that class barrier.  Interesting.  I wonder if Jan Di’s inability to be feminine is supposed to be yet another marker of her class origins. Do you notice just how uncomfortable she is when they dress her up (and yes, I realize that it is problematic that she is getting dressed, Pygmalion-style, by these boys who try to transform her)? You would think Jan Di never wore a dress in her entire life. What, working-class girls have no femininity? In her drunken state, we do get some insight into her low self-esteem. She really doesn’t think she is smart, pretty or has any redeeming qualities whatsoever.  But I also think that she can be stubborn when it comes to her pride.

Jun Pyo, working on getting into Jan Di’s heart. Did you notice how closely she held those goggles? She just doesn’t know it yet….the problem is, even when she knows it, she will act the same way!

Thoughts?

Boys Over Flowers: Episode 2

embeebee4 Comments

SUCH a good episode! I noticed that they played SHINee’s musical contribution to the soundtrack a lot during this one (which I thoroughly approve of!), so much so that I may have to go and get it. “Whether I’m making you smile…”

Alright, let’s get to business. There’s a LOT in this episode that I liked, and believe it or not I think that this was a very “good” episode for Jun Pyo! Here’s why: the first thing that needs to be addressed is the issue of whether or not he told the “Locker Room Punks” to rape Jan Di, because that’s definitely what they were going for. To me, and my interpretation of his reprimand to them, he did NOT tell them to rape her specifically, but he absolutely wanted them to scare her very, very badly. Um, so since I’ve called them the Locker Room Punks….which locker room are they in, exactly? If it’s a women’s locker room, then what the heck is Ji Hoo doing in there? If it’s a men’s locker room, what’s Jan Di doing there? And I definitely don’t think that “co-ed” locker rooms exist in this high school (or any high school, for that matter).

Second thing to address is Jan Di’s Super Totally Awesome Roundhouse Kick TO THE FACE! Yes, I LOVED this part, both because it’s a definite wake-up call to Jun Pyo but it also means that Jan Di has some fire in her blood! I love that she PHYSICALLY fought back this time! Of course, this is in the beginning stages with the whole discourse of Jun Pyo thinking that, since women say the opposite of what they mean, she is totally in love with him. What that means, in Jun Pyo-speak, is that he’s finally realized that he likes her in some way, shape, or form, but since he can’t consciously realize this he’s letting his “affections” out in other ways. Like kidnapping her and dressing her up. Honestly, that’d really freak me out, too, as soon as I was awake from my chloroform-sleep I’d be running, fancy house be damned!

At first, I was unsure about the “bee attack” that followed Jan Di leaving his house, but I think I have it figured out: I think that little scene is showing what his actions and speech are like after he’s been embarrassed – he both hides his embarrassment behind arrogance and takes it out on the people around him who have “embarrassed” him. I think this is supposed to explain his more violent tendencies, and it’s echoed by Min (I can’t remember the rest of her name!!) at the end of this episode when she says it’s also because he’s lonely. Moving on, another moment of his that I loved was just before the bee attack, when he’s upset and throwing the clothes and shoes on the ground. As Almighty Key has shown us in SHINee’s Hello Baby, bribing people for love with gifts does. not. work. But Jun Pyo is SO UPSET that it didn’t work, that he decides to take his anger out on Jan Di’s shoes. It’s such a beautiful, awkward love moment – you show that shirt who’s boss! The last moment that really caught me for him was his attempt to comfort Jan Di after she gets smacked in the face with the volleyball. Really, I loved that entire scene, but specifically when he says “Don’t cry, it doesn’t suit you.” He LIKES her fiery attitude! He wants her to keep being feisty and spirited! Then she says “I would rather die in blood than be indebted to you” and the look on his face just about killed me. That’s really all I could hear in my thoughts during that moment: “Awwww, BUT LOOK AT THAT FACE! Jan Di, why are you so mean?!” I know why she’s so “mean” at this point, but, as you can tell, Jun Pyo is my man in this show.

Which brings us to Ji Hoo. Of course Ji Hoo would ride around on a cool motorbike and give Jan Di his HUMONGOUS sports shoes to wear, which she would then thoroughly scrub down. Of course. Um, remember back in episode 1 how I was saying that I couldn’t forget what Ji Hoo is like in the manga? I would like to quote, since it happens in this episode, emphasis added: “THEN HE RETREATED INTO AUTISM.” Yes, Ji Hoo is autistic. Or, since he’s so high functioning, has Asperger’s Sydrome. Which I think he still exhibits. Which is why he drives me CRAZY. But apparently he went even deeper into a more extreme autism when his parents died, and somehow Min was able to pull him out of it. Which I don’t think works, because autism definitely is NOT temporary, but then again who’s really taking the time to look into the medical details of Ji Hoo’s past? “She’s his first love, girlfriend, and mother.” Weird.

The last thing I’ll put on here is my Random Question/Observation of the Day: Why……..why is there a mirror directly beneath the showerhead while Jun Pyo is taking a shower after Rugby Practice (a.k.a. Anger Releasing Time)? It’s so weird, I think that’s the third time I’ve seen some show have a mirror in the shower, underneath the showerhead. Is this common in East Asia? Note that I’m totally not mad that it showed him showering. I can appreciate that.

Okay CeeFu, how’s that for my first official post?

Boys Over Flowers: Episode 1

CeeFu4 Comments

You know, some things never get old. Like pimptastic, overindulged Korean privileged boys entering their high school backlight with a halo of light, as they stroll in in suits and ascots.  Oh, yeah, I guess I should say something about Jan Di first.

Yes, she’s plucky (kinda), I know as the audience we are supposed to side with her and her “positive” attitude.  But her habit of being ambivalent isn’t attractive.  F4 treats her badly, like they treat everyone badly in the beginning, but somehow that doesn’t make me like  her more. She’s all for the underdog, but do you see the way she screams at her parents? You know THAT ain’t going down in the average Korean household.

One thing I forgot is that Jan Di also declares war on F4, this is after she finds out they are affluent, and before the real abuse from Jun Pyo really starts. She’s no innocent. And I also forgot how the rest of F4 laughs at Jun Pyo. I think they know he’s got issues, and secretly want Jan Di to beat him down. I also remember thinking, “Jan Di is too trusting of people she shouldn’t trust, and can’t bring herself to trust the people she should.” She calls herself a loner, and so this must explain her utter inability to deal with people in a sane way.  Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Nolan Nabi, what you got?

 

Boys Over Flowers: The Prologue

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I know, I know, I talked about Boys Over Flowers before, but it warrants a revisit, and what better way to do it than with a friend! I have enlisted Nolan Nabi to rewatch the whole pimptastic kdrama again with me, and we will be discussing our thoughts on the good (the pretty boys), the bad (Jun Pyo’s psychotic mother) and the ugly (the completely unsympathetic Jan Di).  Stay tuned!

Really Old-School CSI: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)

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This is obligatory: Andy Lau is the MAN!!! Even when he’s in sucky stuff, you forgive him (at least I did for Resurrection of the Dragon), because for every bad movie he does, there is a decent one coming around the bend. He is the hardest working man in Hong Kong!

Tsui Hark: let’s be real. The man gave us Once Upon A Time in China. But he also gave us Seven Swords (the movie). He can be a little uneven, inconsistent. So in the months before the release of Detective Dee, I was nervous. Can Tsui Hark be the Tsui Hark that we love? It was all hush-hush, with really bad quality video being leaked out. But I decided that I was going to have faith in him…..

AND HE DID!! This is the Tsui Hark we know and love! He is absolutely in his element: using cracktastic special effects with an over the top Saturday matinée story that makes sense!  You go!

I really liked this movie. Is it Citizen Kane? No, and it’s absolutely not meant to be. This is why people (me) fell in love with movies in the first place. The story is not terribly obvious, the special effects make sense, and he does not waste Andy Lau, Carina Lau and Tony Leung Ka Fai in this. Yayz!

I Am Legend: 11-16

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And no I didn’t forget about this kdrama.  In the end, I found it cute, if a little bit odd. Our heroine, Seol-hee achieves her dreams in the end, triumphing over the nasty ex-husband, who comes to see the error of his ways, the ambitious lawyer/mistress, and the evil mother-in-law. The Comeback Madonna experiences a level of success, complete with fans. Everyone’s happy.

Well, nearly everyone. I wonder why this kdrama bothers to even set up the expected love triangle and resolve it in such an unsatisfying way. Why give Seol-hee two options and have her choose neither? Are you trying to say that ahjumma’s don’t deserve love? WHAT???!!!!!!! Also, why imply that there is something between Tae Hyun and Kang, and then not explore it?  Sometimes I did find Seol-hee to be a bit TOO good. At some point, somebody would have caught a bottle to the head. And there is a lot of behavior that never gets addressed. Seung Hye does all sorts of evil things that just float on by. Threatens to take Tae Hyun’s child on a regular basis. If she is so in love with Ji Wook, what does she care who Tae Hyun dates and why? She just WANTS IT ALL. And what drives me crazy is that she really doesn’t think it’s over with Ji Wook.  Get the memo, sister. He’s dumping you. Actually, he’s been playing you for quite some time, you just don’t want to accept it.

Who I really ended up LOVING is Hwa Ja! I love the fact that she is loud, willing to beat somebody down. I love that they put her on bass, in short dresses and knee-high boots. I love that she’s a healthy girl, but doesn’t come off as “the fat one.”  I love that she’s a mom and a wife. She kinda stole the show somewhat when Seol-hee got boring.

So that’s it! Hmmmmm…..what will I watch next?

I Am Legend: Episodes 9-10

CeeFu2 Comments

So the actual divorce proceedings in court were BAD! Where does such nastiness come from? And Ji Wook just sat there and let his witchy lawyer/girlfriend lie in court.  I guess this is why nobody likes lawyers. The mother-in-law gave an excellent performance, portraying someone who actually cares. I wonder if the judge bought her act.  In the end, our heroine does not play dirty, gets her divorce but no money.

Ji Wook does not understand that he has still not learned his lesson. So even though the trial is over, he must feel bad. You paid absolutely no attention to Seoh-hee while you were married, yet you just can’t stay away: meeting her at a cafe to try to give her money (and still insisting she live a quiet life–you are a moron, aren’t you?), showing up at the ER, representing the company that her lawyer is suing. When will you get the hint, Ji Wook? You got unfinished business!!

What is delicious, though, is that Seung Hye is about to get hers. Oh not right now, but she’s about to become used and abused by the Family. I guess she thought that they’d be grateful that she got Ji Wook through the divorce unscathed, but Mama ain’t having that. She’s already told Ji Wook in no uncertain terms that he needs to move on, and not move on to Seung Hye. She is also a moron, and can’t take the hint (maybe they do belong together), because she is still acting like they are destined to be together.  He’s about to treat you like he treated Seol-hee.  Get a grip!

Meanwhile, it now looks like Seol-hee is going to be plucky lawyer assistant by day, rock band maven by night.  Good luck with that!

Love Letter #1 to Kpop

CeeFu4 Comments

Dear Kpop,

How are you? I hope you are well, but I have some concerns about our relationship.

First, you know that all lovers of Kpop are not in Korea, or even Asia, right? You do realize you got people who speak from Spanish and Arabic loving you, right? We are like the people of Whoville in Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who.”  “WE’RE HERE!!” We may not have superlarge numbers, but we are here. And we know our SS501, Super Junior, TVXQ, SNSD, 2NE1, etc. WE KNOW YOU!!  We love you, you need to love us back!!! Come say hi sometime!

Second, you know we love you just the way you are, right? From the aegyo to the sexy, we got your back. So when I actually heard Ayy Girl by JYJ, I was afraid that you were changing, and not in a good way. I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon of Kanye West-haters, but that song should be credited this way: Ayy Girl by Kanye West, featuring JYJ.  That ain’t Kpop! Just because you have Korean boys singing doesn’t make it Kpop!!!! Where is my Korean? I know this is a CONSTANT gripe, but I can’t let it go.  If you aren’t careful, American producers will take the K out of Kpop, and then where will we be?

I know there is a certain kind of value attached to an English language album, but really, English isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. 🙂

Oh and no, I’m not even getting into the Crips-Bloods feud between TVXQ and JYJ. I will tell you this: GET OVER IT!!! You are going to look back and think, “I said WHAT!”  Give TVXQ their credit: Keep Your Head Down is slammin’, especially since they are down THREE sexy men.  JYJ: do your thing, there is enough adoration to go around.

So, Kpop, you just keep being you! We’ll always be here!  Don’t be like Netflix (we are TOTALLY seeing other people!!!)

Love Ya!

I Am Legend: Episodes 3-4

CeeFu2 Comments

SPOILERS!!!!!

Um, who goes to divorce court in hot pants? Ok, maybe they aren’t hot pants, and I know Seol-hee’s wardrobe choices are supposed to represent the freedom she now has as she pursues the rock star lifestyle, but the beginning of the courtroom proceedings were a bit, um, unrealistic?

I don’t know why I’m always amazed at how nasty the mother of sons can be in a kdrama!  Ji Wook’s mother is CRAZED!!!!  I can understand the importance they may place on having a son to be an heir, but does she have to treat Seol-hee like a dog? ALL THE TIME?  And he is no better. He just can’t let well enough alone. He doesn’t want a divorce, he wants a divorce, he wants a divorce and wants to shut Seol-hee up. Hey, why don’t you leave the country to make my life easier. And just when she was about to give in, he (of course) shows his mean self.  I DESPISE the way he talks to her. It’s not just I need you to make a baby. It’s the condescension. Um, Ji Wook, that’s your girl….she wasn’t all “eeewwww” when you got her pregnant! What else is a girl supposed to do but fight back?

And then there are the girls-who-aren’t-girls-girls. That’s right, I’m talking about you, Ran-hee. You are a spoiled brat in need of a beatdown. It’s just all about you. No wonder you have no friends. Even willing to use a friend’s misfortune to make yourself feel better.  Soo-in had your number, early!  And if she wasn’t enough, there is Seung Hye, who doesn’t seem to be over her husband, who is our requisite cutie, Tae Hyun. He’s not bad to look at; I will spare you my shout out to my most recent favorite kdrama man. Ok, NOT!!!!!  STILL lovin’ on Lee Seung Hyo!

I also like how Seol-hee’s girls have her back.  This is excellent!!!  I’ve been there: your friends are engaged in questionable behavior on your behalf, and you get convinced it is a perfectly legitimate thing to do!

I wonder how long the divorce will take?

I Am Legend: Episode 1-2

CeeFu2 Comments

SPOILERS, Y’ALL, SPOILERS!

Ok, you had me at Girl. Rock. Band.  But it’s a kdrama, so there must also be some slaptastic tension going on, usually between some man and some woman.  Oh, but there’s more.

So it  doesn’t start with the girl rock band. It starts with Seol-hee, trapped in a loveless marriage of her own making. And you can see the repression in the first scenes.  Her hair is pulled back so tight it could snap! She literally can’t say anything.  All she is supposed to do is smile and shut up.  Then you see the other side of her, ’cause karaoke brings that out of you.  Once she put a knot in her evening gown, put her 5-inch high heel up on the tabIe, and told two guys she would beat them both at the same time, I knew I was going to like her.

I give her props, she embraces her choices, no whining or complaining.  She puts up with her hateful mother-in-law and her punk-of-a-husband Ji Wook.  But she’s drawing the line when they actually think she is going to be a baby maker instead of saving her sister who has cancer. Seol-hee is like, “Peace out!”  Now of course it won’t be that easy.  Ji Wook, who has political aspirations, won’t give her a divorce. But I think that Seol-hee is about to give her husband’s family a run for their money.

And that would be cool in itself, but there are the other girls in the band. These aren’t teeny-bopper chicks with dreams of making it big. These are ladies who have seen what life has to offer, and still have that exuberance of the young. Especially Hwa-ja.  I know you’ve heard me stay it a million times: SHE’S MY GIRL!!!  Eager sidekick of Seol-hee.

Um, yeah, and there is some attractive guy in here too. I’m sure we’ll get more on him later.

Yeah, you had me at girl rock band.

Running Out of Time (1999)

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Watching Overheard has put me in the mind of some old-school Lau Ching Wan!  Let’s revisit the Double Lau-Lau Ching Wan and Andy Lau!  All month long, post your favorite comments about Running Out of Time!

Ok, I’ve watched the movie, and it just makes me fall for Andy Lau all over again. (Yes, I’ve got a BIG heart!).  I recall that this was my first Lau Ching Wan film, and instantly made me like him.  It holds up well. I thought I remembered what happened, and completely forgot about the Andy in drag scene.  Classic!

What I really like about watching it again is that I catch things I missed the first time, you know, because Andy Lau’s light is so bright.  But it’s a really smart film.  And unlike so many films these days, it doesn’t bog you down with backstory. Get with the program, and catch up!  You gotta watch this film to get it.  It doesn’t treat the audience like idiots.

So, watchu think?

Queen Seondeok: Series Review

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Queen Seondeok: Episodes 1-13

Queen Seondeok: Episodes 14-17

Queen Seondeok: Episodes 18-24

Queen Seondeok: Episode 25

Queen Seondeok: Episode 26-46

Queen Seondeok: Episode 47-51

Queen Seondeok: Episode 52-56

Queen Seondeok: Episode 57-The Bitter End

Queen Seondeok: 57-The Bitter End

CeeFu2 Comments

SPOILERS, Y’ALL, SPOILERS!!

Ok, I’m not surprised. It’s not called the Great Prime Minister Bidam, it’s called the Great Queen Seondeok, and knowing it is historically based, I know how this was probably going to end. But I still have ISSUES!!!

First, I come from the wuxia world, where people don’t have problems messing with actual history. If I was Deokman, I would have taken a page out of The Water Margin, way back when she was Princess Deokman after Cheongmyeong gets shot. I would have gathered Bidam, Yushin and Archeon together, any rogue Hwarang hanging out, and anybody else who was tired of the status quo, and taken it to some impregnable mountain fortress, and told the king: “We out! If the cause is just and righteous, we’ll come and help you out.  Good luck with Mishil!”  Then I would have told, TOLD Yushin:  “Look, I need a general, and you are it. No more doe eyes!”   I would have made Bidam my bodyguard, ’cause he’s cute and handy with a sword and good with sneaky stuff, but I don’t really have any romantic interest him, leaving Archeon to be my  BOO!!!!!!

But I digress. Back to the show. I’ve been reading around the ‘net how they describe Bidam. He’s on a mad quest for power. He wants to be king. He leads a coup (ok, he does that last bit).  First, let’s see what all the fuss is about:

 
Bidam http://www.hs.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=114126085268552&id=288913751479&ref=share)

 

 

I like Bidam.  I’m going to defend Bidam (very capably played by Kim Nam Gil). Remember where we first meet him? Dude was sleeping in a cave and throwing chicken at Yushin. That’s your great villain.  Bidam is very conflicted, abandoned as a child then abandoned by Munno. And Deokman doesn’t help once they get in the palace to help assuage his insecurity. Nobody every gives him a chance: from the get go everybody is like, oooh, he’s dangerous and can’t be trusted.  On side you got rat fink Chunchu (more on him later), on the other side you got Misaeng, Yumjong and the rest of the crazy Mishil crew. Whatever Bidam turns out to be, he didn’t get there by himself. If he and Deokman were just left alone, we could have avoided a lot of this. But we do have a coup, and I have to say, at least there was no whining, no pleading, no running away.  Deokman knew she had to whack Bidam; Bidam knew he was going to get whacked, and he took it like a man, going down swinging!

Let’s talk about others who are responsible for where we end up. I’m talking to you, Great Queen Seondeok! What would have happened if she just whacked Mishil’s crew from the get go? Sure, other ambitious people would have come on the scene and caused trouble, but would they have trained under the most cunning mind of the day? I think not. And they rush past it, but the Queen seems pretty satisfied to use Bidam to her dirty work. I like her, but she ain’t blameless.  She also just stands there and lets countless soldiers get whacked trying to kill Bidam, when all she had to do was say stop, let him say his peace, and execute him with those other punks. But no……

Let’s talk about that pimple Chunchu. How is he any different from Bidam, motivated by unresolved issues in his past? Except that dude makes no bones about wanting the throne the way that he wants it. He never gets over Mishil killing his mom, like he’s the only one who lost  a parent.  And remember he punked Mishil!  He’s not an innocent; he’s got a serious agenda: Gee Bidam, I know you are in love with my aunt, but since I want the throne, you gotta go, by any means necessary!  And can we not forget that he was in on the whacking of Munno? Hello? Rat fink! I hate his smug attitude (although, big props to the teenager who  plays him!).

Let’s talk about Misaeng, Hajong and that wacky crew. I know they eventually get the traitor treatment, but they make it to the end, causing trouble, being nobles. That hardly seems fair.

Which brings me to one thing I learned: you can’t have your love or any kind of a normal life and rule a country. Politics and righteousness and romance don’t mix.  Ask any wuxia swordsman. You don’t see them getting entangled in crazy national issues, and when they do, it NEVER works out:

  • The Legendary Warrior: guys spends most of the series denied his due by royalty, royal woman mostly, and who takes her out? Some royal guard? NO! Swordswoman!
  • Romance of the Red Dust: in addition to the crazy going on in the basements of some official’s homes, when our hero recognizes that the guy he helps get the throne is going to engage in the same type of shenanigans they fought against, he takes his cookies and goes home to live a life of solitude
  • The Young Warriors: we’ve already discussed how the Yangs get dissed by the incompetent emperor, and who has to suffer? our righteous Yang family
  • Shall I go on?
  • The Handsome Siblings: these guys just happen to be born to the wrong parents, and try as they may, they get caught up in some Single Chinese Empress syndrome because she’s obsessed with one of them. This costs both of the siblings EVERYTHING and EVERYONE!
  • Sword Stained with Royal Blood: I know, the title seems self-explanatory, but this is another story where you help new dude get rid of old dude on the throne only to have new dude act even worse and dash your hopes of a better tomorrow.
  • Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain: agent of the government mucking up jiang hu, all for the promise of recognition by the ruler.

If you want to survive and be an upright, fight-for-justice kind of person, and have your love survive, stay away from the palace!  It is not the place for righteous folk who have a cause. As bad as she was, Mishil manages to keep her people alive and safe, even Daenambo, who kills a PRINCESS and lives to tell about it. She worked the palace like Deokman never manages to do. She loses her people to crazy schemes, and it takes its toll.  Mishil don’t look lonely, and Deokman remains so.  It’s not so much that people are bad, it’s the quest for power and more power that drives them to do bad, BAD things. Even Mishil wasn’t going to destroy Shilla to get what she wanted.

Ok, on the up side, my boo Archeon lives!  Once again, let’s see what we’re working with:

 

Archeon http://meylaniaryanti.wordpress.com/2010/01/23/lee-seung-hyo-cute-al-cheon/

 

THAT, is my MAN!!! I love Archeon. I love his character and I love Lee Seung Hyo who plays him.  So, of course, way back in the early episodes, he was just as arrogant as the other Hwarang, but unlike the other Hwarang, he becomes boyz with Yushin after they narrowly escape the battlefield. Anytime things don’t look right, Archeon is like, “This looks shady, I’m not going to be a part of this.” Whenever somebody needs him to something for the cause, he’s there. He doesn’t get much screen time, but he is a righteous man, down to the end, and the only one that Deokman could depend on as Queen because he wasn’t in love with her. And even after Deokman is gone, he’s still on his job!

So that’s it: 62 episodes later.  Is Deokman The Great Queen? Yes she is great! Can’t say the same for some of the flunkies around her. And she’s also great because another woman made her great. MIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!

Queen Seondeok: 52-56

CeeFu2 Comments

SPOILERS, Y’ALL, SPOILERS!!!

Yes, I continue the slow descent to the end of this kdrama! At first I thought it was because I didn’t want to see the inevitable tragedy that was Bidam. But then the show did the fast forward, you know, where everyone “gets older,” signalled by more “adult” hairstyles for women and goatees for men!  And I realized, just because Mishil is gone doesn’t mean that the palace intrigue stops! But there’s something icky about the series now. Gone are the plucky rebel days when Seondeok and her ragtag crew were battling Mishil.  Now, everybody’s got an agenda, a plan, a motive and is liable to whack somebody if the need arises.

This is what I’m feeling so far: um, Queen Seondeok is nothing like Princess Seondeok! Queen Seondeok has some hard, high-riding attitude going on! Like she took a page out the Mishil playbook! I have to say, I do like the way she’s pimp-slapping the Bokya around–somebody needs to put them in their place. News alert: you Gaya folk need to get with the program; your country is gone and it’s not coming back.  And she actually gets mad at Yushin! You know in the end, he’s her boy, but still.

And as always, there is my beloved Archeon, just hanging out as the Queen’s guard, chillin’ in the cut. I love that man (Lee Seung Hyo)!

I’m going to try to barrel through to the end so I can write the wrap-up entry, because I got some opinions about Bidam as well as about the whole royal thing in general. I think Bidam is getting a bad rap. I don’t think he’s a bad man, I just think he got put in some really BAD circumstances.  Could he have responded to them better? Probably. Is he alone in responding to circumstances in a bad way? Not at ALL!