[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[daunte29]

KBSW Ep 60 - cue song by Freddie Mercury....I WANT TO BREAK FREE, sings both Doyeong & Asin.

WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED EP 60.

From the moment the episode began, we are reminded that

1. Doyeong's in enemy territory (which to me means she's there not as a hostage but really, she's been reduced to a state-less queen.)

2. she's the daughter of a traitor (which the narrow-minded writers want us to sustain the delusion that sons/daughters of criminals are no better than their parents)

Then even when Damdeok says READ MY SEXY LIPS - I WANT HER BACK...guess who was the first to protest? Yup...Ha-Ha Muji who insists DY's return would destabilize the court.... oh really? the poor girl is not an avian-flu virus, you know.

But what can we expect from HMJ whose sole soul companion is another guy? Funny how strategists in sageuks are usually never happily married with 4-6 kids and a portly wife waiting for them at the end of the day but rather strategists are portrayed as being 'married' to their job, the state, their ruler and their encyclopedias but not necessarily in that order.

The scene suddenly shifts to Yakyeon who together with her eunuchs & escorts numbering about 30 standing outside Damdeok's office, ALL quietly holding their collective breath when tears start dripping down her left cheek as she hears everything we viewers just heard - Doyeong is alive but not necessarily kicking in the enemy state.

For added 'shocked' effect, she even stumbles a bit in a dazed fashion - but really, any queen wearing that gigantic wig on her head weighed down by adornments which are bigger than what you'd put on a Xmas tree, would find it tricky to tiptoe away with springy steps.

Nonetheless Yakyeon knows DY's still alive but DD doesn't yet know that she knows - it only confirms once again that even palace doors (& walls) in Korean dramas are so paper thin you could even hear lizards singing, WITHOUT even having to put your ear to the door.

Anyway in the face of even more protests (next was Yeon Salta), DD then gives a brilliant excuse why DY should come back to Goguryeo - yes. he knows she' s a traitor's daughter but before that SHE WAS HIS WIFE - BRING HER BACK FIRST, then he'll think about what to do. NOBODY WILL STOP ME.

Put simply. PLAN A is bring her back. PLAN B is bring her back....err quickly. PLAN C is after she's back, then we figure out. And that's why DD's plan as simple as ABC. It's those court officials who over-complicate matters with their pesky questions.

So after both HMJ & Yeon put on sad puppy-dog faces upon hearing Damdeok's doggedness, luckily for us viewers, the writers gave the job of locating and bringing DY back: to Miss Seol Ji - actually she volunteered to parachute into enemy territory, then search from house to house, and do what she has to do accompanied by a team of Goguryeo's Special Forces, specially trained to sniff out Doyeong.

OK...now you try looking for your long lost pet dog somewhere in your neighborhood and you'd know it's never an easy task but our writers made Seol Ji & her female bodyguard find Doyeong within the blink of an eye - just so happens they saw DY at the market place where DY was shopping for the latest Spring Collection of made-in-China fabrics. Hmm...is Baekje giving DY a monthly clothes allowance or is DY trying to max out Damdeok's credit card?

Then mirroring DD's top-class language skills, Doyeong told Seol Ji everything that that was mentioned previously by the 'Anti-Doyeong" club but in different words, and spoken by a teary damsel-in-permanent-distress, slowly crying with tears rolling down only her left cheek AND with soft mushy emotional violin music in the background. I'm not kidding....

I WOULDN'T HAVE LEFT GOGURYEO IF I WAS GOING TO RETURN.

I AM NO LONGER HIS WIFE. HE WILL BE IN A BIND IF I RETURN TO GOGURYEO.

I AM THE DAUGHTER OF A TRAITOR. I CAN'T FACE HIM KNOWING THAT.

THE HEAVENS SPLIT US UP. TELL HIM TO FORGET ABOUT ME.

TIME WE CAN'T TURN BACK REMAINS AS PAIN. THE PAIN IS FOR THE SURVIVORS TO BEAR. HIS MAJESTY & ME.

I'M SURE YOU KNOW THAT I DON'T WANT TO GET IN THE WAY OF HIS AMBITIONS.

I'M GOING TO LEAVE AND GO SOMEWHERE NOBODY CAN FIND ME. I'M GOING TO CUT OFF ALL MY TIES FROM THE PAST.

OK...these emo-babble were to be expected from Doyeong but what a bummer-day for our Seol Ji who had to travel for miles and miles on horseback (her bum must be hurting from all that bouncing on that hard saddle)....but of course we also cannot expect Doyeong to just stop shopping in Baekje and then jump on a horse and follow Seol Ji back to her darh-ling and then everyday face her replacement queen Yakyeon. Three's a crowd, even for palace folks - KBS won't be the one to promote kinky threesomes in the royal household.

Two other developments also grabbed our attention in ep 60... first Asin kills King Jinsa & his pet general and now starts wearing more colorful and thicker royal robes right after the Baekje ministers and other generals threw their support behind Asin and supported the removal of the incompetent King Jinsa.

Evidently the loss of Gwanmiseong to Damdeok was deemed by the Baekje citizenry a national disaster & mega loss of national pride but King Jinsa insisted he did no wrong and instead blamed Asin for the defeat and so to console himself from the stinging humiliating defeat, King Jinsa called for a royal hunt.

Officially Jinsa fell off his horse while hunting; unofficially after being ambushed, Jinsa had his belly sliced open by Asin after Jinsa decided NOT to surrender peacefully. Indeed the hunter became the hunted and had his expiry date quickened by Asin.

So by the end of the ep, the realm now knows Baekje's new king Asin will probably go to war and probably try to recapture Gwanmiseong.

Correction: strike out 'probably try' ... and replace it with "will recapture" Gwanmiseong.

Remember I've always felt let down that our writers didn't give DD a sharper learning curve, because he usually reacts to situations rather than anticipate them? If you're DD and you know Asin is CIC (Commander in Chief) of Baekje, wouldn't you send reinforcemenrts to your fortresses that are closest to Gwanmiseong? Or at the very least order General Hwang to raise the alert level of your troops?

Which brings us to the 2nd development of this ep - in his very crowded office, Damdeok tells his ministers and generals in a speech that's very typical of any US Presidential candidate - declaring his 3-policies Grand Plan to make Goguryeo the center of the world and that DD intends to bring peace and prosperity for his people. In other words, everyone sitting in DD's office listening to this 3-parts Master Plan must work doubly hard, be prepared to die for your king if need be and put in overtime but with same pay. This is the time to write your will just in case. DD's grand plan for Goguryeo hegemony:

I'M GOING TO MAKE ALL THE LAND IN THE WORLD GOGURYEO LAND. THERE WILL BE MANY BATTLES TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

I WILL NOT ONLY EXPAND TERRITORY BUT RULE OVER THE PEOPLE AND SOLDIERS THERE. GOGURYEO WILL BE THE CENTER OF THE WORLD.

Ain't DD lucky there wasn't any UN Security Council those days that might veto his grand plan. Not that he needed UNSC intervention because our writers conveniently told us at the end scene that Asin & Baekje has indeed launched the first strike and taken Gwanmiseong's surrounding fortresses resulting in many Goguryeo's second- and third-rate troops being killed and the resumption of hostilities. Now this news must be like beautiful music for any warring king.... It's time to hop on the horses and ride out.... Goguryeo fighting!

[Moosegender]

Im sure if Damdeok conquered the "world" Goguryeo would definitely not be its center. Just for geometric reasons alone. It would be, as always, in China.

[daunte29]

Im sure if Damdeok conquered the "world" Goguryeo would definitely not be its center. Just for geometric reasons alone. It would be, as always, in China.

I know what you're saying.... from the geo-political axis of that time.

But my quotes were exactly what the KBS subtitles were.....based on what was said in Korean. They're not mine but was what scripted.

[Moosegender]

The whole Jinsa death scene was so poorly done. Asin cries for his uncle after killing him, yet a scene before he gleefully gloated about the hunting place being his burial. Asin is either a scizophrenic or a very shrewd man who was putting on a show for his men. Also, if Jinsa knew he ruined Baekje why did he fight to death? He could've surrendered and lived.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[Guest tomcat]

HANRel 720p for Ep63 not working. Thanks.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[daunte29]

KBSW Ep 61 & 62....how did our line of defenses crumble so quickly?

If that wasn't enough, Damdeok added, I SHOULD HAVE SENT A GENERAL TO TAKE COMMAND IN THE NORTH.

Obviously, after so many previous attacks either by Baekje, Khitan, Houyan and other all-male tribes with wild hair, Mr Dumb-Deuk's learning curve is still flat because he still prefers his generals all sitting around at the long table waiting for instructions or debating what to eat for dinner.

Suddenly the oldest senior citizen among his generals, Ko Moo, knelt down and begged to be sent to defend Yodongseong against Houyan... Ko Moo even started to cry as he told DD about his grudge against Houyan's king.

Now I wonder what the Houyan king did to Ko Moo in their younger days to have a deep grudge? Did the Houyan geezer steal Ko Moo's prom night date or did he poison Ko Moo's pet chihuahua?

Not to be outdone, generals Ko Chang & Mo Doo Young also got down on their knees and begged DD to be released from total boredom at DD's HQ & follow Ko Moo.... then in front of Miss Mohe & royal bodyguard Seol Ji, DD commands the now-happy 3 amigos to make use of Seol Dan.... when the time comes.

Then after sending off the 3 amigos off in a grand ceremony, the fashionably late MIss YakYeon hurries over to DD and tells him in between tears that her old daddy was in fact suffering from a lung disease (the type that spits crimson red sauce) and that he's in no condition to play G I Joe, or should it be G I Ko?

But of course our writers already knew Ko Moo was suffering from an old age disease but who else can they stage a death-fight with Houyan's King, yeah? The worst death for a general those days was to die of a disease at home but if the same general were to die in a grudge match on the battlefield watched by hundreds of soldiers, man...that would most certainly guarantee a state funeral and a stairway to heaven.... assuming the enemy doesn't chop off his head and take it back home to decorate their fortress entrance.

..... Episodes 61 & 62 just went by with lots of the usual table banging, soldiers being chopped down left, right and centre and again the comical chain reaction looks of shock & awe (like a line of dogs being startled) upon hearing 'unexpected' news from messengers and yet nothing much happened in terms of plot or major developments, another usual splendid tactic employed by K-drama writers to prolong the series.

For starters, Damdeok bangs his table and essentially tells us that Goguryeo is surrounded by ABC enemies - A for Asin, B for Baekje, C for Combined Houyan & Khitan forces. - and he would eliminate each one in that same order....so KBS just needs to add-on extra episodes for DD to complete his mission.

So if you're the great Damdeok, what else can you do to ensure your 3-headed enemy do not overwhelm you? Of course, you make friends (form an alliance) and apparently the only one left shaking hands with is Mohe. It's also a no-brainer that DD's royal bodyguard who can win any beauty pageant then and now, Miss Seol Ji, is the sister of Mohe's leader. Duh!

Now that the chess pieces and alliances were all in place, it was up to our writers to play wargames among the opposing sides, and as expected our writers for the most part, used stereotypical and cliched notions of warfare.

For example, to create the fact (yes, drama writers are good at creating facts from fiction and vice-versa) that Ko Moo's forces are totally besieged at Yodongseong, the writers made ALL available horses inside collapse due to diarrhoea. This MEANS that they cannot send any messenger out from the fortress to get help or large orders of extra fries from the nearest McDonald's.

Reality check 1: one would think that the fortress garrison would have a few hundred horses, and not just the 10 or so we usually see the generals riding on. But for convenience sake, ALL horses are intensely purging their insides and stablehands would need to pile up the horse manure several metres high.

Reality check 2: We saw how the Yodongseong fortress was heavily besieged by at least 100,000 Houyan troops so how in blazes did Ko Moo and his reinforcements get into the fortress? Did the Goguryeons possess stealth mode technology or just borrowed Star Trek's transporter beam? Secret tunnels are a possibility but the enemy archers would have those covered certainly.

Our historical drama writers just love to stage 'epic' battle scenes that involve soldiers who seem to be wearing similar uniforms..... have anyone ever wonder about 'friendly fire' in ancient warfare? Accidental death by being cut by a comrade's sword because the uniforms are just so similar? Perhaps we should use the more apt term 'friendly slash', eh?

Our two writers also just couldn't resist making Asin's two best generals behave like morons - they launched night attacks on Gwanmiseong but were instead distracted and mesmerized when they saw fire coming from their storage huts, courtesy of Yeon Salta and his team of archers.

And...their first reaction was to stop, go back to camp and save their rations. 2nd reaction? send some of attacking force back to help save the rations.

Now common sense would tell the writers there's no way on earth sending some of your attackers back would change anything because by the time they get back, they'll only find charred rations. Besides.... the handful of soldiers guarding the camp should be able to do something and if they cannot, due to the strength of the fire, additional troops cannot do much but smell the roasted rations.

I would also like to know out of the scores of unmarked huts, how did Yeon Salta know which hut to set on fire? Was there a big TARGET sign that says RATIONS or FOOD? Yes, we even saw Yeon take out a map and in the black of night, he could read the map and pick out the target hut. So where did that map come from? Recon scouts? Friendly Baekje soldier?

Of course this bungling by Asin's two most senior generals was just an excuse for Asin to get himself involved in attacking his beloved Gwanmiseong instead of sitting around in his Baekje HQ, eating delicious foods served by palace maidens and keeping ABREAST of things via messengers.

And so that's why you have the end scene of ep62 where DD having reached Gwanmiseong and yet again catching Asin off-guard, charges at Asin at full gallop in his menacing snarl and seething raging pearly-white teeth while Asin also reacts similarly snarling and baring teeth whiter than white.

I've already lost count how many times this scene of Asin & DD charging at each other has been used as an end scene.... don't forget, they also shout each other's names much louder than you would shout your own darh-ling's name... and as in past one-on-one encounters between these two, I wonder what excuse the writers will use yet again to stop the fight and prevent either one from being killed?

In case some folks still doubt that our two writers actually have a comic streak in them....remember the scene where Do Roo (or wazzit Do Young) saw the Baekje armada approaching Gwanmiseong at night and the Goguryeons were about to happily unleash their hundreds of their spectacular fire arrows at the enemy ships when all of a sudden it rains? Now if that doesn't tickle you, what else can?

After any battle is over in K-dramas, you'd usually know the victorious king is a 'bad' guy because he'd be laughing heartily, boisterously, acting supremely confident and smiling from earlobe to earlobe - the Houyan king Mo Young Soo does this routine right down to a pat.

On the other hand, the 'good' guy a.k.a. DD usually displays understated & controlled exuberance with only his attack dogs like Suk Gae & others spouting over-praise and acting over-confident, and ordering free beer and lots of grilled pork bellies.

Talking about beer, in a few episodes now we keep seeing 3 (Houyan? Baekje?) spies at the Goguryeo town's watering hole where Suk Gae and some generals usually drop by for alcoholic drinks and oily food, and since these Goguryeon soldiers usually speak louder than barking dogs, these 3 spies pick up juicy bits of information including, as we saw last weekend, disinformation deliberately sown by DD himself to mislead both Houyan & Baekje - dis-information that would prove costly for both.

I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of those spies the next time they get summoned back to HQ - if they were real, those days they'd probably not be able to taste delicious korean fried chicken ever as their tongues would be cut off as punishment.

[daunte29]

Some BTS photos....

the last one in this set really cracks me up.... Jang Kun, smile and say 'kimchee'

just look at them modern footwear...

Looking good isn't everything...it's THE ONLY THING...

The replacement queen has never looked so...... err exposed before.... Taken at an event just days ago...now where're those scissors?

[daunte29]

One of the most-underused characters in this drama shows what she's hiding beneath her royal robes

In the early days of this series, Princess Damjoo (actress Jo An) charmed us with her wit and grace but ever since Damjoo (Damdeok's sister) as a hostage princess was married off to the Houyan, she's practically a 'forgotten" out-of-sight out-of-mind character and the writers only use actress Jo An very occasionally nowadays as Damdeok's de facto spy - her eyes and ears on Houyan's present and future activities may prove invaluable to our writers (her covert letters to Damdeok are taken as irrefutable & reliable) and to Damdeok but in a real situation, she's putting herself in great mortal danger should her Houyan husband or any of the Houyan court servants and officials squeal on her espionage activities.

Other than his own sister, here's Damdeok's other weapon when it comes to secret speedy diplomacy and black ops commander, Seol Ji.

But you folks do remember Seol Ji's earlier role as one of Mohe's fearsome warriors, then she even went rogue against her own brother and tribe and now happily acts as part-time envoy and fulltime bodyguard for Damdeok, not forgetting that Damdeok's present queen Yakyeon was also herself once a female warrior... no wonder poor Doyoung keeps crying because she suddenly realizes she cannot ride a horse, shoot arrows accurately, swing a sword to chop down enemy soldiers left, right, center and sometimes from behind, possess eagle-eye day & night vision capabilities, and do ALL THAT while looking immaculate in sweat-proof make-up.

just look at Kim Jung Hwa's eyebrows....

imagine having to go to the washroom in these costumes, eh?

[Moosegender]

Those armors are ridiculous.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[daunte29]

Ep 63....Royal female bodyguard takes a flying dagger for Damdeok

Say What! Miss Seol Ji actually first saves Damdeok's sorry richard simmons by launching a dagger at Asin's general who was about to sink his sword into Damdeok's sexy back (literally! I'm not kidding) and Seol Ji's dagger-throwing skills are laser-accurate..... but later this same general pulls out the dagger embedded in his wrist armor and lets it fly directly towards DD whereupon Seol Ji had to jump and put herself right in its path and let the dagger sink into her sexier back. Ouch!

Seol Ji was lucky the Asin's general didn't launch a spear at DD (remember how Sagal Hyeon was sent to the afterlife?) and so I'm thinking royal bodyguards of Damdeok must have very short life expectancies (luckier chaps those US Secret Service Presidential bodyguards) because they seem to be required to jump into the path of all sorts of missiles hurled at DD.

Then what are those armadillo armor they wear so proudly for? Can't they improve their anti-penetration stopping power? The ordinary soldiers in sageuks still keep getting chopped down or pierced by arrows even though they're wearing some razor-thin armor.

Unlike Sagal Hyeon who had ample time to make a grand speech before he croaked, our LUCKIER LOVELY Seol Ji had only this to say with a dagger embedded in her back:

Seol Ji: YOUR MAJESTY. YOU SHOULD GO AFTER THEM.

Damdeok while bracing wounded Seol Ji in his strong masculine arms: AN ENEMY WHO FLEES CAN BE CAPTURED ANY TIME. YOU COME FIRST RIGHT NOW.

AWW....what a sweetie to say such poetic tender words when his bodyguard was nearly killed protecting him, eh?

And that part about fleeing enemies being captured would prove prophetic later in this same episode.

OK..... so the writers have done justice to actress Kim Jung Hwa and made her do her job as Royal bodyguard and perhaps that's why DD immediately stopped his fight against Asin (who btw had his belly cut by DD) so that Seol Ji could be sent for immediate trauma treatment at Goguryeo's combat hospital... a few stitches to patch her up and I'm sure Seol Ji will be good as new very soon.

On the other hand, King Asin's gonna have a a very painful stomach for days to come and it's almost like every single time he gets a 1-on-1 swordplay with DD, Asin's always the one to leave with painful scars and reminders on his body.

Meanwhile Ha-Ha Muji gets a dressing down from his boss - HMJ had suggested KILLING ALL Baekje prisoners - but instead Mr Sweetheart-Braveheart Damdeok orders ALL POWs to be released. His logic?

IF I CONQUER BAEKJE, THEY WILL ALL BECOME GOGURYEO CITIZENS.

When you think about it, Damdeok's release of all POWs means the Goguryeons do not have to bother feeding extra mouths and his interrogators can rest rather than torture the prisoners to extract information. Geneva Convention? Eat your heart out.

But before some of you think DD has gone soft, this is what he said to Ha Mu Ji:

IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN MY MILITARY ADVISOR, DISTINGUISH A COOL HEAD FROM CRUELTY. NO LIFE CAN BE TREATED RECKLESSLY.

HMJ: IF YOU LET PETTY EMOTIONS GET IN YOUR WAY, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RULE THE WORLD.

DD: IT WOULD BE MEANINGLESS WITHOUT PEOPLE. VALUE EVERY CITIZEN & SOLDIER. DON'T FORGET IT IS THEIR SWEAT & BLOOD THAT WILL ACHIEVE OUR DREAM & FUTURE.

KUDOS to our 2 writers for making Damdeok sound like he's running to become the next United Nations Secretary General. A conqueror AND a humanitarian at the same time. WoW!

Perhaps DD should order all his generals and soldiers IN FUTURE to avoid slashing enemy soldiers to death and just cut them enough to wound them but not kill? Don't kill but AIM TO MAIM.

The rest of the episode dealt with political trickery between Houyan, Mohe, Biryeo, Goguryeo, Klingons, Vulcans, Romulans, etc which resulted in the capture of General Ko Chang and his band of merry men based on the brilliant plan by (who else) Ko Mu & the Houyans who used a net (literally) to catch Ko Chang and his posse.

Come Again! A Goguryeon general falling into a Houyan ambush and being netted (literally) by his enemies? This is what Ko Chang actually said after he was netted:

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FELL FOR SUCH A CHEAP TRICK..... truth was he and his men DID FALL INTO the net.

Of course there are other ways to capture an enemy general alive but our KBS writers chose this net option which has been used to death in past historical dramas.

Now KC's capture was to set-up his rescue by KC's daddy, Ko Mu, who for good measure, continues to remind us his unnamed lung disease is so bad he has no choice but to spit out crimson red sauce from his mouth whenever the KBS cameras zoom in on his small eyes, thick eyebrows and grimy face.

He even says, I WANT MY END TO BE AS A FATHER, NOT A COMMANDER OF GOGURYEO ..... in other words, he wants to die fighting and not from his lung disease.

A grand state funeral is assured when a general dies valiantly on the battlefield but if he dies at home from lung disease, he'll get nothing more than a quick burial in his backyard.

Now while daddy Ko Mu makes a grand pre-death speech, his son KC meanwhile just melts into a wimpy crybaby as soon as he realised his daddy was going to sacrifice himself for his sake.

Now I don't know about you but a GENERAL KC crying like a baby because his daddy has come and is going to give up his life in exchange for him is way too sissy. It may make for good 'dramatic' acting to see a grown man (do not forget he's DD's general) cry buckets - and mind you, the old geezer dad isn't even dead yet because the fight hasn't even begun!! Duh!

My Alternate Scene: Now a real Houyan King Murong Chui would just simply show Ko Chang to Ko Moo and then after Daddy Ko Moo gives a speech about dying in valor etc.... promptly KILLs KC in front of his father - imagine the huge roar and loud cheers of approval from his hundreds of Houyan soldiers with ringside view of the action.

Always a great morale booster to see an enemy general being beheaded or garroted to death. And imagine how this sight of his son being killed would enrage Ko Moo and this is good because in the war teachings of great Chinese tacticians - ANGER ALWAYS MAKES YOU STUPID.

But nooo.... this is a KBS drama..... so KC is allowed to cry buckets while Ko Moo & MYS have their final battle.

If only modern day disputes can be settled KBS sageuk-style by having the top general go 1-on-1 with the other top general, while the rest of their armies just gather round with their fries, chips and beer, and cheer loudly from the sides.

Come to think of it, DD will be furious later when he finds out Ko Moo had a deathmatch with Murong Chui and he didn't wait for DD to arrive so he could watch and enjoy also the halftime show by Madonna...... or maybe Girls Generation?

On second thought, with his only royal bodyguard temporarily out of action due to injuries sustained in the course of protecting his majesty, DD might have to think of a temporary bodyguard, right? So how about this cutie below ... now imagine being protected by 50 of these guys who can latch their jaws anywhere from the groin downwards, eh?

If captured by the enemy, rest assured these fellas won't spill state secrets unless you understand dog-speak?

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[daunte29]

Ep 64.....the episode of crying aplenty, mainly by Goguryeon men.

The good news is Seol Ji's back in action, fresh as a daisy. She was actively involved with DD and his usual suspects as they snuck up on Houyan but arrived too late to save Ko Moo from spitting out more crimson red sauce from his mouth. The bad news? Another senior citizen general bites the dust and is now having korean green tea together with an ever-growing alumni of dead Goguryeon heroes, somewhere up there.

Man, the deathmatch between Ko Moo & Murong Chui was about as exciting as watching two old men playing beach volleyball - you know it's only a matter of time before the one with lung disease is going to run out of gas, collapse on his knees dramatically and start sputtering red bodily fluids. A spent force indeed.

Do catch the look on Murong Chui's face as he suddenly realises his longtime opponent is not in the pink of health and so it's not honorable for a seasoned warrior like him to kill an opponent who clearly is in need of a fresh pair of healthy lungs.

Speaking of lungs, in ep63, DD had to rush south doubly quick to save Gwanmiseong from falling back into the hands of Asin and Baekje - DD cuts Asin's belly but Asin will live to scream DD'a name again.

Here in ep64, DD rushes north doubly quick to save Yodongseong from being captured by Houyan and Murong Chui and the Biryeo men with rastafarian hairstyles... DD cuts Murong Chui belly but Murong Chui too will live to scream DD's name yet again.

Folks, do you see a pattern emerging here? You'd expect our two KBS writers to have more creativity than to have two principal enemies of DD being wounded anatomically in the same spot!!

And for those viewers who love watching grown men wail and cry.... this episode is right up your kleenex box. It's perhaps I'm tired of watching every sageuk drama that has funerals involving dead generals or super-warriors, because I know only too well, they're just a bunch of actors pretending to cry..... mind you, Korean actors make crying their own art-form.... they are so darn good at crying and wailing with spittle mixing with tears. There's no fun in watching generals cry over another general especially since they're all over-faking it.

Anyway Ko Eun (remember him?) has taken the path of the artiste formerly known as PRINCE....Ko Eun's new callsign is Murong Eun, and he leads the Houyan condolence delegation to Goguryeo (since King Murong Chui is temporarily suffering from acute belly-aches caused by a deep cut from DD's sword) - the writers would have us think that surely nothing would happen to turncoat Ko Eun as he makes his appearance at DD's office, surrounded by Goguryeon military commanders and court officials who would love to rip Ko Eun's clothes off, castrate the chap and send him back to Houyan - with a higher pitch falsetto voice.

Actually I'm being kind because castrating Ko Eun was furthest away from the minds of those Goguryeon officials - they would have preferred to shorten Ko Eun's height by at least one head-length, if you know what I mean.

Ko Eun & his condolence delegation may have come in peace but Goguryeon officials would have wanted to send him back in pieces.

But by now viewers already can predict DD's excellent human rights record - all enemies and alien beings from other galaxies are welcomed in his office because after he conquers all other territories, all former enemies will all become friendly Goguryeons, living peacefully under one ruler - namely DD.

Cue song..... "HEAL THE WORLD, MAKE IT A BETTER PLACE, FOR ME AND FOR YOU AND THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE"....

Anyway the man formerly known Ko Eun seems to be quickly hatching his own agenda now that he is right in the thick of DD's court so we'll have to wait until next week.

Interesting sidenote: As we all know, the South Korean government under President Lee Myung Bak refused to send a condolence delegation to North Korea to attend the state funeral of Kim Jong Il, and this diplomatic slap-in-the-face has even prompted the present dictator Kim Jong Eun to demand that the South send an official ROK condolence delegation to visit his late father's tomb. A case of KBS drama fiction parodying current political reality perhaps, eh?

[daunte29]

Ep 64.... director's boo-boo: film extras simply running around in the background during battle.

When you re-watch the beginning part where Damdeok & his Power Rangers reveal themselves to a shocked (how else would you want the man to look, right?) Murong Chui & his Houyan buddies, and both sides start doing battle, take a closer look at the background..... in some parts of the footage in the background, you can clearly see the 'extras' or in this case, the Houyan infantry, carrying their colorful banners and simply running around in circles.

Think I'm joking? As usual? You can take a look at the link below in the spoiler tags.

And when you think about it, wouldn't a real battle hardened general like Murong Chui have spotted Damdeok and his posse disguised as Houyan soldiers when he, like us viewers, can clearly see that ALL those soldiers kneeling down in front of him - reporting that their base camp was being invaded from the left and from the right by unknown numbers of Goguryeon party crashers - were indeed trying overly hard to hide their faces? And some of them were wearing green harem pants instead of the Houyan red ones?

Also, why were there so many messengers leaving their base camp just to gallop to MC and give him the bad news? Shouldn't only one or two messengers be sent? Especially since your camp is being attacked by the uninvited guests who came all the way from faraway Goguryeo, every Houyan man at the base camp should stand and die, right? (KBS style of mass swordfighting scenes).

Tsk, Tsk.... Murong Chui.... after having experienced a few similar 'surprise' attacks from DD in the past, don't you think you need to re-write your military defense training manuals, re-train your men (those who are still alive with two arms and two legs and head still attched) to stay awake and stand guard, and never send 10 messengers at once to report when only two are necessary?

Murong Chui & Asin should also realize by now that our Great Conqueror has the knack of covering vast distances of territory, on land and at sea, across undulating hills and steep valleys and strong ocean currents and SOMEHOW arrive at your battlesite when all the while, you thought he's back in his palace sipping Goguryeon martinis and catching up on his suntan?

What's more, if DD & his posse were kneeling no less than 2 meters away from Murong Chui, what's to stop or prevent him or any of his storm troopers from just lunging at MC himself? He IS THE PRIME ENEMY, is he not?

OK... perhaps you think I'm too harsh on the director..... for only by rewatching the scene, if you choose, you'd be so much the wiser.

http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/king-gwanggaeto-the-great-episode-64/

[Guest whodat]

Ep 64.... director's boo-boo: film extras simply running around in the background during battle.

When you re-watch the beginning part where Damdeok & his Power Rangers reveal themselves to a shocked (how else would you want the man to look, right?) Murong Chui & his Houyan buddies, and both sides start doing battle, take a closer look at the background..... in some parts of the footage in the background, you can clearly see the 'extras' or in this case, the Houyan infantry, carrying their colorful banners and simply running around in circles.

That is so true. I think the longer this show gets the more the directors are not paying attention to detail. The first Yodongseong battle for example, it wasn't the best battle scene ever made but the directors really tried. There wasn't a lot of goofing off by the extras. Jump about 40 episodes to the rebellion led by Gae Yeonsu. You see one extra couple yards from his enemy vigorously swinging his sword (dismiss it, maybe he is swatting flies), then another extra runs, jumps down some steps runs some more then turns back and jumps up the same steps (maybe he forgot to kill somebody) and finally you see a couple of soldiers just running in circles with no enemy in sight (since the fighting is done, "exercise time"). COME ON!!!

Maybe the extras are just tired of getting murdered all the time by the stars . Whatever the reason, the directors need to whip them back into shape.

P.S. Murong Chui should seriously consider hiring some bodyguards of Seolji/Sagal Hyeon's caliber. Fenga and Murong Bao just stood there and watched Damdeok drive a spear into his belly.

[Moosegender]

Wasn't Murong Chui long dead by this time? His son was the one ruling. His son Murong Bao was the one who adopted Gao Yun.

[Guest whodat]

Wasn't Murong Chui long dead by this time? His son was the one ruling. His son Murong Bao was the one who adopted Gao Yun.

Its hard to tell where the drama is at date-wise. Right now I think the show is at about 394-396 because:

• In 392, with Gwanggaeto in personal command, Goguryeo attacked Baekje  with 50,000 cavalry, taking 10 walled cities along the two countries'  mutual border.  In the tenth month of that year, Goguryeo troops took Gwanmi Castle and threatened the Baekje palace. [Wikipedia]. This is the first battle against Baekj EP 55 - EP59.

• King Asin subsequently planned a counter-offensive against Gwanggaeto, a  plan he was forced to abandon when his invasion force was defeated by  Goguryeo in 393 [Wikipedia]. This is the second battle against Baekje EP61-EP63.

Assuming the above is an accurate approximation of the dates, Murong Chui will die soon (396). However, since he died fighting against Beiwei (Northern Wei) it will probably not be featured in the drama.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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