[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Guest whodat]

This drama has seriously ruined the image of Gwanggaeto. Since there are only two "great" kings, Gwanggaeto must have really been an outstanding ruler. Unlike Sejong who was great for his reforms and policies, Gwanggaeto is revered as the "great conqueror". However, in this drama, he has not conquered any nation. By definition to conquer is to "overcome and take control of (a place or people) by use of military force". What he has done so far is form strong alliances with the Malgal, Biryeo and Silla. Damdeok is turning out to be the great “UN secretary general”. Damdeok has also depreciated as a character. The meticulous general we met at the start of the drama has disappeared. He got rescued two times in one episode. I still had hopes for Damdeok's military genius but ep68 blew them to shreds. Damdeok and his posse escape from the Biryeo camp and see a red flag signalling the over (at this point I am looking forward to a brilliant strategy). They run towards the flag and find themselves trapped (no worries the more the danger, the more brilliant the escape). Then Seol Ji shoots her arrow and to my disappointment, Damdeok is as shocked as the Houyan soldiers and frantically looks for the archer. Why did he run towards the flag in the first place if he didn't know what lay ahead?

These long breaks where both armies stop fighting so that the main characters can talk are really ridiculous. At one point Damdeok and his guys were seriously out numbered. Agban runs over to Damdeok and everybody stops fighting "to listen in on the dialogue". The Houyan soldiers who clearly had the advantage watch as Damdeok escapes then lazily give chase. Maybe the Houyan soldiers have gotten to the point where when they see Damdeok they think, "wats the point of fighting, he's just going to trick us again" hence their sluggishness.

What they should do is change the title to GTGC-Parody and classify it as a comedy . Then, 5-10 years down the line, with the help of a better production team, give Gwanggaeto a remake worthy of his title “great”.

The only positive is that this forum has made this drama watchable and enjoyable regardless of its faults. Thanks everyone for that.

[daunte29]

Totally agree with you mzeiya

Several weeks ago I said this Gwanggaeto character seems to be 'reacting' to situations rather than seizing the initiative.

Wasn't it only some episodes ago, we saw him lay down his grand plan for a PAX GOGURYEO, that is, to make Goguryeo the 'centre' of the world (what he's able to see on his table map) and look what the writers have done since then?

For one, they brought back the dull and tired-looking Ko/Murong Un and make him steal military secrets for Houyan, then get backstabbed by Houyan but he still goes back to Houyan to have another go at Damdeok, fails yet again and then he moseys over to Baekje and again find himself in sewage up to his ears.

Instead of the chance to develop Gwanggaeto's character both from the big picture (i.e I'm Great Conqueror So Tremble When You Hear Me Yell) as well as weave in the minor subplots and develop (fictionally) aspects of Gwanggaeto's personal life, our writers still focus on the minor suplots, fearing perhaps they won't have enough material and/or 'shock' factor to sustain the (unnecessarily long) series.

Those of you who watched Dae Wang Sejong (not that I'm saying it was a superb production either but comparatively more engaging) would know that DWS writers made the series interesting because they seamlessly weaved in both the larger picture (what History can substantiate) and extended the minor events (what History can partly substantiate) and it was this blending that gave flesh and sweat to King Sejong as an unrivalled historical figure.

Sadly for us, the writers of Gwanggaeto blew it. One can imagine the real Gwanggaeto rolling about in his heavenly abode somewhere up there, utterly dismayed at how KBS portrays him from week to week. I'm reasonably sure he would be cursing and swearing using the most disgusting foul words and obscenities of his day, the kind that would make even hardcore criminals and gangsters blush.

We all know the the real chap died at age 39 and he became King at 17 - so right from the ep 1, when we first saw LTG playing Gwanggaeto, LTG would be assuming his role as a teenaged Gwanggaeto, wouldn't you agree?

Those early episodes saw Houyan already warring with Goguryeo and a very spritely energetic LTG playing a teenager, chopping down enemies and shooting two arrows simultaneously, mind you, from his horse (if you've forgotten he was a super-archer, here's the scene, slide your playing cusor to around 1:30 where Damdeok arrives to save his uncle Ko Chang from losing his head

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqj1B8_TTis)

When I look at those early Damdeok before he became king at 17, and when I look at the present Damdeok, I get this feeling that LTG is under-playing the Damdeok - by that I mean that LTG should now be playing a Damdeok who is in his early-20s to mid-20s at most but I get the feeling watching his facial expressions and mannerisms that he comes across more like a man in his mid-30s (which is his real age btw). What happened to his verve and his mojo? Did Doyoung take them away with her?

The result is that Damdeok is acting just like all the other kings you see in this drama and others. DD hasn't set himself apart as THE GREAT, and one wonders just when the KBS writers will wake up from watching too many dramas.

In this drama before he became king, LTG RIGHTLY plays DD as impetuous, immensely strong and excellent fighter, and had a sense of I-don't-care bravado. I cannot pin it down when it started but more and more LTG's acting as DD is like a lazy 'couch potato' - sitting at his table with his ministers and commanders, always wearing thick elaborate robes, and 'looking' kingly, but let's not forget he's a hormonally driven young man in his 20s: a typical man of action, in his prime and more so because the real Damdeok knew Goguryeo was surrounded by enemies whose only intent was to conquer.

I would have liked to see scenes of Damdeok doing physical things as a young 20-something man when he's not out on the battlefield and spare me the long table scenes where he's over-dressed and just sitting there. For example, hunting, practising his swordfights and archery, talking with his lovely Queen in bed before they... go under the covers, walking around his capital shopping malls and feeling proud to see happy Goguryeo faces and even the street dogs and cats come up to him to be stroked & patted, making surprise checks on his fort commanders lying on the frontier borders and rallying them with DD's sudden flair for UN Sec-Gen style of world peace & human rights - I think you folks get the picture I'm trying to paint.

Looking at LTG play Damdeok like a much-wiser, more-cautious thinker-doer just doesn't cut it for me. Not for a Damdeok whose only education was to fight and kill. But our writers seem to want to make him out to be 'more learned', and more compassionate both to his own people and to his enemies, and that's pushing it too far, in my opinion.

An example of pushing it too far was in the recent ep 68 when the writers made DD buy prime Biryeo horses at the highest price and DD even gave the Biryeo people a tax holiday for 5 years. This is pure poppycock from the writers because Goguryeo is at war with both Baekje & Houyan and a real DD needs all available resources, not to mention more conscripts to maintain his army, so a more 'acceptable' gesture could have been reduced taxation.

All I know is that in any future projects that involve this PD & the two writers, I'll avoid them entirely.

[watchumlots]

Daunte29: Sharing the frustration somehow mitigates it, I know I feel better after venting. For the last two years I've been hooked on K and J Dramas, find myself preferring Kdramas. Certain it's a cultural thing, the Kdramas are easier to understand and tend to move with a little more speed than the Jdramas I've seen. I watched Princess Gou. Hours passed without any forward movement, good thing the sets and costumes were magnificent.

My biggest frustration with these dramas is that they have the potential to be really good but take a wrong turn with the crazy plot devices or unbelievable characters. There are the insane premises like birth secrets or simple withheld admissions, or evil, plotting mother-in-laws. When these historical dramas go wrong, they really go off-the-cliff.

I LOVE how Damdoek, the brilliant strategist, demands a strategy or solution from his troop of merry men. They look at each other with quizzical expressions and the next scene is the same people slashing and stabbing, then stopping to chat. HILARIOUS! And why, why, why, does the opposing army NEVER manage to hit the man-in-the-lead with they legion of archers and arrows? You know, the guy in the front, wearing a flashy headband and a bright yellow and red and blue outfit; the one with the gold dragons crawling over it. That guy NEVER gets hit, not in Jumong, or Age of Warriors, or Wang Gun, or The King of Legend, or The Iron Empress or ...

Lee Taegon is definitely miscast in this drama. He looks about 40 and never looked "young" in the early episodes, regardless of the lighting or amount of schmear on the camera lens. Plus, his big head encompasses the entire screen during head shots.

Let's see if this lightens the viewing: Gwanggaeto's gang of merry men remind me of the Three Stooges in medieval armor; especially that one merry man, the one that is really dumb, has a horrible 'do and looks like a armor-clad refrigerator with a head. Some eye pokes, slaps, and 'nkocs, nkocs,' and GGTG is sooooo there.

[daunte29]

watchumlots..... funny how you mentioned Gou because J-dramas are in fact my main mental stimulation after the handful of K-dramas that I currently follow. Can't be helped because my day work requires it - I'm part of a J-drama production unit.

Every day I watch some of the latest J-dramas on offer because it's also part of my DNA. But I'm very selective and if the chosen J-drama doesn't quite keep my interest, I'll drop it.

The good thing about J-dramas (not counting morning dramas and taigas) is that they come in batches, according to the seasons - winter, spring, summer, autumn. So unlike K-dramas which can run for 18-24 episodes or way up to 100 eps.

J -dramas follow no such pre-determined patterns. Some J-dramas can last for 4 eps, 5-10 eps, 11, 13, etc and each drama WILL END by the time the next season arrives. And then the J-networks will launch a whole new batch of dramas that will run (and end) for the duration of that season.

The advantage of J -dramas is therefore they're 'story-driven'; the series will end when the story has nothing new to offer. So if it's short, it's short. If it's a bit longer, then the drama will run over the course of 4 months max. J-dramas do not unnecessarily prolong or extend the episodes, like K-dramas frequently do.

It's like when you reach the last word on the last page of the book. That's it and that's all, folks.

Also, J-dramas are NOT disguised love stories (love triangles), of which 90% (maybe higher?) of K-dramas typically follow. J-dramas offer diverse types of stories, and they are not written for the 'specific pairing' of say, actor A-actress B-actor C and deliberate prolonging of the drama plot. Those of you who watch J-dramas will know what I mean.

What's common for both K- & J-dramas is the selling and drawing power of the stars involved, and sometimes the director and/or the writer. But once the drama begins, then ratings (and critics' reviews) are determined more by the drama's plot and sustainable interest. Japanese viewers by and large do not like predictable storylines, or main plots that require lowering one's IQ to understand, no matter how handsome or beautiful the actor.

Needless to say, showing off male abs in a shower scene or kissing scenes between Actor A & actress B never generates much interest in Japanese media as much as it does for K-dramas in Korean media.

Anyway Gou being a NHK taiga (historical fiction, with emphasis on fiction) had lots of criticisms bombarded at it from Japanese as well as international viewers: miscasting of Ueno Juri, uneven plot development and significant omissions from historical records.

Somehow the younger people both in Japan & overseas viewers forgot or more likely are unaware, that taigas use real people & events but the story is part-fiction, part-real. NHK taigas are not meant to be blow-by-blow recreation of the real people and events - that's why we have National Geographic, History & Discovery channels although not many Japanese folks can speak or write English.

The advisory is even stated at the beginning of each taiga but I suppose non-Japanese viewers might not know it - my own paraphrase - BASED ON A TRUE STORY, ONLY THE FACTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED. SLIGHTLY. FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT. NOT FOR YOUR EDUCATION.

You're certainly correct about the costumes in Gou and the deliberate Japanese attention-to-detail in the way they speak, walk and the degree and angle of eye contact. Every slight gesture, posture and head movement requires high degree of controlled body language.

In that regard, NHK taigas and Korean sageuks do share close similarities - all the actors/actresses have to rise one level higher in their speech patterns and range of mannerisms in order to portray the historical figures and generate a sense of reality that is very different from our 21st century. I suppose this is what partly draws fans to watch historical dramas, other than the beautiful OST music, the costumes and the sets.

I cracked up how you brought The 3 Stooges into the fray .... certainly brings back fond memories for me.... the original black & white series should be made part of UNESCO"s cultural heritage because everything those 3 talented guys did to make us laugh didn't require understanding of English.

So I'm glad they're making a movie version and from the looks of the trailer, it will require leaving your brains outside the cineplex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1R4b04mxOs

My apologies for going a bit off-topic so let me make amends by showing you this clip on Goguryeo's (the real McCoy) fearsome military technology which outclassed even the Romans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4z5wAf_tm4

[Guest DJG]

I like that this thread is moving again, even if it is to air our grievances about the direction this drama as taken.

I love Korean dramas, after discovering them several years back, they have for the most part replaced my other forms of entertainment. I don't bother with most movies or TV anymore. I pretty much always have 2 or more dramas I am watching at the same time.

That is not to say they are perfect, if you watch a few of them, you start to see the same formula repeat over and over and over and over again. The sageuks don't necessarily follow this route, so I loved them even more. The sheer beauty of the customes, the culture, the history etc. is what draws me to them.The current trend is the sageuk fusions, which tend to be shorter and have a modern feel. The traditional sageuks have been suffering, considering the low ratings of dramas like Geunchogo, Gyebeak, Queen Insoo etc. Gwanggaeto actually started well, but has started to lose viewers, likely because of the same comments that have been voiced in this thread.

I think Korean dramas have a bad habit of stretching the  episodes way too long, which causes once promising dramas to become an absolute mess. The live taping also leads to shoddy scripts, and just  sloppiness, because you can see that they are just making stuff up as  they go along. The actors get tired and the drama loses it's spark. On a  humane level, it is crazy to have actors sleeping on set and in their  cars, because of script delays and filming extensions.

The lack of good sageuks led me to search out other Asian historical dramas. I didn't like the Hong Kong dramas, because the ones I have seen have cheap sets and I have a hard time following Cantonese. I haven't seen any Japanese historical dramas (any recommendations for a good one). I have seen some good Chinese ones though, like Scheming Beauty, and Bubu Xin Jin (I know this is pure fiction).

Edit - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4z5wAf_tm4 - after watching this video about the innovations of the Goguryeo military, I am even more dismayed about how the people behind this drama dropped the ball. Seriously, they couldn't even get the armor right, which is something that made Goguryeo stand out and ahead of its time. I mean just their shoes, was not used by other armies until 300 years later.

[watchumlots]

Daunte29: Thank you for sharing the URL for the video, it was really good.  

As for Jdramas, I have three words:  He is Beautiful.  It's really bad.  Awful.  Nice to hear that Jdramas follow a story line and aren't bound by the same episode number goal as Kdramas.  About 20 episodes could have been cut from Jumong without anyone noticing.  I joke that at least 10% of Kdramas are re-winds of the re-runs: footage of the character remembering what has already been told in 'memory' form.  From of a 100 episode series, that immediately eliminates 10 episodes!  Cut the unnecessary scenes, quicken the pace of those draggy scenes... VOILA!  Another 10% cut.  Now we are down to 80 episodes and getting somewhere manageable.  

Gyebaek!  Don't even go there!  All those episodes and what a crappy ending!  That was another drama horribly miscast.  The king and Gyebaek were supposed to be young for a portion of the series, but they never looked it.  I find the court intrigue interesting, and it creates dramatic tension.  But all those episodes for such an anti-climatic ending...   I never understood why all the characters were willing to sacrifice so much for Baekje and the twisted king.  The writers really fell down on the job there. 

I am still betting that Damdoek becomes part of history at the end!  

[daunte29]

"Are you OK, Sagal Hyeon? How do you feel?"

"Whaddaya mean how do I feel? How am I ever going to face my mom again with this stick in my chest?"

"It could have been worse, you know. Asin could have aimed that thing below your waist, and you'd have that stiff sharp pole sticking out from your you-know-where."

the lovely king's bodyguard ... just look at that gorgeous profile

When Damdeok met Seol Ji .... and the dumb idiot wanted to kill her ..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leQAXtudDSg

Without realising it, he himself had saved Seol Ji fron ending up exactly like Sagal above...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO1AUUjP35k

Fast forward to latest 2 episodes on KBSW.... the first clip above shows you Damdeok was willing to chop off his future bodyguard's head just because his posse insists she's a spy (of course she was) but actually he had no definitive proof that she told any secrets to anyone (of course she didn't because she was spying for herself).

Now compare that incident to how he handled Murong Un's stealing and giving away Goguryeo's military secrets.... DD even had definitive proof that MU was behind the plot but the writers instead had the lackey official beheaded but spared MU's life because DD wants to 'convert' his hatred into brotherly love.

Does that make any sense to you? Without any proof or investigation, DD was ready to kill a lowly soldier spy (Seol Ji), but even with proof and the loss of precious military secrets that are very damaging to the national security of his nation, DD spares MU. This is just one of the few examples of the writers' black-hole plot.

[Guest whodat]

Does that make any sense to you? Without any proof or investigation, DD was ready to kill a lowly soldier spy (Seol Ji), but even with proof and the loss of precious military secrets that are very damaging to the national security of his nation, DD spares MU. This is just one of the few examples of the writers' black-hole plot.  

The writers put themselves in this JAM. They didn't give enough minions/posse members to the notable characters opposing Damdeok. This resulted in those guys (MU & Fengba) doing all the dirty work. The problem arises when they get caught scheming/stealing classified material. There really isn't much that can be done to them because they are prominent historical figures with vital roles later on in the drama.

Alternate: MU and Fengba escape but some Houyan minions (2 guys who are always with Fengba) get caught. Damdeok cuts off their heads and sends the pickled heads back to Houyan with a message: "This is the fate that awaits all who attack Goguryeo".

[daunte29]

Agree with you there, mzeiya

Though the writers decided to use real historical persons like Murong Un & Fengba, I don't think there is enough historical evidence to suggest they were as so deeply involved as they are in Damdeok's affairs as portrayed in this drama.

The PD for GTGC here also made historical distortions with key historical characters when he made "Dae Jo Young".... he got away with that so he's making a repeat attempt.

Being in the same business as these PDs, backroom wise, I'm actually more than ok with slight or major historical distortions in making a film or drama, all in the name of artistic license and generating entertaining value.

My beef is in the depictment of human logic .... granted Damdeok didn't graduate from a prestigious high school in Goguryeo but even as a normal man driven by hormones and ambition, I don't think he's that stupid or emotionally driven to keep MU alive, just because he gave MU's dad a big hole in his stomach.

As the first portion of this clip from ep 53 shows, MU had already begun inciting discord (treason in fact) externally by conspiring with Goguryeo's enemies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s219fojpQQ

In those early days even DD's posse already felt fear like icy cold richard simmons creeping down their baggy pants because MU knows A LOT about anything Goguryeo, including who among them sleeps in the buff and likes wearing women's lingerie to work, and ep 53 also correctly shows a 'very upset' Damdeok over first discovery of MU's turncoating.

Now simple basic logic would dictate by the time DD AGAIN discovers MU's continued treachery by stealing military secrets and still tweeting with the Houyans & with Baekje, DD still makes every effort to keep MU alive?

And Ha-ha Muji doesn't even have any 'suggestions' regarding punishing MU? Remember HMJ & ministers were so quick in punishing Seok Jae after that debacle and Seok Jae's 'crime' didn't even amount to anything so serious as stealing military secrets for the enemy.... so what happened to Ha Muji penchant for executing war prisoners & criminals?

Not only Ha Muji but DD's posse also seems to be suffering brain-rot. Even if DD is having guilt pains about killing MU's father, the posse should still have enough "combined reasoning powers' to see MU as an ENEMY and no longer as the son of a dead prime minister.

The writers are really deluding themselves more and more by continuing to use MU as the chief firestoker and self-appointed leader of anti-Damdeok club. And what about the Houyan & Baekje leaders who listened to MU, gave him a chance and wroked with him against DD and so far, they've only had horse poop in their faces all because MU's brainpower of strategizing destruction of Goguryeo is about as strong as mosquito fart.

Speaking of brainpower, how many of you folks remember Damdeok's first encounter with Ha Muji? Remember how he 'expertly' revealed Factor 3 and warned DD that the greatest threat to his power would come from inside his court?

Let's pretend we don't know that the writers knew exactly what they AWE-READY had in mind for Ko/Murong Un when they put those words into Ha Muji's mouth but if you're A REAL HMJ, wouldn't you take your own warning to DD more seriously and take action against that threat?

Before HMJ started working for DD, he was able to foretell events that would happen to DD better than our KBS writers. But after he started wearing palace robes, eat palace cuisine and karaoke with the palace maids, what's happened to his sharp foresight? Did HMJ lose his crystal ball along with his virginity after he became a palace regular?

Not convinced? Just look back at all the things that has happened since DD successfully conquered Baekje's Gwanmiseong? Since then has HMJ been able to offer any of his forward-looking radar advice? Has he given DD any strategic political & military advantages?

When HMJ was still 'new' & mysterious, he stood out from DD in his foresighting powers; nowadays HMJ & DD have become the same lame numbnuts only able to REACT to situations rather than plan and anticipate.

In the oft-repeated words of General Hwang, DD's chief general, "I have a bad feeling" things will get worser but then again, it's quite fun to see MU's small eyes brimming with confidence before embarking on his latest escapade only to see everything fall apart like an imploding building.

[Moosegender]

This drama might be worse the Iron Empress. I've been watching Emperor Wang Gun all week and the difference in quality of acting and writing is enormous.

[watsupzzul]

This drama focus too much on Damdoek's human side and he wasn't generous king as portrayed in the drama in real historic records. In real history, he was one of the greatest militaristic ruler, under his guideline his troops grew strongest in NE Asia at the time. He almost destroyed Xianbei empire and Baekje Kingdom with only 50,000 horsemen equipped with full body steel armor, it was like today's version of Tank. Damdeok also destroyed Khitan empire and his army destroyed Gaya Kingdom which Gaya became weaker and eventually submitted to Shilla Kingdom (one of the ally to Damdeok at the time). He was cunning and well-prepared and he didn't really went to battle fields like this drama is showing, he never participated any battles himself but he was gifted militaristic leader similar to Alexander the Great. Damdoek or Koguryo's troops were able to beat so many enemies with much larger size is because not only they're well-prepared, well-trained but their weapons were far superior than any of their neighboring states at the time.

[watchumlots]

This drama might be worse the Iron Empress. I've been watching Emperor Wang Gun all week and the difference in quality of acting and writing is enormous.

Iron Empress was higher $ production, but the story got weak in places. The production values of Wang Gun are much more... primitive: wigs, sets, armor, even the clink-clink-clinking of the fake swords, and other crappy sound effects.   When the monk becomes king, the dialogue will consist of "who is it?" and "show him in."    When Wang Gun ended I had about of week of missing all those characters, after 200 episodes it's like they were neighbors dropping in for an hour every day.  Plus, I wanted a better ending.  Have you seen Age of Warriors?  That is another 'early' sageuk.  

I could never determine which wife of Wang Gun was the grandmother of Empress Chun Chu (Iron Empress).  My favorite scenes were of the Khitan, how hilarious were they?  Khitans and the fake bears... now that's bad TV.  After seeing the costumes of the Khitans,  I knew where the sci-fi guys got the inspiration for their costumes. 

[Guest flydolesqueue]

This content has been removed by a moderator.

[Guest DJG]

^

^ I tried watching Wang Gun, because of the epic history and how it set the course for several generations, but wow the quality of the sets were *pause* not great.  It seems it was done during a period when Kdrama budgets were not as high as they are now. I already think GTGC is pretty substandard, but the Wang Gun costumes were LOL worthy. The helmets looked like things from Star Trek. It just made it hard for me to get into the drama.

[watchumlots]

^

^ I tried watching Wang Gun, because of the epic history and how it set the course for several generations, but wow the quality of the sets were *pause* not great.  It seems it was done during a period when Kdrama budgets were not as high as they are now. I already think GTGC is pretty substandard, but the Wang Gun costumes were LOL worthy. The helmets looked like things from Star Trek. It just made it hard for me to get into the drama.

Saw Sejong first, Iron Empress, Emperor of the Sea, and then saw Wang Gun.  Thought it was a joint production between a high school drama department and a senior citizens group. Wang Gun's attempt at special effects, the sound effects, costumes, sets, EVERYTHING, was hokey.  But it was still good in spite of all those major flaws.  The same with Age of Warriors.  Production values were better than Wang Gun, but still lacking.  I thought the characters in A of W were even more compelling.  I always fast-forward through the battle scenes, and any portions that I don't find interesting, so just about anything can be endured.  

[Guest whodat]

Thinking back, there was a time this drama was not bad. At one point I watched with no subs just to see what would happen next. However, as the drama goes on, the patterns start to emerge and it becomes predicable. Battles for example:

TOP SECRET:Authorized Personnel Only

Consider two warring nations A = Goguryeo & B = Others:

1. B launches an attack on A.
2. Frantic “A” messengers run in report about the attack by “B”.
3. “A” generals bang tables and the snarling/”shock face” competition begins.
4. B's command tent is filled with joy because of they believe they are sure to succeed.
5. Someone in A suggests a clever strategy which the views will find out about later.
6. B enjoys a few more victories and are now beaming with confidence.
7. B attack the next obvious/strategic target only to discover that everything was a ploy by A.
   
8. B find themselves trapped with no chance of victory and are forced to retreat or surrender.
9. Return to number one at the beginning of the next battle.

It is expected that Goguryeo should emerge victorious but how they achieve the victory is also very important.

After today's episode I couldn't help but wonder, is deception the only military strategy Damdeok knew/employed. Sure, at first it was exciting when Murong Chui and Asin were caught with their "pants down" but it gets tiresome to see the same strategy used in all battles. It's not that the strategy is ineffective, on the contrary, if used well it can be devastating to the enemy. The weird thing is that Asin keeps falling for it after being deceived several times. How many times can the same person fall for the same trick?

It would have been nice if for once they met on the field in battle formation.

The production team should have come up with a backup at the start to supplement the plot. By back up, I mean do a better job in other areas like costumes, battle scenes, character lives outside the command tent/palace e.t.c. That way, we would be like, "Though this sucks, this other aspect is awesome" and would have something to look forward to.

Although it might be too late to change much in terms of character behavior and the overall direction of the show, maybe the writers will WOW us and end the drama with a bang.

PS. Did the writers forget that Yakyeon was pregnant?

[daunte29]

mzeiya .... if only the monolingual Korean writers could read what we write here. **sighs**

KBSW Ep 69..... military rations are nothing more than words...

Those of you who have served in the military would know that to a soldier, having hot food and drinks in the middle of the battlefield while risking your life for your country on training manouvres, is by far the most powerful morale booster.

Therefore the capture of Goguryeo's main military rations by Asin & Baekje, is about as important as cutting off the food supply chain to the entire Goguryeon forces defending the frontier, including the occupied Gwanmiseong. So does Asin use this tactical victory to his advantage?

Yes & No..... Yes, because he now decides to commit more forces to re-capturing Gwanmiseong , which in fact is already fighting for its survival from Baekje's forces already swarming on it.

But alas, no, because the writers gave Damdeok & Goguryeo their much needed military rations which they obtained from a nearby Goguryeon fortress (DD had sent Seok Jae galloping there to instruct the fort commander to give everything and everyone he could spare) . So even though Asin controlled Goguryeo's frozen meats, fruits, veggies, grains and potato chips in their main supertmart, the writers had cancelled out this advantage faster than you can say "Kim-CHEE".

But why is DD & his posse running around at night in the countryside without their horses?

DD & his posse are again running at night in total darkness (except for the powerful spotlights put there by KBS) around the countryside in their non-spiked shoes.... Oi, oi, whatever happened to his famed cavalry? Are they sleeping in their stables or do the horses have a 'no night shooting' clause in their contracts?

Disguising oneself as your enemy soldier.... you remember Murong Un's 'clever' suggestion to Asin to disguise Baekje soldiers as Goguryeon soldiers and then after gaining entry into the military rations fortress, chop down everyone in sight, including the toilet cleaners? So the writers gave us a scene where a group of Baekje soldiers ambush and slaughter a group of unsuspecting Goguryeo soldiers on their morning jog... then they undress the corpses & wear their uniforms, which was not shown for health reasons.

This is another bull crap invention by K-drama writers.... they themselves should try wearing FOR REAL a slain soldier's blood-soaked uniform with holes caused by sword slashes/arrows and then see why it WILL NEVER DECEIVE the fortress gate commanders; other than the fact the slain soldier's uniform might not even fit your body frame.... don't you think it's a dead giveaway to be seen wearing a military uniform 2 sizes bigger (MC Hammer fashion is back, izzit?) or worse, 2 sizes smaller (so you can sing and sound like Michael Bolton?)

If this method of deception - wearing your enemy's uniforms - were so effective, surely it would be used more often, right up to this day even?

And what did all the above silliness culminate in? Yup yet another actor (playing Asin's uncle-general) copping out from this crappy drama so he could, like Doyoung (yer'all be sure to tune in to Doyoung's comical death scene next week), find better drama projects elsewhere.

To give the Baekje general a dignified exit, the writers made the guy go one-on-one with General Hwang. So why place Goguryeo archers atop the cliffs overlooking these Baekje soldiers? Even before Asin & MU made their escape, these archers could have just rain their arrows down on the hapless Baekje troops and end the battle right then & there....HEY HANG ON A SECOND....didn't we just see this same ambush setup last week when Seol Ji & Mohe rescued DD's richard simmons from the Houyans?

If you pause that end scene, you'll see that the valley and the overlooking cliffs look eeriely familiar.... actually it's the same location site where they shot the previous scene but now filmed at night to fool unsuspecting viewers.

Morevoer since it's pitch black darkness, unless the Goguryeo archers were wearing night-vision goggles, they're in one word.... useless. You wouldn't want to be the archer who accidentally put an arrow or two up General Hwang's wide butt, would you? Because of friendly fire, your good general might have to sleep facing downwards for a few months.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[daunte29]

KBSW ep 70.... when Dumb-deok too never learns from his past errors....

In the incompetent hands of our two writers, the Great King again makes a serious tactical error..... he knew Mo Duru was under daily attacks from the Baekje forces assembled there in advance of Asin. But what does DD do? Dilly-dally and even join in as spectator to watch General Hwang despatch Asin's uncle to La-La Land.

Why didn't DD just leave the fight (instead of standing there to watch) and go chase Asin down and finish them once and for all?

To make matters more ridiculous, the writers even made DD despatch a message to Mo Duru in effect saying - DON'T WORRY MO, DUMBDEOK IS COMING SO YOU JUST HANG IN THERE AND KEEP EXTERMINATING ANY BAEKJE WORM THAT CLIMBS OVER THE WALL.

Did DD ever show any attempt to help Mo Duru? (S I L E N C E I S GOLDEN).

Did DD send any of his generals to reinforce Mo Duru? (Err... Houston Control, we have a problem, it seems the Baekje soldiers have multiplied exponentially in the past day and worse, they are immune to our insect spray. Please send the Navy Seals ASAP or better yet, John Rambo).

Instead the writers gave us this scenario that the entire general staff of DD disguised themselves as Silla military rations handlers so that they could retake back their rations storage facility from the Baekje. The writers want us to know that DD and his entire army were too busy with that mission and that's why Gwanmiseong fell back into Baekje's hands.

To lend credence to that notion, the writers even made HMJ say that the rations fortress is well-defended and therefore if they don't recapture it fast, the Baekje defenders might torch the place. Talk about putting your chickens and eggs in one single basket.

A more acceptable military tactic for DD should be to send reinforcements under Ha Muji to Mo Duru at Gwanmiseong while also preparing to retake the rations storage facility. Why HMJ? Because the previous time when Mo Duru was also under attack at Gwanmiseong, HMJ was right there by his side, praying for bad weather and for a few kpop female stars to hold a concert within Gwanmiseong.

Now here's the biggest JOKE about ep 70... in ep 69, Asin had lost most of his navy and barely was able to crawl onto land. In order for Asin & MU to escape, his uncle sacrificed himself at the hands of General Hwang. While it is true that Asin was down but not out (as usual), in ep 70 Asin uses a trick learnt from the movie Troy - making it seem that his attacking forces were retreating from Gwanmiseong so that Mo Duru and his merry men could let their guard, pants and Calvin Kleins down by getting drunk and being overtaken by Baekje spidermen.

The JOKE is that Asin retook Gwanmiseong with less than half (maybe even fewer) of the remainder of his forces while DD & his entire Goguryeo force wasted precious time and energy retaking their rations facility, which was defended by a lowly Baekje general, as a result of which Mo and his merry men ended up as Asin's playmates - to be used as human shields when DD next comes to visit Gwanmiseong.

Speaking of playmate, didn't you folks love the end scene when sweet Doyoung lifted up her black mosquito net and DD went - Queen No. 1, I know you are still alive and yes, you still make my loins vibrate but why are you here? Didn't you tell my bodyguard Seol Ji that you didn't ever want to see my drop-dead gorgeous chiselled features again? Or did you change your mind after you saw Asin's skinny abs and bony thighs?

Brace yourself for next week's most ridiculous death scene involving Queen No. 1. But I bet you folks already knew that, right?

[Moosegender]

At the rate actors are dropping out of this drama they won't be able to finish it before everyone's gone.