[Drama 2012] The Moon that Embraces the Sun 해를 품은 달

[baduy]

Jansil merely said i can help you meet the person you are looking for

Yes indeed. She's always the soul of brevity. Never one word more than is necessary, but every word packed with fateful truth. Hey, maybe that's why I'm such a fan of hers: attraction of opposites (남남북녀).

Close to the beginning of yesterday's episode, when Seol asked her did she sense anything amiss, JS, without looking up from her sewing, just said "Darkness grows". Seol, being somewhat of a low-wattage bulb, was rash enough to ask if she'd care to expand on that a little, and gets the put-down reserved for those who expect oracles to provide detailed study notes: "I just meant you were blocking out my light." Yet another example of how the drama scriptwriter can mingle ominous and comic tones with sure-handed effect. [unlike the writer of the novel, who in the extracts I've looked at, only a small portion I must admit, seems to have only two tones for this narrative: steaminess for set-pieces and humdrum narration to link one purple passage to the next. A bit like the way porn movies have to have those clunky "plot" sections to get from one "interesting" encounter to the next].

But perhaps the best example of JS's highly-compressed insights was her response to YW's question as to who she was when she first recovered consciousness. "You're the moon, of course!" That's even briefer in Korean, where everything except the "you" is stuffed into a single word. And it's only because JS, addressing a girl obviously older than herself, has to preface that word with an "Eonni" to avoid being cheeky that she has to make her response even two words long.

[mikanpuriname]

Rather the reverse. He knew that if she were a candidate, and if the selection process was fair, which it is, precisely because of Hwon's intervention with his father, inspired by Yeom's teaching about the need to put the needs of the nation before the traditions of protocol, then she would most certainly be chosen. And that was the fate he wanted to save her from above all else (as did her mother, and, to a lesser extent, her father). But he can't save her from it, precisely because it is indeed her fate, in every sense of the word.

Actually I think when Yeom asked Crown Prince to spare Yeonwoo from the selection, it was because he was trying to save YW from being one of the last candidates.

Whoever chosen to be in the last selections would, even if she wasn't the final choice for crown princess, would be marked as the crown prince's woman.

Unless they were chosen to be concubines by the king (like YangMyung's Mom), those women are doomed to a fate of never being able to marry.

In the earlier eps of the drama, Yeom knew that Bokyung was already decided by the Dowager Queen, so he knew that Yeon-woo didn't have a chance to win out since Dowager Queen usually gets the last say. However, Yeom also knew that his little sister was of considerable talents, so she would definitely be one of the last ones standing, meaning that he knew that if Yeon-woo went into the selection and that the Queen Dowager had the last say, Yeon Woo would definitely be doomed to be lonely her whole life, unable to marry and have her own family. Dying lonely without any children. I think that's what he was trying to save her from.

[Auntie Mame]

I know that it's very premature, but I wonder if the ending will be:

A version of "A Tale of Two Cities".   My thinking is based on the possible ambiguities regarding the two suns and how the YW moon is fated to be by the side of the sun.  It doesn't say that the 'side' is the king.  And, there is nothing to say that the Hwon-sun must be the King. 

As long as Hwon is the King and wants to keep YW at his side, she will always be in mortal danger.  The only way for her to be safe is if he is no longer the King.  Sooooo . . .What if he abdicates the throne, in favor of his brother YM?  This would accomplish all his goals because it would allow him to be with YW and ruin his grandmother and her cronies.   

However, Hwon and YW may still not be safe, in that scenario.  2nd soooooo . . . What if YM, in his compassion, for the lovers agree to an uprising ousting Hwon and therefore, the grandmother and her cronies?   Since they've already faked one death, they could fake a second death for Hwon.  A dead Hwon would allow him and YW to happily live in obscurity.

And, the part about YM becoming King is based on his conversation with his mother, where he advised her not to shave her head because she may yet be Queen again.

Although, the ending has been set by the book, I wonder if the drama will deviate and write its own ending. 

[Zionasis]

Re Auntie Mame’s comment about alternative ending:

I think that it would be a waste of talent for Hwon not to be king and Yeon Woo his queen. One of the aspects I like so much about this drama is the theme of learning and teaching. It wouldn’t sit right with me to have Yang Myung on the throne, since he has been built up to be a wanderer preoccupied with appearing to have NO ambition for the throne. Plus, I think he just wants some personal happiness--not really concerned for the fate of the nation. Moreover, he does have a heroic streak (eg when he saves Jan Shil) that the unshackled life as a nobleman, as opposed to kingship, would suit him well.

Re baduy:

I too like the way that the drama has added more meat to the novel. It’s still a lightweight sageuk, but at least the script seems to have graduated beyond erotic tones [as enjoyable as those excerpts have been ].

On another note, I’ve liked how Kim Min Seo has worked with her limited character. She hasn’t had much to go on, considering that Bo Kyung, up until now, has been a pawn. Perhaps, Bo Kyung will become more proactive now that Wol has entered the picture.

Anyway, what an awesome episode. Another whole week...

[baduy]

how do i see the recaps? do i have to make an account and login to see the list?? Thanks!

Yes and no. Softy's is a standard blog anyone can read. But the second link there takes you to redpinkbox's twitter account, which is protected. To read or follow her tweets, you need to get a twitter account yourself if you don't already have one, and then ask her for an invite. But her tweets are links to postings on twitterlonger.com (actually nothing to do with twitter, despite the name) and if you take those from postings on this forum such as #2104 (by jaejoongstolemyheart , you can get straight in without needing any new account or an invite.

BTW folks, don't bother trying any of those YT links to today's episode posted here. MBC already had them taken down. After all, people outside Korea or the US, the only places MBC wants this drama to be seen, might actually get to discover how good it is. And they don't want all those miscellaneous foreigners finding that out, do they? Might actually give them dangerous ideas, like learning Korean or even visiting Korea. Perish the thought. Thank goodness Jang Shil runs that little sideline in telepathic video transmission and kindly lets the rest of us view the drama by those means. And MBC attorneys, don't try going after our dear Jang Shil. She has a VERY powerful protectress who will send her stranglesmoke creeping under your double-locked doors.

@ mikanpuriname I wasn't denying that Yeom feared his sister might have ended up as one of the two rejects had the competition been rigged, which he naturally did. My point was that he knew Hwon well enough to know he would find his sister to be the only woman he wanted to marry if he had the chance, and well enough also to know that, schooled by Yeom's own teaching on a monarch's priorities, he would have the determination and wits to persuade his father to break protocol im the running of the selection process. Yes, he feared for his sister either way if she entered the lists. But he viewed being chosen for queenship as a worse fate for her than being forbidden to marry.

[HillaryTnT]

What time now .. ~sigh 2;00am in the morning and I'm keep refreshing and reading all the comment posted tonight.

What an intriguing episode. I love it badly. I wonder what Jansil told Yang Myung. Did she told him like "I know wol and where is she is ..." OR did she include with .... " ..... Wol is Yeon Woo .. she did not remember herself or any her past .." ..

both are telling who is Wol but the outcome would be totally different ...

~sigh again ... 40% of me do not want to know what was in the book .. just watch the drama version and enjoy it ..

but the other 60% of me .. really really wanna know what was in the book .. but it's very limit information in english .. thanks to soulmate in this thread who keep updating and posting summary, translation of the books .. fill up my hunger ... thank you ..

off too bad .. unless i keep dreaming the next episode ..  .. ^^

Chapters 1 through 6 are available through Electric Ground blog... link below.

http://belectricgrou...gory/book-club/ 

edit: Anyone noticed the baduk stone at Yeon-Woo was same colors with the one Woon found at Wol's house (during their first meet)

could it already a hint and actually Woon sense something about Wol too ..??

*quoted image*

I think he won't need to divorce bo kyung.. because once a woman choosen as the finalist to become the crown princess, she is crown prince's woman...

she can't marry someone else... that's why when yeom don't want his sister to become join the selection of crown princess... because he afraid she won't be chosen...

I don't know the specifics but I though someone else in another blog who read the book indicated that Yeon Woo/Wol ended up as queen.  They did not say what happened to current queen.  I actually wouldn't mind if they kill her off.  But I think what is most likely to happen is that father would be implicated in treason (as he is raising an army against the king) and she would either be exiled with her father (and their entire family) or Hwon may use her father's actions to force her to "abdicate" (if that is the proper word) from her position as queen.

[Guest show2007]

Would like to add my input on the "Baduk" scence as well. A wonderful and meaningful metaphor there. Within the Baduk world, there is only black and whte and there is border or walls built within. YW puts her letter inside the Baduk box is to ensure her feelings towards Hwon. Once the stones (heart) placed on the board, it cannot be removed or put it on top of it = her hearts and feelings toward Hwon will never change. She also wants Hwon to be a better King and think carefully every steps and actions he will take in the future as it can't be removed as well. Also living inside the palace = with this 13x13 board is pretty lonely and full of dangers. However, he can play the Baduk and have fun with it and she will always thinking of him as this won't be a game without the black (sun as the player who hold the black stone will play first) and the white (moon). It is more than a thousand words within this heartbreaking scence. Great performance and the meaning behind it is precious.

[HillaryTnT]

Maybe dramaok, or someone else who knows a lot more about these things than I do, can field this one. But to be going on with: although there may be special provisions for royals that I don't know about, the general principle in Joseon Korea was that a man could divorce his wife if she proved uncapable of bearing him a son. Alternatively, he could take a concubine and the case of his full wife's attested "barrenness" (= no boys, girls didn't count as disproof of barenness) any son born to that concubine would become the legitimate heir of the bloodline. Oh yes, and gross disrepect to her husband's family, exspecially her mother-in-law, were grounds for divorce too (and could override any wishes the husband might have in the matter -- there's a reflex of this in quite a few Kdramas set in modern times) but that's not a feasible scenario here unless BK really blows it and forgets her father's advice.

But, as I say, there may be special rules for the Royal Family.

I think that the "treason" of her father will play a part in her exile.

Everyone providing recaps and translations, thank you very much!

I was actually a bit surprised that Hwon would forget YW's writing because he loved her so much. But now that I think about it, it's precisely because he loves her that he pushes the thoughts of YE's death away and rather not see or remember anything which remiss him of all the pain and guilt. I wonder what happened to the lettuce...

Can some one be kind enough to explain how Woon got the letter? He couldn't have randomly gone to Wol's quarters to search on his own...did I miss something? And Woon, you're such a tease! Siding with Wol when you're usually poker faced hahaha!! There's more to you than meets the eye. I wonder if he suspected anything from the jade beads he found at her old home.

I have another question: why is Hwon's mother not from the Yoon family? It seems that a Yoon heir is very important to the grandma so I wonder how Hwon's mum became queen at that time.

Anyone with spoilers for next week? Like from the novel or something? I need at least something to imagine about or I'll go nuts from the wait. Somebody plsssssass!!!!!!

There are actually several letters. 

The one that I think you are referring to is this one.   Wol wrote an apology/explanation to the Hwon, which was intercepted by the guards when she went in to see the king.  The guards gave it to Woon, who then gave it to Hwon and asked him if he wanted to read it or essentially get rid of it.  That is how Hwon got the first letter from Wol.

Then Yeom found the letter that Yeon Woo wrote 8 years ago on her deathbed (though why they never went through her belongings at that time is beyond me) and gave it to Hwon on his visit to the castle.

Hwon then decided to get a copy of the apology that Yeon Woo wrote for him before they were engaged 8 years ago, as he could not remember her handwriting.  And Hwon realized that the writing from Yeon Woo (from 8 years ago) and Wol are the same.

With respect to your second question, Hwon's father was belonged to that family line ... maybe the dowager queen (who would have been queen at the time when Hwon's father was engaged) was not as manipulative as she is now.  She is the main instigator of this whole political mess and seems to have installed her whole family in high government positions.  It would have been her mother-in-law who would have been in charge of the selection of the wife for Hwon's father (as she would have been dowager queen) ... based on the fact that they made a big deal that the King was interferring in matters that was typically handled by dowager queen.

[junkietiger14]

wooo... exciting episode. So Hwon knows and YM knows that YW is alive... have they figured out her whole memory loss and how to get that back? curious to see what happens in the next episode. I guess they still have to piece together the entire puzzle, but at least they have a huge section figured out.

[Guest Li3a8]

Jan Sil told him that she will guide him to the person he is looking for as payment for saving her life as a child, but she's taking a huge risk and she knows it. Obviously she must know that is not Wol but Yeon Woo the one he really wants to meet, and at the very end he ask Wol "do you recognize me?" again, Jan Sil must have tell him for sure.

[tessieroo]

EP 9 is done at ViKi:

http://www.viki.com/channels/2130-the-moon-that-conceals-the-sun/videos 

And EP 10 is at 43%! 

[pad-hari]

Can somebody clear another doubt for me, please?? Thank you. BK, who has a spy around Wol, is she one of the retainers of the king?????? I think she did'nt tell Bk about the king holding her close to him and touching her face. otherwise, will it not be a danger for wol again?

Thank you for everyone who told abt the significance of the letter by yw to the king in the chess/baduk playing box. So, basically wol still has a habit of playing baduk even after growing up. Woon took a bead when he found the place deserted where wol lived. Will he find that wol is yw?

edit : @jordi, why is it ep 9 ratings, shd it not be ep 10 ratings?

[Guest jordi]

Full Ratings

AGB Nielsen Korea

10th episode:

Nationwide: 37,1%(+2,6%)

Seoul: 40,5% (+1,6%)

TNS Media Korea

10th episode:

Nationwide: 30,5%(+2,1%)

Seoul: 35,1% (+2,8%)

[Guest Eja]

AGB Nielsen

http://tvdaily.mk.co.kr/read.php3?aid=1328220920267442002

Nationwide 37.1%. Capital 40.5%.

[dramafan888]

WOW! The ratings just keep on going up. Very happy for the cast and crew.

[kapneemo]

Hello all!! First timer here! Totally just found this thread. Anyway, before I start in, I wanted to let everyone know that you can watch the raws for this show (including today's episode) on dramastyle.net (just search the moon and the sun). I watch it there every week ;]

Links aside, I have to say, I am so proud of Soohyun. He's doing an outstanding job in his role as Hwon. Above and beyond what I expected from him so I'm glad about that. But I feel as though the girl playing his wife is a little old to be playing that role compared to him. Same thing with Yeon Woo. But then, I don't think any of they younger actresses could have pulled it off as well. Though, if I could, I'd have Park Minyoung playing Bokyeong, and Kim Soeun playing Yeon Woo. Eh, oh well.

So far, Soohyun is my favorite in this entire drama. Today's scene (spoiler!) when he got Yeon Woo's letter was so moving. I actually cried with him. And then when he realized that Wol had the same handwriting, I squealed. He knows now!! Or, well, he's on his way to knowing!! And that excites me. I can't wait for next week ;D I'm sad there weren't any previews.

LOL sorry for the completely un-intellectual comment. I'm never good at talking about aspects of saeguk dramas. I just love watching them. Especially when the acting is so amazing. This drama deserves the awesome ratings it's getting :]

[baduy]

Jan Sil told him that she will guide him to the person he is looking for as payment for saving her life as a child, but she's taking a huge risk and she knows it. Obviously she must know that is not Wol but Yeon Woo the one he really wants to meet, and at the very end he ask Wol "do you recognize me?" again, Jan Sil must have tell him for sure.

I'd say JS operates at a very elemental level where considering risks doesn't figure very strongly. What she certainly must know is that what she is doing is an act of grave disobedience to her "spiritual mother" NY, to whom she owes as much gratitude as she does to YM, divulging a secret which NY is convinced will put YW in grave peril if it comes to light. JS is apparently explaining to herself, as much as to YM, that she's doing so because her debt of gratitude to YM outweighs her loyalty to NY (and to YW for that matter, because bringing YM into play at this juncture is unlikely to make YW's position any more hopeful).

But then.... but then... When he first sees the dark figure advancing towards him, YM assumes she's some sort of elemental demon waylaying him to lead him to harm. And his initial intuition may not be wholly wrong about that. On JS's first appearance, both NY and YM, within seconds of each other, realised that this small child who they initially assumed was just a front for a con-man actually had compelling psychic powers. As someone else in this thread has already very pertinently remarked, JS seems to be a kind of successor figure to Ari, but one who has made no pledge to Lady Shin of the kind Ari did, though there's another parallel plus contrast: Ari promised protection to the unborn YW in return for Lady Shin rescuing her: JS breaks faith with the person who is trying her best to follow through on Ari's promise by a revelation that will imperil YW, likewise motivated by gratitude for saving her life. But maybe that motivation masks something deeper and JS is simply an instrument of fate.

We don't need to postulate that she's told YM any more than what we hear her say on screen, namely that she will lead him to the woman he's looking for. Explanations and backstory filling aren't her thing. She leads, he follows, recognizing, we can safely assume, where she's taking him and what that means. He's already recognized YW already, and he's also got to see her as the same girl he once knew because of the harmless "normality" of their second meeting. Very unlike the circumstances of the corresponding first re-meeting of Hwon and YW, where Hwon was suddenly confronted at dead of night with a figure covertly introduced into his chamber in circumstances where he had every reason to suspect treachery. Hwon intuitively saw YW in this figure at once, just as surely as his half-brother did. But unlike YM, it was part of Hwon's mentality, forced upon him by hard experience, to suspect that this was simply too good to be true and that it must be a cruel deception, which he mustn't at any cost foster by falling into self-deception, however compelling and sweet the temptation to do so. Hwon is a embattled king surrounded by people who are plotting against his life and the well-being of his beloved nation. He has to protect the dutiful monarch in him as well as the loss-riven lover, and it is his duty to be suspicious in the extreme, whatever his impulses tell him. But YW, footloose individual, has no such constraints. His eyes and his heart tell him this is his beloved, and unlike Hwon, no other voices within him urge caution. That may be prove to be far from a good thing for YW.

[13infamyss]

Holy 37%! It just keeps on soaring high. Congratulations for another hit.

and thanks for all stuff contributed here. really appreciate the videos/pictures/etc.

The drama is just so great. All actors are just stellar and perfect for their roles. and that includes the kids who played their early years. I tried this drama out only because of Kim Soo Hyun. I never had any exceptions whatsoever. But the kids had won me since Day 1 and now I'm so hooked to this drama. It's been weeks now since the kids have exited the show yet I still go back to the very first six episodes and watch them kids every now and then.

anyways just want to share my MV here that tributes to the young Hwon and Yeon Woo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KEdjfqmlUU

^Destiny

I just thought this song was so perfect for this drama. They are just fated for each other the moment they met. Even if people and time get in between them, they are destined to eventually find their way to back to each other's.

[Guest Megamissy]

I don't know the specifics but I though someone else in another blog who read the book indicated that Yeon Woo/Wol ended up as queen. They did not say what happened to current queen. I actually wouldn't mind if they kill her off. But I think what is most likely to happen is that father would be implicated in treason (as he is raising an army against the king) and she would either be exiled with her father (and their entire family) or Hwon may use her father's actions to force her to "abdicate" (if that is the proper word) from her position as queen.

The current Queen BK committed suicide her father and the great dowager queen(grandma) was given poison,king LeeHwon and Queen YeonWoo have achild according to the novel.

[kelcy]

ep 10 reminds me of what Hwon said to YW in ep 5 .. when he secretly visit her ..

He asks if she doesn’t recognize him, shedding a tear as he says

it’s okay, as long as he can recognize her.

Source:

dramabeans recap ep 5

so, indeed .. Hwon recognize YW, first

The current Queen BK committed suicide her father and the great dowager queen(grandma) was given poison,king LeeHwon and Queen YeonWoo have achild according to the novel.

missy .. i think you need to hide spoilers under "spoilers tag" ..

because some people in this thread dont want read spoilers ..

thank you