[Drama 2017] Saimdang, Light's Diary 사임당, 빛의 일기

[liddi]

@Farah Ayuni We are now in 1542. From the novel, we know that Gyeom leaves for Italy in autumn of the same year, so it should be soon. Perhaps he was banished rather than sentenced to death in the end.

[liddi]

@lusciousgy I am so glad that you are watching both versions as well and loving the drama!  Gyeom's love for Saimdang is truly an eternal one, which has me wondering if his spirit is still lingering in Siesta di Luna, waiting to be reunited with her one day.

And now, after the scene at Biribong Peak, I guess Siesta di Luna belonged to Gyeom after all, since I cannot imagine that name making sense to anyone else not privy to their conversation on their last day together.

[YongZura⁷]

9 minutes ago, liddi said:

@Farah Ayuni We are now in 1542. From the novel, we know that Gyeom leaves for Italy in autumn of the same year, so it should be soon. Perhaps he was banished rather than sentenced to death in the end.

 

We're happy that you're able to refer to the novel too.  i hope you'll also be able to get the next one..  

[Farah Ayuni]

11 minutes ago, liddi said:

@Farah Ayuni We are now in 1542. From the novel, we know that Gyeom leaves for Italy in autumn of the same year, so it should be soon. Perhaps he was banished rather than sentenced to death in the end.

 

Thanks for the info. So, almost 10 years to go before Saimdang's death. Maybe another time jump? I am so intrigued. 

[Jay Gatsby]

My English isn't good. But I just watched SSH's weibo in 2015. He wrote caption "travel time" or "transcend time" on LG's picture at Italy. I just thinking maybe....

I think SJY and SID can soul exchange each other in next eps.

[gerrytan8063]

@liddi

If you like further reading into Shin Saimdang historical past, here another published book

There is another book title "사임당을 그리다" (the Drawings of Saimdang) that is tagged by SBS drama Saimdang Light's Diary

This book discussed about Shin Saimdang drawing & also the influence she had on Landscape painter Jeong Seon (정선1676–1759)

Written by Prof Jeong Hyeong Gyo (정향교) curator & Director of Ojukheon House & Ojukheon Municipal Museum (오죽헌시립 박물관장) is a historical expert of Shin Saimdang & Yulgok Yi I

This book was published in April 2016 & the book is price at W12,800

Field Mice & Watermelon (수박과 들쥐) by Shin Saimdang & Jeong Seon

The left painting belongs to Shin Saimdang (notice the Pae Raeng-i flower - 패랭이꽃,Dianthus chinensis), while the right is by Jeong Seon

[pixiebelle]

My first post on this thread. I enjoy coming in here to read snippets but I am unable to follow every post as there is over-whelming amount of historical information which I am unable to fully understand. 

I am watching international version ONLY on Oh!K (cable TV) and there is a short episode summary for each episode. The original text is in Chinese character so I did a rough translation. If anyone is interested to see the actual episode summary in Chinese I can upload the screens. My cable TV allows preview of up to next 4 episodes. 

My personal opinion : my guess low ratings is due the the drama being split into two threads and it is hard to maintain a gripping plot and good pacing. The historical timeline has better pull due to more airtime, romance, conflicts etc. The modern timeline cuts in at unusual intervals and the story focus mainly on SJY's struggles within her career and family. Overall, to me,it is a quality production with good acting and much effort in supporting costumes, props etc.and entertaining enough. Particularly, I find the baddie couple in historical timeline delivered great performance.

I put the mentioned Oh!K episode summaries here. I forgot the actual episode number as each episode has its own title :

Spoiler

Next episode : Mount Kumgang

Min Chi-Hyung dies and Lee Gyeom became a wanted criminal. Saimdang's husband brought his mistress back to their home (matrimonial home) and Saimdang is unable to put up with it any longer. She left home and went to Mount Kumgang. 
[modern timeline] Professor Min's assistant stole the real Mount Kumgang and returned it to SJY. SJY and her friends plan to bring down professor Min.

Time Warp

Saimdang and  Lee Gyum met at Mount Kumgang and spent happy days together. Finally, Saimdang returned to her children. Lee Gyeom surrendered himself for Saimdang's sake.

In a time warp, Saimdang and SJY meets, hence SJY found out the story behind "Man in Korean costume".

Parting of Saimdang and Gyum

Saimdang heeds SJY's advice and plans Lee Gyum's rescue with a group of friends. 

[modern timeline] Professor Min found out Mt Kumgang was gone and he flew into a rage. SJY lies on bed unconscious. Her husband returns home safely.

 

How are you doing

[modern timeline] The art gallery's previous owner (??) confession leads to the downfall of Professor Min and *the bad old man*.
SJY regains consciousness.

[historical timeline] Saimdang no longer worries (about Gyum?). Gyum is in far away Italy missing Saimdang.

SJY meets a mysterious man in Italy

 

 

 

[liddi]

@gerrytan8063 Thank you so much for the book recommendation. I would love to get it, but again, the language barrier is staying my hand  I guess there is no Chinese translated version of the book somewhere out there? And the field mice and watermelon painting - is that the one featured in the drama? Historically, did King Jungjong dislike his Crown Prince intensely like how it is portrayed here? If so, why would he name him as his heir, rather than his other sons? 

@pixiebelle Welcome to the thread and thank you so much for the synopsis of the next 4 episodes, which basically takes us to the finale of the drama. Yes, I would be grateful if you could share screenshots of the synopsis - thank you! Do we know if ratings suffer internationally as well? For me, I find both timelines to be equally riveting, and SJY's journey very relatable. I agree that MCH and Hwieumdang are vividly drawn, and I love that Hwieumdang, as OYA once described in an interview, is multi-faceted and layered, probably far more so than MCH. Still holding out for crossovers for them as well as Director Sun, not to mention King Jungjong's faithful bodyguard. Would it be too much to ask? 

Spoiler

Looks like our speculations are right, right @Jay Gatsby and SJY's husband returns safely after all. For me the key episode would be Ep28 "Time Warp", since that would determine whether they give us a plausible explanation to the mystery behind the John Donne poem, the Rubens painting and SJY's link to them all. Really hope it delivers. I am also eager to see SJY finally meet modern-day Gyeom, and see the explanations that would hopefully be forthcoming about his motivations and overt interest in her. Since her husband is alive and family restored, I do not see any romance in the modern timeline so it will be interesting to see how their modern-day connection plays out.

 

[anyeze]

17 hours ago, liddi said:

@anyeze Thank you for pointing out that the original quote "Courage is fear that has said its prayers" should be credited to American poet Mrs. Karle Wilson Baker, not Dorothy Bernard! We learn something new again  

I do not read Korean but Hanmi C-subs also translate that line as 龙又怎么会想要一介软弱女子的性命 "How could a dragon wish to take the life of a frail woman?", which is the perfect metaphor, since the symbol of the king is the dragon, and in saying this, Gyeom is emphasising the disparity and incongruity of it all - the almighty dragon demanding the life of a woman who is clearly of no threat to him.

 

@liddi

Thank you so much! I'm relieved because I took the risk and used the word 'dragon' in the Hungarian subs while I was afraid that the real text was more fanciless

 

[gerrytan8063]

@liddi

"Historically, did King Jungjong dislike his Crown Prince intensely like how it is portrayed here? If so, why would he name him as his heir, rather than his other sons? "

Not at all.....Jungjong made Yi Ho (1515-1545), Crown Prince in 1520 when he was only 5 years old since he was his Firstborn from a Queen Consort, Queen Janggyeong, 2nd Queen Consort although Jungjong did have children or sons from other Royal Consorts prior to 1515, but none from Queen.

Queen Munjeong, Jungjong 3rd Queen Consort desperately tried to conceive a son after having 4 daughters & Grand Prince Gyeongwon later Myeongjong was born in 1535

In truth, while Jungjong didn't grasp fully in political power & politically hands tied.....but he is a King that reign for 40 odd years, he did a lot of social reform during his reign like to redo & improving a lot of the scientific instrument, military & agriculture reforms that was left neglected after the reign of Sejong the Great.....one of them was to keep standard time in Joseon by improving & redoing the Jagyeokru (self-striking water clock) in 1536 which some of its artifacts still remain to this present day

Dae Jang Geum's Jungjong will be a better depiction of the historical Jungjong, although a little overdoing on the gourmet tasting. Later you will get to see a more handsomer Jungjong in the drama "7 days Queen"

"I guess there is no Chinese translated version of the book somewhere out there? "

I am afraid there is none

[Farah Ayuni]

@pixiebelleThanks for sharing the international version synopsis. My TV has only for the upcoming 2 episodes. 

Looks like there will be no happy ending with SJY and the modern Lee Gyeom. I am sad already. Can the husband return and die again? Gosh, I'm too brutal for a kdrama. Haha. However, I'm having hopes they will initiate a spark or a new beginning between Han Sang-hyun and 'young Saimdang' from historical timeline. She hasn't make an appearance in the modern timeline. They can meet in a museum admiring Saimdang and Lee Gyeom's art. That would be epic. Haha. If only I am the director. 

[liddi]

@gerrytan8063 I am not sure if I need a handsomer Jungjong  Actually this one has quite grown on me, paranoia and all, with his cold cold eyes so well translated into his painting. 

Something has been bothering me about the scene at Biro Bong Peak. I understand Saimdang's reason for burning the paintings she did prior to Gyeom's arrival, since those were an expression of her anger and grief towards her faithless husband. However, why burn An Gyeon's painting, which had nothing to do with YWS, and everything to do with Gyeom? If it was a reminder of the promise they made to each other, I could say the same for the painting she left behind for him, with her drawing of them together and the crescent moon. Am I missing something here?

[lusciousgy]

how would the love between lord Lee & saimdang be reunited in the end??gosh...I'm so nervous of its ending. 

[gerrytan8063]

@liddi

"Something has been bothering me about the scene at Biribong Peak. I understand Saimdang's reason for burning the paintings she did prior to Gyeom's arrival, since those were an expression of her anger and grief towards her faithless husband. However, why burn An Gyeon's painting, which had nothing to do with YWS, and everything to do with Gyeom? If it was a reminder of the promise they made to each other, I could say the same for the painting she left behind for him, with her drawing of them together and the crescent moon. Am I missing something here?"

It is Biro Bong Peak (비로봉).....She is relinquish her artistic aspiration to become mother of her children. An Gyeon was her aspire aspiration to paint like him. Yi Gyeom share that aspiration. The painting that she left for Yi Gyeom was a momento of that once aspiration that she wishes Yi Gyeom to carry the torch of aspiration on her behalf

[liddi]

@gerrytan8063 Noted on the typo and corrected - thank you! I guess it makes sense, that she is giving up her passion for her children... though history will dictate otherwise, and she will continue to create masterpieces even after 1542? If so, I wonder how they would explain her re-embracing her artistic passion... whether it is thanks to her meeting with SJY? Questions questions.

[gerrytan8063]

@liddi

"Questions questions."

We will have to see if previews will give us a window peek.....since Oh!K channel have given us some text preview on the coming episodes...courtesy of @pixiebelle

GTV Taiwan haven't played their preview for Episode 27.....

 

[plainenglish]

8 hours ago, liddi said:

Something has been bothering me about the scene at Biro Bong Peak. I understand Saimdang's reason for burning the paintings she did prior to Gyeom's arrival, since those were an expression of her anger and grief towards her faithless husband. However, why burn An Gyeon's painting, which had nothing to do with YWS, and everything to do with Gyeom? If it was a reminder of the promise they made to each other, I could say the same for the painting she left behind for him, with her drawing of them together and the crescent moon. Am I missing something here?

Possible reasons why Saimdang burned Ahn Kyun's "Mount Geumgang" painting and her own painting of the mountain:

1. We have prwviously thought that it was Lee Gyeom who burned Ahn Kyun's painting, but as we found out in Ep. 24, it was actually Saimdang who burned the painting.

We know how much Saimdang values Ahn Kyun's painting. In Episode 2, she climbed over a fence just to see the painting. In Episode 4, her father ordered the servants to burn all of the paintings and drawings in the house so that Min Chi-hyung and her men would not be able to identify Saimdang. But Saimdang wakes up, tearfully grabs Ahn Kyun's painting and protects it from being burned. In Episode 24, she picks it up from the floor where Lee Won-su and his concubine have placed it.

So why would she burn Ahn Kyun's painting?

The painting had brought her and Lee Gyeom together, and by burning it, she was cutting off all her ties with Lee Gyeom.

2. Why would she burn her own painting of the mountain?

She was saying goodbye to all her youthful dreams and would now be focusing on her children, plus Hwieumdang's sons.

3. Why didn't she burn the painting that she and Lee Gyeom painted together?

Part of the reason simply could be that it belonged in part to Lee Gyeom.

10 hours ago, Farah Ayuni said:

Looks like there will be no happy ending with SJY and the modern Lee Gyeom. I am sad already.

We have been thinking that it will be a sad ending for Saimdang and Lee Gyeom. But maybe, the reason why there won't be a romance for Ji-yoon and RADE The Photographer is because Saimdang and Lee Gyeom will have a happy ending.

[plainenglish]

Bad news on the political front that could further affect SLD's ratings:

"Entire U.S. Senate to go to White House for North Korea briefing" at https://us.yahoo.com/news/entire-u-senate-white-house-north-korea-briefing-150459069.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top Trump administration officials will hold a rare briefing on Wednesday at the White House for the entire U.S. Senate on the situation in North Korea, senior Senate aides said on Monday.

All 100 senators have been asked to the White House for the briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the aides said.

While top administration officials routinely travel to Capitol Hill to address members of Congress on foreign policy and national security matters, it is unusual for the entire 100-member Senate to go to such an event at the White House, and for those four top officials to be involved.

U.S. officials have expressed mounting concern over North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, and its threats to attack the United States and its Asian allies.

Notes:

1.The White House and US senators will meet Wednesday US time; if I;m correct, that's Tuesday, Korean time zone.

2.US  President Donald Trump cannot by himself order an attack on North Korea; under the US Constitution, he needs approval of Congress. That's what the meeting will probably be about.

3. We love SLD, but it's just a drama after all. What's happening in South Korea and its neighbor North Korea is what's important in real life.Let's hope our Korean friends will find peace for their country.

[pixiebelle]

@liddi  No idea about ratings for international version but this drama is heavily promoted/advertised on my cable TV.

Screenshots of preview in Chinese :

Spoiler

 

[gerrytan8063]

Episode 26

As per text preview from Oh!K channel 

Yi Gyeom surrendered himself for Saimdang's sake.

In a time warp, Saimdang & Seo Ji Yun meets, hence Seo Ji Yun found out the story behind "Man in Korean costume".

Saimdang heeds Seo Ji Yun's advice (maybe the mysterious John Donne - Jon Deon, 존 던,約翰·多恩. 1573-1631's poem "A Valediction: Forbidden Mourning" - Go Byeol Sa,고별사 ,告別詞 might comes into play, the poem was discuss on this thread in page 26 by @liddi) 

Our two souls therefore, which are one,
Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expansion,
Like gold to airy thinness beat.

& plans Yi Gyeom's rescue with a group of friends. (Im Kkeok Jeong & Nephew) 

I had just recalled that I posted on this thread in page 28 that Hwieumdang  she recite the first 2 verses of the poem Seok Juk Hwa (석죽화, 石竹花) from Goryeo Dynasty Minister Jeong Seub Myeong (정습명,鄭襲明 1076-1151) made an impression on Min Chi Hyeong

석죽화 (패랭이꽃, Dianthus Flowers,  Dianthus chinensis)

世愛牧丹紅(세애목단홍) / 사람들 모란의 붉음 좋아하여

栽培滿院中(재배만원중) / 뜰 안에 가득 가꾸고 있구나

誰知荒草野(수지황초야) / 거친 초야를 누가 알겠는가

亦有好花叢(역유호화총) / 예쁜꽃 떨기 피고 있는 꽃을

色透村塘月(색투촌당월) / 그 빛 시골 연못 속 달에 비치고

香傳隴樹風 (향전롱수풍) / 그 향기 바람 언덕 나무로 흩어지네

地僻公子少(지벽공자소) / 궁벽한 시골이라 부귀한 이 적으매

嬌態屬田翁(교태속전옹) / 늙은 농부만이 그 아름다움 즐기노라