[Drama 2016] Moon Lovers ❤ Scarlet Heart Ryeo, 달의 연인-보보경심 려 \^0^/ Soompi Kdrama 2016 Winner

[Killa92]

2 hours ago, akinahana89 said:

Soompi's Scarlet Heart: Ryeo Fan Project Update:

The final tally is:

405 submissions
210 cities*
64 countries

*Some of the submissions did not provide a city.

GREAT JOB, EVERYONE! Thank you for contributing and making this fan project such a big success. I'm working diligently now (and will be for the next couple of days) to compile it all into a nice video.

The details on the planned MASS ATTACK will be revealed ASAP. Due to a mid-negotiation situation, I am waiting on an answer before I can finalize the details pertaining to the attack on IG. As soon as I know what will happen, I will let everyone know. You will stay the most up-to-date in this thread, JoonU / SoSoo thread, and on my Twitter. 

Thank you, Eclipses!

Hwaiting !!!! Excited to see the final video

[smitten1710]

 

Another reminder of how much So loves Soo and his willingness to sacrifice everything, included the "seat" or throne for her.  The throne is not that important to So after all.  He's still willing to leave the throne for Soo. Then after So realized that he cannot abdicate unless he dies and only after Soo told him that she's okay if he marries YH and that being a queen would be too restricting for her, only then So decided to marry YH and plunge himself deeper into the palace's dirty politics.

I still cannot re-watch ep.18 entirely, then I remember this scene about So and WW's mom and I just have to share this here.  

[hiluna]

11 hours ago, dears said:

 

I would rather they reincarnate into the real actors, Lee Jun Ki, IU, Baekhyun, Kang Ha Neul, LOL. 

I know it's not possible but I do hope some drama will do this later. How fun it is if a drama actually make the characters reincarnate as the actors who played them.

And just like Nicky Wu who married his co-star after BBXJ, Lee Jun Ki could marry IU. Okay, let's stop, I'm going nuts.

Not a bad idea for an ending. It conjures up this scenario for me. The cast can use different actor/actress names (insert where the character names are).

Spoiler

 

They are filming the last scene of Soo's death in the arms of So. Pan out after the director calls "cut and its a wrap". The production team is clearing out sets etc. and So and Soo are sweet talking each other in the background. The director yells out to them "when is the wedding?", they both turn around and So says "two weeks on Sunday and we expect everyone to be there".

Fast forward to the wedding;

 Taejo walks in to the hall with Lady Oh while admonishing their children to behave themselves.

WW and YH enters while bickering away like angry siblings (or a couple on the verge of divorce).

CR drags Won in by the ear because she found him flirting with another woman and it seems like she has him under her thumb after their marriage awhile back.

Queen Yoo never married and has no children but supports an orphanage sits down beside Yo who looks the epitome of fashion with one subtle earring (hmmm is there a YoYoo thing going on here )

BH is sitting between Lady Hae and WH looking like a rabbit caught between two foxes.

Eun and SD entertain the guests with a duet song from their Kpop concert while the general beams at them from the audience, he is one of their biggest fans. 

The audience settles down as the wedding song begins, it is Davichi - Forgetting You, Soo walks down the aisle on the arms of Mu towards So. SoSoo only have eyes for each other as the say their vows of undying love and promise of staying by each other's side. At the end, So grabs her with his signature one arm hug and gives her a passionate kiss that gets the audience clapping and squealing in delight.

Did I leave out anyone? Ah yes, Jung rushes in late from an action class and spots Jimong standing at the back of the hall with a strange knowing look on his face. Jung approaches Jimong quietly and overhears him say to himself "this is how it was meant to be" and sighs with relief and his smile widens. THE END.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2016 by hiluna
added Mu

[zi4r]

Here comes another character analysis. And yes, it's lonnnnnnng. Sorry. 

Many of my posts have been WS/GJ/LJG-centric, and yet I've never really done a true character study of WangSo-turned-Gwangjong. Yes, I've talked about his flaws here and there (while exploring other characters, especially HS), but never really dwelt on them. Why? Because as a shameless WS-apologist&sympathizer, I cannot bring myself to ponder on his many flaws. (Maybe I see my own husband in him. Or I see myself in him.) In any case, whenever I try to truly explore the full depth of his character, it felt too close to home and I basically chickened out.

While trying to ignore how F-uped an individual he really is, I cannot truly explore the strengths in his character either. Because each and every strength of his character is a double-edged sword; his strengths & flaws are so fully intertwined. And as a man who truly lives his life (rather than contenting himself with merely existing)... a man who seems to give it all to everything he does, he has the tendency to take both his strengths and flaws to the extremes. As such, one cannot explore his virtues without his faults, his courage without his ruthlessness, his role as a protector without his sense of misogyny.

I've finally gathered my wits enough to write this post. It's going to be a much weaker piece, compared to my other critical posts, because my heart is not fully in it.

And warning to my fellow WangSo-apologists out there: It's going to be a rough ride, so please proceed with caution.

_____________________________________________

_____________________________

 

 

The dilemma of Wang So

a.k.a How the deliciousness of a Knight-in-Shining-Armour character has become a bitter pill to swallow

Wang So.

Arguably, the only fully developed character in the whole MLSHR universe. A character that is meant to ensnare our hearts. The one weapon that the drama truly utilizes for audience retention.

Rooting for WS is a no-brainer even from the start. It didn't truly matter that WW was causing second-lead-syndrome back then; it didn't even matter that WS had very little screen-time. WS speaks to us every single episode... not just with his own words & screen time, but through his silent presence or through the words of other characters. (Please forgive my sexist generalizations here, but I think it's fairly accurate to say...) His courage & physical strength & sense of honour speak to the male audiences; his role as a protector & his love for HS (& of course, the hotness of LJG) speak to the female audience.

He directly engages our hearts and wins us over... so much so that many of us have decided to turn off our brains whenever we are immersing ourselves in him. He makes us feel, and thinking interferes with those feelings... so we decided not to think. We decided not to heed the warnings our brains have been trying to give.

Because if only we had let ourselves listen to the little whispers in our brain since from the beginning of the drama, we wouldn't be taken so off-guard by WS's transformation to GJ. To call it a "transformation" is a misnomer, really. Because this darkness in full-display in GJ? It has always been there in WS, just lurking behind the image of the perfect leading man of our dreams.

_____________________________

 

Protector of the weak

vs. Misogynistic way of dealing with HS

The theme of the drama is basically: HS in trouble, WS to the rescue, rinse, repeat. As repetitive as it might sound, it never seems to get old. Because every time he saves her, we get to feel not just his physical pain, but his dilemmas, his inner struggle with morality, his fragility, his raw emotions... This drama is good at tugging our heartstrings through WS's sufferings (& LJG's performance), and it is unabashed at using that same old trick to rope us in.

I have already written a sappy piece about all that WS has gone through to protect HS: injuries, exile, debasement...

Spoiler

But his protective streak goes beyond HS. His murder of the monks to cover up his mother's treachery, him standing up for BA when BA was being looked down by other princes, his need to defend YH against Yo's overt advances, all the times he has protected Mu, his marriage to the kid-princess, his attempt to protect and later his mercy-killing of Eun...

Spoiler

Even his protection of HS is not done just out of love. Back when he stopped YH from caning HS and when he was helping HS run away from the forced marriage, they shared a lukewarm friendship at best. But that didn't stop him from stepping in.

Spoiler

WS's need to protect and defend anyone he considers weak and defenseless is undeniable. And of course, this offer of protection speaks to the primal part of us that wants to feel safe in the arms of the one we love. Here is the man of our dreams & fairytales, the Knight-in-shining-armour that wields his sword to defend us against all evil... and how can we (and HS) not fall for that?

But this offer of protection is a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to his love for HS. There is a sense that he is always the protector, the minder, the one in control... and she, the helpless one who relies on him. In many ways, he treats her the way we would treat a child --- "Do as I say; it's for your own protection."

 

When WS was being criticized by the drama viewers for the forced-kiss in Ep9, for the beach scene in Ep10, and then for his repeated phrase of "You are mine" throughout the series, I wrote a defensive piece where I talked about how men of high station in the past view the world & their women (Inside spoiler tag):

Spoiler

On 9/24/2016 at 11:42 PM, zi4r said:

I feel the need to preach here a bit. Please bear in mind that "You are mine" usually means something entirely different to males of high stations in the past. It usually means "You are my subject"... (Okay, now I know feminists like myself are going to explode, but hold your horses). It means "You are my responsibility", "You are under my protection". In many period dramas, many males of higher stations will say to their loved ones "You are not allowed to die/leave without my permission." Then, the modern female audience gets annoyed. But trust me when I say this... Such proclamations are sources of comfort and great relief to people of the past (especially females). So judging those sentences according to our very modern standards is truly ridiculous, and it also belittles females in countries where, even today, such proclamations of protection from their male partners are still very much a lifeline to them.

 

I still stand by that argument. I don't blame WS for just being the man of that era. But we cannot ignore what this sense of misogyny has done to his relationship with HS.

There is no question that he treasures HS. Yet this is not a relationship of equals. As he extends his protection to her, he is compromising on the respect he should have for her as a person. In the name of "protection", he has constantly opted to keep her in the dark about his problems, his plans & his ambitions... although all of those (directly or indirectly) affect HS as well. In his defense, she hasn't been the most logical of beings. (Especially, as a woman from the future being constantly bothered by visions, which WS is not aware of, she might seem frankly nuts to him at times!) But as we watch their relationship unravel due to lack of communication, the fault squarely lies on WS.

 

The lack of communication on HS part has two very valid excuses. One, without sounding like a nutjob, she can't possibly tell him about where she comes from (without Ji-mong's cooperation, and he seems adamant on not cooperating in this regard) or her visions. Two, later on, her lack of communication is a response to his constant urge to distant himself from her. She doesn't know what he is feeling or what he is planning...... How is she to really open up to him?

But for WS, the lack of communication is a deep-seated character-trait in him. Throughout Mu's reign, WS was obviously shouldering a lot of responsibilities. In my previous post, I have criticized HS for not playing a bigger role during that time (Inside spoiler tag):

Spoiler

On 10/26/2016 at 2:39 PM, zi4r said:

Here's what I was hoping for:

I was hoping that WS's love would begin to heal her... that she would become trusting and loving very few people, yet doing so more fully to those few people; that she would become wisened and hardened by time, and yet still retaining a warm heart... one that she only allows WS (and maybe a few close friends) to see. In later episodes, I had hopes that she could become his strength, not just as a lover but as a partner. Because being a courtlady means having the eyes-and-ears in every nook and crevice of the palace. Can you imagine how much of an asset that would have been to WS (let's say, as Chae-ryung was to WWon)?

Then, when GJ becomes King, I was hoping she could remain his confidante --- yes, he would marry YH, but HS would remain to be his strength, his love, his core of existence..... until one day, he goes too far and she cannot bear to embrace the man he has become. Then, the heartbreak would come for both parties, then HS dies/disappears, then modern era...... THE END.

Rather than as I have hoped, she has become the total opposite:

A hardened woman that seems to be especially suspicious of and tough in judging WS. A woman efficient in menial labour of tending to the King (mercury poisoning notwithstanding) and the princes, but seems to have no other purpose or role in the palace life. (She, BA and WH could have been great source of strength and support for WS, but all three seem to have lost interest in serving any purpose other than to just exist.) And worse, once the events turned turbulent in Ep14, she was totally unprepared for it all, and she seems to not know at all where she stands in WS's life. (Well, she's right in feeling that she matters little in practical sense to him, because as I've said, she doesn't play any essential role in his life at all!)

 

But the blame lies on WS for that too. It seems that in his effort to "heal" her and protect her from the evils of living in the palace, he has not shared any burden of his life or his work with her. I know all the viewers love the star-gazing scene, but there is a reason why I've never done gifs or waxed poetic about that scene. Because as much as my heart & my hormones call for that scene to enthrall me, my brain is so pissed at how their relationship is being portrayed --- the man going off to do his all-important work & then coming home to woo his woman with nonsensical & trivial stuff. I told myself not to dwell on it, because this might not be the true indication of their relationship dynamics throughout the whole time-skip of 2 years. After all, we didn't get to see any of their interactions during that time. And this is her birthday, so of course, he's supposed to be all lovey-dovey.

But then the boat scene came. What my heart calls it poetically as "a stolen moment of peace for WS"... and my brain calls it "one of the most cowardly & d**kish moments by WS". Rather than opting to have an adult discussion with HS about his impending marriage to a kid, he chose to be selfish (or "protect" her, maybe?) and have another lovey-dovey inconsequential moment with her.

Then the pattern continues. The shadow-puppet & bed scene. I know you all love it, so you are going to hate me for this..... but I'm pissed at him for choosing to ignore the many elephants in the room a.k.a Trust issues, Throne issues, Eun issue..... and treat her like a total airhead & yet again, choose to have a lets-play-happy-couple moment. Well, maybe he was thinking of confronting the issues later, after he has fully recovered from the arrow wound (even if Ji-mong didn't force the issue). But think about it: HS bared her soul, told him about her pain, declared her trust on him..... His response? Kiss her. Yes, it's romantic, but a very romantic deflection from the issues! Because he wants her to continue assuming, just for a little while more, that her protection is the only reason he has gone away (even though he did it as a strategy to angle for the throne as well). Yes, Wang So tries his very best to not outright lie to HS... but his lies-by-omission are hard to forgive by this point.

Spoiler

Then of course, the endless major f-ups of Ep18: The silent dinner after his confrontation with WW & her confrontation with YH. Then, the outing -- again, acting like a happy couple while riddled with unspoken issues and each keeping secrets from the other. And after that, the biggest and ugliest move WS has ever made: His choice not to prepare HS for CR's punishment & death.

Spoiler

The torrent of communication breakdown was inevitable, swift & merciless. And all of it circles back to WS not treating HS like an adult, like someone with a logical thinking head, like an equal. The role of the protector and the provider in this relationship has overruled his need to respect her opinions & wishes. And for that, this relationship is doomed even before it can truly blossom.

_____________________________

 

 

A man consumed by love

vs. Possessiveness that seeks to preserve what he deems as his

What is MLSHR? Not a time-travel story or a political intrigue. So do we call it a romance? Given how the majority of the OTP shippers are disappointed in this drama, it seems it has failed to live up to the expectations of a love story between WS & HS. Because the main story-arc focuses on WS..... and the "love" part is mainly in the sense of WS's all-consuming love for HS. Many of us stick to this drama because we cannot get enough of the many ways he has expressed his (admittedly very flawed) love for HS.

I have talked about how the need to protect HS manifested itself into the core part of their relationship. But I cannot ignore the possessiveness he has displayed, especially when he first decided he loved her and must have her.

I know that amidst the pile of complications/problems in the OTP relationship, many of us have forgotten the force-kiss, the problematic statements of "You're mine", and especially, the beach scene of Ep10. I don't want to debate on the severity of the crime of force-kissing in a K-Drama (We've been down this road so many times). And I've touched on "You're mine" in the previous section. So let's talk about the beach scene here. Remember when he said he would kill HS's lover? Many fans felt it was an empty threat/joke; they tried to argue that he didn't mean it (although I don't bloody know where they got that conclusion from). But for me, he meant every word. He was in "possession" stage of this romance... and the alpha in him would make sure no one would take what he deems as his.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

WS has precious little he treasures in his life. And the one thing he is most starved of is affection. So when HS offered him affection & understanding as a friend, he could not help but fall for her. She was one ray of light in his dark life, and he sought to have her. It was understandable & heartbreaking. And to his credit, by the end of Ep12, his love has reached the mature stage of "acceptance" and "letting go"; he would see her happy, with or without him by her side (thus his offer of marriage then divorce afterwards, just to give her freedom).

But that dark possessiveness in him that we saw a glimpse of during the beach scene has fully manifested now that he has become GJ. During Yo's reign, Yo has robbed WS of too many things he treasures --- his honour, Eun, his love-life with HS... and he was powerless to stop it. Now that he has regained control of his life & the life of others around him, he would seek to get back everything he deemed as his, and whoever stands (or stood before) in his way will suffer the consequences.

 

Consequences for WW is coming in next episode (I hope). But for now, I want to talk about his treatment of Queen Yoo & Jung.

Spoiler

 

Many viewers feel that even if his treatment of Yoo was justified, how Jung (an innocent party in this) was affected by GJ's decision to bar him from attending his mother's deathbed is unacceptable & out-of-character for GJ. Do I find that cruel? Yes. But out-of-character? Not at all.

His love for Yoo used to be almost all-consuming as the love he has for HS now. He committed murder & treason in the name of love for this mother. But all his life, he has seen Yoo pile affection on Yo and Jung, while rejecting him every step of the way. She was supposed to be his person. But in a sense Yo & Jung took her away from him. Logical or not, it doesn't matter. WS's pain when it comes to his mother's relationship with her other two sons is all too real & raw to him... and it has been festering in him all his life. During the star-gazing scene, he told HS about how he wanted Jung to just "disappear". It shows that his mommy-issues extend beyond his dealings with his mother; consciously or not, he has always harboured resentment towards Yo & Jung.

I am not saying that he made a logical decision to punish Jung. But Jung's suffering in that moment was immaterial to GJ.

And it's not a character flipflop. It just depicts how possessive love & dark resentment can manifest into something truly ugly. Actually, in that moment, he is not even being the logical & cunning GJ; he is just being WS... the son & brother of those who should have loved him and yet shunned him... and he just allowed himself to be ruled by emotions and consumed by hatred & revenge.

_____________________________

 

 

A persevering soul who is not cowed by circumstances

vs. Ruthlessness in pursuit of his goals

If the protection WS offers speaks to our need for sense of security, his never-say-die attitude speaks to the underdog in all of us. Even the strongest among us have met a fair share of failures, and that naturally results in our need to root for the underdog. This is a man who shouldn't have survived his childhood. Yet survive and thrive, he did. His years as a hostage has made him stronger. His scars are testament to his core of strength.

WS has been beaten down so many times. He cannot have lived through those dark years without giving himself a goal... a sense of purpose. When he was first introduced to us, he had two goals in mind... and those goals must've been ever-present in him throughout his time as a hostage. One, to return to the palace. Two, more importantly, to win back respect & affection from his parents. He had bided his time so he could one day achieve those goals. And when Mu presented him with the opportunity to do so before the Narye, WS pounced for it... with total disregard to his own security or whoever he would have to sacrifice for those goals. (Remember how badly he treated HS when she foiled his plans to catch the traitors?)

Spoiler

After that, the target of his pursuit became HS's love. And his need to have her overrode all other goals & ambitions in his life. It is not that he has given up on other goals... they are just not important to him anymore. I don't need to elaborate on how relentlessly he pursued HS. I have already highlighted the dark side of that pursuit in my description of the beach scene in the previous section. His recklessness in trying to keep HS safe can also be seen as another relentless pursuit of his goal. Goal: Protect HS. And to achieve that, he would give up his life, his title, his future.

 

Now, he has a new goal: To be a powerful King of Goryeo. Many viewers are reeling from all the steps he has taken to achieve that in just one episode. Many feel that he is transforming too fast. Many feel that it's a character-flip-flop: A kindhearted person becoming suddenly ruthless. But actually, he is just being who he has always been: A man who would strive to achieve his goals with reckless abandon. The ruthlessness is actually just efficiency; the lack of mercy is just due to his focus on the ultimate goal.

The moment he made the decision to become King, after Eun's death, his path was already set. His 3 years away from HS? His decision to lead a coup? His marriage & later "transaction" with YH? The punishment & death of CR? Later, whatever he would do to WW? To him, it's just another chess-move to achieve the end-game. 

Earlier, we loved it when that goal-oriented streak in him manifested into the strong-willed underdog who fought for his rightful place in the world. Now that he has become stronger than ever, we have begun to fear what he is truly capable of.

_____________________________

 

 

Phoenix that rises from the ashes

vs. Unrelenting pursuit of greater heights

This part goes hand-in-hand with the previous section. But it directly deals with his need to be a true King.

I have seen countless people puzzled by WS/GJ's seemingly-sudden need to be a powerful King. The complaint: He didn't really want the throne, he took it to buy his own freedom & protect HS, so why is he doing everything to reinforce his power as a King? The problem basically lies in our assumption that he didn't really want the throne.

His musings about the throne has gone through much back-&-forth even though the show didn't highlight it much. Before he became focused on HS... Before the makeup scene, after the first failed rain ceremony, before the successful rain ceremony... Remember his conversation with JM? Remember the look on his face when JM told him he may become King? After that, he decided to go to the ceremony even before HS covered his scar.

Spoiler

 

As I have said before, at the start of the show, WS's main ambition was to get to stay in the palace & regain his parents' affection. By Ep4, he has realized that his mother is nuts and getting her affection is a lost cause. And by the end of same episode, he has succeeded in regaining his place in the palace. So he was only left with the goal of pleasing his father... which means being a worthy prince in his father's eyes. Despite the bleak circumstances, WS has managed to rise to that level..... and a person who possesses such core of strength & zeal will not stop trying to reach greater heights. He won't be content with just having a place in the palace and being Mu's loyal pup. Therefore, being a capable prince & becoming a worthy King some day (after Mu, of course) must have crossed his mind.

Then comes the successful rain ceremony. He is suddenly the beloved prince of the people of Goryeo... the one that moved the Heavens to save the nation. Remember the dazed look of joy on his face when he was being carried back to the palace? Given how starved he was of affection & adoration, the amount of adulation he received after the ceremony must have felt really heady to him. And... at the same time, he has secured his father's affection & attention. So now what? Yes, by then, he already has his eyes on HS, but the dilemma of "Throne vs. HS" was not highlighted to him at that time, so he was not against getting the throne yet. Logically, one can assume that he would want the throne just as any other prince, because other than the throne & HS, what does he have to live for now?

Spoiler

 

Then Ep11 comes, manure hits the fan, and his father's utter disregard towards HS's plight is what finally made him turn his back on the throne in that episode. HS became the only meaning of his life; when he said to her that he didn't want the throne, he meant it.

But what did that do to him? Both Mu's and Yo's reigns have shown him that being close to the throne yet not having it only endangers him and the people he loves. And after Eun's death, he made the decision to discard HS's love, in exchange for her safety & his own freedom (and thus, the throne).

 

So just to summarize his character trajectory: This is a man who has always sought to bring himself out of the darkest times and towards greater heights. There was no evidence to suggest that he didn't want the throne before Ep11, and logic dictates that he must have had some desire for it. His decision to turn his back on the throne, in the name of his love for HS, backfires. So now, he has decided to get the throne. That's a proper character trajectory; there's nothing out-of-character about it.

_____________________________

 

 

A man of honour

vs. Honour taking precedent over everything (even rivaling his love for HS)

This continues from the previous section. One would ask: If he got the throne just for the sake of HS (and his own freedom), why try so hard to ensure his power? Well, firstly, WS doesn't do anything by halves. Whatever situation he is in, he lives in the present and he gives it all. But more importantly, he's an honourable man who doesn't take his position as the ruler of a nation, lightly.

Remember Taejo sending WS away as an ambassador? He knew that it was an exile in disguise, a punishment for his disregard towards the royal order in Ep11. But he went willingly enough, and from the report he gave afterwards, did a good job.

Then during Mu's reign, I am sure he could have bought his freedom & HS's. Before descent into madness, Mu viewed both of them very favourably, and actually owed them his life & his throne. But WS stayed, probably very aware of Mu's weakened & dangerous position. And when Mu was falling apart as a King, any other person in WS's position would have considered securing the power to himself, even if it is just to get the palace out of disarray. Yet, as an honour-bound man, he served his King faithfully.

Even during Yo's reign, WS did his best to serve honourably. Yes, he was being threatened with HS & BA & JM, but the thought of a coup didn't even cross his mind until Eun died.

Now, as a King, he is honour-bound to serve his country, and provide stability to this fairly new nation. Whatever the reason behind his ascent to the throne, I cannot see him taking his responsibilities lightly. Even when he was putting his foot down and being adamant about marrying HS, I am sure he was already searching for other avenues to affirm his power. Now that HS has given him an out and he had to sacrifice her for the security of the throne, he would be even more invested in reaffirming his power & authority.

_____________________________

 

 

An avenging angel

vs. Merciless in his dealings with betrayal

Many of us have been calling for justice for the crimes of Queen Yoo, YH and WW. The innocents (especially HS) have suffered so much in this drama that we all are out for blood.

But it seems, we want such justice done only to certain people, and only in certain ways. For HS's sake, we wanted CR spared..... If not that, we at least hoped not to get to see the bloody reality of CR's punishment. Yet, we got exactly that --- the burrito. (Who on earth came up with that term, by the way? Urgh..... Can't look at a burrito again anytime soon.)

Many of us cannot wrap our heads around GJ's cruelty. I myself am still reeling from what GJ has done. But let's take a step back and look at this.

The mercury poisoning incident has to be dealt with swiftly. If anyone knows of it and becomes aware that GJ has spared someone who plotted against a King, it will raise questions about the legitimacy of monarchy as a whole, and thus, his own authority over his people. So, to deal with it... what should GJ do? CR's crime (whether HS knows of it or not) also implicates HS, because she is the figure of authority over CR. In order to deflect the attention from HS's "involvement" & to ensure no one dared question his authority over the issue, GJ has made the punishment a bloody spectacle.

Another point of note is CR's position. Though WS/GJ seems like a nice guy, as a highborn, he must be used to seeing slaves as expendable. I doubt he would have been needlessly cruel to a slave, but I also doubt he would lose much sleep over the death of a mere slave. The consideration he would have given about CR would only be in connection with HS, not for CR herself. And even with HS in the equation, he has made the decision that eliminating CR is still the best option.

And I also feel that GJ's rage against CR is understandable, even if not really forgivable. I suspect the severity behind his punishment had much to do with the fact that CR betrayed HS, and that she was kinda responsible for GJ not being able to marry HS. He is not merely out for justice. This is a man out for revenge..... revenge against those who wronged him and the person he loves.

So we were hoping that his sense of justice & revenge will manifest into him becoming an avenging angel. But as they say, be careful what you wish for. Because it seems, what we're gonna get is a merciless bloodbath... and not directed at the people we are hoping for.

______________________________________

 

For all the complaints the viewers have about WS's swift change in character, all he has truly changed is just in his demeanor; his core of character remains unchanged. His days as WS has already defined the trajectory of becoming GJ.

So if we are heartbroken now, it seems we have no one to blame but ourselves for this. The beauty of his character -- both inside and out -- is so great that it has blinded us when it comes to its darkness. And for that, we now suffer the pain of losing our beloved Wang So and getting the hardened Gwangjong... even though WS & GJ has ever been one and the same, and it is our own blinkered eyes and easily-swayed hearts that have been fooling us all along.

Yet I have no regrets. Maybe I am a masochist, but I love that Wang So & MLSHR have given me a chance to be a fool in love. It spoke to the innocence that I thought I've lost a long time ago, and while I am now hurt & disappointed, I am happy to have gone through this journey. Even as I prepare for the inevitable doom of Goryeo's HS&WS (maybe, there is a new beginning in modern day Korea, but their love in Goryeo is definitely taking the final breath) in Ep 19&20, my love for this drama remains undiminished and if possible, even more all-consuming.

So come what may, I eagerly look forward to the finale and whatever heartbreak it may bring. \^0^/

Edited October 31, 2016 by zi4r
grammar & formatting

[tinniet]

I had my first snow experience in Sapporo yesterday, and after few seconds of amazement and giggling, trying to catch some snowflakes, the first thing I had in my mind was actually "Wow this must be how Soo felt when she saw the snow falling with So."

I don't know how my life will be once this drama ends. We should form a group therapy here because I believe I'm not the only one who feel this way 

 

[stevii]

i wasn't really down on the second season speculations, but well i would watch it all the way for the casts, staff, and directors! i really hope if they do make a second season, don't let it be a downer   

i wasn't really down on the second season speculations, but well i would watch it all the way for the casts, staff, and directors! i really hope if they do make a second season, don't let it be a downer   

[penelop3]

43 minutes ago, antiherofans said:

 

598 People. And they probably will cry, right?

Okay, how many tissues and ambulance do we need?

It's really nice of LJK to organize this event. The end journey will be sad and heartbreaking.
We will cry hard, so hard that our eyes will get swollen the next morning. But I'm glad that LJK and the rest of the casts (hopefully) will be there with us until the end. At the very least, it will help lessen the pain. Perhaps, we will event get some of our questions answered - from the characters' perspectives.
We have so many questions; so many 'what if' and 'if only'. Knowing the reasons, is a good closure. 

[hobeverly1212]

 

 

[yuhotarubi]

1 hour ago, violet90 said:

 

because dear its really hard to forgive your love one rather than other people.. same like So about the scar incident.. he forgive everyone including Eun but not Su until later on... its just the way our heart work..

p.s sorry for cutting your post though....

 

I guess you're right, we always tend to be harsher on those we love the most because we want them always to be better, and to show the best in themselves, but it's always locked in what we think is better versus  what the other party thinks is better for themselves, I don't think I'm making much sense here, but I hope you get what I'm saying. 

 

56 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I am going to take the coward's way out and not do anything ML for 48 hours. At least. Those stills... I can't even begin... 

While I understand why Su needs to leave, I am still devastated for So. Honestly, for a tyrant he still manages to elicit so much love from the viewer.

I need to take my mind off ML so I may duck down to my local cinema and watch Benedict Cumberbatch do Doctor Strange tomorrow.

@yuhotarubi -- It's clear that she never wanted to take sides right to the end. In that way, she has been consistent. But you're right, she will regret leaving so much resentment behind although I think at this moment she's in so much pain she just wants to breathe. It's exactly what Lady O said to her... trapped between 4 and 8, how will she survive. But yeah, I don't much care for Uk hugging her either. He's hurt her so much and done so much to destroy her relationship with So. He doesn't deserve much or any consideration even if he is trying to help in the end.

But I have one more theory about the ending...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I wonder if GHJ changes history enough to change her own life so that when she returns to 2016 (hopefully she does) all her mistakes about boyfriends, bestfriends and financial woes sort themselves out... sort of like Wolverine returning to the present in Days of Future Past after going back to the past and changing it. If so, will she have a different boyfriend *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* and a whole lot of new friends... *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*

One can only hope.

 

 

 

I too understand HS's reasons to leave, but I know that even with leaving she won't feel the peace or the freedom she always wanted, her mind and heart will always be related to the palace and she won't stop thinking about the fates of those she loves and left there, especially WS, she will always be thinking if he turned into a tyrant, wether he's lonely, how his relationship with YH is going, what he thinks of her, if he still loves her, if he's facing political problems, etc etc. she can leave the palace physically, but she can never leave it mentally or spiritually, she's always stuck in that place no matter how much she tries to start away from it, and that's how I think her heart will grow even weaker and make her lose hope in life. 

P.S: I really like your theory about the ending, I'm just hoping we won't be left with an open ending, we need closure for all the characters, and if there's a reincarnation of So, I hope he has his memories of her, I will forgive all the heartbreak if that is the case. 

Yeah I'm not gonna watch the episode tomorrow, I'm gonna leave everything till Thursday night, hopefully I'll be able to keep myself away from all the spoilers and be brave enough not to click on the play button.

[xoxoforme]

Please do read her pictures. It is basically a good read and to prepare yourself to the upcoming episode.

He/She says a lot which is quite fascinating because it connects every dot, every what ifs and what not.

PLEASE BE GUIDED. READ FROM BELOW.

 

https://www.instagram.com/xxminxix/

[sosooyah19]

any IU news? its already 7pm KST right?

[ucieh]

7 minutes ago, sosooyah19 said:

any IU news? its already 7pm KST right?

 

Oh it's about her concert in Seoul on 3rd and 4th Dec 2016

[sosooyah19]

i watched ep40 of original (and i was kind of crying on 4th prince reaction, what more if its WS), and now start watching backwards haha.. at least this is to ready my heart for the last 2 eps.

maybe the director saying that it will be a happy ending would mean WS will remember HS meeting her in the past through dreams? hmmm.. unlike the c-version that he does not remember at all..

[antiherofans]

12 minutes ago, Rose34 said:

 Welcome to the thread and LJG's thread! Love to see many new faces in this thread! The drama is indeed a major international success! Agree with some of the things you said! Feel free to share your thoughts! 

 

  Hide contents

Lol!! You posts are always funny!!! I really laugh at all of them. But why do i feel you don't know whether you want to laugh or cry? Are you feeling that you are going borderline losing your insanity like many?   Are you, okay? I am asking out of concern. 

It is like the heart and the brain are separated into two. The head tells me one thing, the heart tells me another thing...

 

Yes I really don't know whether to laugh and cry .

I am one of many many many victims of MLSHR virus. Sometimes when things go really depressing in this drama, I suddenly laugh. Not a funny or happy laugh but more weird scary empty laugh.

I think laughing is my defense mechanism to prevent mental breakdown because of MLSHR

[sosooyah19]

3 minutes ago, ucieh said:

 

Oh it's about her concert in Seoul on 3rd and 4th Dec 2016

ok thanks! i thought its the collab that we're waiting for... it would be a good promotional song for the last 2 episodes

[Artheusa]

13 hours ago, tinniet said:

The scene of Eun's death actually happened exactly the same way with her premonition, just like what happened with the death of Taejo, Moo, and Yo. Soo simply misunderstood the laughter and it was understandable because she saw him from afar. But if you zoom in on So's face on Soo's premonition scene, you can see the trail of tears. That premonition really come true exactly the way it was.

 

 

I didn't say it turned out different though. What I said was that It was just Soo's reading of that particular premonition was wrong because it was only a small slice of time without proper context. She misunderstood as you put it.  Aside from the barely visible tears, the most important indicator in that premonition was the arrow in Eun's body, but she was much too shaken to notice it I imagine.

[hiluna]

9 hours ago, Killa92 said:

For the fans support project video I heard there will be Mass tag to the actors & actress of Scarlet Heart after the last episode. I also hope they could tag the video to SBS. So SBS could see how popular Scarlet Heart is around the world despite low rating in South Korea.  And hopefully the cast will attend SBS year end drama award. It's ok if they didn't win anything although I hope they would win some award. But they attending the events is already enough for me

I am not sure that the show qualifies for this years awards because it started at the end of the qualifying period Sept 2015-August 2016 if I am not mistaken and I don't think they were nominated in any categories. I will keep my fingers crossed that they will consider it for the next year awards.

[sosooyah19]

24 minutes ago, yuhotarubi said:

 

I guess you're right, we always tend to be harsher on those we love the most because we want them always to be better, and to show the best in themselves, but it's always locked in what we think is better versus  what the other party thinks is better for themselves, I don't think I'm making much sense here, but I hope you get what I'm saying. 

 

 

I too understand HS's reasons to leave, but I know that even with leaving she won't feel the peace or the freedom she always wanted, her mind and heart will always be related to the palace and she won't stop thinking about the fates of those she loves and left there, especially WS, she will always be thinking if he turned into a tyrant, wether he's lonely, how his relationship with YH is going, what he thinks of her, if he still loves her, if he's facing political problems, etc etc. she can leave the palace physically, but she can never leave it mentally or spiritually, she's always stuck in that place no matter how much she tries to start away from it, and that's how I think her heart will grow even weaker and make her lose hope in life. 

P.S: I really like your theory about the ending, I'm just hoping we won't be left with an open ending, we need closure for all the characters, and if there's a reincarnation of So, I hope he has his memories of her, I will forgive all the heartbreak if that is the case. 

Yeah I'm not gonna watch the episode tomorrow, I'm gonna leave everything till Thursday night, hopefully I'll be able to keep myself away from all the spoilers and be brave enough not to click on the play button.

im actually thinking if future WS is to meet Ha Jin,, he would recognize her because of his dreams from the past... oh what would be the happy ending that the PD is talking about..

[hiluna]

9 hours ago, kiinn said:

 

Netflix!!  Please make a brand new original series with SC! Alright that's a wishful thinking

Now I suspect Nielsen Korea was rigged   The drama is doing too good to get such low ratings

 

 

I don't think it is rigged but TV ratings is an outdated system. They need to follow online streaming broadcast as well for a fuller analysis of demographics and popularity of a show. 

[janny2812]

2 hours ago, zi4r said:

Spoiler

 

Here comes another character analysis. And yes, it's lonnnnnnng. Sorry. 

Many of my posts have been WS/GJ/LJG-centric, and yet I've never really done a true character study of WangSo-turned-Gwangjong. Yes, I've talked about his flaws here and there (while exploring other characters, especially HS), but never really dwelt on them. Why? Because as a shameless WS-apologist&sympathizer, I cannot bring myself to ponder on his many flaws. (Maybe I see my own husband in him. Or I see myself in him.) In any case, whenever I try to truly explore the full depth of his character, it felt too close to home and I basically chickened out.

While trying to ignore how F-uped an individual he really is, I cannot truly explore the strengths in his character either. Because each and every strength of his character is a double-edged sword; his strengths & flaws are so fully intertwined. And as a man who truly lives his life (rather than contenting himself with merely existing)... a man who seems to give it all to everything he does, he has the tendency to take both his strengths and flaws to the extremes. As such, one cannot explore his virtues without his faults, his courage without his ruthlessness, his role as a protector without his sense of misogyny.

I've finally gathered my wits enough to write this post. It's going to be a much weaker piece, compared to my other critical posts, because my heart is not fully in it.

And warning to my fellow WangSo-apologists out there: It's going to be a rough ride, so please proceed with caution.

 

 

The dilemma of Wang So

a.k.a How the deliciousness of a Knight-in-Shining-Armour character has become a bitter pill to swallow

Wang So.

Arguably, the only fully developed character in the whole MLSHR universe. A character that is meant to ensnare our hearts. The one weapon that the drama truly utilizes for audience retention.

Rooting for WS is a no-brainer even from the start. It didn't truly matter that WW was causing second-lead-syndrome back then; it didn't even matter that WS had very little screen-time. WS speaks to us every single episode... not just with his own words & screen time, but through his silent presence or through the words of other characters. (Please forgive my sexist generalizations here, but I think it's fairly accurate to say...) His courage & physical strength & sense of honour speak to the male audiences; his role as a protector & his love for HS (& of course, the hotness of LJG) speak to the female audience.

He directly engages our hearts and wins us over... so much so that many of have decided to turn off our brains whenever we are immersing ourselves in him. He makes us feel, and thinking interferes with those feelings... so we decided not to think. We decided not to heed the warnings our brains have been trying to give.

Because if only we had let ourselves listen to the little whispers in our brain since from the beginning of the drama, we wouldn't be taken so off-guard by WS's transformation to GJ. To call it a "transformation" is a misnomer, really. Because this darkness in full-display in GJ? It has always been there in WS, just lurking behind the image of the perfect leading man of our dreams.

 

Protector of the weak

vs. Misogynistic way of dealing with HS

The theme of the drama is basically: HS in trouble, WS to the rescue, rinse, repeat. As repetitive as it might sound, it never seems to get old. Because every time he saves her, we get to feel not just his physical pain, but his dilemmas, his inner struggle with morality, his fragility, his raw emotions... This drama is good at tugging our heartstrings through WS's sufferings (& LJG's performance), and it is unabashed at using that same old trick to rope us in.

I have already written a sappy piece about all that WS has gone through to protect HS: injuries, exile, debasement...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

But his protective streak goes beyond HS. His murder of the monks to cover up his mother's treachery, him standing up to BA when he was being looked down by other princes, his need to defend YH against Yo's overt advances, all the times he has protected Mu, his marriage to the kid-princess, his attempt to protect and later his mercy-killing of Eun...

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Even his protection of HS is not just done out of love. Back when he stopped YH from caning HS and when he was helping HS run away from the forced marriage, they shared a lukewarm friendship at best. But that didn't stop him from stepping in.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

WS's need to protect and defend anyone he considers weak and defenseless is undeniable. And of course, this offer of protection speaks to the primal part of us that wants to feel safe in the arms of the one we love. Here is the man of our dreams & fairytales, the Knight-in-shining-armour that wields his sword to defend us against all evil... and how can we (and HS) not fall for that?

But this offer of protection is a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to his love for HS. There is a sense that he is always the protector, the minder, the one in control... and she, the helpless one who relies on him. In many ways, he treats her the way we would treat a child --- "Do as I say; it's for your own protection."

 

When WS was being criticized by the drama viewers for the forced-kiss in Ep9, for the beach scene in Ep10, and then for his repeated phrase of "You are mine" throughout the series, I wrote a defensive piece where I talked about how men of high station of the past views the world & their women (inside spoiler tag):

  Hide contents

 

I still stand by that argument. I don't blame WS for just being the man of that era. But we cannot ignore what this sense of misogyny has done to his relationship with HS.

There is no question that he treasures HS. Yet this is not a relationship of equals. As he extends his protection to her, he is compromising on the respect he should have for her as a person. In the name of "protection", he has constantly opted to keep her in the dark about his problems, his plans & his ambitions... although all of those (directly or indirectly) affect HS as well. In his defense, she hasn't been the most logical of beings. (Especially, as a woman from the future being constantly bothered by visions, which WS is not aware of, she might seem frankly nuts to him at times!) But as we watch their relationship unravel due to lack of communication, the fault squarely lies on WS.

 

The lack of communication on HS part has two very valid excuses. One, without sounding like a nutjob, she can't possibly tell him about where she comes from (without Ji-mong's cooperation, and he seems adamant on not cooperating in this regard) or her visions. Two, later on, her lack of communication is a response to his constant urge to distant himself from her. She doesn't know what he is feeling or what he is planning...... How is she to really open up to him?

But for WS, the lack of communication is a deep-seated character-trait in him. Throughout Mu's reign, WS was obviously shouldering a lot of responsibilities. In my previous post, I have criticized HS for not playing a bigger role during that time (inside spoiler tag):

  Hide contents

 

But the blame lies on WS for that too. It seems that in his effort to "heal" her and protect her from the evils of living in the palace, he has not shared any burden of his life or his work with her. I know all the viewers love the star-gazing scene, but there is a reason why I've never done gifs or waxed poetic about that scene. Because as much as my heart & my hormones call for that scene to enthrall me, my brain is so pissed at how their relationship is being portrayed --- the man going off to do his all-important work & then coming home to woo his woman with nonsensical & trivial stuff.

  Reveal hidden contents

I told myself not to dwell on it, because this might not be the true indication of their relationship dynamics throughout the whole time-skip of 2 years. After all, we didn't get to see any of their interactions during that time. And this is her birthday, so of course, he's supposed to be all lovey-dovey.

But then the boat scene came. What my heart calls it poetically as "a stolen moment of peace for WS"... and my brain calls it "one of the most cowardly & d**kish moments by WS". Rather than opting to have an adult discussion with HS about his impending marriage to a kid, he chose to be selfish (or "protect" her, maybe?) and have another lovey-dovey inconsequential moment with her.

  Reveal hidden contents

Then the pattern continues. The shadow-puppet & bed scene. I know you all love it, so you are going to hate me for this..... but I'm pissed at him for choosing to ignore the many elephants in the room a.k.a Trust issues, Throne issues, Eun issue..... and treat her like a total airhead & yet again, choose to have a lets-play-happy-couple moment.

  Reveal hidden contents

Well, maybe he was thinking of confronting the issues later, after he has fully recovered from the arrow wound (even if Ji-mong didn't force the issue). But think about it: HS bared her soul, told him about her pain, declared her trust on him..... His response? Kiss her. Yes, it's romantic, but a very romantic deflection from the issues! Because he wants her to continue assuming, just for a little while more, that her protection is the only reason he has gone away (even though he did it as a strategy to angle for the throne as well). Yes, Wang So tries his very best to not outright lie to HS... but his lies-by-omission are hard to forgive by this point.

 

Then of course, the endless major f-ups of Ep18: The silent dinner after his confrontation with WW & her confrontation with YH. Then, the outing -- again, acting like a happy couple while riddled with unspoken issues and each keeping secrets from one another. And after that, the biggest and ugliest move WS has ever made: His choice not to prepare HS for CR's punishment & death.

  Reveal hidden contents

The torrent of communication breakdown was inevitable, swift & merciless. And all of it circles back to WS not treating HS like an adult, like someone with a logical thinking head, like an equal. The role of the protector and the provider in this relationship has overruled his need to respect her opinions & wishes. And for that, this relationship is doomed even before it can truly blossom.

 

 

A man consumed by love

vs. Possessiveness that seeks to preserve what he deems as his

What is MLSHR? Not a time-travel story or a political intrigue. So do we call it a romance? Given how the majority of the OTP shippers are disappointed in this drama, it seems it has failed to live up to the expectations of a love story between WS & HS. Because the main story-arc focuses on WS..... and the "love" part is mainly in the sense of WS's all-consuming love for HS. Many of us stick to this drama because we cannot get enough of the many ways he has expressed his (admittedly very flawed) love for HS.

I have talked about how the need to protect HS manifested itself into the core part of their relationship. But I cannot ignore the possessiveness he has displayed, especially when he first decided he loved her and must have her.

I know that amidst the pile of complications/problems in the OTP relationship, many of us have forgotten the force-kiss, the problematic statements of "You're mine", and especially, the beach scene of Ep10. I don't want to debate on the severity of the crime of force-kissing in a K-Drama (We've been down this road so many times). And I've touched on "You're mine" in the previous section. So let's talk about the beach scene here. Remember when he said he would kill HS's lover? Many fans felt it was an empty threat/joke; they tried to argue that he didn't mean it (although I don't bloody know where they got that conclusion from). But for me, he meant every word. He was in "possession" stage of this romance... and the alpha in him would make sure no one would take what he deems as his.

  Hide contents

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

WS has precious little he treasures in his life. And the one thing he is most starved of is affection. So when HS offered him affection & understanding as a friend, he could not help but fall for her. She was one ray of light in his dark life, and he sought to have her. It was understandable & heartbreaking. And to his credit, by the end of Ep12, his love has reached the mature stage of "acceptance" and "letting go"; he would see her happy, with or without him by her side (thus his offer of marriage then divorce afterwards, just to give her freedom).

But that dark possessiveness in him that we saw a glimpse of during the beach scene has fully manifested now that he has become GJ. During Yo's reign, Yo has robbed WS of too many things he treasures --- his honour, Eun, his love-life with HS... and he was powerless to stop it. Now that he has regained control of his life & the life of others around him, he would seek to get back everything he deemed as his, and whoever stands (or stood before) in his way will suffer the consequences.

 

Consequences for WW is coming in next episode (I hope). But for now, I want to talk about his treatment of Queen Yoo & Jung.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Many viewers feel that even if his treatment of Yoo was justified, how Jung (an innocent party in this) was affected by GJ's decision to bar him from attending his mother's deathbed is unacceptable & out-of-character for GJ. Do I find that cruel? Yes. But out-of-character? Not at all.

His love for Yoo used to be almost all-consuming as the love he has for HS now. He committed murder & treason in the name of love for this mother. But all his life, he has seen Yoo pile affection on Yo and Jung, while rejecting him every step of the way. She was supposed to be his person. But in a sense Yo & Jung took her away from him. Logical or not, it doesn't matter. WS's pain when it comes to his mother's relationship with her other two sons is all too real & raw to him... and it has been festering in him all his life. During the star-gazing scene, he told HS about how he wanted Jung to just "disappear". It shows that his mommy-issues extend beyond his dealings with his mother; consciously or not, he has always harboured resentment towards Yo & Jung.

I am not saying that he made a logical decision to punish Jung. But Jung's suffering in that moment was immaterial to GJ.

And it's not a character flipflop. It just depicts how possessive love & dark resentment can manifest into something truly ugly. Actually, in that moment, he is not even being the logical & cunning GJ; he is just being WS... the son & brother of those who should have loved him and yet shunned him... and he just allowed himself to be ruled by emotions and consumed by hatred & revenge.

 

 

A persevering soul who is not cowed by circumstances

vs. Ruthlessness in pursuit of his goals

If the protection WS offers speaks to our need for sense of security, his never-say-die attitude speaks to the underdog in all of us. Even the strongest among us have met a fair share of failures, and that naturally results in our need to root for the underdog. This is a man who shouldn't have survived his childhood. Yet survive and thrive, he did. His years as a hostage has made him stronger. His scars are testament to his core of strength.

WS has been beaten down so many times. He cannot have lived through those dark years without giving himself a goal... a sense of purpose. When he was first introduced to us, he had two goals in mind... and those goals must've been ever-present in him throughout his time as a hostage. One, to return to the palace. Two, more importantly, to win back respect & affection from his parents. He had bided his time so he could one day achieve those goals. And when Mu presented him with the opportunity to do so before the Narye, WS pounced for it... with total disregard to his own security or whoever he would have to sacrifice for those goals. (Remember how badly he treated HS when she foiled his plans to catch the traitors?)

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After that, the target of his pursuit became HS's love. And his need to have her overrode all other goals & ambitions in his life. It is not that he has given up on other goals... they are just not important to him anymore. I don't need to elaborate on how relentlessly he pursued HS. I have already highlighted the dark side of that pursuit in my description of the beach scene in the previous section. His recklessness in trying to keep HS safe can also be seen as another relentless pursuit of his goal. Goal: Protect HS. And to achieve that, he would give up his life, his title, his future.

 

Now, he has a new goal: To be a powerful King of Goryeo. Many viewers are reeling from all the steps he has taken to achieve that in just one episode. Many feel that he is transforming too fast. Many feel that it's a character-flip-flop: A kindhearted person becoming suddenly ruthless. But actually, he is just being who he has always been: A man who would strive to achieve his goals with reckless abandon. The ruthlessness is actually just efficiency; the lack of mercy is just due to his focus on the ultimate goal.

The moment he made the decision to become King, after Eun's death, his path was already set. His 3 years away from HS? His decision to lead a coup? His marriage & later "transaction" with YH? The punishment & death of CR? Later, whatever he would do to WW? To him, it's just another chess-move to achieve the end-game. 

Earlier, we loved it when that goal-oriented streak in him manifested into the strong-willed underdog who fought for his rightful place in the world. It's just that, now that he has become stronger than ever, we have begun to fear what he is truly capable of.

 

 

Phoenix that rises from the ashes

vs. Unrelenting pursuit of greater heights

This part goes hand-in-hand with the previous section. But it directly deals with his need to be a true King.

I have seen countless people puzzled by WS/GJ's seemingly sudden need to be a powerful King. The complaint: He didn't really want the throne, he took it to buy his own freedom & protect HS, so why is he doing everything to reinforce his power as a King? The problem basically lies in our assumption that he didn't really want the throne.

His musings about the throne has gone through much back-&-forth even though the show didn't highlight it much. Before he became focused on HS... Before the makeup scene, after the first failed rain ceremony, before the successful rain ceremony... Remember his conversation with JM? Remember the look on his face when JM told him he may become King? After that, he decided to go to the ceremony even before HS covered his scar.

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As I have said before, at the start of the show, WS's main ambition is to get to stay in the palace & regain his parents' affection. By Ep4, he has realized his mother is nuts and getting her affection is a lost cause. And by end of same episode, he has succeeded in regaining his place in the palace. So he is only left with the goal of pleasing his father... which means being a worthy prince in his father's eyes. Despite the bleak circumstances, WS has managed to rise to that level..... and a person who possesses such core of strength & zeal will not stop trying to reach greater heights. He won't be content with just having a place in the palace and being Mu's loyal pup. Therefore, being a capable prince & becoming a worthy King some day (after Mu, of course) must have crossed his mind.

Then comes the successful rain ceremony. He is suddenly the beloved prince of the people of Goryeo... the one that moved the Heavens to save the nation. Remember the dazed look of joy when he was being carried back to the palace? Given how starved he was of affection & adoration, the amount of adulation he received after the ceremony must have been really heady. And... at the same time, he has secured his father's affection & attention. So now what? Yes, by then, he has his eyes on HS, but the dilemma of "Throne vs. HS" was not highlighted to him at that time, so he was not against getting the throne yet, at that moment in time. Logically, one can assume that he would want the throne just as any other prince, because other than the throne & HS, what does he have to live for now?

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Then Ep11 comes, manure hits the fan, and his father's utter disregard to HS is what finally turned him away from the throne in that episode. HS became the only meaning of his life; when he said to her that he didn't want the throne, he meant it. But what did that do to him? Both Mu's and Yo's reign has shown him that being close to the throne yet not having it only endangers him and the people he loves. And after Eun's death, he made the decision to discard HS's love, in exchange for her safety & his own freedom (and thus, the throne).

So just to summarize his character trajectory: This is a man who has always sought to bring himself out of the darkest times and towards greater heights. There was no evidence to suggest that he didn't want the throne before Ep11, and logic dictates that he must have some desire for it. His decision to turn his back on the throne, in the name of his love for HS, backfires. So now, he has decided to get the throne. That's a proper character trajectory; there's nothing out-of-character about it.

 

 

A man of honour

vs. Honour taking precedent over everything (even rivaling his love for HS)

This continues from the previous section. One would ask: If he got the throne just for the sake of HS (and his own freedom), why try so hard to ensure his power? Well, firstly, WS doesn't do anything by halves. Whatever situation he is in, he lives in the present and he gives it all. But more importantly, he's an honourable man who doesn't take his position as the ruler of a nation, lightly.

Remember Taejo sending WS away as an ambassador? He knew that it was an exile in disguise, a punishment for his disregard to the royal order in Ep11. But he went willingly enough, and from the report he gave afterwards, did a good job.

Then during Mu's reign, I am sure he could have bought his freedom & HS's. Before descent into madness, Mu viewed both of them very favourably, and actually owed them his life & his throne. But WS stayed, probably very aware of Mu's weakened & dangerous position. And when Mu was falling apart as a King, any other person in WS's position would have considered securing the power to himself, even if it is just to get the palace out of disarray. Yet, as an honour-bound man, he served his King faithfully.

Even during Yo's reign, WS did his best to serve honourably. Yes, he was being threatened with HS & BA & JM, but the thought of a coup didn't cross his mind until Eun died.

Now, as a King, he is honour-bound to serve his country, and provide stability to this fairly new nation. Whatever the reason behind his ascent to the throne, I cannot see him taking his responsibilities lightly. Even when he was putting his foot down and being adamant about marrying HS, I am sure he was already searching for other avenues to affirm his power. Now that HS has given him an out and he had to sacrifice her for the security of the throne, he would be even more invested in reaffirm his power & authority.

 

 

An avenging angel

vs. Merciless in his dealings with betrayal

Many of us has called for justice for the crimes of Queen Yoo, YH and WW. The innocents, especially HS, have suffered so much in this drama, that we all are out for blood.

But it seems, we want such justice done only to certain people, and only in certain ways. For HS's sake, we wanted CR spared..... If not that, we at least hoped not to get to see the bloody reality of CR's punishment. Yet, we got exactly that --- the burrito (Who on earth came up with that term, by the way? Urgh..... Can't look at a burrito again anytime soon).

Many of us cannot wrap our heads around WS's cruelty. I myself am still reeling from what GJ has done. But let's take a step back and look at this.

The mercury poisoning incident has to be dealt with swiftly. If anyone knows of it and becomes aware that GJ has spared someone who plots against a King, it will raise questions about the legitimacy of monarchy as a whole, and thus, his own authority over his people. So, to deal with it... what should GJ do? CR's crime (whether HS knows of it or not) also implicates HS, because she is the figure of authority over CR. In order to deflect the attention from HS's "involvement" & to ensure no one dared question his authority over the issue, GJ has made the punishment a bloody spectacle.

Another point of note is CR's position. Though WS/GJ seems like a nice guy, as a highborn, he must be used to seeing slaves as expendable. I doubt he would have been needlessly cruel to a slave, but I doubt he would lose much sleep over the death of a mere slave. The consideration he would have given about CR would only be in connection with HS, not for CR herself. And even with HS in the equation, he has made the decision that eliminating CR is still the best option.

And I also feel that GJ's rage against CR is understandable, even if not really forgivable. I suspect that the severity behind his punishment had much to do with the fact that CR betrayed HS, and that she was kinda responsible for GJ not being able to marry HS. He is not merely out for justice. This is a man out for revenge..... revenge against those who wronged him and the person he loves.

So we were hoping that his sense of justice and revenge will manifest into him becoming an avenging angel. But as they say, be careful what you wish for. Because it seems, what we're gonna get is a merciless bloodbath... and not directed at people we are hoping for.

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For all the complaints the viewers have about WS's swift change in character, all he has truly changed is just his demeanor; his core of character remains unchanged. His days as WS has already defined the trajectory of becoming GJ.

So if we are heartbroken now, it seems we have no one to blame but ourselves for this. The beauty of his character -- both inside and out -- is so great that it has blinded us when it comes to its darkness. And for that, we now suffer the pain of losing our beloved Wang So and getting the hardened Gwangjong... even though WS & GJ has ever been one and the same, and it is our own blinkered eyes and easily-swayed hearts that have been fooling us all along.

Yet I have no regrets. Maybe I am a masochist, but I love that Wang So & MLSHR have given me a chance to be a fool in love. It spoke to the innocence that I thought I've lost a long time ago, and while I am now hurt and disappointed, I am happy to have gone through this journey. Even as I prepare for the inevitable doom of Goryeo's HS&WS (maybe, there is a new beginning in modern day Korea, but their love in Goryeo is definitely taking the final breath) in Ep 19&20, my love for this drama remains undiminished and if possible, even more all-consuming.

So come what may, I eagerly look forward to the finale and whatever heartbreak it may bring. \^0^/

 

 

Thanks your post. This post is very interested. I seem love So more when read done it. <3

Edited October 30, 2016 by LyraYoo
please purge mulitple photos/long post