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

[bitofmadness]

I'm so nervous for tonight's episode to the point I dreamt about it last night. However, it was about Ha Jin in modern times. She joined Running Man to replace Gary, and was ambushed by the cast during the tag ripping race. And voila, modern day Jung came to save the day. Sadly, I woke up after that.  

On a side note, everyone is dressing up as something scary/sexy on Halloween. All I want to do is to try on those beautiful costumes in SHR and pretend that all of them had a happy ending. 

[bluesunny3]

2 hours ago, millie10468 said:

It occurs to me this fandom was divided into a couple of categories during the course of the drama:

Cat. 1: People who had read/watched the C-BBJX and knew going in that the possibility of a happy ending, thereby deviating from the source material, was extremely thin and therefore didn't even hope for anything different.

Cat. 2: People from Cat. 1 who hoped K-BBJX would end differently than C-BBJX.

Cat. 3: People who had no knowledge of the source material and assumed some kind of happy ending was imminent.

Cat. 4: People from Cat. 3 who got their google-fu on quite early and realized just how unhappy the ending was going to be based on real history.

Which category did/do you belong to?

I ask because it makes me wonder how different our viewing experiences were. Especially for the people whose viewing pleasure are spoiled by spoilers and those that find spoilers to just whet their anticipation more.

Did having a general gist of what was going to happen make the drama more or less interesting to watch?

@MAROSA_JIN and @briseis Thanks for the new stills.

Sigh. Soo's determination (and devastation at having) to poke a few more holes in her already sinking ship is pretty clear from the pictures. Tomorrow's episode's definitely not going to be easy to watch

 

I am a 3.

I had no idea what this this drama was about...but DramaFever's video of Soo's fight scene with Eun would show up constantly on my Facebook.

I thought the fight was hilarious and I've been busting my butt in school and work...why not distract myself with a light hearted drama to escape?

WRONG! Oh so wrong!

 

[chrissydiva]

@silfeeah aaah my Lexi Just like HS, It didn't end well for her, I'm still bitter about it. At least, her man followed her in the afterlife not years after lol 

They all knew HS was never fit for the palace.  The girl fought the good fight. I mean she point blanked said she didn't like him being King, but she was willing to deal with it because she hated being away from him more. So people can't really say that she didn't try. Even though the show makes it feels like everything happened in 3 days, I think more time passed by for all the events happening after So's coronation. She didn't just wake up and say "the hell with this, I'm out!" I'm still wondering what the doctor told So about her health. Why would he risk not informing So about her condition? Is Soo scarier than So, like dude???? Lol

[zi4r]

Sorry for being very late in responding to your posts, everyone. Dealing with husband's "migraine" last night... but I suspect it's just another ploy to get me away from MLSHR. Grrrrrr!

 

@antiherofans Thank you for adding to the analysis.

Yes, you're totally right. WS was the very definition of anti-hero through&through since from the beginning of the drama. But (I guess, in an attempt to soften the audience), since the killing of the horse & the monks, the drama barely touched on the darkness in him. His protective streak and tenderness in dealing HS make the audience forgive (and maybe, even forget) about his crimes. So when the efficient & cunning & merciless GJ hits us like a train in Ep18, the audience was unprepared for it.

Because the writer skillfully pulled the audience for this wild ride, many people might feel his character projection was: He was screwed-up --> HS fixed him and he became a good guy --> He spiraled into ruthlessness as GJ.

But in reality, the badness/darkness in his character has always been intertwined with his goodness. You cannot get the good WS without accepting the badness. HS never fixed him in this regard; all she did was uncover his greatness, unleash his potential & give him a new focus (herself) for a time. Now, he has another focus (the throne) and he will use all his qualities (both good & bad) in what he feels to be the most efficient way.

And thanks for drawing the parallels with The Godfather. That's is a truly interesting take on WS/GJ character trajectory.

And thanks to @Sharine Phinisia for adding to the discussion about anti-heros.

 

 

@kdramawriter (Sorry for butchering your post.)

Oh yes! You always add to my posts in the most poignant way.

9 hours ago, kdramawriter said:

The way you tackle how WS's misogyny, which is part of the protection of HS feeds into the end of their relationship is so spot on. It was so clever for the writer to use a woman from the future, whose core difference (the need to be treated as equal, to be allowed individual choice) would be the point that split their love apart.

Something I find really interesting in this drama. In many time-travel stories, the person from the future becomes a fix-all Mary-Sue. Yet in this drama, HS's skills are limited only to what we would consider womanly stuff: make-up, menial tending to the King/Princes, emotional support for her man. Aside from the spunkiness that drew WS's attention in the beginning, HS's woman-from-the-future qualities & tendencies --- visions, knowledge of the future, the naivete --- seemed to have done nothing to help, but everything to harm their relationship.

And that's why I'm quite surprised by HS's almost-non-reaction to WS's misogynistic tendencies throughout the drama. Maybe, it's because by the time they really get together, the events of Ep11 have already broken her spirit of a modern woman. In any case, she seemed to have taken her role as a Goryeo woman fairly well.

Of course, that doesn't mean their relationship was not suffering. The rift, caused by their inability to communicate as equals even when WS was just a prince, is now too cavernous to even think to repair, especially with him as GJ the King.

 

And I'm quoting the part below, because I couldn't agree more about the overarching messages.

9 hours ago, kdramawriter said:

I think the writer has taken us on this amazing journey where most watchers have really fallen head over heels in love with WS but now are dealing with the consequences of that love, much like Hae Su. It's a very clever literary trick and I think much of the fallout and anger with Hae Su might be a displaced anger at our selves for not seeing the full picture. I still think there are several huge overarching messages in the show that I'm completely in love with 

1) Women move historical events yet are forgotten - because for a millennia women have not been the historians or the victors, their stories are forgotten. Hae Su changed the succession of kings, but will be unknown. 

2) Women who sacrifice themselves for love are doomed - Look at Lady Oh, Hae Su, Myung Hee, Seon Doek, this is an amazing but devastating message at the core of the show. Love cannot conquer all. When you love a man with power, your love is only collateral.

3) Do not compromise who you are for the person you love - Look at Hae Su in the last few episodes of Scarlet Heart. She has been broken more times than I care to count. That she's finally leaving because she had enough: I LOVE THIS about her. She was brave enough to love Wang So, despite basically everyone and their mama telling her not to do so. When she finally gave in to her love for him, she thought she had a chance at happiness. When all of it starts being taken away, instead of allowing herself to become a husk of her former self, she leaves. She's rebuilding. It's gonna hurt like hell, but she'll do it. She will not be another Lady Oh, washing the bodies of her King's women. 

I know I've said, I want HS & WS to get some screen-time in modern era. But actually, I also really need to see HS "heal" in Goryeo era too. I hope, as you say, her leaving the palace & GJ to be a rebuilding/healing of her. It would be rewarding to see her become her own person, even in the era that's not her own. But with only 2 episodes left, and too much left unsaid, I have no idea what we're gonna get.

 

 

@Sharine Phinisia Well, at least, that's my take on why GJ decided on burrito. It would have been nice if his explanation to HS about CR included why he had to choose that most visually cruel punishment for her crimes. But nooooo. When it comes to explaining his actions/motivations to HS, GJ/WS frankly sucks.

@deabakdrama and 2 other people (whose posts I've been notified yet cannot find): Thank you so much for reading. Thank goodness the drama is ending soon... because the length of my posts are increasing & getting quite outta-control.

@LyraYoo Sorry, chingu. My monster post ended up giving you more work, again.

@akinahana89 About fan project.... My God! 64 countries?!!! Wow, this is so exciting. Can't wait to see the final result. Thank you for doing all the hard work, for the cast & for the soompians.

Edited October 31, 2016 by zi4r

[briseis]

The Wolf Changes Its Coat But Not Its Ways  

Wang So changed, they said, he’s gone mad, they said… because they were suffering from a selective memory loss, obviously. He NEVER changed, just like the wolf that never changes its ways.

I find it hilarious how so many people use this scene as the ultimate proof that Wang So had a brain transplant, when it’s the very scene which shows him being fundamentally the same person he was almost 10 years ago. The parallel between the stone pile scene and the throne room scene with BA is simply perfect THEY LITERALLY MIRROR EACH OTHER - the livid anger, the sheer hatred in his eyes, once again he is (justly) blaming someone for his suffering, once again he is bent to takes his revenge, once again he is mad with hate and emotional overload; EVEN HIS BODY LANGUAGE, GESTURES AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE THE SAME! The only things that changed are his clothes and hairstyle (plus, he is not covered in the blood of some 50+ dead monks because that was obviously much more sane!).

The people who claim WS is mad and crazy in that throne room scene must hold him to some impossibly high standards. At this point, WS is at his limit and under immense emotional stress, so he starts to drink - for the first time in his life as far as we know, adn who could blame him?! - he had to get married to a woman whom he doesn’t love because the love of his life rejected his marriage proposal three times, and virtually told him to marry the other woman when he was ready to fight the whole world for her; Wook (his own brother) is the mastermind of his suffering and turning her against him, Jung despises him, the clans are plotting against him, HS hates him, and he has just learned that she is ill,..

The truth is that Wang So has had these complete mental breakdowns since the beginning (after Yo’s death, after Eun’s death, …) - IT’S HIS COPING MECHANISM. LETTING IT ALL OUT, either by yelling or crying or by sharing his fears and worries with other people (HS, BA), telling it all to them, unburdening himself. It’s NECCESSARY MENTAL HYGIENE. It’s one of the reasons why he has survived so much for so long. On the other hand, HAE SOO DOESN’T DO THIS - SHE KEEPS BOTTLING UP EVERYTHING INSIDE, NO WONDER HER HEART CANNOT TAKE SUCH STRAIN. IT’S SUFFOCATING HER.

 

[Kasmic]

2 hours ago, millie10468 said:

It occurs to me this fandom was divided into a couple of categories during the course of the drama:

Cat. 1: People who had read/watched the C-BBJX and knew going in that the possibility of a happy ending, thereby deviating from the source material, was extremely thin and therefore didn't even hope for anything different.

Cat. 2: People from Cat. 1 who hoped K-BBJX would end differently than C-BBJX.

Cat. 3: People who had no knowledge of the source material and assumed some kind of happy ending was imminent.

Cat. 4: People from Cat. 3 who got their google-fu on quite early and realized just how unhappy the ending was going to be based on real history.

Which category did/do you belong to?

I ask because it makes me wonder how different our viewing experiences were. Especially for the people whose viewing pleasure are spoiled by spoilers and those that find spoilers to just whet their anticipation more.

Did having a general gist of what was going to happen make the drama more or less interesting to watch?

 

Omo chingue you r so right with these category's  and as for me Im def on category 2 and as i sink further deep in realising that it most likely will follow the cversion I was so ready to give in but LJG I cant give up on seeing his remarkable charimisa light up my screen... so maybe you should add category 5. Totally giving up on the plot but just sticking it out to see LJG hahaha!

As for the question about spoilers... i like them and look forward in seeing them no matter how heartbreaking it maybe. I love discussing it with my friends so it indeed makes the anticipation for the next eps more enjoyable and the wait well less endearing.  I think if it werent for the spoilers, my friends motivation and many of these awesome posts here i dont think I continue this drama. 

@moonlover399993 Hi 5! chingue i feel your anger. Im boiling at times too esp when some scenes and i see HS or GJ words... I will never leave you or I will never let you go.... pfttt! Lies and more lies arghhh!! the writers have made our character go against  their own heartfelt words and despite their reasons i just couldnt help but feel angry over it. Worse yet like you stated many  deaths of most if not all (yet) of the  characters whom Ive grown to love too are dead/ dying or impendingdeaths awaits ekkk. But saying that (pls excuse my rant), im actually looking forward to the ending and yes i might be flipping tables and cursing away but I cant help it.. so pls any tips on how you can view this ending like a robot and be emotionless pls tag me and let me know... boy will I need it. Maybe watching it live and hence no subs and most likely lagging eps can do the trick  but then again my WTF moments will increase 

 

[sooji28]

It's Monday. I woke up this morning just like Hae Soo's feeling: Difficulty breathing and feeling anxious. There's something not right about my MLSHR craziness.

I think i have to prepare for the worst. But, pray for a happy ending doesn't hurt.

How about you, chingudeul?

 

[kdramawriter]

42 minutes ago, silfeeah said:

Somewhat echos Hae Soo's sentiments right now? 

 

With all the palace intrigue going on she is just being smothered and stifled at every turn she makes. I don't think she would last long in her position unless she were able to consolidate any of her own power à la YH. And even if she stayed by So's side until the end of her life expectancy I'm pretty sure YH would make her life unpleasant. Ah, I'm just spouting what everyone else has already said but I just wanted to voice something. I am apprehensive about the ending, sad because it's going to end but relieved because I need the spell this drama has cast upon me to relinquish me from it's clutches. I need my life back! But realistically I'm just gonna spend my time moping 'cause Monday's are gonna be just plain Monday's again. 

haha love this gif. So true. 

[AryRa]

13 minutes ago, briseis said:

The Wolf Changes Its Coat But Not Its Ways  

Wang So changed, they said, he’s gone mad, they said… because they were suffering from a selective memory loss, obviously. He NEVER changed, just like the wolf that never changes its ways.

 

 

@briseis like your explanation... everything happen for a reason and he has a reason for being mad and crazy...

 

[ShaiKeun]

Would like to share what I have read: 

ALL THE CASTS (CHARACTERS)  IN MLSHR WILL DIE, SO, SOO, YO, EUN and so on.. ONLY THE DIRECTOR WILL BE THE LAST MAN STANDING!! nice direk! Cut! 

Cr to owner

[makdara]

Even though most of.us.know the.storyline but yet still nervous..what happening.to night

[rei_smasher11]

Hello MoonLovers! 

18 eps down, 2eps to go! 

This is it! The finale week! I don't know if I'm prepared for this heartbreak! 

[shairli]

Yeorobun.... After a back to back 4 eps (with 1/2 hr break in between.. just to calm myself down), I have to get this out of my chest to avoid further headache & heartache which will definitely come back attacking all my nerves system tonight.

I support KGJ... KILL EM ALL! Yo Won CR YH WH.. everyone esp Wook, the biggest conspirator traitor ever!  Kill all those who questions your legitimacy as son & King too!  Why do good people died? Baekhyun.. my tears were falling... so without doubt, you can act.  WS as usual, superb portrayal & flawless in this scene + when his mother died.  Till the end KGJ just want his mother acknowledgement.. sweet revenge indeed.  HS.. why cant you just understand him, the reason KGJ not allowing anyone to enter the room?  Of course, being pressured from all corner made him what he is.  I have a feeling that Jung will later did the same to KGJ.. oh my.. where does this end? 

Everything is fated.  WS is destined to be a King.. Hope its not too late to say "Manse! Manse! Manmanse!"

HS does contributed in making WS a king. But, to leave just because of CR??!!  Come one HS.. you could do better.  Where is your trust & "I will never leave you" gone to?!  There are reasons in everything WS does.  He's a King now & should act like one!  Unless she's leaving because of love... I support her all the way "Let It Go! Let It Go.." KGJ needs someone strong & determine to make everything works his way.  My sadness goes as low as it can be from the moment JM asked HS to back out till the marriage ceremony   Pity my hub watching a half crazy woman in the house... talking, swearing, crying & giggling uncontrollably.  He even reenact my behaviour to brighten up my Sunday gloomy day yesterday.

Hope the ending will be as good as promised.  If not, we will all be Moonlight Rebellion.  Any suggestion what series to watch to cope with my withdrawal syndrome starting Wed (with LJG in it of course)?   In repeat mode till tonight listening to the OST while back tracking reading all the posts from page 1634.. ard 50 pages.. phewww!

 

 

[dramu51ch0c10ve]

3 hours ago, millie10468 said:

It occurs to me this fandom was divided into a couple of categories during the course of the drama:

Cat. 1: People who had read/watched the C-BBJX and knew going in that the possibility of a happy ending, thereby deviating from the source material, was extremely thin and therefore didn't even hope for anything different.

Cat. 2: People from Cat. 1 who hoped K-BBJX would end differently than C-BBJX.

Cat. 3: People who had no knowledge of the source material and assumed some kind of happy ending was imminent.

Cat. 4: People from Cat. 3 who got their google-fu on quite early and realized just how unhappy the ending was going to be based on real history.

Which category did/do you belong to?

Definitely Cat. 4.Before I registered an account here,I read the posts and began to google the history of Goryeo.Then I thought "Well there goes a happy ending."

6 hours ago, Siracusa said:

To keep myself from crying too much during the final episodes, I made a BINGO card (cross off five squares in a row to get BINGO) to play while watching. 

Spoiler

 

That's a really brilliant idea!At least my mind will be a bit distracted by playing bingo so I won't feel extremely emotional while watching the episode.

So many insightful posts from all of you these past few days.I can't bring myself to write a post because I don't analyse relationships or things as deeply as you guys do.I am really gonna miss you guys when MLSHR is over.I'll miss your reactions,analysis,roll call,humour etc. If there is ever another thread with most or all of you guys in it,invite me OK? I want to be part of all the craziness again.I'm so truly blessed to have met you wonderful peopleLet's continue to keep this thread as active as possible even after the drama ends.We still have things to discuss e.g awards.

[ShaiKeun]

Just now, rei_smasher11 said:

Hello MoonLovers! 

18 eps down, 2eps to go! 

This is it! The finale week! I don't know if I'm prepared for this heartbreak! 

I am not! ( crying, laughing insanely) 

[shairli]

24 minutes ago, briseis said:

The Wolf Changes Its Coat But Not Its Ways  

Wang So changed, they said, he’s gone mad, they said… because they were suffering from a selective memory loss, obviously. He NEVER changed, just like the wolf that never changes its ways.

I find it hilarious how so many people use this scene as the ultimate proof that Wang So had a brain transplant, when it’s the very scene which shows him being fundamentally the same person he was almost 10 years ago. The parallel between the stone pile scene and the throne room scene with BA is simply perfect THEY LITERALLY MIRROR EACH OTHER - the livid anger, the sheer hatred in his eyes, once again he is (justly) blaming someone for his suffering, once again he is bent to takes his revenge, once again he is mad with hate and emotional overload; EVEN HIS BODY LANGUAGE, GESTURES AND FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE THE SAME! The only things that changed are his clothes and hairstyle (plus, he is not covered in the blood of some 50+ dead monks because that was obviously much more sane!).

The people who claim WS is mad and crazy in that throne room scene must hold him to some impossibly high standards. At this point, WS is at his limit and under immense emotional stress, so he starts to drink - for the first time in his life as far as we know, adn who could blame him?! - he had to get married to a woman whom he doesn’t love because the love of his life rejected his marriage proposal three times, and virtually told him to marry the other woman when he was ready to fight the whole world for her; Wook (his own brother) is the mastermind of his suffering and turning her against him, Jung despises him, the clans are plotting against him, HS hates him, and he has just learned that she is ill,..

The truth is that Wang So has had these complete mental breakdowns since the beginning (after Yo’s death, after Eun’s death, …) - IT’S HIS COPING MECHANISM. LETTING IT ALL OUT, either by yelling or crying or by sharing his fears and worries with other people (HS, BA), telling it all to them, unburdening himself. It’s NECCESSARY MENTAL HYGIENE. It’s one of the reasons why he has survived so much for so long. On the other hand, HAE SOO DOESN’T DO THIS - SHE KEEPS BOTTLING UP EVERYTHING INSIDE, NO WONDER HER HEART CANNOT TAKE SUCH STRAIN. IT’S SUFFOCATING HER.

Agree 100% @briseis

[cherisshuu]

2 hours ago, millie10468 said:

It occurs to me this fandom was divided into a couple of categories during the course of the drama:

Cat. 1: People who had read/watched the C-BBJX and knew going in that the possibility of a happy ending, thereby deviating from the source material, was extremely thin and therefore didn't even hope for anything different.

Cat. 2: People from Cat. 1 who hoped K-BBJX would end differently than C-BBJX.

Cat. 3: People who had no knowledge of the source material and assumed some kind of happy ending was imminent.

Cat. 4: People from Cat. 3 who got their google-fu on quite early and realized just how unhappy the ending was going to be based on real history.

Which category did/do you belong to?

I'm four. Lol. But that is because I love historical drama in general and I also love to see how this drama turns out to be (and it is this week). As much as I hope for happy ending, I think I'd just love SH of its interesting plot that enough to make me sit and enjoy the ride. There are still questions to answer and I hope writer-nim will conclude it well during these last two episodes.

[hobeverly1212]

As I'm listening to the instrumental ost.... im sad as this is finally coming to an end... 

No more chasing the tv on mons-tues....

[antiherofans]

26 minutes ago, briseis said:

The Wolf Changes Its Coat But Not Its Ways  

Wang So changed, they said, he’s gone mad, they said… because they were suffering from a selective memory loss, obviously. He NEVER changed, just like the wolf that never changes its ways.

 

 

 

@briseis I completely agree with you. Hey, even I get swoon by Wang So's persona and forgive him for the killing.

 

People say the throne is cursed and can make you mad

I do agree the throne is cursed but it won't drive you mad

 

THE THRONE ONLY REVEALS WHO YOU REALLY ARE

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

I will lurk here for 6 more hours, then have to go for a meeting so won't be able to live-stream ep.19. Will try real hard to stay away from thread until after finale tomorrow to avoid any spoilers of ep.20. Will not watch preview. I want to embrace ep.20, our finale, in its full glory or whatnot, be the ending bitter or sweet. I want to be surprised.