[Drama 2016-2017] Guardian: The Lonely and Great Goblin 도깨비

[hushhh]

Oh my love of spoiler tags.

Really good analysis. Way more in depth than I anticipated when when posed the question.

Check 2nd spoiler tag.

Spoiler

Now's as good a time as any to share with you what I think about Beauty – with the capital B.

Am tagging @NRGchick because I heard through the grapevine (lol) that she wants more discussion on Shin/ET. Consider it done, girlfriend.

Please do NOT quote this long text. I’ll disown anybody who’ll inflict this eyesore twice on this forum.

***************

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, @hushhh And being “pretty” IS a BIG deal in this story -- but not in the same context as those ditzy netizens think. 

I agree that the actress KGE is a “squid” when compared to Song Hye-Kyo (Descendants of the Sun lead). I have eyes, and I’ve seen some angles of KGE where she looked like the Gangnam style singer, Psy.  

But does it matter?  

For me, her intelligent PORTRAYAL of ET made her the most beautiful actress for that role, and I swear, I will never look at her as a female Psy again. She is radiantly beautiful when she beams up at Shin that I have this desire to squish her. She is hauntingly beautiful when she cries in Episode 9 and tells him to choose whether to live or die with her. She is funnily beautiful when she threatens to avenge the gods for making Shin suffer so much in Episode 6. She is altogether beautiful when she is hopping mad because he refuses to give her a boyfriend. I don’t think I’ll get tired of her face soon...and I'm female.   

To me, she is beautiful because she has something MORE than a temporary and fleeting appearance. She has character. And she fits this particular persona, ET, on the screen. I daresay if SHK were to portray this role -- no matter her amazing visuals -- she'd look awkward, like a try-hard ahjumma.

So, KGE = ET. And "too bad, so sad"  for those KGE's detractors. 

Anyway, that's one level of understanding beauty. Inside beauty, intelligence, character, and so on. And there's another level of understanding Beauty in the story that upends this view. It relates to Shin's and ET's emotional development. 

You have already expressed an initial understanding of Shin regarding beauty. 

When his little sister asked if her groom the king was handsome, he admonished her to prioritize character over looks. That’s true, in many occasions,

people should admire a person’s character above a person's appearance.

Like, wrinkly St Theresa > bodacious Kim Kardasian.

However, there’s a twist here in this kdrama that I think this scriptwriter is trying to explore every time ET asks Shin whether he finds her pretty. ET wasn’t just being vain or insecure or pathetic whenever she talks about “pretty”. There’s another meaning there. 

Let's watch how they both change their understanding of being “pretty” as their story unfolds. 

I’ll quote paragraphs from dramabeans’s recaps because 1) it’s easier for me to google the word "pretty" in her recaps ,and 2) she does an A+ job of recapping. My comments are in parentheses. 

Episode 1: (ET summons him accidentally when she extinguishes a small fire.)
>She tells him to describe everything about her, and he rattles off details: “Uniform. Pretty.” She smiles. “The uniform is pretty.” She asks if he sees wings, calling herself a fairy, like Tinkerbell. Shin practically rolls his eyes and vanishes into smoke.

(Now, she obviously knows that she isn't as pretty as Tinkerbell but Shin should have at least responded in kind and teased her in return instead of leaving in exasperation. If I were ET, I would think he was some kind of uppity man.)  

Episode 2: (They’re walking in a park in Quebec City.)
>Eun-tak tells the goblin that he must be very happy to meet a fairy like her, reminding him that she’s Tinkerbell. He tries to temper his scowl and ends up twitching.

(Later, they have an argument, and Shin tells her she’s not the Goblin’s bride, so she asks him, “Who am I” then?)

>Shin says it’s not his concern and she gets angry at that and accuses him of lying because she’s not pretty enough to be his bride. But he says readily, “You’re pretty. I’ve lived over nine hundred years. I’m not looking for someone who’s pretty; I’m looking for someone to discover something about me.”

(Here, he’s saying that his bride only has to FUNCTION like a tool, and pull out the sword. Remember my “mini-lecture” on the cabbage grandma and TOOLS? Shin is saying the same thing here: Who cares how ET looks like? Her looks don’t matter as much as her USEFULNESS to him.

And THAT is absolutely hurtful to ET. 

Take this word of advice, ladies: If your boyfriend in reel   real life tells you that it doesn’t matter whether you look ugly or pretty to him, just as long as you're useful to him, please LEAVE him soon. He’s a USER, in other words. Lol.)

Episode 3: (After he rescues ET from the loan sharks, they eat and pretty comes up again. ET tells him:)

>“And I hope you meet a nice person. Someone who helps you discover the true you. Someone pretty. Pretty in heart, not face, since you say you don’t look at faces.”

(She is baiting him but he ignores her annoyed face and continues to rile her,  just to get a reaction from her. The Reaper thinks she’s bratty, but  Shin sides with her and excuses her bad-temper. At this point, he IS finding her cute, although she isn’t at all acting pretty. Basically, he does look at her face.)

Episode 4: (Shin is drunk and they are taking a stroll together.)
>She asks what happens to him if she decides not to be his bride, and Shin says he won’t be able to pull the sword out, because only she can do that. “I have to pull the sword out in order to…” he can’t say the truth, so he ends with, “To be pretty!” 

(Here, pretty is his euphemism for death….which is ironic, right? Because soon he'll discover FIRST LOVE and the attraction of a PRETTY girl but he knows he's fated to die and leave her soon anyway. This realization hits him hard while sitting at a park chair and watching ET hop on the crosswalk.) 

>He has flashes of dying in that field a thousand years ago, then Eun-tak smiling back at him. She runs up and asks if he made that red carpet crosswalk just for her, but he’s still lost in thought over the poem as he looks up at her, mesmerized. A single maple leaf falls on the page.

Episode 5: (Now ET has a confused perspective on prettiness, too.)

>Eun-tak says that she’s been thinking she’ll defer “making him pretty” (i.e., pulling the sword), because once she does, it’ll take away her usefulness, and he might kick her out. He whines about her eating all those snacks, and she calls him out on his pettiness, saying he could have just given her that 5 million won and be done with it.

(ET thinks prettiness = her worth/value to him = her USEFULNESS = pulling the sword = bride. Meaning, if she can’t pull the sword, then she’s no good to him and has to leave the house. Even the Reaper says that, that she'll get kicked out once she's done her job.  

And Shin encourages this wrong perspective whenever he BRIBES her with food for her college exams. That’s why ET is insecure. She doesn't know if she's coming or going. But note now: Shin actually loves her, and finds her pretty and adorable. The reason he is keeping it strictly hidden from her is that he doesn’t want to burden her when he leaves. Unable to hide his frustration, he picks on her.  Here, being "pretty" is actually a strain for both of them.)

>The bickering escalates, with Eun-tak blaming Shin for her birthmark, Shin huffily looking past her hair to declare the birthmark pretty, and Eun-tak taking offense to him “hitting” her hair and saying that he got his sword stuck in him for a reason. Shin gasps, asking if she’s a psychopath to hit him exactly where it hurts. She calls him a psycho too, reminding him that he was the one who said she wasn’t a goblin’s bride and should live in reality. He exclaims that he was doing it for her benefit, and she yells back, “If you’re doing things for my benefit, hand over my boyfriend!” She lists her original three wishes, saying that it didn’t come true, and Shin yells right back, “He’s right here, your boyfriend! Right in front of you—me!”

(The birthmark is pretty because it’s a sign that she’s his. I think this is an important change in his view of "prettiness". Beauty is now linked to possession or ownership. Meaning, if somebody becomes part of him, he looks at her with more fondness with the ugliness glossed over.

You know that expression: “a face only a mother can love”? It’s kinda similar.

So, at this point, Shin definitely sees her as HIS. Only, he represses his feelings, so he comes out being more petty, sensitive, and truculent. He picks a fight over the silliest things, because he's jealous that other people like the Reaper can freely claim HER time and HER attention, while HE CAN’T. And he finally admits that he is her boyfriend. They settle their fight with an impromptu boyfriend/girlfriend date at “their” restaurant in Quebec.)

>Eun-tak turns to greet her lunch partner, an unseen CEO, seemingly not seeing Shin sitting in front of her. “At 29, you’re still bright,” Shin says, looking at her with sad eyes. “But I am not there next to you. My life’s immortality has come to an end. After my death, you and your life after my disappearance have forgotten me and come to perfect completion. I must disappear. For the sake of you, who smiles prettily. The choice I must make is ending this life.”

Do you see the reversal now, hushhh?

Before, he didn’t care at all if she was pretty or not. "JUST DO YOUR DARN BUSINESS and pull this sword out of me ASAP." Now, he’s saying, “I wish you didn't have to pull this sword out now, because I want to be with you longer.” Her prettiness MATTERS now.  He loves her; therefore, she is pretty. Her usefulness/function is now irrelevant to his need to be alive a little bit longer for her.)

Episode 6: (So it continues, this business of dying and becoming pretty. All the time, she doesn’t know the truth about the sword.)
>He asks if she won’t make him pretty now, which is still what Eun-tak believes will happen when she pulls out the sword. She says “Yes” and he sighs in relief until she clarifies, “Yes, I won’t.” ...Ignoring him, she says that she’s crying because she’s sad, but that he really should shape up and put in a little effort instead of feeling sorry for himself: “Don’t you think you’re not trying hard enough to become prettier?” Lolwut. She advises him that pity won’t get him very far, so he needs to take action if he wants her to pull out the sword.

(And they decide to pull out the sword and it didn’t work.)

Episode 7: (Since she can’t pull out, she’s back to questioning her worth, prettiness.)

>Reaper wonders why she can’t touch the sword, and she asks if maybe the goblin was right about her not being his bride: “Will the real bride who can grab the sword show up? Will she… be pretty?” 

(Now, here, I think ET has a better grasp of what being pretty means. Being pretty doesn’t simply mean being physically alluring, but being TRULY LOVED no matter the appearance, no matter the usefulness. Being pretty means being accepted for what she is, warts and all. In this sense, being pretty means an acceptance. ET can see Shin with all his flaws and insecurities, and still take him as he is because he's "pretty" in her eyes. And she's hoping that Shin considers her pretty, too.)

Episode 8: (We see his reluctance to tell her that she’s pretty and allows her to think that his first love is somebody else. Why? Partly, because it derives pleasure from seeing her jealous reactions, and partly I guess, because he’s reticent to openly discuss feelings with her. In the past, he said he didn't care about her appearance but now, she’s so beautiful to him and it pains him to death that he cannot be with her ever because of his punishment.)

>He tells her that she doesn’t know what’s paining him, and when she asks what it is, he replies, “First love hurts a lot.” Thinking he means someone from his past, Eun-tak gets pettish, saying she must have been really pretty. Shin says, “Very much… every day… it hurts.”  Annoyed, Eun-tak tells him to rest up, patting his arm extra hard, telling him that’s not something you say to your bride. “If you look hard, you can see where she’s pretty,” Shin says. “So don’t go.”

(Luckily she knows that he tends to lie so she does research and goes to DH to ask for intel.  She finally figures out that he UNDERSTATES emotions that are very much important to him.)

Episode 9: (Love.)

>Back to her cheery self, Eun-tak confesses that she can’t see his sword anymore, so there’s no chance she’ll be able to pull it out for him. Aw, is she lying? Shin pats her head affectionately, and she smiles in turn.

(In previous episodes, Shin is petrified that ET will hate him once she discovers what the sword meant -- that he was a killer/murderer of people in his earlier life. Personally, I think the sword is still there, and ET is speaking metaphorically here. She "can't" see the sword, so she can't be asked to pull it out. And if she can't see the sword, Shin should also cease seeing himself as a fatally evil person. In a religious sense, she has "forgiven" or "absolved" Shin of all the wicked deeds he's done before in the name of his country and King. He's born anew. Right, @romanov, @maryofbethany, my Christian/Catholic sisters? 

Now, it's also important to point out that ET can declare that she won't pull out anymore sword in the future is the CONFIRMATION that Shin loves HER for who she is, and not anymore for her usefulness or function as a sword-ripper. She is beautiful in his eyes and he is beautiful in her eyes. That's what love does....) 

Episode 10: (After ET hears him come clean about his past, she goes out for a walk with him.)

>Once they’re outside, Eun-tak explains that her ghost friend Jung-hyun (her library friend who died in a car accident) asked her to come visit her with flowers. She then changes the subject to him, saying that flowers, any kind really, look good on him. “You’re totally my type,” she continues. “Anytime. You have a great personality. Most certainly.”  Shin is perplexed by the sudden shower of compliments and asks if he did something wrong. He didn’t and neither did she, and Eun-tak says these are words of consolation and encouragement. He asks how he’s her type specifically, and she replies, “You’re strange and beautiful.” He beams.

(Last episode, she forgives him while knowing just the general details. This episode, she gets to hear more of the details and she is still at her side. Telling him he’s beautiful is the same as telling him that she loves him. Whatever atrocity he’s done in the past, she accepts and loves him.) 

Credit for the recap paragraphs: dramabeans staff. Phew! They sure do write a lot.

See that, @hushhh? This is how the perspectives of ET and Shin (in particular) changes over time. They both see nuance now or, as Shin says, “the complexities.”  And I'm sorry this is sooooo long. 

There’s still NOTHING wrong with emphasizing CHARACTER > PRETTINESS.  But when you love somebody, often variables change and the beauty of the beloved to the lover may simply encompass everything else. Thus, in a strange but profound way, PRETTINESS > CHARACTER. 

Cheers!  -pm3. I have another more post for you, but let me see if I have time tonight to type it. 

Tagging the usual people in no particular order: @phikyl @salz@LyraYoo@bebe1989@nearsea@vivvianne22 @letataves @ariesw @naritul @gutibear @staygold @NRGchick @Athenaries @kokodus @crazyoverkdrama 

@millie10468, I happened to read your mini-rant earlier. I agree. Will post another thing for Shin/ET. 

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Spoiler

Most of my question was really a WTF.

Just very tired of these silly question about whether the actor is pretty or not. The point is does the other character finds the character played by the actor attractive? Do you believe if that one character find the other character attractive. That's their job. The rest is your issue, deal with it.

For instance while GY is attractive, charming and hot, I don't think he is classically beautiful.  Actually I think the fortune teller had it right, he looks a bit like a dinosaurs. I don't see any pleas to overlook GY gawky dinosaurs-like profile and concentrate on his acting.

The second part of the question is real.  Why do the folks on Korean drama seem to put pretty (not even beautiful) as the human superlative.

 

[Chellsee]

That’s why I want you to keep saying you need me. I want you to ask me to do even that. I want some sort of an excuse that will double as your permission. With that excuse, I wish I could go on living. With you. ~ GOBLIN

Credit to owner.

***Sorry for being away, I was in a place where wifi is toooo weak!

[jeijei]

People on Twitter going to Miniso, looking for the Goblin dolls *facepalm* 

The tumblrs are just $3. Damn you can write your name or some Goblin line on it. 

 

[NRGchick]

@packmule3 Thanks for tagging me!

Unfortunately I am back at work so I will only be able to read your thoughts in comfort and with my full attention in approximately 6 hours time (sigh) 

Anyone who wants to talk about Dokkaebi and Eun Tak, please tag me! Kamsahamnida!

EDIT:

LOL...I skimmed through and  I will really need time to digest what you have written ^^

[ucylucy]

LOL. Goblin mentioned in Running Man. When Jae Suk said Kwang Soo looked like Gong Yoo in Goblin with the awesome background music playing but then totally trolled KS saying it was just a hallucination!

 

[selenette]

@kumoiwa  Greetings! Thank you for letting me know! I will update or probably revise the post altogether as per your suggestions! 

@turtle0217 There are some mistakes in the post, and I will revise or repost it. But thank you for reading them!

[mouse007]

I'm watching episode 10 all over again and I just realized that when KS and ET go drinking, the gang referred to ET as a woman when he said "and you're here with a woman". Also, the ahjumma said to ET "will your boyfriend be alright?"

 

I feel like it's telling us that ET is viewed as an adult and that her relationship with KS is acceptable.

[ucylucy]

Soop Blog Update

Spoiler

 

[wildflowers]

GONGYOO AGENCY UPDATE!

 

Find more BTS here:

http://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=6016508&memberNo=22903361

My connection really bad, so i cant save more picture..

VIDEO MAKING KS/GOBLIN

http://tvcast.naver.com/v/1348662

[violetpetal]

9 minutes ago, mouse007 said:

I'm watching episode 10 all over again and I just realized that when KS and ET go drinking, the gang referred to ET as a woman when he said "and you're here with a woman". Also, the ahjumma said to ET "will your boyfriend be alright?"

 

I feel like it's telling us that ET is viewed as an adult and that her relationship with KS is acceptable.

yesss. i noticed that too  i agree with you

[ucylucy]

Spoiler

 

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[ucylucy]

More Soop Updates CR uncle yoo 태국팬♡ ‏@_gongyooth

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Edited January 3, 2017 by ucylucy

[Chellsee]

BTS photos:

[ucylucy]

More Soop Updates CR uncle yoo 태국팬♡ ‏@_gongyooth

Spoiler

 

Edited January 3, 2017 by ucylucy

[happypuppy]

Staying up whole night to work on assignment and see this GongYoo pictures! what a treat! This will fuel me with extra 4 hours!

Thank you @ucylucy for the upload 

Thank you @selenette for the superb hanja analysis (now I understand why Sunny is wearing that golden chick jacket, to match with her name!)

And thank you GongYoo for aging so well 

[naritul]

@ucylucy @selenette @Chellsee thank you so much for those hanja explanations and pics...  He's so hot...

 

Kim Go Eun is beautiful and she plays 'Eun Tak' beautifully...

Physically beautiful and beautiful in person are different

She is preciously beautiful as a human, and who is that person? one of them is uri lovely KIM GO EUN 

Spoiler

Another person is Jeon So Min... my 1% of anything fellow must be understand, we had the same problem before...

Edited January 3, 2017 by naritul

[chibimidori]

just watched the latest episode last night and back reading almost 10 pages (??, i lost track the number.. this thread is super fast ) in my office now ... 

for ep. 10, of course my ultimate fav scene is the first kiss scene.. i just love how eun tak kiss him again and he kiss back and smile....  there's so much loves in the air... but i have 1 more scene, that equally beautiful, fascinate and intrigue me.. the scene where kim shin realized (???) that he is the one that bought the necklace for her..... and off him wander with his flip flop in canada to buy the necklace.. i just love this scene sooooo much.. there's some romantic and mystery elements in it too.. i wonder how he finally come to the realization that he is actually the one that buy the necklace. perhaps.. though future is predestined, god do help people who are willing to change it for the better. I still believe that god is the most compassionate... so here, his act of buying the necklace perhaps something that he chose to do.. for her.. for their future.. he wanted to be the "chairman" in her future.. perhaps.........

 

 

 

 

[yukipinkk]

I have to say even though I was absolutely in love with the drama since the beginning, the past few episodes have been carving the essence of every emotion and every character into my heart. I can't get over the beauty and meaningfulness of every scene. Every time I watch the drama I feel like I am in a magical fairy tale world or another universe. This drama is an incredible work of art. I even feel like making a FMV for them since I really like doing that stuff but there isn't really anyone to share it with since I don't really have many kdrama friends which is why I am currently obsessed with soompi. Thank you all for being the awesome fans you are  If anyone has any song they want to see a clip on or any suggestions, I would love editing one for them:) 

Apart from that, I am truly appreciating the representations(character, role, age, traits) of Kim Shin and Eun Tak. He is not just her friend, he is more like her guardian angel, her guard, shield, family, and someone whom can embrace and appreciate every side of her as well as someone who is watching her grow and helping her along the way. To him, she is more like his sun and his moon. The only thing that shined in his long lonely life. Everytime he looks at her we can see he is mesmerized by everything she does and truly just enjoys her existence. Also despite him having lived long, he can see that she is incredibly mature, wise, and agile. And despite all of this, their innocence never fails to radiate from them. 

[hairuchii]

I am heading out at the moment (I'm still on a break from work), and I may not have time to translate anything today. I like reading and translating texts - especially if it has to do with our favourite drama series - because it helps with learning the language.

But I thought this may be of interest to many of you.

 

"이 드라마 끝나면 꼭, 
사극으로 만났으면 하는 우리 모두의 맘."

" i deurama keunnamyeon kkok, sageuk-euro manna-sseumyeon haneun uri modu-eui mahm."

Translation: 

"When this drama ends, all of us wish for you to surely appear in a sageuk (historical drama)."

 

I made the translation a little easier to understand. If the sentence is translated literally, it means "Once this drama ends, all of us [have the wish] to surely meet you in a historical drama."

 

So... this means that even the staff at Management Soop wishes to see our Gong Yoo Dokkaebi in a sageuk after this. OHMYGOSH. Would this increase the probability of seeing our Dokkaebi in another sageuk? Sageuk suits him!

 

[myeongnim]

@ucylucy omg thank you so much for sharing that clip! I've been looking for a cut version of it all day and couldn't find it, let alone make it myself. I was going insane lol!