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

[staygold]

14 minutes ago, ucylucy said:

Knetizens on PPL in Goblin - comments aren't too bad - mostly complaining about the Toreta drinks. The fact the drama is such a fun and great drama lends a more positive view to the whole PPL in Goblin.

Disruptive product placements on Goblin?

*** edited****
7. [+95, -9] I have yet to see one that's as bizarre as Jin Goo and Kim Ji Won's car PPL in Descendants of the Sun ㅋㅋ I thought that was ridiculous


3. [+172, -10] I'd chose to watch a fun drama with PPL rather than a disgustingly boring makjang drama without any PPL
 

 

That car PPL was too bizarre!!! It totally ruined the moment we had been waiting for!! No matter how good Jin Goo- Kim Ji Won were the moment was ruined!! 

Wonder if Subway will make an appearance this week? The preview didn't show anything!!! 

[carolinedl]

Subway has been in many shows and it has never once been incorporated well!... Subway is the worse really...

 

[wildflowers]

LOL DINASOUR GONG YOO (credit to xiundeer)

 

[nearsea]

4 hours ago, sparkskey said:

上传图片

 

Also when Kim Shin released the lantern, the light from the lantern fell on Deokhwa….and a picture of Buddha.

Thank you for sharing this awesome post! And omg this scene is giving me goosebumps!

Edited January 4, 2017 by Berou
don't quote videos, gifs, pics

[xxyy]

Thank you sooo much!!

11 hours ago, selenette said:

 

@xxyy Hello! If you're interested, I explained Deok-hwa's name meaning on p. 515 (please click the Reply...

[Guest]

Forgive my off topic post but are heartfelt thoughts...

Stopped in to read the latest posts and to be honest I couldn't decide if I should post about this or not mainly because I find it sad that this is even being talked about.  A new year and its seems as if we humans haven't learned a thing about whats important and whats not.  I respect everyone's right to have a voice.  Yet, I find it hard to understand those who are so eager to hurt and judge others in any form.  Beauty?  Really?  What standards are used and what is beauty to you? Instead of breaking down someones human spirit why not spend your time lifting someone up instead.  It reminds me of something my Mother use to say and I am sure some of yours as well.  If you don't have anything nice to say than say nothing for there is beauty in silence...

I honestly can't believe there are those who are looking at this amazing young, talented and beautiful woman who happens to be an actress and a darn good one at that!!!  And can't see everything that I first saw in CITT and am still seeing in the Goblin.  I didn't feel she needed defending because she herself is proof of what beauty really is.  I think the very essence of who she is makes her so relatable to women from all walks of life and all ages.  Not only is she beautiful she has this gift as an actress that allows the viewers to see whats inside her as well.  It's why she was perfect for CITT and why she is even more perfect as the Goblins Bride...

I'm not posting to change anyone's mind because I don't think its possible.  For if you haven't seen or experienced KGE with thoughts of beauty than your not able to see or understand who she really is. And I doubt you ever will... You could say that's the beauty of it.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I feel a bit sorry that you can't see all the beauty there is in KGE...

Thankful to this thread for your patience....

 

[packmule3]

Hi @millie10468 --

I understand your annoyance, and I appreciate you stating your grievances in a civil manner. I think ONE way to ensure that Shin/ET’s relationship stands out more prominently is to discuss its uniqueness and to point out things that may have been missed by viewers.

For instance, I think the scriptwriter does a superb job of meshing nature and seasons to show ET/Shin’s growing affinity. Let’s start with the buckwheat in September, then move on to autumn leaves and to snowflakes (By snowflakes, I meant those crystals. Not touchy, overly-sensitive people. hahaha.)

This post is long so please do not quote the text in full.  I will send my flying monkeys after anybody who makes me scroll through my own screed in order to reach her paragraph at the end.  Thank you. I like what @NRGchick did: she just picked and chose what she wanted to comment on. I'm not the least offended if you cut my post short; I expect it as a matter of fact. 

Spoiler

 

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

Buckwheat. 

First, a recap of sorts. ET was unconcerned when Shin told her that he strangely couldn’t see her future. She told him goodbye and cautioned him that wandering too long wasn’t good. -- Famous last words, don’t you think, given that in a few months’ time, she’d be crying buckets for him to stay.

She asked him to give her the bouquet of buckwheat as it had been a miserable birthday for her. To her surprise, she learned that buckwheat flowers meant “lovers.”  She preserved those flowers. But she couldn’t stop them from withering and she managed only to save a few sprigs to press in a book as keepsake.
 
In a way, the flowers symbolized their initial, and brief attachment. (Don't you hate it when two strangers just happen to fall passionately in love? Like, gimme a break (or a lobotomy) because that is soo not happening with the women of today. ) Although ET already had an inkling that her fate was tied to this ahjussi after the discovery of the meaning of the flowers, Shin was in denial. He was intent on leaving her because she didn’t seem to be the right bride. She, on the other hand, was allowing him to leave. 

So, just like she couldn’t prevent the buckwheat flowers from drying up and scattering in the wind, she couldn’t hold on to him. Packing away the dead flowers -- like letting go of Shin -- was meant to be a closure.

However, she changed her mind when he reappeared at the causeway. He had been frantically looking for her. She joked that he was comparable to a recurring cold. Whenever she thought she was over him, he would pop up again and make her feel sick and miserable. She also joked that this guilt of his -- for causing her unending misery -- must be STABBING at him. 

Though “stabbing” was said in jest, I think she was TESTING his reaction.  She used this specific word on the off-chance that he would react. When Shin scolded her to stop using "stab" because he hated that word, she knew then the importance of the sword that she could see right through him. 

She bemoaned that her life was stuck at the beginning and never seemed to progress. And that evening, she took a daring “stab” (idiomatically, "take a stab" means to attempt or to go after something) at her own destiny and confessed to Shin that she could see the sword all along. I knew people were saying that she was lying about the sword, but I didn't think so back then. 

Two things I found unique about ET’s character, at this point:

One, like a grown-up, she kept her own counsel. All the while, she COULD SEE the sword stuck in Shin’s chest but she didn’t say a word. Normal teenage reactions would have been fright, panic, and disbelief.  Perhaps because she’s accustomed to seeing ghosts, she was unfazed by Shin’s appearance. Also, the whole time Shin badgered and bribed her to disclose whether or not she could see the sword, she resisted him. She wasn’t playing coy. She knew she had to give herself time to figure out the right tack on her own. She does her due diligence: she researches, reads, asks info, and then she weighs her options. I’d hate it if she was the type to consult hocus-pocus to make a life decision, because I personally cannot relate to that.  

Two, she has this propensity to play on Shin’s heartstrings and get his sympathies. By sharing sad stories, she could persuade him to do her bidding.  For instance, mentioning her miserable birthday to get the buckwheat flowers from him. Or whining that she knew no one and had no money in Canada to weasel money from him. (Failed though). Or describing Mr. Buckwheat so enthusiastically that he had no recourse but to buy it. Remarkably, she used psychology often on a 939 year old goblin to move or engage him to action. By Episode 10, we saw how far she’d come with her persuasive skills. She deftly managed to get both the Reaper and Shin to buy leeks for her. How? By stroking their egos.

Maple leaf. 

Another recap: ET herself was so enamored with autumn in that fairy-like city that she fancied herself to be Tinkerbell walking with Shin on a red carpet of leaves. As she reached up to catch a falling leaf, Shin grabbed it instead. She ordered him to drop it because according to superstition, catching a falling autumn leaf meant falling in love with your walking companion. He accused her of making it up. But he soon fell victim to the superstition. 

Now, I absolutely liked the contrasting image of a red maple leaf landing on a white page of a poetry book, and an immortal hero falling in love for the very first time with a young girl in a red scarf.  Unlike Shin, the maple leaf wasn’t STUNNED. Lol.

Perhaps, it escapes viewers who haven’t experienced the four seasons that autumn is a time of MELANCHOLY and sadness.  Personally, I'm divided: I love spring because our flowers bloom like a box of 64 crayons. But I love fall, too, because the leaves put on pomp and pageantry like nothing else.  

But for all its majestic beauty, autumn has a certain sadness and loneliness which match Shin’s mood well.  Shin was experiencing his first love but he also knew it was high time to prepare his centuries-old body for death. Just like how the trees shed dead leaves, he could finally rid himself of the sword’s dead weight, and disappear.  Autumn is a season that evokes old age and the passage of time (yes, I know this well). With ET’s help, he too could pass on from this world. But the only thing that made him reluctant to leave was ET.  

So, for me, ET’s maple leaf had several layers of meaning.  Unlike the buckwheat flower, she laminated the maple leaf before it could turn brown and shrivel up. She told her classmate that the laminated leaf was just a token of gratitude (Thank you!) for an “old person” who helped her get a job. But in fact, she gave it to Shin as a parting gift (Goodbye!) at the courseway in Episode 3. All along, she intended it to be a souvenir of their first time in Quebec (Don’t forget me!).  

For Shin, however, I think the gift could become both a reminder of his first love and of his death. It’s a memento mori (Literal meaning, Remember you must die!) like the presence of the skull is a memento mori in many Old Masters’ artworks. A memento mori reminds the viewers of their mortality.  I think it was fitting that Shin kept it between the pages of his journal that beseeched the deities to let him confess his first love before death. 

There’s another plant here that is important, the dandelion. But I’ll have to talk about that separately because it concerns something else….

Last for now was the snow. 

Similar to the falling leaf superstition, the first snowfall is believed to indicate True Love. Meaning, if you confess to your love on the first snowfall of the year then your love will come true. We all should know this by now because snowfall is a standard event for wintertime kdramas. Naturally, I was interested to see how scriptwriter/director would make this cliché new again. Just like the concept of tools/function/ usefulness/utility, I wanted to see if she was going to approach this in a unique way. And I wasn’t disappointed. 

The writer created two “first” snowfalls in the kdrama, and it might have confused the viewers. Similar to how ET created a perfect duplicate of her contract with Shin, thereby confusing Shin, the scriptwriter did a similar feint here.  The TRUE first snowfall occurred in Episode 9, and the one at the buckwheat field was the fake one. Why?

Shin manufactured that snow in the buckwheat field. 

Do you remember his conversation with the Reaper? He said he wanted to leave before the first snow so that her day -- and her future first snowfalls -- wouldn't be ruined or tainted with memories of his death. However, when it came to the actual moment, he couldn't help himself. He apologized for being selfish and said, “But I wanted to have a memory like this.”   

Look: He wasn’t referring to HIS memories. He'd be dead anyway. He'd be one with ...err... nothingness. Or who knows what? He could be transformed into a broom. Lol. 

What he REALLY desired at that moment was for HER to have this final and LASTING remembrance of him. He wanted to be connected with every first snowfall of her life from that moment on. That was why he was giddy when he read the contents of her paper contract. The contract stated that he had to appear at her side every time she summoned him on the first snowfall. He was thrilled to know that she hadn’t intended to forget him. 

For me, this was one LIKELY reason (there are others, of course) why there was no "true love" confession on that day at the buckwheat farm. The snowflakes were like props for a pity party (boohoooo! I'm dying. Sniffles). Don't get me wrong here, though: Shin sincerely FELT love for her. But his understanding of love wasn’t quite up to the Corinthians level of love yet. You know what I mean, right, @romanov and @maryofbethany?

But that's okay. He’d learn soon enough....

This passage from the Corinthians.
 

Spoiler

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous. Love is not pompous, it is not inflated.
It is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
It does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

 

Aside from the snowfalls, his love confessions during those two occasions were different.  

Back THEN, in Shin's words:

"The time that I spent with you was blindingly bright. Because the day was good, because the day was bad, because the day was just so. All the days were good. And whatever happens, it’s not your fault.” (Quote: dramabeans)

ET was furious when she realized that his final words weren't a love confession but a goodbye. It was a verbal pat-on-the-head, similar to the one he gave her in Episode 3 at the causeway. He was telling her "farewell" and giving her a pat on the head as if that was enough to comfort her. ET had to teach him how to pat in a BF sort of way. (Pat = stroking, caressing)

A little explanation on the English word farewell because people may not be aware of the word’s nuance. Fare means to travel or to journey.  When you say farewell to someone, you're telling her "MAY you fare well". There's a certain foreboding that you won't hear from her or see her for a very long time or ever again, once she begins the journey. Thus, you're WISHING her happiness in the future, and BLESSING her departure. There's a finality to farewells that you don't see often in goodbyes. 

When ET finally understood the meaning of Shin’s words, she was, of course, outraged. Who wouldn’t be?  The Reaper's voiceover said that ET had walked that night in the rain. Meaning, she was so angry with Shin that even though she knew he was depressed to find out that she was gone, she was totally ignoring his well-deserved tears. 

Lol. See the beauty there?  She didn’t have to say “farewell” to him in a dramatic fashion for HIM to know that she was well and truly gone. She just upped-and-left. Ha! If she could have thrown back his own words to him, she would have said, "The time that I spent with you was blindingly bright. Because the day was good, because the day was bad, because the day was just so. All the days were good. And whatever happens, it’s YOUR fault for not telling me the truth.” 

You see, Shin was right in predicting that ET would resent him if she found out the truth of the sword. But he was wrong in his assessment WHY. ET resented it that she was deceived and not told the truth, and she was upset that he could accept his death without fighting. He was being “fatalistic.” 

Now compare that to his NEW love confession: He said, “I'm scared. I'm so scared. So I'd like it if you told me that you still need me. I'd like it if you told me to love you. I'd like it if you could give me permission to have an excuse like that. And I'd like it if I could use that as an excuse to continue living together with you.”

In the first confession, he was rehearsed. It was as if he was offering his condolences. He was firmly holding back his emotions so SHE wouldn’t cry. But he sort of treated her like somebody who he had to shield from the truth. But in the second confession, he admitted to being frightened.  He spoke in a roundabout way and didn’t say exactly what he wanted. (And that happens: when you're dealing with great emotions, often you can't express yourself logically.) And he talked to her like man-to-woman. As equals. 

This was how dramabeans described it: He gets choked up himself as he says that he’d like it even more if she would accept those excuses from him, so that he could use that as an excuse to keep living with her.

(I personally didn’t see “choked up” in GW’s acting but fine, I’ll go with it because I like it.) 
  
Another thing. For me, another difference between the two confessions was desperation. In the first confession, he was resigned. In the second act, however, he was a supplicant. A supplicant and beggar. He felt scared and unworthy  but he was pleading with her. He knew he had no right to ask her, given his history. He knew too that he’d be endangering her by prolonging his life. But he would take any possible excuse given to him, just to be with her. That’s desperation.

It might not have been as funny as a desperate man looking for the restroom, but the audience got it.   

One last thing I have to point out here -- 

When ET was laying on the cold ground, she whispered the words HE had told her he wanted to hear. She said, “I need you. Do what you said you would. I love you.” She was giving him the “excuse” he wanted to be by her side. And he quickly appeared at her side after she had summoned him. 

THAT – for me -- is a NEW contract formed from the NEW confession between them, and it’s binding. The OLD contract which ET made him sign earlier and which stipulated that he wouldn’t kick her out, he’d be the lamp to watch over her, he’d appear on the first snow when she called him, and he’d be his boyfriend until she found one, was null and void. The new one took effect as soon as Shin appeared at her side after hearing her call for him. His presence at her side was his consent and his virtual signature. No pen needed, and no duplicates needed. Lol. 

Cheers!

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

Tagging the usual ladies: @phikyl @salz @LyraYoo @bebe1989 @nearsea @vivvianne22 @letataves @ariesw @naritul @gutibear @staygold 
 @frankreichI’m with you. I think it’s a happy ending for Shin/ET, too. Hmmm… There’s something about Episode 9 that contrasted the dynamics between King/Queen and Shin/ET. I’ll write about that, too, as soon as I finish @ariesw and @vivvianne22’s posts. I was just telling somebody that white (yah! Gong Woo) is one of the most ridiculous colors to wear on the slopes. If there’s a whiteout, and visibility is poor, it’ll be hard to see him. Why risk a collision? We always wear neon or bright jackets with black/teal pants. Plus dirt shows up easily on white. 

@crazyoverkdrama You can have GW while I take his Maserati. I’m already surrounded by men 24/7, and my husband is 6’5. lol. But I do need a new SUV that can self-park. I’m terrible with both parallel parking and reverse parking. 

@Athenaries @kokodus @hushhh @dramoron

 @annchanHi. 

[kyubiX]

Aaanndd DF's subbed version of ep 11's preview, which isn't much different than what was already posted:

 

 

[andy78]

I WONDER IF ET IS A NEW SOUL WITH NO PAST LIFE ...I CAN'T WAIT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER

[_Dokkaebi_]

Sooo... Do you guys see an old halmoni or a sexy lady in red? 

[annnchan]

1 hour ago, packmule3 said:

 @annchanHi. 

@packmule3 I don't know if you're intended to tag me or someone else. But I think it's me because I always read (and liked) your analysis

Actually, I joined soompi after read your analysis, it's hard to find someone who have same idea after watching 1 or 2 episode. Even until last episode when I (still) thought GR is the queen, I got you as my teammate 

Well I'm really enjoy and always waiting for your next post

[itzibitzispider]

@packmule3 where do you store all those thoughts, infos and insights?
I am always amazed ... know @bebebisous33 for quite a while and know from her that she analyses quite well ... but you are new to me, since this thread and I am love reading both of your posts ... might fail to like sometimes (my cellphone really hates me going on soompi, but most of the times I win) and I know I hardly quote (also due to the fact that I hate shredding your beautiful thoughts to pieces) ... yes I disagree with both of you every now and then (as you might with me, which is just fine and dandy by me), but that won't keep me from enjoying your posts

I love your thoughts on ET and why she is as she is and acts as she does.

 

Paaaages before I stated that I rather think that ETs soul is brand new than some reincarnation ... thought this morning (as it was morning to me) did @hushhh waver my believe
And YES ... I will keep on refering to that silly hilarious thought as that toppled even the most beautiful synapsis and most secret insight ... what a blast if THAT would make history (I screenshot it for generations to come, but without names, just to be save)

[itzibitzispider]

 

That is the absolute most adorable

EVER

[katakwasabi]

One more day to episode 11! 

[hannehoang88]

Hello, everyone

May I ask a question? What is the name of the backpack that JET use in the drama? I would love to have one. 

Thanks for your attention.

Btw, I love reading all of your comments, discuss, and analyzes you guys post here. Very interesting. You guys are so incrediable. 

[WookD]

@USAFarmgirl KGE is soooo pretty especially when she smile , she is one of rare actress who i love their crying beside JRW.

don't bother yourself with those haters

 

[addicted2drama]

i want to confess ... this bugging me for several days now ... maybe i'm the only who don't like the latest OST "the first snow"... i feel it doesn't fit in the scene .. i still like the SAM KIM "Who are you" especially the intro ha ha ha

not a hater ... "the first snow" and   "hush" when i hear those song in the scene ... i get distracted and sometimes i cringe... i like the lyrics though hayyyy .. 

[jeijei]

Luh Instiz is on crack. I cannot unsee.

[instiz] THIS SERIOUSLY LOOKS LIKE GONG YOO

Posted on 7:10 AM by kei z

   

http://pann-choa.blogspot.com/2017/01/instiz-this-seriously-looks-like-gong.html

[carolinedl]

1 hour ago, hannehoang88 said:

Hello, everyone

May I ask a question? What is the name of the backpack that JET use in the drama? I would love to have one. 

Thanks for your attention.

It'sa JanSport bag; color: barber green. Here you go: http://www.jansport.com/shop/en/jansport-us/backpacks/right-pack-backpack-typ7

[NRGchick]

@packmule3 Thanks for tagging me! Love all the symbolism and deeper meanings behind the actions and behaviours. Again, I would say that Gong Yoo has shown through his progression from Ep 1 to Ep 10, the sight of our gruff, unsentimental Dokkaebi from the beginning to our bashful, shy Dokkaebi today. 

Permit me to quote

Another thing. For me, another difference between the two confessions was desperation. In the first confession, he was resigned. In the second act, however, he was a supplicant. A supplicant and beggar. He felt scared and unworthy  but he was pleading with her. He knew he had no right to ask her, given his history. He knew too that he’d be endangering her by prolonging his life. But he would take any possible excuse given to him, just to be with her. That’s desperation.

I love what you have said here. Actually I had to watch this scene more than once to catch on to what he actually meant during his second confession. 

It was heartfelt. It was desperation. But, he had not yet made up his mind about trying to open doors which may be a variable which will change their fate. It was the beginning of Dokkaebi at least thinking about living in the moment and not thinking about death.