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

[littleloony]

HI Immortals....HAPPY 300 PAGES

loved eps 5 and 6 and I am truly enamored with this drama. It just brings a happy smile to my face when I see a new ep, when I rewatch the old eps, when I see the cuts scenes of bromance, when I see KS looking lovingly at ET and when I have loads of gif, news, pics and insightful posts to back read on this thread I hope KES justifies her own stellar job so far by giving us such good eps in future.

While looking at Kim Shin and Eun Tak as they grow closer to each other I just had this feeling that they are starting to give me vibes of 'Emma and Mr. Knightley'. Emma is a bright, talented and beautiful girl who is also a busybody, a trifle airy, sometime immature but certainly extremely loving and loyal to her loved ones. Her relationship with Mr. Knightley is based on comfort, familiarity, companionship. For her there can be none better than him as she looks up to him for advice, support and friendship and admires him and loves being in his company. She doesn't even realize how much she loves him till the time comes that she may loose him to another. Similarly, Mr. Knightley fell in love with Emma when she was 13 and has seen her grow up into a beautiful young lady for whom his love as only grown stronger even if it was never expressed as such. To Mr. Knightley, she is the only choice, the only woman he can think to be his partner in life, to share his every day life and thoughts with, though that is only openly expressed much later. Its like they naturally belong together which they consciously realize much later.

Even though the entire premise in Goblin is different, the relationship that KS has with ET and the way it is progressing gives me the same vibes as "Emma". That KS and ET naturally belong together and they are both discovering just how much they like being with each other, having petty fights but caring for each other nonetheless. That ET admires and looks up to KS is evident, she also cares a lot for him but just never allows herself to express it seriously cause the Goblin blows hot and cold with his "I am your boyfriend" and "your worth is only in pulling out the sword". But I feel like she has subtly claimed the Goblin as hers a long time back with her always going on "ahjusshi". She may be thinking about practical life and boyfriend and such but I think quite unconsciously she feelings and emotions belong to Shin. Kim Shin as we all can see finds everything about her mesmerizing and is enjoying living in the present and day to day life just by being with her, teasing her, arguing her and making her happy. These two will become more aware of romantic love later on I am sure but for now they just naturally belong to each other. 

 

[sakura2016]

4 hours ago, enigmatic_zephy said:

that's what i ahve been saying.. but then i figured if she hasn't come off age.. then i can understand their issues..

and precisely, if people want to be prickly about leagl age. then she basically shudn't be allowed to "interact" with any male before 20

 

and that's why we're laughing at the few people who have an issue with the age gape!!  

 

 

[Guest]

Here you go @packmule3: A scoreboard just for you, complete with bullet points!

As long as I'm tagged, I'll keep it up to date as best I can [and try not to get behind like I did with the last one. ]

I've been contemplating the significance of the lapel pin for a while and I wonder; have we seen anything similar on Sunny? There's the ring that she wears that is the same as the ring the Queen wears. I have added this to the Sunny-is-Queen bullet points. 

There have been some scenes that reinforce my belief that Sunny is the King too such as when the Goblin is having one of his flashbacks in ep 6. 

Spoiler

We see a shot of the Joseon King which cuts to a shot of the Grim Reaper and Sunny out on their coffee date. Instead of the camera focusing on Grim Reaper, it focuses on Sunny's face just as it had previously focused on the face of the King. Why bring the focus to Sunny right after focusing on the Joseon King if she is not the present day reincarnation of said King?

Edit: Got caught up in the scoreboard and skimmed the fact that you had already touched on the flashback. Oh well. It's important enough to mention twice!

[packmule3]

On 12/15/2016 at 6:02 PM, forgirvin said:

@packmule3 I agree with you. My past replies and speculation agree with you about 75%. What do you think of the Sunny character being a secret lover of the queen reincarnated? I really think the bad guy- and there has to be one- Is going to be the reincarnated king - Duk Hwa. Thanks for considering a response. 

 

Hi @forgirvin--

I’m also sorry it took me a while to respond. I had to give serious thought to your question because Goblin is an ongoing drama and I don’t want to lead readers astray with flights of fancy and other unsupported claims. I don't know who reads these soompi posts but yes, our conversation here can get disseminated everywhere.

You had asked me for my view on Sunny as a secret lover of the queen reincarnated and Duk Hwa as an evil king. I think that would be a convoluted but very interesting plot twist.  I also think an experienced scriptwriter can definitely make that angle work. 

However, as of Episode 6, I personally don’t see how Duk Hwa could be elevated to a kingly status. The cabbage/fairy grandmother was very precise in linking the fates of the Reaper and Sunny when she prophesied, “It doesn’t matter who pays. You’ll both end up paying a very high fee anyway.” [credit: dramabeans]  

And at that time, she had only Sunny and the Reaper in her sights. DH wasn’t in the picture. 

Moreover, as much as DH appeared like a greedy wastrel who took advantage of his “uncle,” I do NOT think he’s destined to be an evil guy. Why? One, because Shin could see HIS future, and in Episode 6, when Shin was tying loose ends before his departure, he gave DH the credit card, stroke his hair to express fondness, and told him that he grew up well. I don't think Shin would do all this if he could foresee DH backstabbing or sabotaging him in the future. That defies logic, right? 

Two, let’s also consider how DH had known all along that Shin was a goblin (Did he know since he was 6? 7?) BUT he never once betrayed Shin’s secret identity. In fact, he kept quiet the whole time. He only began his research on Shin at the same time as ET despite knowing of Shin's condition since elementary school. He reined in his curiosity pretty well, don't you think?

I think in the future, and given time, he would live up to expectations and do a seriously good job of this duty he’s been trained for since birth. By Episode 6, we could see that he was already beginning to take more care and responsibility for both his uncles. He was giving them relationship advice, teaching them to use cellphones, showing them the normal social behavior, and driving them to dates.

Three, his wrong actions are more juvenile delinquency in nature. His misdeeds do NOT stem from immorality, warped conscience, or sheer wickedness.  There’s a big difference in how one can judge the intent, manner, and consequence of DH’s actions, and we shouldn't paint him all black when he's in fact only 50 shades of gray. (hahaha.)  

Sure: he didn’t exercise good judgment when he abused his credit card, acted like a spoiled chaebol (because he was one) and rented out the house to the Reaper.  But these actions don’t prove at all that he intended to do evil or harm towards others.  Good judgment can always be developed with time, maturity and growth. But malice, if it’s present in the heart from the start, is harder to remove. 
 
So there you go. I think DH plays only a secondary role in the drama -- a very useful comedy relief, but a secondary role nonetheless. He’s going to be a loyal retainer to the Goblin like all his ancestors.But if the screenwriter decides to change midway, that's perfectly fine for me, too. 

Take care now, and feel free to ask me questions again. 

Tagging @phikyl as promised. 
 

[Noor90]

5 hours ago, ucylucy said:

Looking forward to this scene in Episode 7!

 

i've feeling he's watching Train To Busan 

Mod edit: Do not quote images. 

[packmule3]

On 12/15/2016 at 5:27 PM, vivvianne22 said:

I was so happy to found @packmule3 here, it make me reminiscing with all of her awesome analysis for Reply 1988, and now you are here too. Hope you'll give us more of your analysis about this drama until the end!!

Shhhh, @vivvianne22

Spoiler

Let’s not revisit R88 here. I was right; they were wrong. End of story. Moving on...
-- But I wish they’ll stop checking my profile. ... 

 

To be honest, I’m well-aware that I have a major handicap when it comes to kdramas because I’m NOT your typical audience.  One, I’m Caucasian, so the Asian cultural underpinnings and social taboos are my blind spots, and I have to rely primarily on logic to understand the story. I don’t do color analysis. And I don’t believe in superstitions, horoscopes and fate. (I believe in destiny, though. Big difference.)  I’ve also a high tolerance for the absurd so what viewers may consider offensive, I often find amusing. 

For instance, many knet viewers found ET calling Shin “Ahjussi” creepy because that term is used for a man way older than the woman. But I personally thought it was funny, because it was a subtle way to irritate and bait Shin. She easily called the Canadian ghost and DH Oppa, but with Shin she could be rubbing it in that he was way older than her.  

I think if you have a mischievous mind, and a playful soul, then words like “Ahjussi” and “My Lord” and “Sir” CAN become terms of endearment. Like this:

“My Lord, Mike! This lingerie is for me? Thank you!”  
“You, Sir, are being naughty again.” 
“Ahjussi…can you unzip this for a second?” 

See that? Pwahahahaha. Context matters. I think people should lighten up and be less prone to take offense at anything and everything. 

Two, I started watching kdrama late…way past my 5th decade here on planet earth lol… so handsome faces, muscular torsos, and rakish smiles don’t distract me.  But maybe I SHOULD get distracted by nubile bodies because I’m missing out on the fangirling and swooning. 

As much as Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Woo are eye-candies, I pay more attention to their dialogues and the meaning behind their words. I’m more character-driven than actor-driven. And this can be a big pain for me with Korean dramas because I depend on subbers and the kindness of other soompi posters, like you, to give me the right translation or nuance.  So frustrating, really, when Dramafever messes up like it did in Episode 1 (but I’ll discuss this later).  

For instance, I read somewhere (Was it Dramafever? Dramabeans? Netizenbuzz?) that in Episode 5, the Goblin misheard something that the Reaper had said (at the 50:05 mark).  The Reaper was urging him not to be cold-hearted and to give ET the 5 million won. However, 5 million won in Korean sounded like “confess” and Goblin thought the Reaper was telling him to just go ahead and “confess” to ET. He scolded the Reaper telling him to enunciate his words properly because he was shocked for a second there. 

Then there’s that joke about Park Bo Geum’s name in Episode 6. Fans of PBG will know that Bo Geum means “precious sword” and ET was making a swipe at Shin when she recommended that name to the Reaper. 

BTW, thank you so much for translating that bridal contract. That bugged me that the subs didn’t translate them.  I liked ALL her stipulations especially the Goblin will be the boyfriend until Goblin Bride’s find a boyfriend. Lol. No wonder Shin was out for blood in the preview for the next episode. There’s nothing like good old jealousy to spice things up. 

I must admit that I have a weakness for lead female characters. You probably know that I’ve always wanted a daughter so I gravitate towards charismatic, spunky heroines in kdramas. I hate doormats, don’t you?  

I almost didn’t watch this show because 1) the actress Kim Go Eun reminded me of that Oppa, Gangnam Style singer, and 2) I thought her character in Cheese in the Trap was moronic. But KGE totally OWNS this role, and I’m glad I got over my prejudices. 

There was this scene in Episode 4 (at 50:17 mark), when Shin invited her to eat beef. The way her face lit up, eyes widened and lips rounded in surprise, as she said, “Beef?!!” was so distinctively HER that I felt happy myself. Then, when she turned to beam up at Shin, saying “Wow! I never would’ve thought of it myself. That’s a great idea!” she looked so proud of him that if I were Shin, I’d think that I just handed her the moon or something. I think the actress matches the character well; it’s hard to imagine any other actress pulling this off.  Now let’s wait and see how she portrays the older ET.

And three, I like wit, irony and plot twists. Like that kiss ET gave Shin when she failed to pull out the sword. I had to smack my forehead to remind myself, “Of course! SHE had to kiss him. Duh.” In previous episodes, ET was never adverse or shy about skinship.  

For example, in Episode 4, she was hoping that Shin would appear and join her in the hotel suite. Also, in Episode 5, when Shin said that she could sleep in his room, she was shocked. But when Shin clarified that he wasn’t going to be with her, she didn’t at all look RELIEVED. As a matter of fact, she was pouting when she asked, “But what about you then?” Then, in Episode 6, she asked for his hand, and wrote on his palm. Lol. I don’t think people realize how intimate that whole act was. The palm is very sensitive that even slowly drawing plain circles on it can feel like a sensual caress.  Try writing on the palm of some random guy you meet on the streets, and let’s see what happens. I dare ya! I DOUBLE dare you! Hahaha.  

Plus, makjang plots can be deadly to my appearance. I’m a vain hag, and tearjerkers give me puffy eyebags, racoon mascara, and splotched cheeks. Ugh. This Goblin drama could easily have been makjang, too, if the genre had not been fantasy. All the necessary ingredients are there: a dying, jaded hero (think of a terminal cancer patient), a poor, unsuitable girl (think of her as a first-year nursing aide in charge of unplugging the machine), and a hero’s family who thinks she’s nothing but a gold-digger.  See that? Makjang galore! 

But because the whole story of Goblin is set up as a fairy tale, the more serious aspect of death, punishment/ forgiveness/ redemption, memory, and the continuation of life for those left behind by the dead, can be addressed without being maudlin. I think the scriptwriter had put in comedy at just the right time to pull us back from the makjang. 

The irony of the Episode 6 ending scene was that sword-pulling ritual was an “arrested development” – meaning, it was meant to stop the further development of Shin’s feelings for her, and vice-versa, but it failed to develop. It didn’t happen because the sword didn’t materialize. Lol. He couldn't die because he literally couldn't get the sword off his chest. 

Okay, gotta run. I'm also happy that you're here. The happiness is mutual. 

I still have a couple more posts to answer but I’ll pace them so I don’t bore you ladies -- and gent(s).
 

@phikyl,

Wow! You're a fast-worker. Thanks for the scoreboard.   

[staygold]

8 hours ago, vivvianne22 said:

I love Kim Shin's narrator when he was watching Euntak walking to him after her part time job. It's so beautiful

생이 나에게로 걸어온다
죽음이 나에게로 걸어온다

생으로,
사로,
너는 지치지도 않고 걸어온다

그러면 나는 이렇게 말하고야 마는것이다

사럽지않다
이만하면 되었다
된 것이다
 

Translation:

Life is walking up to me
Death is walking up to me
From life to death,
You walk up to me tirelessly
Then I say something like this,
"I'm not in sorrow"
"This is good enough"
"It has to be"

 

Our Goblin is such a romantic. One goblin husband like this please, where I can preorder it?

Is there anyway we can save these as part of first post? Like the MLSHR thread? It is a bit difficult to search these once we move forward.

[Chickpea]

Greetings, All,

I'm really enjoying this drama.  I'm loving the language which is almost consistently poetic, such as the tidbit in @staygold's post above.  The premise is unique and I love how our Heroine keeps all these AWESOME men--a Goblin, a Reaper, a Chairman and a third-generation heir--on their toes and chasing their tails.  Daebak!   The almost-death scene at the end of Ep. 6 had me wiping tears from my eyes and that hasn't happened since all the beautiful female deaths in Moon Lovers--I guess this is the "equal time" drama, where our handsome hero (tries to) die over and over again so we get to witness these long and touching goodbyes.  I'm thinking two things:  first, that Kim Shin isn't dying because neither he nor she (who I think has an inkling what will happen when she removes the sword) really wants him to die and, second, that our third-generation heir isn't long for that credit card...   Oh, yeah, I'm also thinking our mystery halmoni may be God...

Cheers until Ep. 7...

[Hikary25]

hello guys  I have something that is bugging me. did someone translate the contract tha ET give to our Goblin to sign?  pleaseee  

[CamelKnight]

@packmule3 do you realise you're closer to Shin's birthday than anyone else here? Have you considered that little trivia yet? Hmm?  

And yes, we're working on the emoticons

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Hikary25 said:

hello guys  I have something that is bugging me. did someone translate the contract tha ET give to our Goblin to sign?  pleaseee  

Yep! The contract was translated here: 

 

 

[staygold]

@Chickpea All credit to @vivvianne22!! Here is one more of her translation post that is save worthy!! 

[rocs25]

On 12/18/2016 at 0:38 AM, ChunSungIm said:

funny about the name though,all the 3 of them are kim eun sook former male cast (hyun bin and woo bin) and eun sook first choice for dots (won bin).i hope kim woo bin make cameo in this drama.

where can i find this types of pics ? i like soo much

Mod edit: Do not quote images. 

[beijingdoll]

Hi everyone!

This is my first post in this website and I can't be more excited about it! I'm loving Goblin so damn much that I need to share my feelings with other fans. OMO I can't wait to watch episode 7!! I hope you all will take care of me, I'll try my best.

BTW, Am I the only one thinking that the woman in red is the Deity itself? I mean, God. 

She is on Eun Tak side so she will be ok. What do you think?

Edited December 18, 2016 by beijingdoll

[Chellsee]

The look...The hair... LOL!

[heroonthebeach]

@packmule3 wow what a great write-up about your style and preferences! i'm looking forward to your analysis then as i am quite similar to you in that i pay attention to dialogue and am more character-driven, as well as wit, irony and plot-twists. 

I have great appreciation for how stories are crafted and how writers pull things together in meaningful ways. Goblin certainly offers a lot of room for analysis, which I realised after writing my post on why Eun Tak can't pull out the sword(mentioned earlier, but posting here for easy reference: https://kdramaanalysis.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/the-lonely-and-shining-goblin-possible-theories-about-the-goblins-wife/). I love how the show has been so beautifully constructed that there's so much to analyse, yet at the same time it's enjoyable to watch because the character interactions are funny. 

@vivvianne22 thanks for helping to translate the contract. it's very useful as i'm sure there will be reference made to it again later.

@maryofbethany i totally agree with you that Eun Tak's character deserves more credit than she gets.. and thanks for usefully highlighting all her strengths. 

[imhoooked]

Hi, found this on twitter, it's a lit bit longer than the preview, can someone understand what he's saying?

https://mobile.twitter.com/koreandramatbh/status/810503755464458240/video/1

[staygold]

8 minutes ago, LyraYoo said:

 

 okay i was thinking to do the same here as what ive OC-ed in SHR. I hope i can squeeze those spazzes this week,despite the holiday rush. 

 

Yayyy!! Thank you!!!  Let me know if I can be of any help to dig around and search for anything in the thread!

[RobinM]

Anyone else find funny to think that under is  somber business attire  and tacky sweaters our Reaper is seriously buff as h ell with the body of an Adonis? you'd expect a  career reaper and tea affectionado   like him to be  rather slender and pale  and weedy right? But nooo... 

 

Reaper HQ must have a state of the art Gym  

[maryofbethany]

35 minutes ago, LyraYoo said:

 

 okay i was thinking to do the same here as what ive OC-ed in SHR. I hope i can squeeze those spazzes this week,despite the holiday rush. 

@LyraYoo (haha,you loved our EunTak so much now, you changed your contact photo to her). metoo, loved her.
can i request you also add the poetry of"Mass is not porportions to volume..... It was my first love."

that poem itself sealed my passion, moved me to tears.
will talk more tonight. note of thanks here.