Belated, additional thoughts on ep. 8 of God of War
* I really, really like the way they set up for Song-Yi to fall for Kim Joon. Not immediately, it wasn't love at first sight when she met him in ep. 1, he was just a slave and I think all their chance meeting did was to pique her curiosity. But over the course of these eps., her curiosity grew to personal interest, an awareness and subsequently an appreciation of Kim Joon as a person (and eventually a man) rather than a slave and a property. And I love that her reactions to and interactions with Kim Joon let us appreciate her character and qualities as well. She's not the ingenue that is Wol-A, that's never been her purpose in the drama, but nor is she the villain or antagonist many expected her to be, at least not yet, and I think the best surprise to-date has been Song-Yi eliciting sympathy from viewers. Not all because the actress hasn't quite won over all her skeptics and critics. But watching her fall for Kim Joon, as she does all she can to help him win the tournament through the most torturous rounds, all because of a misunderstanding, because she has no idea he's risking his life to save Wol-A (who, as it turns out, need not be saved in another plot twist, which means Kim Joon could have asked for something else for his prize and avoided dropping the bombshell on Song-Yi)... it really humanizes her as a character (it may stem from a misunderstanding, but her feelings are real and genuine) and it's hard not to feel a little sympathetic. And I think that's brilliant, because no one can predict at this point what she'll do next, now that she knows. It would be a disservice to this fascinating character if she were to start plotting Kim Joon's or Wol-A's ruination right away out of revenge, jealousy, spite or betrayal, but I could see her feelings for this man turn to something poisonous over time. Either way, I love that the outcome of this tournament has become as much about how it'd affect Song-Yi as Kim Joon, a nice parallel of two transformations.
* Joo Hyun's fabulous as Choi Chung-Heon. I've never seen him in a sageuk (and I'm told he hasn't done it in decades), I've never seen him outside family dramas (in which he plays mostly working-class parental figures), but he's riveting as the old, dying lion who's done his share of fratricide for power and is facing the same prospects with his own sons. He favors his elder son, but can't show it w/o risking a civil war, and what he does to arrange his succession (at the very least, save his elder son vs. the much more ambitious and ruthless second son) is not only gripping but surprisingly emotional too. In the last episode, I did not expect him to bid farewell to his elder son already (warning him never to visit him again, even if he's on his deathbed, or he'd fall into a trap set by his brother), and if history serves as spoiler for the show (I knew nothing about details of his death, but someone gave an account on DCgall), we're in for some intense, nail-biting and eventually heartbreaking scenes as CCH makes his exit. His scenes with his faithful servants, the only people he trusts in his entourage and whom he wants to bequeath to his elder son (which means he also needs to help them escape death by his second son), were just as wonderful, particularly with his bodyguard, Kim Yak-Seon. Maybe it's because he was the youngest, maybe it's because this was the longest and most significant scene we've had with this pivotal character (Song-Yi's future husband), but I've never seen CCH more affectionate nor KYS worthier of his trust. No idea when Joo Hyun's set to exit as CCH, but all the signs indicate it's bound to be soon and I'm going to miss him so much... :(
* As for Kim Joon... *sigh* I burst into tears when he finally, FINALLY WON. I was like Wol-A and Song-Yi in the stands, perhaps not as overcome but certainly emotional. Wept as he roared. Wept over what it cost him. Wept again at the end... Truly the role of a lifetime for Kim Joo-Hyuk.
So relieved to be seeing ep. 9 tomorrow. Did not expect the wait to be two weeks long, but well aware it could have been worse...
ETA.
The official MV with Kyuhyun's song. I think both the song and the scenes are not as effective edited like that and outside the drama, but then I'm biased.
* Joo Hyun's fabulous as Choi Chung-Heon. I've never seen him in a sageuk (and I'm told he hasn't done it in decades), I've never seen him outside family dramas (in which he plays mostly working-class parental figures), but he's riveting as the old, dying lion who's done his share of fratricide for power and is facing the same prospects with his own sons. He favors his elder son, but can't show it w/o risking a civil war, and what he does to arrange his succession (at the very least, save his elder son vs. the much more ambitious and ruthless second son) is not only gripping but surprisingly emotional too. In the last episode, I did not expect him to bid farewell to his elder son already (warning him never to visit him again, even if he's on his deathbed, or he'd fall into a trap set by his brother), and if history serves as spoiler for the show (I knew nothing about details of his death, but someone gave an account on DCgall), we're in for some intense, nail-biting and eventually heartbreaking scenes as CCH makes his exit. His scenes with his faithful servants, the only people he trusts in his entourage and whom he wants to bequeath to his elder son (which means he also needs to help them escape death by his second son), were just as wonderful, particularly with his bodyguard, Kim Yak-Seon. Maybe it's because he was the youngest, maybe it's because this was the longest and most significant scene we've had with this pivotal character (Song-Yi's future husband), but I've never seen CCH more affectionate nor KYS worthier of his trust. No idea when Joo Hyun's set to exit as CCH, but all the signs indicate it's bound to be soon and I'm going to miss him so much... :(
* As for Kim Joon... *sigh* I burst into tears when he finally, FINALLY WON. I was like Wol-A and Song-Yi in the stands, perhaps not as overcome but certainly emotional. Wept as he roared. Wept over what it cost him. Wept again at the end... Truly the role of a lifetime for Kim Joo-Hyuk.
So relieved to be seeing ep. 9 tomorrow. Did not expect the wait to be two weeks long, but well aware it could have been worse...
ETA.
Click to viewThe official MV with Kyuhyun's song. I think both the song and the scenes are not as effective edited like that and outside the drama, but then I'm biased.