I freaking love Sejong - his anger, his smartness, his decency. That is an amazing amazing performance
At the press conference, Han Seok-Kyu said he wanted to play Sejong as a ruler with the heart of a tyrant, which I didn't understand immediately but that came through very clearly in ep. 8, showing this esteemed king wrestling with his demons. We had some hints before, when he confessed to Muhyul that it's when he couldn't trust himself that he wanted to kill, but this ep. tied beautifully with the themes that ran through his confrontations with his father.
I found it significant that what draws him in, what has him let down his emotional guard, is seeing her distressed, mourning and vulnerable.
I loved that even with the murders, and the risk she could be running for herself, they showed her desperate to fulfill her mission, and then let her break down. I got the impression she wasn't just crying for the murdered scholar, but those memories that haunt her at night, and that feeling of helplessness when events beyond her control overwhelm her. It all builds up beautifully to those amazing final scenes, the episode was really all about our heroes and heroine, forever bonded by those traumatic events on that fateful night (whether they realize it or not), letting their guards down in each other's presence and seeing past their self-possessions.
Sejong arguing with his younger self, bitterly throwing the idealism in his face - I never thought I'd see young and adult Sejong together and this was such a treat, I have no words.
I'm so glad you weren't spoiled for it, because they spoiled us massively, first with BTS stills (which I loved, was bouncing all over the place when I realized they were going to share a scene), but more unforgivably, with the preview, which showed far too much. It was still an amazing scene, and they did leave out the part that showed that SJK's Sejong was his idealistic self, and not some evil twin or the devil whispering in his ear (which we thought he was from the preview). That was a stroke of genius. And all of this came about because SJK was so.d@mn.good. :) It wasn't in the script initially, but HSK suggested they use SJK for this schizophrenic scene, and by god, it was marvelous. Easily the most talked about scene everywhere after the broadcast.
And the layers - the anger, the coldness (SJK can be scary) and just the depth of emotion...
Taking place at the Hall of Worthies, which embodied his idealism and his first victory over his father. It was like watching something out of a Shakespearean play, the way the room just lit up when he heard his inner voice (a splash of cold water if there ever was) and then dimming again when it disappeared. And the contrast btw the two, as if they were mirror images of each other. We often see one actor play a dual role, but two actors playing the same character in the same scene... I can't recall examples, and this was so much more effective than HSK split in two. And a wonderful way of showing the continuation, growth and change from SJK's Sejong to HSK's.
Re: pt. 1dangermousieDecember 14 2011, 01:25:19 UTC
That tyrant comment is fascinating - I like this arc even more because it's not effortless for Sejong to be a wise benevolent ruler (just as it's not natural for CY to rein in his bloodlust etc). They all struggle. Somehow it makes his achievements even more impressive.
I am really not spoiled for anything in this drama and I love it. That scene was so powerful - past and present - his younger self, not yet confronted with setbacks, his older self, despairing through goodness.
At the press conference, Han Seok-Kyu said he wanted to play Sejong as a ruler with the heart of a tyrant, which I didn't understand immediately but that came through very clearly in ep. 8, showing this esteemed king wrestling with his demons. We had some hints before, when he confessed to Muhyul that it's when he couldn't trust himself that he wanted to kill, but this ep. tied beautifully with the themes that ran through his confrontations with his father.
I found it significant that what draws him in, what has him let down his emotional guard, is seeing her distressed, mourning and vulnerable.
I loved that even with the murders, and the risk she could be running for herself, they showed her desperate to fulfill her mission, and then let her break down. I got the impression she wasn't just crying for the murdered scholar, but those memories that haunt her at night, and that feeling of helplessness when events beyond her control overwhelm her. It all builds up beautifully to those amazing final scenes, the episode was really all about our heroes and heroine, forever bonded by those traumatic events on that fateful night (whether they realize it or not), letting their guards down in each other's presence and seeing past their self-possessions.
Sejong arguing with his younger self, bitterly throwing the idealism in his face - I never thought I'd see young and adult Sejong together and this was such a treat, I have no words.
I'm so glad you weren't spoiled for it, because they spoiled us massively, first with BTS stills (which I loved, was bouncing all over the place when I realized they were going to share a scene), but more unforgivably, with the preview, which showed far too much. It was still an amazing scene, and they did leave out the part that showed that SJK's Sejong was his idealistic self, and not some evil twin or the devil whispering in his ear (which we thought he was from the preview). That was a stroke of genius. And all of this came about because SJK was so.d@mn.good. :) It wasn't in the script initially, but HSK suggested they use SJK for this schizophrenic scene, and by god, it was marvelous. Easily the most talked about scene everywhere after the broadcast.
And the layers - the anger, the coldness (SJK can be scary) and just the depth of emotion...
Taking place at the Hall of Worthies, which embodied his idealism and his first victory over his father. It was like watching something out of a Shakespearean play, the way the room just lit up when he heard his inner voice (a splash of cold water if there ever was) and then dimming again when it disappeared. And the contrast btw the two, as if they were mirror images of each other. We often see one actor play a dual role, but two actors playing the same character in the same scene... I can't recall examples, and this was so much more effective than HSK split in two. And a wonderful way of showing the continuation, growth and change from SJK's Sejong to HSK's.
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I am really not spoiled for anything in this drama and I love it. That scene was so powerful - past and present - his younger self, not yet confronted with setbacks, his older self, despairing through goodness.
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