Visiting KDrama Land
After not posting for a very long time, I'm back to put down my thoughts about my new interest, kdramas. It's been so much fun, exploring this new to me style of storytelling -- I think what I'm enjoying the most about kdramas is that they tell a complete story, from beginning to end, so that the characters can develop and change in significant ways and reach whatever conclusion they’re going to reach, unbound by the necessity of finding some way to keep a program on the air season after season. Also, I am an old-school soap fan, and I really love the big, iconic, melodramatic moments and cliffhangers, and kdramas serve them up all the time -- in slo-mo! With pounding theme music! It's really pretty great.
So far, I’ve just dipped my toes in and watched the following (lots of spoilers below):
I really fell in love with You Are Beautiful and so far, that story remains the gold standard for me in terms of both enjoyment and quality. As a soap fan, I love a good romance, but it’s almost impossible to find anything satisfying in that respect in American TV - romance is never the focus of a story, just a component, and if a romance becomes popular it’s inevitably drawn out long past the point of any enjoyment, at least in IMO. Guess what! It’s season 5 and they’re still not together, and they’re not going to get together this season either, but keep hoping! So it’s been a long time since I watched a satisfying romance, which really made YB a total pleasure. The writing was just so good -- it was such a treat watching those characters and their relationship develop. The romance, the humor, the performances - it all came together so nicely. And Tae Kyung - I loved him! So well-drawn and acted. I became a total fangirl for the actor portraying him, Jang Keun Suk.
Loving JKS (much as I like ensembles, it's individual actors who really draw me in), I looked around for his other drama projects - and kind of ran headlong into the laws of kdrama. To wit: there will always be a triangle/quadrangle, and the lead guy and girl will always end up together, and the second lead character(s) just don’t have a shot. And JKS has played the second lead characters up to this point! Oh, the horror of not liking the OTP because you’re emotionally invested in the second lead and his romantic pain. Welcome to my experience of Hong Gil Dong. I loved the character of the prince, I really liked JKS’s performance, and I could not have been more sympathetic to his unrequited love for whatever-her-name-was, but man, even I got tired him looking on in pain as Hong Gil Dong and the girl made eyes at each other. It was practically all he had to play, emotion-wise, for 20-something episodes! Thankfully, the prince was also faced with increasing complex moral challenges re: how far he could or should go in order to regain his throne, what it means to be a ruler for his people, and whether he could truly work with a man who wants to change the system that he wants to master - and who is the one putting him on the throne. But otherwise, a lot of pained looks. It felt like the role was just not that deep.
But then, along came episode 22, and Everything Changed. When the prince finally regained the throne, he also found out from his mad brother, the deposed king, that he was never meant by his father to be heir; that his mother the queen conspired to kill the king and put him on the throne; and the quest that he had built his entire life around was a lie, a lie known to all of his closest supporters, and he in fact was the usurper. And the prince, the caring, thoughtful, even somewhat idealistic young man who genuinely wanted to change things for the better, just…broke, and became a different man. It was an amazing performance to watch as out of the ashes of those lies, the prince became the king, resolved to rule from his own strength and ruthless in his determination not be a tool for use by anyone, not the nobles who sought power and not Hong Gil Dong who wanted to change society. JKS was on fire for the conclusion of the series and totally made the entire thing worth it for me, just for the chance to watch him icily tell his frothingly mad brother, who insisted he was nothing, that he was already king of this land and no one would ever take his crown. The tragic conclusion of Hong Gil Dong’s story was rushed (after putting a king on the throne, suddenly HGD can’t work with him because the system is wrong and is going to gather his own army?), but I really couldn’t care less, cause I loved watching JKS for those last three episodes, including his final heartbreaking scene with the woman he loved. I don't think I'll ever watch HGD again, but those last three episodes are keepers.
Beethoven Virus, another JKS series, was actually the first series I started after YB, but I have yet to finish it. It's just not a compelling show for me, possibly because the stakes don’t feel as high. The performers are all good, but it’s basically a character piece and none of the characters are hugely gripping, including sad to say JKS’s adorable Gun Woo, who so far is, well, a nice guy who is a untutored musical genius. He really wants to learn music, and he’s in love with the violinist who is in love with the ego-maniac conductor. It’s just sort of nice to watch, but not absorbing my attention - no high drama, no huge moral dilemmas, no perfect blend of humor, romance and fun like YB. But JKS looks really really good. I have to say just looking at him in this drama is a pleasure indeed. I’ll probably finish it eventually.
I also petered out on Coffee Prince, the first non-JKS kdrama I tried, after reading recommendations for it as a good romance as a follow-up to YB. For a while I was into it - the lead actress is wonderful in the role of a girl masquerading as a guy (kdramas sure love that theme). But it got to the point in the story where there’s no good reason for the girl not to tell the guy that she’s a girl - he is now actively rejecting her because he doesn't want to be in love with another "guy." That is the main obstacle, and she still won’t tell him the truth! And I just can’t be into it when the lead character has no good reason not to resolve their difficulties and refuses to take action. This was one thing I really loved about YB - it took Tae Kyung forever to figure out his own feelings but once he did, he took action. He always took action once he figured out what he wanted. Characters who just stand around and essentially create their own misery by inaction are not characters I’m interested in (hello, Shin Woo). And since the lead girl was really the only character I cared about, I dunno if I’ll ever get around to finishing this one.
So, then came Chuno, also known as The Slave Hunters, or as others have referred to it, the Good, the Bad and the Weird. Damn, now this was a compelling story - I raced through 24 episodes in about 5 days, the quickest watch yet of any kdrama -- I just finished it, in fact, so I have a lot to say! And yet at the end of the day, as much as I loved it, I found the experience not quite as good as I’d hoped. Many spoilers follow...
I think it comes back to my reaction to the staple of kdramas, the triangle. My great frustration with these "triangles" is that they aren’t really triangles, in that the person at the center (usually the girl) has no real conflict in her heart - however wonderful the second lead guy may be, she has no actual romantic feelings for him. She only ever loves/wants/thinks about the lead guy. It’s frustrating! I’m all for OTP, but what’s so scary about having real feelings for two people at the same time? It happens. A character can be drawn to others for different reasons without invalidating their feelings for someone else. Now, hanging around the kdrama online world, I had been hearing about how great Chuno was, but the reason I actually started watching was because I read that the lead female did not end up with the lead male, with whom I knew she had an epic tragic romance, but with the other guy - in this case, I can’t refer to Tae Ha as the second lead because it’s really a three lead show IMO. But he is definitely the other guy, because Dae Gil is the lead of the show, as the 20 different closing freeze shots of his tortured/anguished/fierce/enraged face somewhat displayed. So, I thought to myself: At last! A triangle that will be an actual triangle, with real feelings for both guys and agonized conflict all the way around. Serve it up to me on a spoon, that sounds yummy.
Except….it wasn’t. Now, I actually started the show pre-disposed to enjoy the Tae Ha/Hye Won pairing, because I really appreciate a kdrama developing a relationship in the present story and valuing it, not deciding in episode one that this person from the lead’s childhood/past is the ONLY person they will EVER be able to love, no matter who else they meet in their lives. And I did enjoy Tae Ha/Hye Won - it was nice getting to see these people meet as adults, develop an actual relationship, let go of the pain of the past and fall in love in the midst of adventures and crises. But…I was waiting. Waiting to see what would happen once Dae Gil found out that his Un Nyun was the woman accompanying the man he was chasing. Waiting to see what would happen once Hye Won learned that her Young Master was alive. Waiting to see what it would be like to have the love of your life appear once you’ve found the man of your dreams. I was waiting for my agonized conflict, dammit!
And it never really came. Because while Dae Gil felt plenty of agony, Hye Won felt no conflict. She loved Dae Gil still, undoubtedly. But she had made her choice and Dae Gil’s resurrection into her life changed nothing in her feelings. She was in love with her husband, not Dae Gil; she wanted a life with her husband, not Dae Gil. She wasn’t even irresistibly drawn to Dae Gil despite her feelings for Tae Ha. It was the same thing all over again, just in the other direction - by the time both guys were actively in her life again, she only ever wanted one of them. Dae Gil was the lead of the show, but he was absolutely the second lead, romantically speaking. And while the show fully developed the Tae Ha/Hye Won relationship and completely showed why they belonged together, how could they not have played more of the Dae Gil/Un Nyun beat? They had one agonized first meeting; one painful moment when Dae Gil deliberately hugs another woman in front of her. And that was basically it, for an entire show built around how this love dominated both their lives for 10 years since they parted. In the final episode, Tae Ha even leaves the two of them alone to give them a chance at closure, and they have almost nothing to say to each other. Dae Gil will always love Un Nyun, an agonized, heartbreaking kind of love that rules his life. And Hwe Won has chosen her husband, and loves her husband, and Dae Gil knows that and wants her to be happy. There’s no closure because there’s nothing left to close; it was decided before they ever reappeared in each other’s lives. It’s sooooooo frustrating. I’m not saying I wanted Hwe Won to end up with Dae Gil -- the drama built her relationship with Tae Ha, not Dae Gil; but I wanted to see that she felt just a bit of the unbearable, it wasn’t meant to be but I can’t help feeling it kind of love and draw that Dae Gil was giving out in spades with every look in her direction.
Much of this frustration on my part came about because Jang Hyuk’s performance was so enthralling and amazing as Dae Gil. I started out focused on Hye Won and Tae Ha, and rather impatient with the very flawed, very crude character of Dae Gil. And by the end, while still liking HW/TH, I was so all about Dae Gil’s irreparably broken anti-hero in every way. He wanted Un Nyun so much that I couldn’t help desperating wanting something from her for him as well. Among many, many brilliant moments, the instance that stands out as one turning point for me was when, in the midst of a fight, Dae Gil leaps over his opponents and lands in front of a kneeling Hye Won, his face close to hers, and he just breathes her in, as if he’s literally feeding off of her mere presence - wow! That’s what I wanted! At the end of the story, it was great fun watching Dae Gil and Tae Ha team up and go on the road to try to find a way out, and the chemistry between the two guys is fantastic, but it kills me at that point that Hye Won is left behind to, um, read to the kid, because I knew it meant there'd be almost no more scenes with DG/HW. And at the end of the series, when Dae Gil makes his inevitable heroic sacrifice for his Un Nyun to have a happy life, they don’t even have a proper good-bye scene. Wahh! I wanted more, heck, any Dae Gil/Hye Won love story.
In other Chuno thoughts: I have to mention the completely kick-ass fight scenes. I like action, but I have never liked action as much as I’ve liked it here. These guys, the fight choreographer and the director were absolutely amazing in creating these complex sequences and bringing them to gorgeous visual life. The actors doing their own stunts - amazing kudos, particularly again to Jang Hyuk and Oh Ji Ho as Tae Ha, who were incredible to watch. Visually, this is certainly one of the most beautiful TV shows I’ve ever watched, in terms of natural settings, stage design and sweeping vistas used to wonderful effect -- such a filmic experience. And it doesn’t hurt that most of the leads are stunners, too -- all those guys running around for the first 8 or so episodes with their clothes practically falling off... I guess I can only say thank you Mr. Producer.
Much as I loved Dae Gil by the end, I also greatly enjoyed the ensemble nature of the cast - I love that every character, no matter how minor, felt like a real person (with super kung fu upgrade ;-) with their own concerns, relationships and point of view. I especially appreciate that the villains of the piece were given moments of humanity and even grace - that no matter how much you might hate their actions, they had their own point of view, they were the heroes of their own story. I appreciated, at least in principle, that we followed the story of Eop Bok, a slave that Dae Gil returns to slavery, all the way through to the end - that we weren’t allowed to "forget" about someone that Dae Gil victimized for profit, that the story was concerned with someone who wasn’t a superhero and couldn’t just run away out of slavery. It wasn’t simply that Our Hero Tae Ha was "unjustly" enslaved or that slavery was the dark secret of Hye Won’s past - the completely horror and injustice being perpetuated on Eop Bok and many others mattered as well - in fact, mattered more because they weren’t the rescued or the heroes. No one was coming to save them, except themselves. I really like that Tae Ha, in many ways the ideal man according to his society, was forced to consider and finally expand his mind to formulate this new way of thinking, that slavery, all slavery, was wrong and society itself needed to change, because there was no "just" slavery.
Sadly, I must confess that in actuality, I don’t think Eop Bok and his story was a complete success. It was too disconnected from the heart of the story, Dae Gil/Hye Won/Tae Ha, for one thing; it was too slow in development, compared to the action of the rest of the story; and other than Eop Bok and his gf Chobok, the choice to portray the rest of the slaves as a fairly cringing and pathetic lot was both vaguely offensive and also made it difficult to enjoy or care about them, however much I "should" have. I really like that Eop Bok and Chobok were thoughtful individuals who grappled with questions of terrorism and revenge vs. rebuilding society, but I wish the rest were allowed to have some intellect and dignity too. It was particularly frustrating that the final episodes spend so much time on the slave rebellion when all I wanted was more Dae Gil/Hye Won/Tae Ha, which really became quite OT3 by the end. I did like that the Eop Bok/Chobok romance got their big epic kiss, and Eop Bok’s final attack on the palace was both visually stunning and emotionally compelling, especially when he killed the monstrous noble who had used and destroyed the slave faction. I just wish more of this story had moments such as that, that "mattered."
Even worse than the mixed bag of the slave storyline was the "comic relief" of the innkeepers and their erstwhile admirers. For me this was painful filler that never went anywhere and was filled with annoying characters. The only moment I enjoyed was when the corrupt constable was made a scapegoat and enslaved at the end, just as he had scapegoated and enslaved many others in his career - cause he was the most annoying character of all. But I pretty much disliked all of it. It honestly felt like a budgeting choice: they were spending so much money on the Dae Gil/Hye Won/Tae Ha storyline, sweeping vistas and fantastic stunts not coming cheap, that they needed to balance it out with low budget filler for 10-15 minutes per episode.
The finale: I think the story went the only way it could go. Dae Gil dying for his Un Nyun to have a good life was actually as good an ending as Dae Gil could have, because he was a broken character - Un Nyun was the only thing he wanted, the only thing that could feed his soul even, and he would never have her. Dae Gil dying so Hye Won and her family could live and try to change the world was perfect for Dae Gil, narratively perfect, and of course heartbreaking (I just wish it had been more heartbreaking for Hye Won). While the last shot of Tae Ha leaves the question of his survival somewhat open, given his wounds, I think seeing him get up and walk on with his family is answer enough. Tae Ha and Hye Won’s whole story was about their fealty and love for each other and not leaving each other; Tae Ha’s not going to leave Hye Won now, even through death, especially after Dae Gil’s sacrifice. I also appreciated the villain, Hwang Chul Woong, surviving and his ability, after witnessing Dae Gil’s sacrifice, to finally let go of his rage and allow himself to have a soul again, at last reaching out to his disabled wife (another wonderful part of the story and beautiful performance). In terms of karmic justice, in addition to the scapegoating of the corrupt constable, the fates of the Evil Minister and traitorous Scholar Jo, killed as a consequence of the Evil Minister’s ruthless manipulation of slaves for personal and political gain, were really satisfying. Eop Bok’s fate - sad, but satisfying, because he chose it himself, and rewarding in seeing him pass the fighting spirit at last to the slave who most strongly supported the oppressive system. Less satisfying was our last sight of General Choi and Wangson, left behind by Dae Gil’s drive to secure Un Nyun’s future - to be honest, as much as I liked them and as heartwarming as their reunion with Dae Gil was, it was in the end a cop-out to bring them both back from the dead. They had nothing left to do as characters other than be left behind by Dae Gil. I felt really unsatisfied that Dae Gil died in Seol Hwa’s arms rather than the arms of Hye Won or his friends. I just never liked Seol Hwa and kept hoping she would get over her instant crush on Dae Gil, rather than continue to trail him throughout the peninsula. Ironic I know given Dae Gil’s own romantic obsession, but somehow 10 years is epic - Seol Hwa just came off as pathetic, given the number of rejections Dae Gil served up and how she just kept coming back for more.
I also need to mention how much I loved the music in this series. I love when I feel the music in a TV series, when it provokes my emotions, and the music in this series was fantastic, particularly the modern action themes. I found the use of the love themes a bit overpowering (as usual for me with kdrama), but they were beautiful and always perfectly timed to the on-screen action. Even the more background themes were wonderful pieces. Way to go show!
So in the end, despite the weaknesses and my dissatisfaction AGAIN with the kdrama love triangle-that-isn’t, Chuno was overall amazing, enough so that I am planning to rewatch immediately, this time with my attention firmly on Jang Hyuk’s amazing performance right from the beginning. Oh, Dae Gil! Might have to watch one of his past dramas next, too...
So far, I’ve just dipped my toes in and watched the following (lots of spoilers below):
I really fell in love with You Are Beautiful and so far, that story remains the gold standard for me in terms of both enjoyment and quality. As a soap fan, I love a good romance, but it’s almost impossible to find anything satisfying in that respect in American TV - romance is never the focus of a story, just a component, and if a romance becomes popular it’s inevitably drawn out long past the point of any enjoyment, at least in IMO. Guess what! It’s season 5 and they’re still not together, and they’re not going to get together this season either, but keep hoping! So it’s been a long time since I watched a satisfying romance, which really made YB a total pleasure. The writing was just so good -- it was such a treat watching those characters and their relationship develop. The romance, the humor, the performances - it all came together so nicely. And Tae Kyung - I loved him! So well-drawn and acted. I became a total fangirl for the actor portraying him, Jang Keun Suk.
Loving JKS (much as I like ensembles, it's individual actors who really draw me in), I looked around for his other drama projects - and kind of ran headlong into the laws of kdrama. To wit: there will always be a triangle/quadrangle, and the lead guy and girl will always end up together, and the second lead character(s) just don’t have a shot. And JKS has played the second lead characters up to this point! Oh, the horror of not liking the OTP because you’re emotionally invested in the second lead and his romantic pain. Welcome to my experience of Hong Gil Dong. I loved the character of the prince, I really liked JKS’s performance, and I could not have been more sympathetic to his unrequited love for whatever-her-name-was, but man, even I got tired him looking on in pain as Hong Gil Dong and the girl made eyes at each other. It was practically all he had to play, emotion-wise, for 20-something episodes! Thankfully, the prince was also faced with increasing complex moral challenges re: how far he could or should go in order to regain his throne, what it means to be a ruler for his people, and whether he could truly work with a man who wants to change the system that he wants to master - and who is the one putting him on the throne. But otherwise, a lot of pained looks. It felt like the role was just not that deep.
But then, along came episode 22, and Everything Changed. When the prince finally regained the throne, he also found out from his mad brother, the deposed king, that he was never meant by his father to be heir; that his mother the queen conspired to kill the king and put him on the throne; and the quest that he had built his entire life around was a lie, a lie known to all of his closest supporters, and he in fact was the usurper. And the prince, the caring, thoughtful, even somewhat idealistic young man who genuinely wanted to change things for the better, just…broke, and became a different man. It was an amazing performance to watch as out of the ashes of those lies, the prince became the king, resolved to rule from his own strength and ruthless in his determination not be a tool for use by anyone, not the nobles who sought power and not Hong Gil Dong who wanted to change society. JKS was on fire for the conclusion of the series and totally made the entire thing worth it for me, just for the chance to watch him icily tell his frothingly mad brother, who insisted he was nothing, that he was already king of this land and no one would ever take his crown. The tragic conclusion of Hong Gil Dong’s story was rushed (after putting a king on the throne, suddenly HGD can’t work with him because the system is wrong and is going to gather his own army?), but I really couldn’t care less, cause I loved watching JKS for those last three episodes, including his final heartbreaking scene with the woman he loved. I don't think I'll ever watch HGD again, but those last three episodes are keepers.
Beethoven Virus, another JKS series, was actually the first series I started after YB, but I have yet to finish it. It's just not a compelling show for me, possibly because the stakes don’t feel as high. The performers are all good, but it’s basically a character piece and none of the characters are hugely gripping, including sad to say JKS’s adorable Gun Woo, who so far is, well, a nice guy who is a untutored musical genius. He really wants to learn music, and he’s in love with the violinist who is in love with the ego-maniac conductor. It’s just sort of nice to watch, but not absorbing my attention - no high drama, no huge moral dilemmas, no perfect blend of humor, romance and fun like YB. But JKS looks really really good. I have to say just looking at him in this drama is a pleasure indeed. I’ll probably finish it eventually.
I also petered out on Coffee Prince, the first non-JKS kdrama I tried, after reading recommendations for it as a good romance as a follow-up to YB. For a while I was into it - the lead actress is wonderful in the role of a girl masquerading as a guy (kdramas sure love that theme). But it got to the point in the story where there’s no good reason for the girl not to tell the guy that she’s a girl - he is now actively rejecting her because he doesn't want to be in love with another "guy." That is the main obstacle, and she still won’t tell him the truth! And I just can’t be into it when the lead character has no good reason not to resolve their difficulties and refuses to take action. This was one thing I really loved about YB - it took Tae Kyung forever to figure out his own feelings but once he did, he took action. He always took action once he figured out what he wanted. Characters who just stand around and essentially create their own misery by inaction are not characters I’m interested in (hello, Shin Woo). And since the lead girl was really the only character I cared about, I dunno if I’ll ever get around to finishing this one.
So, then came Chuno, also known as The Slave Hunters, or as others have referred to it, the Good, the Bad and the Weird. Damn, now this was a compelling story - I raced through 24 episodes in about 5 days, the quickest watch yet of any kdrama -- I just finished it, in fact, so I have a lot to say! And yet at the end of the day, as much as I loved it, I found the experience not quite as good as I’d hoped. Many spoilers follow...
I think it comes back to my reaction to the staple of kdramas, the triangle. My great frustration with these "triangles" is that they aren’t really triangles, in that the person at the center (usually the girl) has no real conflict in her heart - however wonderful the second lead guy may be, she has no actual romantic feelings for him. She only ever loves/wants/thinks about the lead guy. It’s frustrating! I’m all for OTP, but what’s so scary about having real feelings for two people at the same time? It happens. A character can be drawn to others for different reasons without invalidating their feelings for someone else. Now, hanging around the kdrama online world, I had been hearing about how great Chuno was, but the reason I actually started watching was because I read that the lead female did not end up with the lead male, with whom I knew she had an epic tragic romance, but with the other guy - in this case, I can’t refer to Tae Ha as the second lead because it’s really a three lead show IMO. But he is definitely the other guy, because Dae Gil is the lead of the show, as the 20 different closing freeze shots of his tortured/anguished/fierce/enraged face somewhat displayed. So, I thought to myself: At last! A triangle that will be an actual triangle, with real feelings for both guys and agonized conflict all the way around. Serve it up to me on a spoon, that sounds yummy.
Except….it wasn’t. Now, I actually started the show pre-disposed to enjoy the Tae Ha/Hye Won pairing, because I really appreciate a kdrama developing a relationship in the present story and valuing it, not deciding in episode one that this person from the lead’s childhood/past is the ONLY person they will EVER be able to love, no matter who else they meet in their lives. And I did enjoy Tae Ha/Hye Won - it was nice getting to see these people meet as adults, develop an actual relationship, let go of the pain of the past and fall in love in the midst of adventures and crises. But…I was waiting. Waiting to see what would happen once Dae Gil found out that his Un Nyun was the woman accompanying the man he was chasing. Waiting to see what would happen once Hye Won learned that her Young Master was alive. Waiting to see what it would be like to have the love of your life appear once you’ve found the man of your dreams. I was waiting for my agonized conflict, dammit!
And it never really came. Because while Dae Gil felt plenty of agony, Hye Won felt no conflict. She loved Dae Gil still, undoubtedly. But she had made her choice and Dae Gil’s resurrection into her life changed nothing in her feelings. She was in love with her husband, not Dae Gil; she wanted a life with her husband, not Dae Gil. She wasn’t even irresistibly drawn to Dae Gil despite her feelings for Tae Ha. It was the same thing all over again, just in the other direction - by the time both guys were actively in her life again, she only ever wanted one of them. Dae Gil was the lead of the show, but he was absolutely the second lead, romantically speaking. And while the show fully developed the Tae Ha/Hye Won relationship and completely showed why they belonged together, how could they not have played more of the Dae Gil/Un Nyun beat? They had one agonized first meeting; one painful moment when Dae Gil deliberately hugs another woman in front of her. And that was basically it, for an entire show built around how this love dominated both their lives for 10 years since they parted. In the final episode, Tae Ha even leaves the two of them alone to give them a chance at closure, and they have almost nothing to say to each other. Dae Gil will always love Un Nyun, an agonized, heartbreaking kind of love that rules his life. And Hwe Won has chosen her husband, and loves her husband, and Dae Gil knows that and wants her to be happy. There’s no closure because there’s nothing left to close; it was decided before they ever reappeared in each other’s lives. It’s sooooooo frustrating. I’m not saying I wanted Hwe Won to end up with Dae Gil -- the drama built her relationship with Tae Ha, not Dae Gil; but I wanted to see that she felt just a bit of the unbearable, it wasn’t meant to be but I can’t help feeling it kind of love and draw that Dae Gil was giving out in spades with every look in her direction.
Much of this frustration on my part came about because Jang Hyuk’s performance was so enthralling and amazing as Dae Gil. I started out focused on Hye Won and Tae Ha, and rather impatient with the very flawed, very crude character of Dae Gil. And by the end, while still liking HW/TH, I was so all about Dae Gil’s irreparably broken anti-hero in every way. He wanted Un Nyun so much that I couldn’t help desperating wanting something from her for him as well. Among many, many brilliant moments, the instance that stands out as one turning point for me was when, in the midst of a fight, Dae Gil leaps over his opponents and lands in front of a kneeling Hye Won, his face close to hers, and he just breathes her in, as if he’s literally feeding off of her mere presence - wow! That’s what I wanted! At the end of the story, it was great fun watching Dae Gil and Tae Ha team up and go on the road to try to find a way out, and the chemistry between the two guys is fantastic, but it kills me at that point that Hye Won is left behind to, um, read to the kid, because I knew it meant there'd be almost no more scenes with DG/HW. And at the end of the series, when Dae Gil makes his inevitable heroic sacrifice for his Un Nyun to have a happy life, they don’t even have a proper good-bye scene. Wahh! I wanted more, heck, any Dae Gil/Hye Won love story.
In other Chuno thoughts: I have to mention the completely kick-ass fight scenes. I like action, but I have never liked action as much as I’ve liked it here. These guys, the fight choreographer and the director were absolutely amazing in creating these complex sequences and bringing them to gorgeous visual life. The actors doing their own stunts - amazing kudos, particularly again to Jang Hyuk and Oh Ji Ho as Tae Ha, who were incredible to watch. Visually, this is certainly one of the most beautiful TV shows I’ve ever watched, in terms of natural settings, stage design and sweeping vistas used to wonderful effect -- such a filmic experience. And it doesn’t hurt that most of the leads are stunners, too -- all those guys running around for the first 8 or so episodes with their clothes practically falling off... I guess I can only say thank you Mr. Producer.
Much as I loved Dae Gil by the end, I also greatly enjoyed the ensemble nature of the cast - I love that every character, no matter how minor, felt like a real person (with super kung fu upgrade ;-) with their own concerns, relationships and point of view. I especially appreciate that the villains of the piece were given moments of humanity and even grace - that no matter how much you might hate their actions, they had their own point of view, they were the heroes of their own story. I appreciated, at least in principle, that we followed the story of Eop Bok, a slave that Dae Gil returns to slavery, all the way through to the end - that we weren’t allowed to "forget" about someone that Dae Gil victimized for profit, that the story was concerned with someone who wasn’t a superhero and couldn’t just run away out of slavery. It wasn’t simply that Our Hero Tae Ha was "unjustly" enslaved or that slavery was the dark secret of Hye Won’s past - the completely horror and injustice being perpetuated on Eop Bok and many others mattered as well - in fact, mattered more because they weren’t the rescued or the heroes. No one was coming to save them, except themselves. I really like that Tae Ha, in many ways the ideal man according to his society, was forced to consider and finally expand his mind to formulate this new way of thinking, that slavery, all slavery, was wrong and society itself needed to change, because there was no "just" slavery.
Sadly, I must confess that in actuality, I don’t think Eop Bok and his story was a complete success. It was too disconnected from the heart of the story, Dae Gil/Hye Won/Tae Ha, for one thing; it was too slow in development, compared to the action of the rest of the story; and other than Eop Bok and his gf Chobok, the choice to portray the rest of the slaves as a fairly cringing and pathetic lot was both vaguely offensive and also made it difficult to enjoy or care about them, however much I "should" have. I really like that Eop Bok and Chobok were thoughtful individuals who grappled with questions of terrorism and revenge vs. rebuilding society, but I wish the rest were allowed to have some intellect and dignity too. It was particularly frustrating that the final episodes spend so much time on the slave rebellion when all I wanted was more Dae Gil/Hye Won/Tae Ha, which really became quite OT3 by the end. I did like that the Eop Bok/Chobok romance got their big epic kiss, and Eop Bok’s final attack on the palace was both visually stunning and emotionally compelling, especially when he killed the monstrous noble who had used and destroyed the slave faction. I just wish more of this story had moments such as that, that "mattered."
Even worse than the mixed bag of the slave storyline was the "comic relief" of the innkeepers and their erstwhile admirers. For me this was painful filler that never went anywhere and was filled with annoying characters. The only moment I enjoyed was when the corrupt constable was made a scapegoat and enslaved at the end, just as he had scapegoated and enslaved many others in his career - cause he was the most annoying character of all. But I pretty much disliked all of it. It honestly felt like a budgeting choice: they were spending so much money on the Dae Gil/Hye Won/Tae Ha storyline, sweeping vistas and fantastic stunts not coming cheap, that they needed to balance it out with low budget filler for 10-15 minutes per episode.
The finale: I think the story went the only way it could go. Dae Gil dying for his Un Nyun to have a good life was actually as good an ending as Dae Gil could have, because he was a broken character - Un Nyun was the only thing he wanted, the only thing that could feed his soul even, and he would never have her. Dae Gil dying so Hye Won and her family could live and try to change the world was perfect for Dae Gil, narratively perfect, and of course heartbreaking (I just wish it had been more heartbreaking for Hye Won). While the last shot of Tae Ha leaves the question of his survival somewhat open, given his wounds, I think seeing him get up and walk on with his family is answer enough. Tae Ha and Hye Won’s whole story was about their fealty and love for each other and not leaving each other; Tae Ha’s not going to leave Hye Won now, even through death, especially after Dae Gil’s sacrifice. I also appreciated the villain, Hwang Chul Woong, surviving and his ability, after witnessing Dae Gil’s sacrifice, to finally let go of his rage and allow himself to have a soul again, at last reaching out to his disabled wife (another wonderful part of the story and beautiful performance). In terms of karmic justice, in addition to the scapegoating of the corrupt constable, the fates of the Evil Minister and traitorous Scholar Jo, killed as a consequence of the Evil Minister’s ruthless manipulation of slaves for personal and political gain, were really satisfying. Eop Bok’s fate - sad, but satisfying, because he chose it himself, and rewarding in seeing him pass the fighting spirit at last to the slave who most strongly supported the oppressive system. Less satisfying was our last sight of General Choi and Wangson, left behind by Dae Gil’s drive to secure Un Nyun’s future - to be honest, as much as I liked them and as heartwarming as their reunion with Dae Gil was, it was in the end a cop-out to bring them both back from the dead. They had nothing left to do as characters other than be left behind by Dae Gil. I felt really unsatisfied that Dae Gil died in Seol Hwa’s arms rather than the arms of Hye Won or his friends. I just never liked Seol Hwa and kept hoping she would get over her instant crush on Dae Gil, rather than continue to trail him throughout the peninsula. Ironic I know given Dae Gil’s own romantic obsession, but somehow 10 years is epic - Seol Hwa just came off as pathetic, given the number of rejections Dae Gil served up and how she just kept coming back for more.
I also need to mention how much I loved the music in this series. I love when I feel the music in a TV series, when it provokes my emotions, and the music in this series was fantastic, particularly the modern action themes. I found the use of the love themes a bit overpowering (as usual for me with kdrama), but they were beautiful and always perfectly timed to the on-screen action. Even the more background themes were wonderful pieces. Way to go show!
So in the end, despite the weaknesses and my dissatisfaction AGAIN with the kdrama love triangle-that-isn’t, Chuno was overall amazing, enough so that I am planning to rewatch immediately, this time with my attention firmly on Jang Hyuk’s amazing performance right from the beginning. Oh, Dae Gil! Might have to watch one of his past dramas next, too...