kdrama: Arang and the Magistrate eps 4-6
These episodes are more like what I was expecting when the series started (not that I have any ocmplaints at all about what the first few episodes turned out to be.) A fair dose of action, humor and romance, but mostly spooky creepy gothic mystery, in line with the Liao Zhai series from a few years ago (one of which I actually haven't seen yet), the Hometown Legends anthology series, or, well, a better version of Gumino: Tale of the Fox's Child (I enjoyed that series a lot, mind you, but the first half needed to be condensed into about half as much time and the second half could have done with having an episode or two shaved off the end) only without feeling as hopeless as any of the above. It's actually kind of like City Hunter where the writers are all "let us emphasize all the Angst and Drama and Doom...err...but we don't want you to be too worried about not having a relatively happy ending, so let's not be too down on things."
I mean, really, the Jade Emperor clearly has Arang's back here. Obviously not going to let her die until she learns the truth, and I'm pretty sure his favor from Yama is going to be to let Arang live a normal human life until she dies of old age. (Also, dude put on perfume for her. I mean, really. His new hair is truly tragic, though.)
Also, Arang swimming to the surface after being resurrected looked SO MUCH like Ariel swimming to the surface after becoming human in The Little Mermaid.
I suppose I should feel a bit for Joo Wal because of his past, but the dude has killed close to 200 women at this point (12 a year for 10-15 years, maybe a bit longer), so I don't really have too much sympathy there. But why are all these pure hearted young women wandering around in the woods in the middle of the night? (Then again "pure hearted" and "cultural idea of sexual pureness" aren't exactly synonymous.)
I hope we get to see some of Arang adjusting to being human again-like not being able to get away with pranks, staying hurt (Maybe? I'm not sure what the limits of her healing powers are, but I doubt it extends to scrapes and bruises and such.), etc., and not just the justifiable happyhappyjoyjoy of being able to talk to people and eat food (her peaches dream...I wanted to see the fantasy sequence).
I was thinking about how Eun Ho's mother looked really haggard and never seemed to leave the room and then, well, we learned that she's either a demon or possessed by one. I GUESS SHE WAS JUST REALLY HUNGRY. I'm thinking she made a deal with a demon for power (for revenge for her family?) and it's taken over? Maybe her family were all shamans (shamen?) and that's why she and Eun Ho have power, unless she made a deal with a demon before he was born. (This is assuming that [1] Eun Ho always saw ghosts and [2] she wasn't ranting about a massacre 400 years ago.) Also, I'm far from an expert, but her clothing in the present actualy makes me think more of a gisaeng than a noblewoman? I suspect I'm wrong about that though.
I'm also pretty sure that, unless Arang is her reincarnation, the demon is Moo Young's sister, who was a vengeful ghost who gained power by devouring souls.
(I like fiction that lets me throw out 500 theories about what's going on, and this series caters to that a lot.)
Anyway, since Arang wasn't in the pit and still has her soul, I'm guessing she wasn't killed by the stabbing the first time Joo Wal got her, and grabbed the hairpin and went stabbity with it to escape (or maybe just jabbity and it was enough to get loose), then later died from her wounds at the river, but her soul had left her body by the time Joo Wal and/or the demon found it and left her body there, since she couldn't have died in the cabin because then her soul would be gone and her body would have been in the pit, and she couldn't have dropped the hairpin in the forest while fleeing because she had it on her when she died. But it would also work if the hairpin washed away in the river after she died and was later found. 9I'm guessing it's tucked away in a corner now either to keep it from being lost/taken again after Arang somehow had it, or becuase it evoked touchy feely mommy feelings when it was out in the open.)
Arang and Eun Ho's interactions (and individual characterization) continue to be excellent. A romance and awkward partnership between two rough and tumble tsundere's was an excellent choice. (I freely admit to getting my greatest enjoyment from this series inthe scenes where he's pacing trenches into the yard because he doesn't know where she is and then is all I WAS NOT WORRIED ABOUT YOU I JUST LEFT LIKE A STROLL. RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY DOOR. FOR HOURS.)
BTW, the scenes of heaven and the afterlife are seriously among the prettiest and most striking things I've seen in a TV show in years.