What I love is that even if Chae Yoon wasn't So Yi's Ddolbok and her his Dahm, they still would have been drawn to each other. There's this kinship there that I think both are aware, on some level, that it could be more. But I suppose in that scenario, they would have been a much greater chance of a tragic ending. (Not, with four episodes to go, there's a guarantee that there won't be one as of now!)
That's true. It reminds me of Spring Waltz, which is a very different drama from Tree but has that in common - the couple has no idea they are childhood sweethearts, but their shared background draws them to each other all over again.
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
( ... )
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.
Such a beautiful scene, but I couldn't concentrate initially because the song bugged me so much. This fan-made, instrumental version does a much better job of underscoring the emotions.
And then Sejong shows up and I got the shakes, literally, from the following scene and the conversation about loss and vengeance and purpose and grief, with so many layers. You know, despite Chae Yoon's obsession with vengeance against Sejong, he and Sejong somehow communicate on a level nobody else does. And hearing Chae Yoon recount his loss, grief, terror and rage, gives So Yi, in her turn, something to identify with. They've both been there. That was far and away my favorite scene from the episode. All of the scenes that came before, they were all meant for this finale, this unexpected reunion between the three people whose lives were forever changed that night (four, if you count Muhyul), and when Sejong finally came to his senses thanks to Ddolbok, just like that night, that smile, the peace that came
( ... )
Re: pt. 2dangermousieDecember 14 2011, 01:31:32 UTC
I am not tone-deaf but I really don't pay attention to the score unless it's truly one-of-a-kind appalling. I guess that was lucky for me :)
Yes, I loved that it is the man who wants to kill him (and Sejong knows of the fact), who brings peace to Sejong by sharing his scars and how he got through them. In a way, I can see the three protagonists healing each other, even without meaning to.
This drama is amazing in its way of discribing how two people (Sejong and Chae Yoong)struggle to be decent men. They know they could easily become horrifying men (Sejong as a tyrant, like his father) and Chae Yoong into a ruthless killer... But they want to be decent men. I like that the drama show us that it is not easy to be "good" and that it is a struggle against our deepest currents and our darkest urges. Emma
Yes, I love how for both of them it's a struggle to hold on to their humanity and not give in to the dark, even though there is every inducement to do so. Just as for So Yi, it is her struggle not to give in to hopelessness and depression.
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I'm pinching all your caps! :)
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Back later with more commentary.
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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 ( ... )
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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.
Reply
Such a beautiful scene, but I couldn't concentrate initially because the song bugged me so much. This fan-made, instrumental version does a much better job of underscoring the emotions.
And then Sejong shows up and I got the shakes, literally, from the following scene and the conversation about loss and vengeance and purpose and grief, with so many layers. You know, despite Chae Yoon's obsession with vengeance against Sejong, he and Sejong somehow communicate on a level nobody else does. And hearing Chae Yoon recount his loss, grief, terror and rage, gives So Yi, in her turn, something to identify with. They've both been there. That was far and away my favorite scene from the episode. All of the scenes that came before, they were all meant for this finale, this unexpected reunion between the three people whose lives were forever changed that night (four, if you count Muhyul), and when Sejong finally came to his senses thanks to Ddolbok, just like that night, that smile, the peace that came ( ... )
Reply
Yes, I loved that it is the man who wants to kill him (and Sejong knows of the fact), who brings peace to Sejong by sharing his scars and how he got through them. In a way, I can see the three protagonists healing each other, even without meaning to.
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But they want to be decent men. I like that the drama show us that it is not easy to be "good" and that it is a struggle against our deepest currents and our darkest urges.
Emma
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