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iariaI am really enjoying this series.
+ I haven't had a problem with how the main romance has been playing out. It's made sense to me. For the first few episodes Tae-eul thought everything Gon was saying sounded crazy which of course put a distance between them. But despite that she did find him interesting/intriguing and despite herself she did like him. So we'd get scenes like her taking him for chicken instead of going out with her friends. Then she went to Corea and everything changed because he was telling the truth. So here's this handsome, smart, amazingly rich, king who says he loves her and wants her to be his queen. He's emotionally open with her. He flirts. He's a dork. He flies to her rescue. Then she returns to her world with his on the brink of war and doesn't hear from him. Perhaps for weeks. And there is no way for her to ever discover what's happened in his world or to him without him coming to her. So when he appears she runs into his arms in relief, and then she decides that even if any romance is unlikely to last she wants to pursue it. So she hold his hand and goes on a date and lets herself just like him. All good.
But then... "I love you." Huh. Hmmm. *head tilt* That is not entirely working for me. I didn't see her as being in love with him. She likes him, she cares for him, and there is definitely the possibility of it becoming more but already in love? Hmmm. The romance has felt relatively well-paced slow-burn so to go from that to suddenly in love feels too fast and sudden. I suppose it's part and parcel of her premonition and decision to embrace this relationship while she can? ... eh.
I also found how low-key it was a little strange. I loved Gon's reaction - his shock and him telling her he needed a moment to digest what she said. I liked his 'me too'. But... I guess on top of finding it too sudden a revelation it ended up not being as dramatic as I was expecting, so it fell a little short for me. Especially considering how Tae-eul has had this weirdly important place in Gon's head and heart for basically his entire life. For him this is a momentous occasion and it should come off like that. There should have been more. Really, it shouldn't have happened for a couple more episodes and then been a big end episode emotional moment for them. Oh well.
I do kind of like how restrained and quiet their relationship is going considering everything. Their scene at the cafe was really cute. I like his "I light up any room I'm in" and her rolling her eyes and then at the end of their conversation telling him "You're right. That part of the room looks so bright." and them laughing together. I liked him calling her to irritate her under the theory that it would get her to visit him (and it worked.)
+ "I am at your command." - except he's the king. He told Seo-ryung he could never be in her debt because he is king, but it stands here too. He is king, so he can't be in her command. Him saying this almost has to mean those two desires will come into conflict.
+ I wanted Tae-eul to tell Shin-jae the truth but him discovering it this way was so much better. Him getting Ji-hoon's files and going to his grave site and getting hit by a returning memory, his coming upon Eun-sup with Yeong's phone and then breaking into Gon's rooms worked really well. I love that he's from Corea. Poor young Shin-jae must have been so confused when he woke from his coma.
- I really enjoyed that entire final scene. I loved Gon's reaction of mild curiosity to finding Shin-jae fighting Jeong in his room. I loved that the only time he isn't calmly inquisitive and unmoved is when he thinks Tae-eul told Shin-jae his name. Tae-eul is his weakness and always gets under his skin which I really enjoy about them. Shin-jae's desperation really made me feel for him. I loved Gon's "it seems I am your king" which felt like Gon accepting responsibility for him. I am really interested in where their relationship goes from here.
- I liked that both Shin-jae handled himself well against Yeong's attack but that you get the sense that Yeong was really holding himself back and could have kicked Shin-jae's ass at any moment. He was fully in control of that fight. Good choreography.
- I suspected that Shin-jae was from Corea so this was a fun confirmation. I am so curious about how it all played out. Lim is sending photographs of Shin-jae to the court lady to keep her spying for him. But did he take her son and is holding him essentially hostage or did she give him up to save his life? Or a little of both?
+ Gon/Yeong had another excellent episode.
- I love that Yeong took immediate advantage of having an identical twin to play switching games. I love the way Gon goes from casually assuming Yeong will take care of the gangsters to switching to protector-mode and taking them on himself while complete sure that Yeong will show up, and then stepping back to being protected when Yeong does show and watching him kick the gangsters asses.
- Gon's excitement to have that stew with Yeong was sweet.
- They had the funniest scene yet in the series: Yeong impersonating Eun-sup was great but then him interacting with Gon as Eun-sup was amazing. Gon's expression when Yeong tells him to 'shut it' was hysterical. Yeong having to literally drag Gon away as he's apparently frozen in a state of shocked indignation was so funny. Just LMAO forever over that entire scene.
+ Then their discussion afterwards was so fun. I mean it starts serious - "Yeong would never..." Gon says and they both seem very affected by it and I really want more of that. But then their argument over whether he really is Yeong - "Then you'll be beheaded according to law." / "Maybe I'm Eun-sup." Ha. And then Gon painting a 'mole' out of mercy so he can't be fooled again, heh.
+ Eun-sup is derisive about Yeong's phone background picture of him with Gon or as Eun-sup calls it 'his boss' and thinks there has to be something wrong with him. But he's missing serious context. Gon isn't really Yeong's 'boss' except in the most technical way. What he is is Yeong's liege, his king. Yeong is completely devoted to Gon. They are each other's closest friend and love each other deeply, and in a way are the only people each other have. Gon because he is the King, Yeong because he devoted himself so completely to being Gon's Unbreakable Sword that there hasn't be room for anything more. So there is a lot of emotional connection while at the same time a distance caused by Gon being King and Yeong his most devoted guardian, and I hope the show explores this more.
+ Gon is so controlled, calm and self-contained and in the interrogation with the Lim loyalist it was Yeong who kept losing control* so it was nice to see that little moment where Gon tightens his gripe on his riding crop and tells the guy, basically, to die. Just a hint of ruthlessness, of darkness, of the possibility of losing control and now I really want to see more of that Gon.
An interesting thought - Gon threatens beheading people a lot but it always comes off very much as joking, he tells Yeong "don't kill them" like it's a possibility he would, then in the scene with Lim's minion Yeong doesn't hesitate to be violent and Gon doesn't flinch at seeing that violence - I wonder if Gon has ever ordered Yeong to kill someone or if Yeong has killed to protect Gon?
*Yeong was rather scary in his violence and it makes me wonder just how far he'd go to protect Gon.
+ Luna is interesting thus far and I can't wait to see her interact with both Tae-eul and Gon. Interesting that she's ruthless but also kind to kids - waiting for the ice cream kid to leave before attacking her target (though also telling him), giving yo-yo boy her rabbit coat because it's getting cold out. She threatens to kill her target's kid to motivate him but I find myself doubting her. Kill him, sure, she has that energy, but not killing a kid.
+ We get two premonitions this episode.
1) Seo-ryung's mother tells her "be sure to drive safetly and don't lose anything", which uh-oh. That's certainly coming into play and it doesn't sound good for Seo-ryung who has already lost a bracelet to Luna, who Lim is now searching for. Meanwhile he already has an interest in Seo-ryung - he's planning to replace her pregnant sister, he's sending her proof of the alternate world. I'm just not sure what he wants with her.
2) Then you have Tae-eul: "hit with the sad premonition that this will be short lived but I've decided to love the fate that chose me." which I assumed she thought just based on him being a king from another world, but it becoming an active premonition is worrying. It could just be that the series will end with the bridge between worlds closing permanently and them in their worlds which would be sad. Or it could portend death, which could be tragic.
It's interesting to have two characters having premonitions like this. Is it another side affect of having the gate between worlds in use?
+ The product placement in this show has always been bad but it was ignoreable for me. But this episode. Dear god. It was completely out of control and in your face in the most unsubtle ways. In fact I think it's beaten Chuck's subway ppl as most invasive.
+ That said I did love Jangmi asking about Tae-eul's balm and then excitedly using it on his own face when she gave it to him. He's such a sweetheart.
+ I was amused about Jangmi freaking out about the suspect not breathing in the background while Tae-eul basically ignores him and texts on her phone. It was the contrast between the two. That said maybe this experience will cause Jangmi to stop being so casually violent with suspects?
+ Why did both Yeong and Gon leave their phones in their jackets? Who leaves their phone behind like that?
+ Alas, poor Gon will never get to eat that delicious stew, heh.
+ Taking the Lim follower back to Corea was a good idea but does Gon's suicide order mean he let him die/had him killed?
+ I haven't had a problem with how the main romance has been playing out. It's made sense to me. For the first few episodes Tae-eul thought everything Gon was saying sounded crazy which of course put a distance between them. But despite that she did find him interesting/intriguing and despite herself she did like him. So we'd get scenes like her taking him for chicken instead of going out with her friends. Then she went to Corea and everything changed because he was telling the truth. So here's this handsome, smart, amazingly rich, king who says he loves her and wants her to be his queen. He's emotionally open with her. He flirts. He's a dork. He flies to her rescue. Then she returns to her world with his on the brink of war and doesn't hear from him. Perhaps for weeks. And there is no way for her to ever discover what's happened in his world or to him without him coming to her. So when he appears she runs into his arms in relief, and then she decides that even if any romance is unlikely to last she wants to pursue it. So she hold his hand and goes on a date and lets herself just like him. All good.
But then... "I love you." Huh. Hmmm. *head tilt* That is not entirely working for me. I didn't see her as being in love with him. She likes him, she cares for him, and there is definitely the possibility of it becoming more but already in love? Hmmm. The romance has felt relatively well-paced slow-burn so to go from that to suddenly in love feels too fast and sudden. I suppose it's part and parcel of her premonition and decision to embrace this relationship while she can? ... eh.
I also found how low-key it was a little strange. I loved Gon's reaction - his shock and him telling her he needed a moment to digest what she said. I liked his 'me too'. But... I guess on top of finding it too sudden a revelation it ended up not being as dramatic as I was expecting, so it fell a little short for me. Especially considering how Tae-eul has had this weirdly important place in Gon's head and heart for basically his entire life. For him this is a momentous occasion and it should come off like that. There should have been more. Really, it shouldn't have happened for a couple more episodes and then been a big end episode emotional moment for them. Oh well.
I do kind of like how restrained and quiet their relationship is going considering everything. Their scene at the cafe was really cute. I like his "I light up any room I'm in" and her rolling her eyes and then at the end of their conversation telling him "You're right. That part of the room looks so bright." and them laughing together. I liked him calling her to irritate her under the theory that it would get her to visit him (and it worked.)
+ "I am at your command." - except he's the king. He told Seo-ryung he could never be in her debt because he is king, but it stands here too. He is king, so he can't be in her command. Him saying this almost has to mean those two desires will come into conflict.
+ I wanted Tae-eul to tell Shin-jae the truth but him discovering it this way was so much better. Him getting Ji-hoon's files and going to his grave site and getting hit by a returning memory, his coming upon Eun-sup with Yeong's phone and then breaking into Gon's rooms worked really well. I love that he's from Corea. Poor young Shin-jae must have been so confused when he woke from his coma.
- I really enjoyed that entire final scene. I loved Gon's reaction of mild curiosity to finding Shin-jae fighting Jeong in his room. I loved that the only time he isn't calmly inquisitive and unmoved is when he thinks Tae-eul told Shin-jae his name. Tae-eul is his weakness and always gets under his skin which I really enjoy about them. Shin-jae's desperation really made me feel for him. I loved Gon's "it seems I am your king" which felt like Gon accepting responsibility for him. I am really interested in where their relationship goes from here.
- I liked that both Shin-jae handled himself well against Yeong's attack but that you get the sense that Yeong was really holding himself back and could have kicked Shin-jae's ass at any moment. He was fully in control of that fight. Good choreography.
- I suspected that Shin-jae was from Corea so this was a fun confirmation. I am so curious about how it all played out. Lim is sending photographs of Shin-jae to the court lady to keep her spying for him. But did he take her son and is holding him essentially hostage or did she give him up to save his life? Or a little of both?
+ Gon/Yeong had another excellent episode.
- I love that Yeong took immediate advantage of having an identical twin to play switching games. I love the way Gon goes from casually assuming Yeong will take care of the gangsters to switching to protector-mode and taking them on himself while complete sure that Yeong will show up, and then stepping back to being protected when Yeong does show and watching him kick the gangsters asses.
- Gon's excitement to have that stew with Yeong was sweet.
- They had the funniest scene yet in the series: Yeong impersonating Eun-sup was great but then him interacting with Gon as Eun-sup was amazing. Gon's expression when Yeong tells him to 'shut it' was hysterical. Yeong having to literally drag Gon away as he's apparently frozen in a state of shocked indignation was so funny. Just LMAO forever over that entire scene.
+ Then their discussion afterwards was so fun. I mean it starts serious - "Yeong would never..." Gon says and they both seem very affected by it and I really want more of that. But then their argument over whether he really is Yeong - "Then you'll be beheaded according to law." / "Maybe I'm Eun-sup." Ha. And then Gon painting a 'mole' out of mercy so he can't be fooled again, heh.
+ Eun-sup is derisive about Yeong's phone background picture of him with Gon or as Eun-sup calls it 'his boss' and thinks there has to be something wrong with him. But he's missing serious context. Gon isn't really Yeong's 'boss' except in the most technical way. What he is is Yeong's liege, his king. Yeong is completely devoted to Gon. They are each other's closest friend and love each other deeply, and in a way are the only people each other have. Gon because he is the King, Yeong because he devoted himself so completely to being Gon's Unbreakable Sword that there hasn't be room for anything more. So there is a lot of emotional connection while at the same time a distance caused by Gon being King and Yeong his most devoted guardian, and I hope the show explores this more.
+ Gon is so controlled, calm and self-contained and in the interrogation with the Lim loyalist it was Yeong who kept losing control* so it was nice to see that little moment where Gon tightens his gripe on his riding crop and tells the guy, basically, to die. Just a hint of ruthlessness, of darkness, of the possibility of losing control and now I really want to see more of that Gon.
An interesting thought - Gon threatens beheading people a lot but it always comes off very much as joking, he tells Yeong "don't kill them" like it's a possibility he would, then in the scene with Lim's minion Yeong doesn't hesitate to be violent and Gon doesn't flinch at seeing that violence - I wonder if Gon has ever ordered Yeong to kill someone or if Yeong has killed to protect Gon?
*Yeong was rather scary in his violence and it makes me wonder just how far he'd go to protect Gon.
+ Luna is interesting thus far and I can't wait to see her interact with both Tae-eul and Gon. Interesting that she's ruthless but also kind to kids - waiting for the ice cream kid to leave before attacking her target (though also telling him), giving yo-yo boy her rabbit coat because it's getting cold out. She threatens to kill her target's kid to motivate him but I find myself doubting her. Kill him, sure, she has that energy, but not killing a kid.
+ We get two premonitions this episode.
1) Seo-ryung's mother tells her "be sure to drive safetly and don't lose anything", which uh-oh. That's certainly coming into play and it doesn't sound good for Seo-ryung who has already lost a bracelet to Luna, who Lim is now searching for. Meanwhile he already has an interest in Seo-ryung - he's planning to replace her pregnant sister, he's sending her proof of the alternate world. I'm just not sure what he wants with her.
2) Then you have Tae-eul: "hit with the sad premonition that this will be short lived but I've decided to love the fate that chose me." which I assumed she thought just based on him being a king from another world, but it becoming an active premonition is worrying. It could just be that the series will end with the bridge between worlds closing permanently and them in their worlds which would be sad. Or it could portend death, which could be tragic.
It's interesting to have two characters having premonitions like this. Is it another side affect of having the gate between worlds in use?
+ The product placement in this show has always been bad but it was ignoreable for me. But this episode. Dear god. It was completely out of control and in your face in the most unsubtle ways. In fact I think it's beaten Chuck's subway ppl as most invasive.
+ That said I did love Jangmi asking about Tae-eul's balm and then excitedly using it on his own face when she gave it to him. He's such a sweetheart.
+ I was amused about Jangmi freaking out about the suspect not breathing in the background while Tae-eul basically ignores him and texts on her phone. It was the contrast between the two. That said maybe this experience will cause Jangmi to stop being so casually violent with suspects?
+ Why did both Yeong and Gon leave their phones in their jackets? Who leaves their phone behind like that?
+ Alas, poor Gon will never get to eat that delicious stew, heh.
+ Taking the Lim follower back to Corea was a good idea but does Gon's suicide order mean he let him die/had him killed?
