Tale of the Nine-Tailed Episode 9 Thoughts
Mar. 9th, 2021 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaEoduk Sini / Spirit of Darkness
Excellent episode. I loved it. It's my favourite thus far.
+ I loved everything with Yeon and Rang so much. Excellent episode for them. The only real issue is wondering why the hell it took 600 freaking years for them to reach this point.
- I loved that after being convinced it really was Yeon we got Rang taking his helping hand.
- The fact that Rang was so convinced that Yeon didn't care for him that he wouldn't believe that that Yeon was really there rescuing him without more proof than just his what his eyes were telling him.
- I loved Rang's reaction after Yeon lies again - 'he came for Ji Ah but found a bedwetter dying' - the quick initial anger and you see him about to say something and then he just visually gives up and rolls his eyes and shakes his head and I found it delightful.
- Aww Yeon's concern over the leg bite and Rang's vulnerable expression when Yeon reaches out to check his temperature.
- "I don't have a family I long for, do I?" The way Rang keeps poking at Yeon with these leading questions or statements all while his eyes plead with Yeon to prove him wrong always gets to me.
- I loved that when Yeon leaves Rang after he gives up he doesn't get very far before he angrily turns back to confront Rang on quitting.
- I love so much how much Yeon has completely lost his cool, his usual aloofness when dealing with Rang, and instead is all letting his frustration out.
- "My sword never misses anything. I've never missed a target. Why you are still alive after being hit with my sword - think hard with that stupid brain." Yes, I knew it! It was so obvious Yeon wasn't really trying to kill him. I really loved Yeon's aggressive frustration that he had to explain this to Rang. Also loved the way he knelt down so he could stare directly at Rang's face as he told him this.
- "I have never abandoned you." The exasperated way he said this made it feel like it's something he's said many times before. We saw at least two other times. I guess Rang needed to, finally, confronting his abandonment issues head on before he could accept it?
- The way Yeon cups the back of Rang's head and then ruffles his hair affectionately after the door appears was really sweet.
- It's revealed at the end that Yeon wasn't truly sacrificing himself for Rang but I still love that whole sequence. Yeon making the jump to pull Rang's mother's ghost off him was great (and a great visual) and I especially loved Rang's horrified and devastated reaction to it.
- It was ridiculous to let Yeon and Rang have that long conversation while surrounded by the Ah Gwi - who for some reason decided just this once to not attack immediately?
- Rang not being by Yeon's (unconscious body's) side at all left me wondering why not. After what happened in his head I'd have expected it. Did Shin Joo not tell him where Yeon was or anything more about his state of being?
Meanwhile other things happened this episode:
+ Holy crap, YES! Yeon was amazing. The whole final sequence where he confronts Eoduk Sini and Imugi was amazing. I loved so much the reveal that this was all Yeon's plan to trap Eoduk Sini and finally get a lead on Imugi. Honestly he comes off so impulsive that I wouldn't have guessed he had this level of scheming or planning in him. It's such a delightful reveal. I loved that his weak and pathetic begging of reassurance that Ji Ah was okay was entirely Yeon playing Eoduk Sini. That confrontation with her was excellent. I loved him turning her line against her and then following it up by ruthlessly telling her exactly her worst fear. I loved the reveal that she was trapped. Yeon leaning forward to point out that she was in "the unconscious mind of the mountain god" and then reaching into reality to grab Imugi was such a badass moment.
+ The Yeon/Ji Ah reunion was great. I liked that he made it rain* just so he could make his entrance with his red umbrella. I liked Ji Ah stopping him so that she could go to him instead. What I really loved though was that this was their first real kiss, a kiss that is Yeon kissing Ji Ah entirely, and him dropping the beloved umbrella that Ah Eum gave him so that he could hold Ji Ah with both hands. (What an excellent choice on the part of the writers/director.) Also that was a really great kiss! I was very pleased.
*okay I have no proof he did this but with how quickly it comes on it just feels right.
+ I had been a little perplexed over Yeon's decision to save Rang over Ji Ah so the reveal that it was because a) he knew Ji Ah would shut him out and b) he'd thus be best able to help Rang and save him, while c) believing that Ji Ah would be able to do it on her own was great.
+ Ji Ah's reunion with her parents was lovely and sad and ended up being so bittersweet and heartbreaking. I totally get why she ended up being caught up in the dream that this was her life and the other a nightmare. Her parents were wonderful.
+ I loved that in the end Ji Ah saved herself, even if she had a little help. It was great that she didn't just accept that it was real until her mom passed her patented 'replacement mom' test. I like that she did remember enough to start taking notes and trying to figure it out even if she subsequently forgot. I loved her stabbing herself in the hand to force herself to remember. And in the end the hardest part - choosing to leave her beloved parents even as they tearfully pleaded with her - was entirely on her and her choice.
+ So Yeon choosing to remove himself from Ji Ah's life in the last episode out of fear that they would repeat the tragedy that befell him and Ah Eum... was completely pointless? I'm not going to complain about the show dropping it because it annoyed the hell out of me but at the same time why even do it in the first place if you're going to move on in the next episode? There was nothing about the Eoduk Sini that needed a rift between them. Last episode he was so worried about protecting Ji Ah from the past repeating but when Eoduk Sini throws in his face that he will kill Ji Ah he basically rolls his eyes at her. He's not bothered at all. What the heck happened to change his mind so quickly?
+ Ji Ah and Rang having such similar fears is interesting and it'd be nice if the show actually did something with that. I hope now that Rang is hopefully on Team Yeon they will have more scenes together. Maybe they can bond and gossip about Yeon, and Yeon can be appalled and filled with regret. That would be fun.
+ Yeon looked very hot this episode.
+ Shin Joo kidnapping Ji Ah from the hospital was very amusing but also very unrealistic.
+ Shin Joo's devotion to Yeon is so extreme and his devastation at potentially losing him frankly on par with Yeon's feelings about Ji Ah that I really hope we get some backstory flashbacks about their relationship.
+ Honestly at this point it really seems like gumiho as a species are a lot more loyal and loyalty-focused than humans. Every single one of them seems intensely attached to someone to an almost crazy degree. I actually really love it because it makes something that could maybe be a bit much in individual characters a neat bit of world-building.
+ I liked seeing Yoo Ri's devotion to Rang and her interactions with Shin Joo were really nice.
Excellent episode. I loved it. It's my favourite thus far.
+ I loved everything with Yeon and Rang so much. Excellent episode for them. The only real issue is wondering why the hell it took 600 freaking years for them to reach this point.
- I loved that after being convinced it really was Yeon we got Rang taking his helping hand.
- The fact that Rang was so convinced that Yeon didn't care for him that he wouldn't believe that that Yeon was really there rescuing him without more proof than just his what his eyes were telling him.
- I loved Rang's reaction after Yeon lies again - 'he came for Ji Ah but found a bedwetter dying' - the quick initial anger and you see him about to say something and then he just visually gives up and rolls his eyes and shakes his head and I found it delightful.
- Aww Yeon's concern over the leg bite and Rang's vulnerable expression when Yeon reaches out to check his temperature.
- "I don't have a family I long for, do I?" The way Rang keeps poking at Yeon with these leading questions or statements all while his eyes plead with Yeon to prove him wrong always gets to me.
- I loved that when Yeon leaves Rang after he gives up he doesn't get very far before he angrily turns back to confront Rang on quitting.
- I love so much how much Yeon has completely lost his cool, his usual aloofness when dealing with Rang, and instead is all letting his frustration out.
- "My sword never misses anything. I've never missed a target. Why you are still alive after being hit with my sword - think hard with that stupid brain." Yes, I knew it! It was so obvious Yeon wasn't really trying to kill him. I really loved Yeon's aggressive frustration that he had to explain this to Rang. Also loved the way he knelt down so he could stare directly at Rang's face as he told him this.
- "I have never abandoned you." The exasperated way he said this made it feel like it's something he's said many times before. We saw at least two other times. I guess Rang needed to, finally, confronting his abandonment issues head on before he could accept it?
- The way Yeon cups the back of Rang's head and then ruffles his hair affectionately after the door appears was really sweet.
- It's revealed at the end that Yeon wasn't truly sacrificing himself for Rang but I still love that whole sequence. Yeon making the jump to pull Rang's mother's ghost off him was great (and a great visual) and I especially loved Rang's horrified and devastated reaction to it.
- It was ridiculous to let Yeon and Rang have that long conversation while surrounded by the Ah Gwi - who for some reason decided just this once to not attack immediately?
- Rang not being by Yeon's (unconscious body's) side at all left me wondering why not. After what happened in his head I'd have expected it. Did Shin Joo not tell him where Yeon was or anything more about his state of being?
Meanwhile other things happened this episode:
+ Holy crap, YES! Yeon was amazing. The whole final sequence where he confronts Eoduk Sini and Imugi was amazing. I loved so much the reveal that this was all Yeon's plan to trap Eoduk Sini and finally get a lead on Imugi. Honestly he comes off so impulsive that I wouldn't have guessed he had this level of scheming or planning in him. It's such a delightful reveal. I loved that his weak and pathetic begging of reassurance that Ji Ah was okay was entirely Yeon playing Eoduk Sini. That confrontation with her was excellent. I loved him turning her line against her and then following it up by ruthlessly telling her exactly her worst fear. I loved the reveal that she was trapped. Yeon leaning forward to point out that she was in "the unconscious mind of the mountain god" and then reaching into reality to grab Imugi was such a badass moment.
+ The Yeon/Ji Ah reunion was great. I liked that he made it rain* just so he could make his entrance with his red umbrella. I liked Ji Ah stopping him so that she could go to him instead. What I really loved though was that this was their first real kiss, a kiss that is Yeon kissing Ji Ah entirely, and him dropping the beloved umbrella that Ah Eum gave him so that he could hold Ji Ah with both hands. (What an excellent choice on the part of the writers/director.) Also that was a really great kiss! I was very pleased.
*okay I have no proof he did this but with how quickly it comes on it just feels right.
+ I had been a little perplexed over Yeon's decision to save Rang over Ji Ah so the reveal that it was because a) he knew Ji Ah would shut him out and b) he'd thus be best able to help Rang and save him, while c) believing that Ji Ah would be able to do it on her own was great.
+ Ji Ah's reunion with her parents was lovely and sad and ended up being so bittersweet and heartbreaking. I totally get why she ended up being caught up in the dream that this was her life and the other a nightmare. Her parents were wonderful.
+ I loved that in the end Ji Ah saved herself, even if she had a little help. It was great that she didn't just accept that it was real until her mom passed her patented 'replacement mom' test. I like that she did remember enough to start taking notes and trying to figure it out even if she subsequently forgot. I loved her stabbing herself in the hand to force herself to remember. And in the end the hardest part - choosing to leave her beloved parents even as they tearfully pleaded with her - was entirely on her and her choice.
+ So Yeon choosing to remove himself from Ji Ah's life in the last episode out of fear that they would repeat the tragedy that befell him and Ah Eum... was completely pointless? I'm not going to complain about the show dropping it because it annoyed the hell out of me but at the same time why even do it in the first place if you're going to move on in the next episode? There was nothing about the Eoduk Sini that needed a rift between them. Last episode he was so worried about protecting Ji Ah from the past repeating but when Eoduk Sini throws in his face that he will kill Ji Ah he basically rolls his eyes at her. He's not bothered at all. What the heck happened to change his mind so quickly?
+ Ji Ah and Rang having such similar fears is interesting and it'd be nice if the show actually did something with that. I hope now that Rang is hopefully on Team Yeon they will have more scenes together. Maybe they can bond and gossip about Yeon, and Yeon can be appalled and filled with regret. That would be fun.
+ Yeon looked very hot this episode.
+ Shin Joo kidnapping Ji Ah from the hospital was very amusing but also very unrealistic.
+ Shin Joo's devotion to Yeon is so extreme and his devastation at potentially losing him frankly on par with Yeon's feelings about Ji Ah that I really hope we get some backstory flashbacks about their relationship.
+ Honestly at this point it really seems like gumiho as a species are a lot more loyal and loyalty-focused than humans. Every single one of them seems intensely attached to someone to an almost crazy degree. I actually really love it because it makes something that could maybe be a bit much in individual characters a neat bit of world-building.
+ I liked seeing Yoo Ri's devotion to Rang and her interactions with Shin Joo were really nice.
