So……..episode 2 of Gu Family Book was kinda like waking up from a warm bed by having a bucket of cold water splashed on my face. Oh vey, in the blink of an eye it turned into all sorts of poorly develop romantic drivel and behavioral fail all around. I can’t figure out anyone’s motivations other than the dim lovelorn Gu Wol Ryung and his kind and caring friend the Taoist priest So Jung. If this was a buddy movie with the two of them as OTP then I would ship that, because the love story between Wol Ryung and Seo Hwa fell apart so fast in episode 2 it left skid marks. I spent the latter half of the episode feeling bad this poor innocent mountain spirit fell in love with a hare-brained and emotionally wack girl when he was happy minding his own business up in there forest. The villainy of Kwan Woong reminds me so much of the ridiculous overblown evil of the antagonist in this writer’s last drama the turd Man of Honor, where Son Chang Min chewed up so much scenery he could rival a llama.
The problem in MoH (and in the writer’s previous hit Baker King, Kim Tak Gu) is showing itself here in GFB – create a very evil villain, throw in some horrible things befalling the parental generation, and then have the kids grow up and deal with overcoming the obstacles laid down from prior wrongs. This recipe usually requires characters acting and behaving in ways that increasingly make no sense in order to hew to the narrative ethos of breaking through successive challenges to create the hero’s (or heroine’s) journey to righting the wrongs from the past. This drama is still filmed very prettily, but episode 2 also took everyone’s acting down a notch. Lee Yeon Hee went back to her usual wide-eyed blank acting (with a few scene exceptions) and overall I haven’t found a single character I love yet. Will the arrival of adult Kang Chi resurrect my suddenly flagging interest in this drama? I sure hope so, because it would be a monumental disappointment to not be loving a Lee Seung Gi drama for the next two months.
Episode 2 recap:
Taoist priest So Jung is shocked at Wol Ryung’s request to find a way to become human. He warns Wol Ryung again that famed demon hunter Dam Pyung Joon is leading the hunt for him. He suggests Wol Ryung send Seo Hwa away now but he’s not budging. Kinda think you should listen to your friend’s advice, dude.
Pyung Joon and his soldiers are tracking Wol Ryung through Seo Hwa. I find it amusing there is actually a Joseon official known as the feared monster hunter. And with his last name being Dam, who’s betting that he’s the daddy of Dam Yeol Wool, who is future OTP with Kang Chi. Of course this drama is getting everyone’s relationships as tightly knotted as possible.
After So Jung leaves, Seo Hwa tells Wol Ryung that she ought to leave since she’s the daughter of a traitor and a runaway slave. Wol Ryung could care less and asks her to stay, she will be safe with him.
Wol Ryung is like an eager puppy wanting to please, and he offers Seo Hwa a choice between a rabbit or turtle for dinner. Seo Hwa is like “I’ll take the peach instead!” and grabs one off the table. Wol Ryung is so happy he runs off to grab her an entire tree full of peaches.
Seo Hwa walks out into the Moonlight Garden and admires the flowers growing there, which leads to Wol Ryung bringing her an armful of flowers.
He ups the wooing and brings her a bag full of blue butterflies which he releases into the air. Wol Ryung then takes Seo Hwa to the top of the mountain to enjoy the scenic view. She marvels at the beauty and he marvels at her beautiful smile.
Later that night, Wol Ryung and Seo Hwa sit by the fire and discuss their past. Wol Ryung reveals he’s been living here for so long he lost track of time and doesn’t know about his family. Seo Hwa talks about her family that are left behind, her brother and maid. She is worried about them and Wol Ryung can see her worry. When she asks why he is so nice to her, he explains that making her happy makes him happy.
Wol Ryung goes to town to find out what happened to Seo Hwa’s family, and he’s confronted with the body of her brother still hanging in the town square.
Soo Ryun shows some humanity and asks sleazebag evil villain Kwan Woong to let her cut the body down and bury it. He refuses since the body serves as a warning to traitors. Too bad the body has gone missing now.
Wol Ryung returns to the Moonlight Garden that night after having buried Seo Hwa’s brother in the forest. She can sense something is off but he lies that her family is doing well. He asks her to stay here with him and he can keep protecting her.
Seo Hwa embraces Wol Ryung in joy and then pulls back in shyness. Wol Ryung reaches for her and little fireflies illuminate the space around them. Wol Ryung hesitates but then leans in and kisses Seo Hwa.
Wol Ryung ends the kiss and asks for her hand in marriage. Seo Hwa brings up her status but he brushes it aside and asks her again. Seo Hwa smiles and embraces him, accepting his proposal.
Wol Ryung and So Jung go to a book repository to find the Gu Family Book. So Jung grumbles about Wol Ryung giving it all up to become human and get married. He worries about Wol Ryung keeping his identity a secret from Seo Hwa but Wol Ryung brushes off that concern as moot since he’ll be human soon.
They find the book and Wol Ryung has So Jung read it aloud. The book is an ancient text of the promise demanded by Hwan Woong, the founding deity of Korea, required of all the spirits and gods. To become human, for 100 days a spirit must not kill, must not refuse a human request for help, and must not show his true form to any human.
If the rules are obeyed for 100 days, Hwan Woong will appear to grant the spirit human form, otherwise the spirit will become a demon for 1000 years. Wol Ryung is willing to take this risk and not lose out on the first woman to touch his heart in forever.
Wol Ryung and Seo Hwa have their own wedding in the Moonlight Garden. They consummate the marriage in the cave, with Wol Ryung tenderly kissing Seo Hwa’s slave tattoo on her shoulder. Commence baby Kang Chi making!
Kwan Woong hasn’t given up on finding Seo Hwa and he tracks down the burial site for her brother. He desecrates the grave, because that is just how he rolls. Three months pass and the newlyweds are happy. Seo Hwa cooks for Wol Ryung and then goes out to pick plants.
So Jung comes to check on Wol Ryung and learns he’s kept the oath and has 10 more days left. He has restrained himself from killing animals to eat and instead subsists on Seo Hwa’s terrible cooking. So Jung hands Wol Ryung a wooden knife which will keep his animalistic urges at bay. He tells Wol Ryung to keep it with him always.
Pyung Joon is ready to call it quits and resents Kwan Woong using government forces for his own futile search for a gumiho. Suddenly a solider reports that Seo Hwa has been spotted by a search crew in the forest. Kwan Woong demands she be captured along with whatever being was helping her.
Wol Ryung gets worried when he doesn’t see Seo Hwa back yet. She’s finishing up her gathering when she notices a soldier lurking in the bush behind her. She starts to run while the soldiers signal to the rest of the troops. Wol Ryung sees the signal meant for the soldiers and rushes towards Seo Hwa, using his ability to speed up.
Seo Hwa runs away from the soldiers and Wol Ryung saves her. He uses a canopy of trees to keep them hidden from the soldiers who run past them.
Wol Ryung and Seo Hwa are about to leave when they realize Pyung Joon was present and witnessed Wol Ryung doing the tree magic. He demands to know what sort of creature Wol Ryung is. Because he doesn’t know Seo Hwa’s face, Wol Ryung claims he and his wife did nothing wrong and are not the people he is looking for.
Pyung Joon asks them to go with him to confirm Seo Hwa is not the runaway slave they are looking for. Wol Ryung uses his magic to startle Pyung Joon’s horse which gives him the opportunity to run away with Seo Hwa. Seo Hwa and Wol Ryung run and run. When she wants to give up he asks her to keep running and he will protect her.
Sadly they are no match for the soldiers who corner them. Wol Ryung is trapped in chains and cannot break free. A soldier is able to identify Seo Hwa as the runaway slave and she is about to be dragged away.
Wol Ryung watches in horror and rage as Seo Hwa screams for him. As Wol Ryung is chained up and beaten, he remembers the Gu Family Book oath but he cannot control his anger at Seo Hwa being taken away.
Wol Ryung’s spirit side erupts and he breaks free of the chains and sends all the soldiers flying. He picks up one soldier by the neck with his super strength. Pyung Joon and Seo Hwa watch in shock as Wol Ryung moves the soldier aside and his visage has become animalistic with his hair is streaked with white. If the screenwriter didn’t so blatantly rip off Inuyasha this would be much cooler.
Sadly Seo Hwa is no Kagome and she watches in increasing horror as Wol Ryung singlehandedly takes out all the soldiers with his bare hands and his fangs. Wol Ryung lets out a high pitched roar that pains the soldiers but doesn’t seem to affect Seo Hwa, who merely cries in fear and shock.
After Wol Ryung defeats all the soldiers he walks towards Seo Hwa but she is scared of him and faints. Wol Ryung brings her back to their cave but when she awakens she is frightened of him and asks what kind of creature he is? Wol Ryung apologizes but this is his true form.
Wol Ryung collapses (from exhaustion and his injuries) and Seo hwa runs away. Seriously? He saved you from a murdering rapey villain and his minions and you are scared of him? You just left your INJURED husband behind because somehow you find him freakier than a bunch of soldiers about to drag your ass back to be a slave prostitute. Her thought process eludes me.
It’s now Wol Ryung’s true OTP the Taoist monk So Jung who arrives to tend to his injured friend.
Pyung Joon and his soldiers have set up camp and most are recovering from Wol Ryung’s attack. Seo Hwa arrives at the camp.
Kwan Woong also arrives at the camp after receiving a message and slaps Seo Hwa around. He claims she sacrificed her brother and maid to be with a monster when all she needed was to become his and he would have spared their lives. How this dude can spew such insane logic eludes me.
Seo Hwa is stunned to learn that her brother and maid are dead. Seo Hwa runs off to puke by a tree from the pain. Kwan Woong orders Pyung Joon to use Seo Hwa to track the demon and then kill them both.
Wol Ryung awakens the next morning and goes to the creek to drink some water. He is immediately surrounded by soldiers which shocks him since humans cannot find this place. Seo Hwa walks forth and glares at him.
Wol Ryung asks in despair why she brought them here? Seo Hwa is all pissy that he lied about her brother and maid being fine when they are all dead? Really? You are pissed at that, and not more pissed at the horrible piece of shit that caused their death? Seo Hwa, you are dead to me.
Wol Ryung explains he didn’t want her to be sad but Kwan Woong twists it as Wol Ryung lying so that he could seduce Seo Hwa. Ha, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Seo Hwa actually has the gall to still be upset and claims she trusted Wol Ryung but he betrayed her trust with his lies. *headdesk*
Wol Ryung tears up to be thus betrayed by the woman he loves and remembers So Jung’s admonition that if a human cannot accept him after learning his true identity, he needs to kill that person. Wol Ryung rushes towards Seo Hwa with a wooden sword and uses it to fend off the arrows and swords of the attacking soldiers.
He reaches Seo Hwa and grabs her by the shoulder but is stabbed through the chest by Pyung Joon.
Wol Ryung cries to Seo Hwa, asking why she would do this when he loved her so much. Wol Ryung transforms into his animal form and then finally into a cloud of blue twinkly lights which then flies away. Kwan Woong reminds Pyung Joon to finish off Seo Hwa as well and then huffs off.
Taoist monk So Jung is too late when he arrives and screams for his good friend. He reveals that the Gu Wol Ryung is merely a kind and gentle forest protector spirit. Pyung Joon retorts that the monster attacked his troops but So Jung knows the soldiers must have started the fight first. He reveals that Wol Ryung was 10 days away from becoming fully human. The camera pulls back and shows that Wol Ryung dropped the wooden knife a ways back and he had no intention of harming Seo Hwa.
Seo Hwa stares at where Wol Ryung disappeared and then she starts to retch. Nice. Pyung Joon sees it and both realize that she is pregnant.
Pyung Joon reports to Kwan Woong that he took care of Seo Hwa and as evidence is handed her bloody hair pin. Kwan Woong thinks back to seeing beautiful Seo Hwa in her home and obviously his gross infatuation with her was what led to him destroying her family to obtain her. Ick.
Wol Ryung apparently isn’t dead and we see him laying in a copse of trees which magically pulls a blanket of leaves over him. So I guess he’s healing with the help of the forest he protected.
Pyung Joon has stashed pregnant Seo Hwa in the gisaeng house to await birth. Seo Hwa is still angry and scared and has apparently tried every conceivable method to abort the baby but have all failed.
Seo Hwa wants Soo Ryun to kill her because she doesn’t want to become a gisaeng or the mother of a monster. Soo Ryun refuses since Pyung Joon tasked her with taking care of Seo Hwa.
Somehow Seo Hwa manages to run away and back to the cave. It leads to her remember the happy times she spent there with Wol Ryung. It would have been better if you remembered that 9 months ago, lady. Seo Hwa gives birth alone to her baby, whose birth is accompanied by the same mystical blue lights. The same lights flicker over to Taoist priest So Jung.
Seo Hwa pulls out a hatchet and raises it over the baby. OH NO YOU DON’T! She can’t bear to look at the baby and apologizes to Wol Ryung because she must do this.
As she is about to strike, the floating blue lights illuminate the baby’s face and it’s the face of an angel cherub. This stops murdering Seo Hwa in her tracks and she cries that the baby is not a monster. She sobs over the guilt of considering murdering her baby.
A rich man named Park Moo Sol and his friends are having an outing by the river and his attention is captured by the sound of a crying baby. He wades into the river and retrieves a basket with a baby boy in it.
So Jung randomly shows up and decrees that this rich man finding a baby shall bring good fortune to him if he raises the baby well. Moo Sol’s buddy says he ought to name the baby Kang Chi (from the river) because that is where the baby came from. The decide Kang Chi’s last name shall be Choi which is the name of a family servant.
So Jung narrates that the sad love affair between Seo Hwa and the mountain spirit Wol Ryung ended, but with it comes the birth of a new legend…………..
Thoughts of Mine:
This drama really gives me déjà vu heebie jeebies back to Man of Honor, which I recapped until my brain literally exploded and I had to pick up the pieces and reconstitute it. That drama was surprisingly easy to watch in the same pretty way, had some crazy outlandish characters and narrative stretches, but ultimately I accepted the makjang without asking more of it. But that drama still went to hell in a handbasket because nonsensical writing still taxes my patience and sanity no matter how low my expectations. I was a tad wary when Kwan Woong was introduced as this leering murdering fiend and hoped maybe he was going to be fleshed out a bit. Nope. He apparently is just that evil, and a lust for a friend’s young daughter is enough for him to commit all sorts of atrocities, and in whatever town they live in he clearly has free rein. None of the secondary characters were fleshed out in episode 2 in any way, with the time spent on the maudlin romance between poor clueless Wol Ryung and bipolar Seo Hwa. It boggles the mind that even seeing Wol Ryung gumino-out and attack the soldiers, she would be scared of him and run to the very soldiers there to subjugate her to a life of slavery and prostitution. Like, what? And to be mad at Wol Ryung for lying about her brother’s fate? That was ridiculous and such a small transgression compared to the horrible things done by Kwan Woong such as murdering her dad and brother and attempting to turn her into his personal sex slave. She ought to have applauded Wol Ryung and then sauntered back to the cave happy her personal kickass husband can keep her safe well enough.
I was also very impatient with how the drama proffers up characters like Soo Ryun, So Jung, and Pyung Joon, interesting characters with a lot of potential to be good and bad depending on what the situation calls for. But the writer spends no time on giving them more color other than superficial plot purposes. I also see how the writer purposely makes all the characters intertwined in the fate of the parents and Kang Chi so this world will become one very tiny town where in the future everyone happens in run into each other all the time. GFB feels like a drama written with a chubby fat crayon, when really it needs to be written with a fine tip pen. There is no subtlety anywhere, and without it the viewer will increasingly feel impatient watching because the predictability and obviousness weighs down the experience of seeing something interesting on screen. I felt like the opening sequence was just the opening sequence from MoH and Baker King, but transplanted to a sageuk and with fantasy elements. Of course my love for Lee Seung Gi will keep me watching, but my tentative hopes from episode 1 took a cold shower in episode 2 and now I feel like a miserable drowned rat. While the parents love story went from promising in its epic possibility to utterly appalling in how Seo Hwa turned on her protector husband, I still think the kids section ought to be judged on its own merits. Will it start delivering some delicate nuance? Will the characterizations become compelling? Will the music transform into something actually decent (that English song kills me, it’s like watching Game of Thrones when suddenly a Bollywood number pops up)? Or will I be forced to quit you, GFB? Please don’t make me quit you. I was hoping you would complete me.
OMG thank you for agreeing about Seo Hwa being a complete nut job! I get that her being upset is a given, but really she was stupid enough to bring those goood for nothing soldiers to moonlight garden to kill WR? wow! tsk tsk.
Ok since there is a possibility of Wol Ryung being alive, then the plot I read about in January might be true for Gu family book. Apparently WR will lose his memories and work with the enemies (without having aged a day >.< yippee!! ), and there will come a day when Kang Chi will have to fight him. That will be interesting, but I really don't want that lol
thanks for the recap!! hoping it doesn't digress further into the episodes, I can't not watch LSG!! 😀
Man Seo Hwa’s character pisses me off I understand her being angry and mad at first but really 9 months?
Because you know a Gumiho that does everything to protect her and lie to her about the deaths of her maid and brother is more worse than an old man destroying her family because he lusts for her and ultimately turns her into a prostitute and kills her brother + forces maid to commit suicide is a better option.
I was flabbergasted when she wanted to murder her ‘monster’ baby!! geeeesh…
I totally agree that Seo Hwa’s actions in the second half of the episode were entirely nonsensical. I have absolutely no sympathy for her character, and in fact, feel sorry for those that sacrificed themselves for her, ie: her brother and the maid. That writing was so terrible.
And yes, the English song is driving me nuts too. It’s so off-putting somehow.
Other than that, I pretty much enjoyed the episode. Especially the first half. I’m ok with them having spent all the time with the couple in the episode, just because there was a lot of stuff squeezed in to such a small amount of time. They could have spent two more episodes on the parents and I wouldn’t have minded, and perhaps it would have done the storyline more justice (and maybe Seo Hwa wouldn’t have had to turn bipolar just to advance the plot).
But of course that would mean cutting into Seung Gi time, and we can’t have that. 🙂 Still going to keep watching and hope it picks up again. Now that they’re through rushing (hopefully) things will get back to better writing.
Seo Hwa’s flight to the enemy might have made more sense if her character was more fleshed out – for example, if she was extremely superstitious and afraid of ghosts, monsters, etc. or if we saw that she had a backstory with Mr. Evil being kind to her, or if we saw that what had happened to her had permanently damaged her ability to trust, love, and think rationally, or if we saw that she was already wierded out by her husband’s odd behavior and abilities. I can think of plenty of ways to make her actions at least a little bit more understandable, but instead she just moves at the whim of the plot. Written with a fat crayon, indeed.
Exactly! That’s why I almost wish they hadn’t rushed through this segment of the story, if it had been fleshed out better then maybe (maybe) it would have made sense. Perhaps.
oh noes!! :/
I sped through E2 and couldn’t understand the misunderstanding b/w the parents. While I DO understand SH unraveling upon learning the truth it annoyed me still. Very much so. Poor WR!!
ugh, I hope for Seung-gi’s sake that the writer doesn’t go cray cray on him AND us. Lastly, in the preview Suzy had dead eyes when KC’s all like, “I’ll protect you”. This is kindaaa not looking good.
“Lastly, in the preview Suzy had dead eyes when KC’s all like, “I’ll protect you” – Agree with you, Saima.
This scene reminded me of K2H when Hang-Ah ran out from her room and hugged Jae-Ha. You can literally see in Jae-Ha’s face that he might feel something, even though no words were spoken. It’s so different here, even with the narative.
I had the same reaction, “WTH?” Not only did she run away from him, but she even went to the people who wants her ass captured? PLUS she helped the person who framed and killed her own father and tried to turn her into a gisaeng into killing/capturing her Gumiho lover? What in the flying fuck was that? Dear writer, she could’ve just ran away from BOTH, you know.
Then of course she realized it waaaay too late. Can’t we have one drama where people could behave rationally? No matter how scared I would be, why the hell would I go running to the people who want me dead? I’ll just ask the blue thingys to carry me to Hawaii or something.
^^”I’ll just ask the blue thingys to carry me to Hawaii or smth” –> lulz!!
*chuckles yet again*
I knew it ,i knew it, i knew it this happens every time i like the first episode i end up completely disappointed!
From now on i only watch dramas where i HATE the first episode , from there it can only get better!
lol! But I feel the same way.. I JUST finished the 1st episode, and go to check the recap on the 2nd epi cause I’m just wary that way about anything makjangi. Well, I guess I’ll drop this series like a hot potato then. Too bad…I really like LSG, but I never ever watch any drama for the sake of an actor/actress.
The writer rears her ugly head. It is pretty dumb to spend so much effort making viewers fall in love with the characters in the first episode, before destroying them in the second. Cold water poured on the warmth and heart no doubt.
@koalasplayground: if you really want a drama to complete you, go watch Nine. You’ll fall head over heels with it! 🙂
I agree, except I didn’t really like Seo Wha in the first episode, either. I felt sorry for her, really, really sorry, but I wondered if she was really the person Wol Ryung thought she was. He had no basis for loving except her face and the whole damsel in distress thing.
She was awfully quick to sacrifice her sweet little maid, and that seemed unnecessary- it didn’t gain them any time at all, really. She was unnecessarily scornful and snotty about the Gisaengs- having wrongfully ended there herself unfairly, she might have given at least a small twinge of sympathy to the idea that those ‘lowly’ women might not be there by choice, either.
Your second point does not reflect the way of the past. The yangbans would pride themselves to die instead of being humiliated/violated. So those who took the route of surviving/prostituting is looked down upon. She wanted to die but couldn’t for the sake of her brother. So this point is coherent and accurate. Though it can be further argued that the others gisaeng faced the same problem but that is too far fetched. The scorn for gisaengs has always been true for common folks and even more the yangbans.
LOL, right. Because this drama was *all* about historical accuracy and verisimilitude.=)
OMG, i suspected the 1st ep was written by the writer’s assistant and then writer continued the rest :)). How can the story develop so weirdly? It just made no sense how stupid Seo Hwa can be. But I guess it means her love for him isn’t that strong like his so she’s so easy to be swayed, but trusting the words of your father & brother’s killer? That’s just nonsense. I had super high hope after watching ep 1 but super worried after ep 2, please writer, don’t screw it off, for my baby Seung Gi’s sake, please, please, please. Having Suzy in the drama makes me worry enough, don’t pull another Man of Honor please. :(((
oh, forgot to add, baby Kang Chi is so adorable, kind of make me forgot about the whole nonsensical writing of ep 2 😀
Why oh why did this drama die so fast… at least it’s only the parents. Bring on Lee Seung Gi!
I think I’ll wait until Lee Seung Gi appears before I spend any more time on this drama. Otherwise, I might get so pissed off by episode 2, I’ll just scrap the whole drama.
Seriously, this writer needs to go back to Writing 101. She could have Wol Ryung be injured while trying to protect Seo Hwa without the betrayal. It’s makes it more poignant to have true love thwarted by Evil Baddy instead of the craziness. If instead of being upset about the baby we could have seen Seo Hwa tell the baby about his wonderful daddy and how they loved each other so much before sending baby away for his safety.
I liked the episode, but yeah the romance died man. I like the monk/gumiho daddy more than SW and WR in the end. I know a lot of people are falling over themselves in love with the couple, but I take this as a lesson in what not to do in romance. This doesn’t diminish my hopes for Kangchi and his journey though. I don’t think YW will do anything as stupid as she did and KC will have reasons to fall in love. So, I’m still very hopeful for the future.
‘Sadly Seo Hwa is no Kagome…’ …..My God I can’t stop laughing when I read this…
never understood the fascination with lee seung gi…hes not even that handsome (hes got an ugly nose) and hes not even a great actor. is it because ajummas like a young man? like those older woman younger man relationships in dramas? is it because hes a singer and like all idols and singers have a huge loyal fanbase that watch their dramas to make it popular and high in ratings even though its not good?
so far not rly liking this show.
Because 1) Seung gi isn’t plastic and 2) He does things other than acting, namely singing and variety shows. In fact, he’s only done about 4 dramas but he has done more variety gigs and he’s got 5 albums.
Seung Gi basically has a flawless career for 9 years now. Never got into any scandals, never did drugs, etc. basically he’s normal. He is 6-foot tall, which is a plus for most Koreans. He was president in middle school and high school. He got into university through his grades instead of his celebrity status. He finished his degree in 4 years despite producing albums and appearing in variety and drama, and he’s now in his 2nd Master’s degree. He’s humble, and he even drives the same car as his manager. Where will you find a celebrity that drives the same car as his manager? Not to mention he was discovered and trained under the famed Lee Sun Hee.
Lol he’s known as the noona killer ever since his X-man days.
Ahh, so much fail from just reading the recap. This is why I don’t dl eps anymore lest I end up deleting them
Well, the handsome part is really personal preference, but I think that Lee Seung Gi is beloved by people for being the “perfect son,” charming, and all around good guy. I’m definitely younger than Lee Seung Gi, and that doesn’t stop me from enjoying his acting, variety and singing. Don’t throw him into the general idol pool just because he has a fan-base; he’s pretty good at what he does, and therefore has dedicated fans. And no, those fans are not all ahjummas looking for younger guys.
Please don’t think I’m telling you to like Lee Seung Gi–that’s entirely your choice. I’m just asking that you don’t bash the people who do like him.
You didn’t even saw him and is complaining? Pfff talk about hating him.
He was very good on King2hearts, did you watch it?
Plus he is loved not because he is a singer, but because the guy is perfect.
He is polite, funny, always friendly and caring, paparazzi stayed 3 years following him and found NOTHING bad about him, not even one thing.
His smile is also really warm and beautiful. And his nose, I prefer it than the other plastic noses all kactors have.
Eeeer Koala, so it would really make sense for her not being scared of a monster who just killed errr all the men there? Please. Of course she would be scared. Just because the man was gentle and good to her doesn’t make him killing others good or disappear. He is a gumiho. People at that time knew Gumiho pretended to be humans to trick them. She could have felt he was just toying/lying to her and he was dangerous – as he showed to be after killing everyone.
It doesn’t make sense in that she willingly went to seek her father’s killer and attempted rapist. Her fear and shock is understandable, to seek out her greatest enemy is pure writer crap. You gotta call a spade a spade.
Honestly, I think people who say things like this don’t really know much about him. I’m not saying everyone who does know falls in love with him, but if you knew the type of person he was, his work and image you’d understand the fascination people have. Being handsome or not has nothing to do with it. Seunggi doesn’t live off his face. He’ll still be popular when he’s old and wrinkled because he’s built a solid career and reputation.
I never understood the fascination of hanging out on a blog post about someone I don’t Like to post nasty rude comments, I stay away. Why don’t you try doing that as well, unless of course you get off in some way by showing your ignorance in cyberspace. From this point on its all about him, why not try checking out another drama instead. And you understanding the fascination for this guy just in not necessary or needed as for myself and a million others we understand it.
never understood the UNfascination with lee seung gi…
my reasons: you can read the comments above me, starting from @foulou.
Not sure if English has the word UNsatisfaction, but you know what I mean.^^
In my humble opinion, you don’t need to question something like this. 🙂
If how good a lead looks affect your decision on watching a drama, you were never in it for the story anyway.
I think you should separate the drama from the actor. Even if you don’t like the drama, that should not have any significance to the actor as a person. Moreover, there are many people out here who are not so shallow as to be taken in by looks. True, SG is not among the flower-boy or the chiselled-face category of good looks, but what he has in terms of personality and character far outweigh any good looks. For those of us who are more discerning and put weight on character and talent, LSG is the man.
Incidentally, I want to say that he is much better looking in person and his acting has improved. He was not a bad actor to being with, but he nailed it in The King 2 Hearts.
I understand why people love him but he never did it for me.
Too bad for you ! It’s a different story for me coz the only k actor that I ever Iike is LSG.
I hav eno problem with his acting or singing. I like it. A lot. But yeah, I also cannot understand the fascination.
Mmmmm…… I’m pretty much younger than seung gi
I do agree that most of drama throw some idols to catch viewers, but I think it’s different with seung gi. In fact, his fans growing after each drama, as his acting capabilities also growing up too. I watch Shing inheritance, My Girlfriend is Gumiho and The King2Hearts, so I think I’m capable enough to answer this, aren’t I?
As for Seung gi face, everybody has their own preference though 🙂
It hurt to watch this episode and have my hopes dashed. What in the actual fuck was the writer thinking? Now I’m just waiting for the parent section to be over when I was so excited for the parental love story yesterday. To the point where I didn’t want the younger leads to come in yet. Can’t come fast enough now…
Hopefully, Suzy will be a Kagome. She seems more like a Kagome anyway. God, wtf happened in this episode? Everything progressed way too fast and fell apart just as fast. I was so hoping the SH from the preview of episode 2 was some sort of misdirection because she can’t possible be THAT dumb. I was wrong. 🙁 Their preview is exactly what you expect from the upcoming episode, no surprises whatsoever.
lol bless. this episode’s ratings went up.
I suspect the Korean ahjummas do not like the revisionist theme of Jang Ok Jung, especially an evil Dong Yi.
This will probably be a much bigger hit than TK2H, which is a shame. Though maybe it’ll end up being a masterpiece. I’m still holding out hope.
I am going to ignore the sheer craziness of mommy dearest here in the 2nd half and focus on the actual main characters. She must have been in a pretty “off” state to attempt to kill her own child. Just saying that something must have not been right to even consider something like that as a mother. I am not really a fan of lsg, and I didn’t love K2Hs as much as most people, however, I am still interested in this story 🙂 As someone else said, it’s important to separate the characters from the actor itself. Some stories, people really love and others don’t. In any case, I hope that this one turns out good all the way through 🙂 Fighting!
how can that cute baby grow up to be seunggi? maybe there will be a baby sway down the line? hehehehe
Is the gumiho father dead? I initially thought that at first but it seems some people have a different interpretation, that the forest is treating his injuries.
I completely AGREE!!
Can someone fix my broken heart now, this episode made me cry and I cried a lot.
I think Seo Hwa got scared, she didn’t expect him suddenly to show his other side and she freaked out.
In the end though she does realize her mistake and ends up regretting it figuring out that she really did love Wol Ryung and that their child is not a monster. Also I think she was genuinely happy with him living in that very nice cave.
Now I’m hoping we get to see them kiss and make up in the end riiight, drama pleaaase.
ugh. I was so looking forward to watching this drama but not anymore. I was hoping for just a few good episodes, and I cannot believe its gone stupid already. I just… I can understand Se Hwa running away- but to the man who killed her father in front of her? What does she expect from him?! When has he proved that he would help her?! It’s so utterly ridiculous. And it just makes her feelings for woo ryung seem so shallow, that she does not even consider forgiving him or try to understand him, as you would someone you loved. I feel for WR, though I do wonder why on earth he fell for her. I could have accepted the insta love, if this episode had carried through to show their relationship deepen, and then had it end…in a way that made sense. ugh. so not the moving, powerful love story I was expecting/hoping for.
Love your recap.i’m no suprise or sad about story. Maybe i know it ‘ll happened. But i also falling love story parent. They ‘re good job. I know alot her story. Heartbreak , sad, warm, hard laugh. Story of parent so bad for them, but what happene to their son. If his farther live, he is monster? Wife?love his son so sad too. What that love this story because monster so scare but however human is scare too. Writter good job , she make views falling dad monster than his unlucky son . Story so interest but also some normal too. actor so good, product so good. Hope you recap it until and love your think. I agree.
I guess when watching a drama, more than it being good or bad, the thing that matters is if you enjoy it, like it and are able to connect with it. There were a lot of dramas that people raved about and when I watched it I could see what was good about it, yet I dropped it. And dramas that objectively are bad yet I like it or enjoy it enough to keep watching.
My point is, I hope the readers do not make decision to stop watching without seeing it themselves. I read your comment for this episode first before watching it, and I think it was not as bad as you make it seem.
Of course objectively, some scenes and actions are questionable if you think about it but I find this episode romantic and very moving. I watched Man Of Honor, and dropped it just after 1 or 2 episodes. There’s no subtlety at all with that drama, makjang all around.
This drama and this episode in comparison has a lot of hearts while still having the makjang aspect (even in Ep1). In this episode, I think I started to tear up when SH said thanks to WR and hugged him. I could just feel her relief at that time. And then when WR turned into the beast, fighting the evil guys, OMG, I was sobbing so badly there while finding him very scary at the same time. That’s why I think I can understand SH’s action after that. She loves him, yes. She feels bad for him, yes. But he’s still a scary monster. And if I have a baby monster in my tummy I would want to abort and lose it as well. I think that was such a great realistic conflict. Besides, i think she just seem to go crazy after all these that happen to her that she can’t really think properly. She going to the soldiers is like she’s getting tired of running away from them and just want to surrender herself. i hate it that she went to reveal his place to the soldiers, but the scene following that captured my attention and affected me so much where I was crying so badly again watching WR feeling so betrayed and sad, that by the end of the episode I can say, this is one great episode. Not perfect (I don’t think Ep1 was perfect as well) but a great one nevertheless.
It’s too bad that you don’t seem to connect with this drama like I do, because I love to read your posts when we are on the same wavelength. I hope the coming episodes will continue to be good. Looking forward to Kang Chi’s story!
I so agree with your perspective, everyone is bashing SH actions, instead I think we should be more compassionate towards her, it’s true the episode is not perfect, but I do not agree her actions is unreasonable. We must remember this happened in saguek times and era. Gumiho is feared as much as an devil ?! It is an era that woman has no rights and life’s of the weak am poor has no value in the eyes of the powerful. SH saw the WR rages and the horrible claws. To her he is an unknown creature a monster that is not human. We now lived in a world that feel vampire is romantic? So we are more receptive towards WR but in that era, WR should be very scary monster in the eyes of others. Hence the backbone of the story. To become human. About her giving up the baby. She has hated the baby because she has been thinking of the baby as a monster child, can you imagine carrying a child that is not human? until the last moment she saw that he did not look like a monster , it’s perfectly understandable she could not live with the baby , for reasons, she could not care for it? She could not face the baby. So sad that SH is so misunderstood by most ppl..
I don’t know how you gyus feel, but for me jank Ok Jung may be the One… Suzy’s acting in the preview is scaring me. I looooove Lee Seung Gi though.
I have to wonder if it was really necessary to make Seo Hwa be the worst witch ever?! I mean weren’t their other ways for this to end tragically without her having to betray the man who loved her and try repeatedly to kill their baby?! Seriously! My hate for her now rivals my hate for the main baddie and quite frankly I hope she dies a horrible and torturous death. I wonder if our hero will find out that mommy dearest tried repeatedly to kill him? And I wonder how the OTP will overcome the fact that her dad killed (or seemingly killed) his dad? Argh. I still really like this show and I will watch it, but Seo Hwa just made me so mad that I am having trouble keeping breakfast down.
So is Wol-Ryung still alive? Or was the forest just laying him to rest? If he is, I would be really happy! His character is so cute and caring.
OMG, I watched these first 2 episodes in a college library and Seo Hwa was so effing frustrating the girl behind me secretly watching got angry too. She tapped me on the shoulder to ask what I was watching and then we spent the rest of the episode bitching at Seo Hwa for being such a dumbass.
We could not even believe it when she not only went back to her attempted rapist and the murderer of her entire fucking family but then she had the gall to lead the soldiers to her husband’s secret hideout?! Talking bout, ‘Why didn’t you tell me about my brother?’ when the damned dude who murdered him is standing right next to her!
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were a divine being?’ Dis bitch done lost it. Obviously it was because some small part of him must’ve known you couldn’t be trusted.
She didn’t deserve anything in that drama. Not her steadfast little brother, not her sacrificially loyal maid, not Wol Ryung, and definitely not his baby. (Still reeling from her about to scythe that baby in the face after she gave birth to him.) The Shame Tree the Madam put her on was too gentle a punishment.
I’m gonna channel Taylor Swift for one tiny moment and just say Wol Ryung should’a been with me.
no going to watch becomes tiring now..read your recap till you decide to stop too…Thanks Ockoala..
This drama is just poorly executed. Even the teaser that shows the main actors, you can predict that there will be tacky scenes in the future.
O.M.G.
this blows my mind. How can anyone write with this f-up logic, how can anyone let this pass, how can anyone act out this logic? I’ll just erase this episode ever happen in my mind