I’ve been thinking about Bu Bu Jing Xin often these past few days, the sequel is filming right now and the producers of the currently airing Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love referenced their drama as a Korean version of BBJX before it aired. I actually thought the first 8 episodes was a worthy successor to BBJX, with a heady aura of love blossoming in political and social quagmires and the feeling of delightful discovery with interesting characters and lovely cinematography. Episodes 8-9 were good but not great, but starting this week the drama took a bath in traditional K-drama makjang and shed any resemblance to the epic love-that-cannot-be that is BBJX. What made the early parts of JOJ work, and what made all of BBJX work, was that the characters all had motivations that were intelligent and understandable, so even if they were at-odds it wasn’t based on irrational decisions and spur-of-the-moment chicanery. That in turn led to the love story having such incredible depth and pathos, because it felt hopeful and hopeless at the same time, like the characters could do everything right and still the world and positions they inhabit will create a divide between them. Ruo Xi and 4th Prince never had any misunderstanding, it was always that they understood each other’s actions and reasoning too well but they simply didn’t have the same point of view. I worry that Lee Soon, once he stares tiring of the fighting because of Ok Jung, will be susceptible to his love for her wavering. Especially when she is no longer so innocent, even if she’s only doing what she needs to do to survive. I expect and want Ok Jung to have a backbone and push back against Dowager Queen Kim and Minister Min, I just didn’t expect all the scheming and fighting that happened recently to be so impulsive and direct. What happened to the subtlety and nuance of earlier?
Written preview for episode 13:
Dowager Queen Kim summons the shaman to determine the right date for the consummation of the wedding night between Lee Soon and Queen In Hyun. On the other hand, Hyun Chi Soo finds Minister Min and offers to finance the Soron faction, in exchange all he wants is the head of Jang Hyun…….
A few novel leaks:
Someone who read the novel posted a few leaked plot developments – In Hyun remains classy and a victim of other’s machinations when she is stripped of being the Queen, Ok Jung rises through the ranks but her position is not secure due to the arrival of scheming Choi Sukbin, later on Lee Soon listens to all the whispered words of Choi Sukbin in his ear at night when they are in bed and she is the main reason for Ok Jung’s fall from grace, in the end Ok Jung lives banished to the far edges of the Palace for some time before she is eventually ordered death by poison by Lee Soon. The drama has thus far deviated significantly from the novel even starting in episode 1, so I don’t know whether any of this will be how things do down in the drama. I sure hope not, because I already can’t stand Choi Sukbin’s smirk. Jang Heebin 4ever!
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I HATE SUKBIN here!!!! And i hate LEE SOON even more if he discard ok jung that easy...I want chilsoo to be the backbone of OK JUNG once he choose sukbin over her whatever but ONCE she achieve more money by (chilsoo) + a son( soon to be king)= then more POWER
All i wish to see is ok jung becoming lee soons wife,love them
so true!! i hate sukbin too!! if jang ok jung cannot bear the king's son, i'm done.. the history will be end... jang ok jung is nearly becoming my all time favorite korean historical drama and if the drama screwed by making the main's loss her true love, uh uh not fun at all... i hope the story line will be more interesting...
Wow. Usually when i see posts like "written preview" or "preview to ep --" for JOJ i get so excited but I couldnt help but notice for this one, I was bracing for the worst.
Although the show took a turn for the worse, i will watch till the bitter end, because this OTP is the only thing that i'm holding onto.
I was glad you posted some information of JOJ (hence I do not have any knowledge of KOREAN history). I truly pity her, what a FATE!
The heck?! This is absurd. The novel sucks if the King truly loved Ok Jung he wouldn't listen to Sukbin and will not be the one who caused her death. I don't know if I'll be ale to take Sukbin no offense but I don't like Seungyeon for this role. I agree that smirk, is really irritating. I pray to the Drama Gods that this show redeem itself for the succeeding episodes left and will not follow the novel I bet the fans deserves better than that. :)
*will redeem
*deserve
waaaaaaaaah i am already hating the arrival of Choi Sukbin!
me too! I hate it big time! >:[
Hi nonski here you are we bumped to each other virtually again. :)
nadoo nadoo
*nod *nod
OMG - Capt K! My jaw completely dropped at the leaked parts of the novel. All I have to say is my thoughts about Lee Soon were right from the get go. He was so not worth everything that she sacrificed for him. :( I really have to give this drama up to save my sanity. I'll revisit it once it's finished. Crying tears - this novel doesn't really sound much different from Dong Yi's version of OJ.
Koala - you really put all the feelings that I had in the last few episodes into words about JOJ. Thank you!!!!!!! You are absolutely right. The great part about BBJX was that there was never a misunderstanding between the 4th prince & RX, but they did not see eye to eye on some key things. Can I call that mature and it was love that was deep but could not be. I keep harping on JOJ LIL because I just don't feel like that Soonjung love is that deep. They need to show me something more. It's clear that Lee Soon does waver. That to me, is just... sigh... I should go back and rewatch BBJX yet again with my boxes of tissues that I was going use here. I just wish CS could be the knight in shining amour and take OJ away. CSB - I really do not like you!!!!!!!!
Just to add:
Ok Jung fighting!!!!!!!!!! I support you until the end. Too bad it couldn't have been Prince DP or CS. Why or why?!
me too.. i like Prince DP the best.. hope for the best for this drama... *finger cross*
Uhmm! The revenge!?! So Chi soo found out that Jang Hyun ordered his men to set a fire to Mrs. Kang's cloth boutique which she died while tried to save Ok Jung.
I read a comment somewhere that the mastermind behind Queen Inhyun and Jang Hee Bin dead was the one who got the most benefit. I couldn't think of anyone else but Dong Yi. :( "
... surely you need to differentiate this show from historical record? The real life In Hyun, JOJ, and Choi Sukbin likely all had shades of grey but there's nothing to suggest that the latter had anything to do with JOJ's death. Imagining JOJ as some sort of helpless victim is just as reprehensible as reducing her to an evil temptress.
Ahhhhhhhhhh so that's who CS was. I had actually forgotten who he was amongst all the drama changes. Oops.
I have to say though, watching "Cruel Palace War of Flowers" (btw awesome drama), I have a big soft spot for the Grand Queen Dowager Jo (I know...different dramas etc but I just really love the actress playing the young Queen there - she is just calm and composed so it;s nice to see the GQD go all fiery in this drama).
After watching Dong Yi (not all of it as it was very long drama and I was manager of that drama.) version and read your recap of OK Jung, Koala Unni. I think it is interesting of the novel leak information. I love reading your recap of this drama but pass on not watching it. I wonder why they did not also show Queen Inwon too?
guess she's too insignificant. too much harem. haha
I assume because she enters stage right once JOJ bites it.
I am already hating the SukBin character. I am super mad at Lee Soon too. How can he sleep with her? I thought he is the wise one when it comes to people using tricks on him. How can he be swayed by this little young thief girl? No matter how I look at it, I can't understand how he can do this to his baby's mama, okjung. Why cant he be more understanding for her after everything? So what she becomes more evil ? It's only because of her greed. That's normal for every individuals in life. They all want to have something more they love in life and not content with what they have. If he puts in more attentionand shows more affection for her, she wouldnt have become so lonely in life and wouldnt have gone through certain evil things. Please just love her lee soon and forget about suk bin. If only I can sit down face to face with the king. ...
if i sit down face to face with lee soon, i will slap him right on his right cheek if he ever dares to sleep other than with ok jung.. boy, the girl surely devastated her life to him and he's gonna threw her over that little thief just like that?! bad king!
I'm so distraught with the plot leaks. Omg how could Lee Soon do that to his beloved OJ? Why was she ever painted the villain again? To me, LS is callous and mean, undeserving of love of any kind! He is the ultimate villain in my book. I don't blame the other woman. There's always going to be the lure of other women for a king, but its his unfaithful "love" and awful betrayal that destroyed their love. And to order her death, gosh piss me off. I really really hope the drama will somehow give a more sympathetic version of LS or I'll definitely hate him.
Although I must say I dislike Choi Sukbin already. I can already see how the drama will playout. LS will turn to her probably out of jealousy or distrust of OJ. He'll impulsively order OJ to die in her face never believing she would go through with it. He'll find out Sukbin never loved him and regret his reckless command for the rest of his life, and ends up living a sad lonely existence forever. *sigh* what an ending to a supposedly beautiful love story
Because historically Jang Heebin was a villain, she was responsible for the murder of Queen In Hyun and was caught and punished.
Lee Soon as the king could not pardon her for such a grave crime even though he had feelings for her.
Holding some kind of Shamanic rite and praying for queen IH's death does not make OJ responsible for her death. It certainly isn't murder. But I guess they believe in that stuff back then. Still, to paint her a villain because of that is going too far.
the questions: "Is there such a thing as an objective history? Is history a bare chronicle of facts listed year by year on a musty historybooks ?