Episode 7 + 8 were unreal, and took some detour into romance land, where Yeon Joo forgets all about being a doctor…
I hated the romance's guts too :P For once, it lacked the emotional build up and it made Yeon Joo seems like a person who has a cotton candy instead of a brains in her head. Let's say chief surgeon spoke my mind when he danced in the hallways saying the writer is BACK after he got rid of stupid Yeon Joo. I felt a tinge of emotion for her crying, but she wore the same dumbfounded face in the entire episode... I can't sympathize much with that face.
I think that writer is trying to send a message for all drama writers out there through this show: Don't create your characters on a whim. Don't follow canned cliches. Your characters will come out and hunt you if their story doesn't make sense!
When Yeon Hui had to make the choice between living curse-free knowing that Joon had sacrificed his life for her or dying herself (i.e. Breaking her curse by being the sacrifice herself), she chooses the latter (she switched the sacrifice potion).
Years and years later, Heo Joon is a famous royal doctor. He's fulfilled his promise to Yeon Hui and wrote his famous medical book. In the final scene- when he sees the kite- that was him dying. When we saw young Heo Joon that was actually his soul finding Yeon Hui in heaven. So, they were reunited in death :')
I've only seen young Princess Nang Rang. I've had no idea she grew into this beautiful lady :)
I've also seen JIS in the 'unrepeatable excruciating experience'. I hope to God they start giving her roles where she isn't abused.
I like that when you write these articles you don't start by the obvious choices (eg. KSR, KSH, KYJ....). Otherwise, these brilliant actors would've totally went under the radar.
Why do so many people like the Queen Dowager??? I'm only on episode 9 but I still hate her. She hasn't actually…
I like her because she is very interesting as a character with her wavering loyalties. She is adds nice balance of powers in the game of authority in the palace. I sympathize with her pain as a grieving mother and above all, the actress plays her so well.
Is she a good person? No, but I still like her on my screen anyways. I also like Hong Joo because she's darn interesting herself too.
I understand your guilt. My guilt used to prevent me from dropping dramas that I thought were bad. I felt it was disrespectful for the cast, producers, and the crew who worked really hard on it. Thankfully, I matured out of it...
As for weakling female leads, I think people who are too good for their own good do exist for real, but as a lot of people said in the comments the acting is what elevates a character from being a plain doormat to a real person with sensitivities and problems... The acting changes pity to sympathy or whatever...
I noticed that Koreans, in general, like to glorify crying. The results of this over-killing use of crying is the viewer's detachment more than anything. I don't feel the same problem when watching Japanese dramas. I remember one *important* crying scene was shot from behind in a drama I forgot. We were only allowed to see the actors back and to hear the little sound they made instead of seeing the pouring rivers on their faces...
I usually like complicated things but ugh, this one is losing me, and i don't know if it is my fault or the show's.…
The 5 years ago incident: I just re-checked Dramabeans (recapping site) and look what they said about the historical backdrop of the first episode:
So, the first killed King was actually Seo Ri's step-uncle.
"because while everything about this episode’s central plotline is fictional, the story does fit in nicely with what history has told us of Queen Munjeong, King Myeongjong, et al. The drama makes veiled references to “five years ago” and an unnatural passing, which must be King Injong’s death, putting this episode in 1550 or thereabouts. Injong’s sudden death at 30 years old after nine months of rule has been the source of much speculation over the years, particularly that he was poisoned by his stepmother, Queen Munjeong, who had her eye on the throne for her own son.
Myeongjong thus ascended at the age of 11, and his mother acted as regent, remaining influential after he came of age. Hence his frustration with her domineering nature. If we’re taking “five years ago” to mean Injong’s death, King Myeongjong is around 16 or 17 in this episode. He had one son by his queen, Crown Prince Sunhoe, who is Kim Sae-ron’s twin."
As for the curse: I think the curse was meant to activate on its own on the seventeenth birthday.
Yo Gwang was a Taoist Monk so it's fair to say that he knows his way around magical spells and talisman. in episode 4 or 3, he also stuck some talismans on Seo Ri when he guided her to see her sick Faux-Oppa. So, I'm guessing after going to Seo Ri's rescue, he helped hide in the Mountain Place (which was already magically protected if you remember the Taoist Monks had hard time finding its entry).
I think whoever revived Yo Gwang is the same person who plucked Seo Ri out of the frozen lake. I don't think Yo Gwang could've done that alone. We saw him aiding an unconscious Seo Ri, but there's no evidence he actually saved her himself.
I usually like complicated things but ugh, this one is losing me, and i don't know if it is my fault or the show's.…
Okay, I think the show is complicated. I don't know if it's leaving things unanswered on purpose to show answers later or if it has no idea what it's doing.
Let me try to explain things.
First: The curse
The twins were cursed. They will die on their 17th birthday and if they survive they will live a life worse than death. Everyone they love...bla bla (you know that).
Princess was double-cursed and supposedly killed to save the prince, but Taoist master kept her in a place protected by the yellow talismans so she was off-the-radar. That's why everything went well. When she went out, the curse was activated: Her faux-oppa fell ill, her real oppa's hair became white, her hair became white and everyone started dying right and left.
She was supposed to die herself, except that we know (only her real Oppa could kill her). Here's the question that the show left unanswered:
- Who is the mystery guy who stuck the spell and revived the Blade Warrior? Who saved the princess from drowning? and how?
My guess is after this mysterious interference, the princess was kept in another spell protected place, off-radar. Basically, in her spell-protected exile she doesn't exist to the outside world and the curse goes dormant. That's why her faux-oppa woke up fine, her real oppa's hair went black again and he woke up fine too. I think Joon survived death because of the mirror though. That also explains why her hair was rendered white after she left the protection of her exile. Also, the talismans burned when she left just as it happened 5 years before.
Technically, the crown prince should've lived, but the Witch killed him.
Why? The Witch knew princess was alive and she's the only one who could kill her, so she needed all the power she can get. She seemed to have restored the black magic power she used to create the Prince from the first place, therefore poor thing died.
But, according to this explanation the prince and the princess seem to be equally cursed. So, I suppose if the princess lives, the transfer doesn't work. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been important to kill her from the first place. Just let her live till her 17th birthday and she would die anyway, right?
Second: Joon
I think he had a deal going on with his Hyung so that everyone would treat him as nobility. He was definitely dressing/acting like one. He thanked his Hyung for his kindness and for looking after him. Then, he was arrested for fraud/impersonating nobility. I guess it's safe to say that his Hyung (who was off the hook because of his mother's connections) back-stabbed him.
Third: Taoist Master Hyun Soo
We know that he was severely injured by the Witch, but we don't know if he died for sure. Apparently, he didn't. The Witch is using some kind of Magic to preserve him.
The Witch had a flashback to the time she killed the ex-ex King. This was 5 years before the first episode.i.e before the twins were made. The Witch was Hyun Soo's pupil, but she decided to use black magic. The Grand Queen (twin's grandma) asked her to murder the King (who was probably the uncle of her son (Twin's father). Then, the weak King (Twin's father) became King. In episode 1, Hyun Soo told the Witch that he agreed to cover for her sins, if she stays away from the palace. That incident was eluded to but never clearly told.
All three shows, especially the last two, were mostly insulting to the viewers' intelligence and emotions.
Years and years later, Heo Joon is a famous royal doctor. He's fulfilled his promise to Yeon Hui and wrote his famous medical book. In the final scene- when he sees the kite- that was him dying. When we saw young Heo Joon that was actually his soul finding Yeon Hui in heaven. So, they were reunited in death :')
I've also seen JIS in the 'unrepeatable excruciating experience'. I hope to God they start giving her roles where she isn't abused.
I like that when you write these articles you don't start by the obvious choices (eg. KSR, KSH, KYJ....). Otherwise, these brilliant actors would've totally went under the radar.
Is she a good person? No, but I still like her on my screen anyways. I also like Hong Joo because she's darn interesting herself too.
I understand your guilt. My guilt used to prevent me from dropping dramas that I thought were bad. I felt it was disrespectful for the cast, producers, and the crew who worked really hard on it. Thankfully, I matured out of it...
As for weakling female leads, I think people who are too good for their own good do exist for real, but as a lot of people said in the comments the acting is what elevates a character from being a plain doormat to a real person with sensitivities and problems... The acting changes pity to sympathy or whatever...
I noticed that Koreans, in general, like to glorify crying. The results of this over-killing use of crying is the viewer's detachment more than anything. I don't feel the same problem when watching Japanese dramas. I remember one *important* crying scene was shot from behind in a drama I forgot. We were only allowed to see the actors back and to hear the little sound they made instead of seeing the pouring rivers on their faces...
What cruel fate is that?
So, the first killed King was actually Seo Ri's step-uncle.
"because while everything about this episode’s central plotline is fictional, the story does fit in nicely with what history has told us of Queen Munjeong, King Myeongjong, et al. The drama makes veiled references to “five years ago” and an unnatural passing, which must be King Injong’s death, putting this episode in 1550 or thereabouts. Injong’s sudden death at 30 years old after nine months of rule has been the source of much speculation over the years, particularly that he was poisoned by his stepmother, Queen Munjeong, who had her eye on the throne for her own son.
Myeongjong thus ascended at the age of 11, and his mother acted as regent, remaining influential after he came of age. Hence his frustration with her domineering nature. If we’re taking “five years ago” to mean Injong’s death, King Myeongjong is around 16 or 17 in this episode. He had one son by his queen, Crown Prince Sunhoe, who is Kim Sae-ron’s twin."
http://www.dramabeans.com/2016/05/mirror-of-the-witch-episode-1/
As for the curse: I think the curse was meant to activate on its own on the seventeenth birthday.
Yo Gwang was a Taoist Monk so it's fair to say that he knows his way around magical spells and talisman. in episode 4 or 3, he also stuck some talismans on Seo Ri when he guided her to see her sick Faux-Oppa. So, I'm guessing after going to Seo Ri's rescue, he helped hide in the Mountain Place (which was already magically protected if you remember the Taoist Monks had hard time finding its entry).
I think whoever revived Yo Gwang is the same person who plucked Seo Ri out of the frozen lake. I don't think Yo Gwang could've done that alone. We saw him aiding an unconscious Seo Ri, but there's no evidence he actually saved her himself.
Let me try to explain things.
First: The curse
The twins were cursed. They will die on their 17th birthday and if they survive they will live a life worse than death. Everyone they love...bla bla (you know that).
Princess was double-cursed and supposedly killed to save the prince, but Taoist master kept her in a place protected by the yellow talismans so she was off-the-radar. That's why everything went well. When she went out, the curse was activated: Her faux-oppa fell ill, her real oppa's hair became white, her hair became white and everyone started dying right and left.
She was supposed to die herself, except that we know (only her real Oppa could kill her). Here's the question that the show left unanswered:
- Who is the mystery guy who stuck the spell and revived the Blade Warrior? Who saved the princess from drowning? and how?
My guess is after this mysterious interference, the princess was kept in another spell protected place, off-radar. Basically, in her spell-protected exile she doesn't exist to the outside world and the curse goes dormant. That's why her faux-oppa woke up fine, her real oppa's hair went black again and he woke up fine too. I think Joon survived death because of the mirror though. That also explains why her hair was rendered white after she left the protection of her exile. Also, the talismans burned when she left just as it happened 5 years before.
Technically, the crown prince should've lived, but the Witch killed him.
Why? The Witch knew princess was alive and she's the only one who could kill her, so she needed all the power she can get. She seemed to have restored the black magic power she used to create the Prince from the first place, therefore poor thing died.
But, according to this explanation the prince and the princess seem to be equally cursed. So, I suppose if the princess lives, the transfer doesn't work. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been important to kill her from the first place. Just let her live till her 17th birthday and she would die anyway, right?
Second: Joon
I think he had a deal going on with his Hyung so that everyone would treat him as nobility. He was definitely dressing/acting like one. He thanked his Hyung for his kindness and for looking after him. Then, he was arrested for fraud/impersonating nobility. I guess it's safe to say that his Hyung (who was off the hook because of his mother's connections) back-stabbed him.
Third: Taoist Master Hyun Soo
We know that he was severely injured by the Witch, but we don't know if he died for sure. Apparently, he didn't. The Witch is using some kind of Magic to preserve him.
The Witch had a flashback to the time she killed the ex-ex King. This was 5 years before the first episode.i.e before the twins were made. The Witch was Hyun Soo's pupil, but she decided to use black magic. The Grand Queen (twin's grandma) asked her to murder the King (who was probably the uncle of her son (Twin's father). Then, the weak King (Twin's father) became King. In episode 1, Hyun Soo told the Witch that he agreed to cover for her sins, if she stays away from the palace. That incident was eluded to but never clearly told.
Fixed!