annelee2019

Jang Hyun vs. Gil Chae, round 1 (scandalous!):
- Can you not... live without a man, even for a day? So you could not control yourself for
that long, thus are getting married?
- Yes. You are right about that. Not even for a day, can I live without a man. I cannot stand it because I'm lonely in body and heart without a man. So what? Is there something wrong with that?
- I should have had my turn if you like men that much. Whoever it may be, if you needed a man,
you should have come to me at least once.
- All other men may, but not you, Young Master. With someone who lacks any sincerity at all, I cannot share anything.

Gil Chae vs. Reung Eum (I take my initial opinion back, he did lie to her cruelly):
- When he died... he did not suffer a lot, right?
- Thankfully, no.
- By chance, did he leave... a message to me?
- No, he did not. To be honest, I am not really sure. Another woman served Young Master Jang Hyeon in Shimyang.

And the final voice-over (pure poetry!):
- When I asked you if you ever hated me, you said this, "The day you left me forever, I stared at you for a long time because I hated you so much. But no matter how long I stared at you, I did not feel hatred for you. So, I just hated myself."

And you asked me, "How cruel you are, did you even fathom how I felt?"
I can tell you now, I could not even fathom. It is just that... my heart shattered into a thousand pieces, and I wished that you would not feel
like me, I prayed desperately so.

I have no idea how they can meet again, history-wise. :) Or change their relationship, given that she is not a free person, but someone who has a family to care for. Let the scriptwriter surprise us in a good way!

Aside from the fact that Frank was not the officer who saved Scarlett's life, he was actually her sister Suellen's fiance, and she broke them up to marry him and use his business to pay off the land tax. We don't have this plot in My Dearest. Gil Chae got out of her desperate situation without seducing and marrying a hapless man, but rather making the officer her business partner, and she has a different relationship with her sister.

Before that, she tried to get money from Rhett, but he could not offer her any because he was in jail, and his finances were allegedly unavailable to him. At that point, Scarlett was not in love with Rhett nor did she cry over their parting, she just desperately needed him to help her out and tried to manipulate him into doing so by wearing the famous green dress and pretending to like him. That's also a different relationship dynamic, don't you think?

I don't think it's fair to compare impacts of cultural artifacts, because we live in a very fast-moving world now, when the pieces of fiction are so numerous and readily available in different formats. Some things stick, some perish, but in the end, it's about how they made us feel at a particular moment of our life.

But I don't think you can guess the end of this particular show just by reading Gone With the Wind. If anything, Gil Chae has already moved on from Yeon Jun. Scarlett didn't until the very few last pages, when they mourned Melanie's death together.

Re: the editing, I wonder if they had timing issues. It's a broadcast television series, not a Netflix show, so they do have some restrictions on the duration of each episode, and there isn't much they could cut (aside from Namkoong Min's emoting, maybe - but that would be a crime, wouldn't it?). We had like one artistic shot with a yellow bird in episode 1, when the story was relatively slow. After that, the events run with a break-necking speed, and there is little to none fat they could trim.

Episode 10 is a strange beast, though, because it's mostly dialogues and meetings taking place at nights, and there are no establishing shots or connecting scenes between those. They are not that hard to shoot, compared to sequences in nature. But oh well. They could fix it for a BluRay.

So far, Gone With the Wind parallels ended in episode 8. This story stands on its own legs, and you can't really predict where it is going now.

It was never a direct adaptation, just a bunch of very clever references that helped establish the characters and the setting. The characters are also much more likeable and complex than in Gone With the Wind. The relationships between them are different, too.

What I liked about her letter is, again, raw honesty. She did not say she did not love him. She did not say, I'm going to be happy with another man, so forget about me. She simply stated that her love was not enough for her to leave. (Just like his love wasn't enough for him to stay. ) She did write the letter, though, so he wouldn't suffer while waiting, like she did.

I know, right? You want your revenge for investing that much heart and getting that kind of ending... I thought about giving it a 1/10 rewatch value, because why would you punish yourself again and again? And then I realized that I've already rewatched each episode about five times.

Well said!

Very minor spoilers up to episode 8 (I think), mostly an essay.

My main problem with ep 10 was the editing. It seemed like a whole bunch of conversations (Gil Chae vs. Jang Hyun, Jang Hyun vs. Jong Jong, Jang Hyun vs. Reung Eum, Jang Hyun vs. Gil Chae again) happened in a course of one night - because the characters never changed their clothes or hair. That's a bit implausible, because for sure getting from Gil Chae's place to the gisaeng house and back would take time. The clothes stayed the same the next day... and the next night, and it was all very confusing.

This drama definitely needs someone to a) keep track of the time b) ensure that the devout watchers get enough clues to follow the timeline. Because it does feel like our characters haven't seen each other for a few months tops. In reality, the road to the Qing itself (and back), according to Jang Hyun, would take months. Building a business and all that networking from scratch
for both of our leads would take months. Yet the maid's newborn son became a toddler, but Gil Chae's brother has not aged at all. And Jang Hyun is still hung up on Yeon Jun, how he should prove himself to be better. That was baffling too. I get that we deal with a timeless epic romance here, but I'd like it to be more settled in time and place. Because I can barely distinguish between the locations where the heartfelt conversations take place.

Speaking of romance. The leads had a perfect date in ep. 2, when Jang Hyun showed Gil Chae a bigger picture, actually talked to her about interesting things (other than his interest in her), took her to a concert, and brought her home like a gentleman, without making any moves. Man, they talked! There was a spark. There was comradery, a shared adventure. She even felt comfortable enough to change her clothes in front of him in a locked room (though it's probably another continuity/editing issue).

Then he saw her trying to seduce Yeon Jun, and it all went down the drain (albeit not completely). Being a very curious girl, I download and compare various subtitles. His first proposition to her was outright indecent. I get that he had a scheme with the girls, and it's difficult to break from a working scheme. But from that point on, most of his courting (the parts that Gil Chae witnessed, not the loving gazes) wasn't romantic... or you know, normal.

Things picked up during the war. Him warning her to flee, giving her the knife to protect herself, saving them in the forest, watching over them during the night - all of that was solid. "Getting to know each other" on the mountain was a concession on both parts, and this idea really, really worked, they could observe each other quietly, take care of each other, share life and difficulties. Even Gil Chae's affection towards Yeon Jun didn't halt this process - though Yeon Jun was definitely around at the same place. This was the part when we all believed that Gil Chae and Jang Hyun should and will be together. Until Jang Hyun up and left to save the country. Or something.

Even after a brief period of getting to know each other, Gil Chae trusted Jang Hyun completely and drove her small squad to the Ganghwa Island on his word. She also believed in his promise that he would find her there, even when the new shelter turned out to be a trap. She ran to check if it was him fighting the intruders, risking her life, risking her ladies' safety. That he chose not to reveal himself at that moment - okay, let's call it fate. I actually admired his self-sacrifice and refusal to claim his heroic dead - AT THAT VERY MOMENT.

But he chose to lie to her in Hanyang and pretend to be just peachy, while she confronted him about not keeping his promise. That wasn't nobility. Just pride. And well, I do get that he caught strong feelings and was unable to deal with them on that day. (Probably, a few weeks afterwards too, right, editor-nim?) But that lie crushed her trust in him. And his leaving for Shenyang after laughing at her first tentative sign of affection (aka the red ribbon of protection), at her readiness to kiss him (and the kiss itself which is usually a beginning, not the end of a relationship) was by no means a thoroughly confusing experience.

By the way, have you noticed how Jang Hyun leaves? He never ever looks back at her. Which is probably why Gil Chae knows this back, in dreams and reality, by heart. So, seeing this back, she starts to wonder if he is her destined star-crossed lover. Again, she throws all caution to the wind and follows him, to confront him, to find out when he is planning to get back with the floral shoes (aka the vaguely promised marriage proposal).

Here Gil Chae is definitely not ready for a marriage proposal, given that she needs to sort out her first love, cry over her childhood innocence which this (imaginary) relationship with Yeon Jun represents, but she wants to know more about Jang Hyun, to understand him. It's just she doesn't have many facts, just lots of feelings, which is why she throws the old gossip at him, aiming to insult, yes, but also hoping that he will deny being uncaring towards women.

If she really believed that, she would not follow him. She saw the other side of him during the war - which he chose to conceal from her after. She does not know what to say to get an honest reaction from him, so she tries out various topics - dreams, shoes, cursing him like there's no tomorrow. Finally, Jang Hyun concedes. He wants her heart, a Yeon Jun-free version. But he's not willing to stick around and watch her getting over her crush. Not willing to court her, to get to know each other anymore. Because he's already yearning for her, and it's scary, I imagine. So he follows the tried-and-tested scheme of leaving and returning after some time as a prize for a waiting maiden.

Not only that - Jang Hyun claims that he would stay in Hanyang if Gil Chae can promise to forget Yeon Jun and never think of him again, even if she doesn't. Dear reader, do you really think he would stay knowing that she lied? Do you really think he wouldn't throw this lie at her face for years to come? And to lie would be her only option, because, timewise, she is still processing parting with Yeon Jun. And he knows that it is her only option. Moreover, if she lied, that would be the end of their romance - because what would he do next? Marry her? A girl who lied to ensnare him for some unknown reason, a dream, some physical attraction, or, perhaps, material gain he could offer? There would be more teasing and dancing around, and not an ounce of honesty and communication they enjoyed in earlier episodes.

So Gil Chae doesn't lie. I admire her for that. She can be annoying, childish, not good with words, with a strong tendency to say most horrible things in the heat of a row, but she is honest with herself and with her close people. Jang Hyun could easily be one of them, by the way. When she loves somebody, she does so completely. Unlike Scarlett who was pretty dismissive of Melanie (don't get me started on the Gone With the Wind comparisons, I read that book a few dozens times), she never resented Eun Ae for snatching her man. She is close friends with her maid. She has it in her, to love somebody selflessly. And Jang Hyun has it too, being a big brother to his small squad of men.

It's just we need to fill 20 episodes with the most excruciating angst I've ever experienced in my drama-watching career. And, oh my, each episode is filled with angst to the brim. If you doubt the screenwriter's skill, try reading subtitles in a text document to avoid drowning yourself in Namkoong Min's expressive eyes. There are no filler scenes. There isn't one throwaway line. The dialogue on the mountain cited above is 10 minutes. It's literally two people (and a horse) standing on a mountain shouting at each other and sometimes grabbing wrists (faces). The scene feels like it's 15 seconds, like a long breath. This is quality writing - and acting, of course.

That being said, I'm going to enjoy my break before Part 2 very much. My blood pressure is very thankful. I will even try to convince myself that ep. 10 was a decent finale to the overall saga, and maybe I don't need to self-torture-watch anymore. Because, really, I can't see where the drama is going to go from that point on. It's totally unpredictable. What we know from Gil Chae's voice-over, is that our leads are having honest conversations about feelings and events in some remote future. That is hopeful. I can wait for that for a long time.

First of all, I'd like to say that I absolutely love your thoughtful and well-put comments, but seeing that the comment section for the show is full of heartbreak and outrage, I decided to add some points to your opinion on Part I (which I totally agree with) here. Hope it's okay. :)

NGL, when I first watched Ep 10 without subs, I wanted to hit the screenwriter with a stick. Harsh realism is NOT something we watch our dramas for. But the added layer of dialogue made everything perfectly clear. That running away thing would be a tremendously bad choice and a sad ending. Surprisingly, Yeon Jun was the person who formulated why: Gil Chae could not be happy if she abandoned her people. I was proud of him to stood up for her. Finally, he had a moment to shine.

And I cannot be mad at Ryang Eum either. He knew Gil Chae was engaged when she approached him. If he told her the truth, that would not change anything. Just add to the heartbreak - and he loved his hyungnim too much to allow that. In a similar situation, I might do the same, it was wise of him, not to interfere. Maybe he needed to warn Jang Hyun of the engagement though. But I can see his point.

As for the man himself... we all fell irrevocably in love with NGM's acting. He's superb. You feel every emotion, every tear breaks your heart. But in truth, any other person in his place - and Jang Hyun is NOT the perfect hero we tend to see. He is proud, egoistic, and petty. He habitually tries to manipulate Gil Chae by threatening to leave if she refuses him - and leaves without fail. A striking example - he witnessed the arrival of wedding gifts, which was akin to tying the knot, as the officer said - and left, though he could probably stop the wedding at that very point by staying. But no, the reality of her going to another man when he haughtily dreamt about wooing her with a mobile shoe store was too unbearable. No words, no explanations - he up and went, and it was Gil Chae who asked for those.

It's all about how HE feels, what HE wants. This whole love story is about him, not about the girl at all. And Gil Chae called him out on that with brutal honesty. He wanted her to mature up - well, he can't handle her now, when she is not a flirty airhead who only cares about shoes and silk, because she demands the truth, demands the commitment.

I get why people feel like she broke his heart after he showed vulnerability. But really, all those tears and confessions aside, did he really change? When she asked if he was going to marry her, he told that he would think about it. No plans. No definite answer - some romantic bullshit about belonging to her. (Yes, yes, NGM delivers - but is that joke what you want to hear after you sacrificed your everything to be with the elusive man?). He promised never to leave her again - yet he left her to arrange for the boat, all scared and uncertain. Did he really need to go? Couldn't he send Gu Jam to prepare their departure? Couldn't he take her with him to assure her that they are in this together? He's too self-assured.

If Part I was about Gil Chae's journey (she did climb the mountain, and crossed the river, and lost her favorite flower shoes), I sure hope that Part II is about Jang Hyun's maturing up. Even if it means that another woman will help him become a better man.

One more point - everyone in Gil Chae's family basically gave her their blessings to go ahead with the elopement. Even the officer let her go. That's how much they love her - and their love is selfless, unlike Jang Hyun's. Some viewers may take it as a sign that if she went away, everything would be all right. In fact, her sister would never be able to marry anyone, and her brother would become an outcast. The script writer didn't include these considerations in the overall picture - but nevertheless, it can be deduced. Again, the family was ready to bear the burden for her. As for Jang Hyun... What did he sacrifice exactly by asking her to go with him?