Which part of it you don't understand? He lives alone in Seoul, working hard to provide his fam while his wife…
I have watched it!! Still did not quite get the title.... So it's meant to express his loneliness, going through life alone (=rider) , etc.... !? I get it now, thanks to your reply. (The way English is used in Korean drama or film titles is sometimes not quite what I am used to.... therefore I am often unsure what they are trying to express .... But I am slowly getting better at Konglish, thanks to help like yours! ) 😉
Yes! Great comment!I think the stunning visual style has a lot do do with the sexiness of this show! The costumes…
If anyone should be as obsessed as I am with those beautiful robes, clothes and hats in Bloody Heart (and other sageuk), more information on the complicated dress codes (esp. of Joseon nobles and the royal court) can be found in FREE downloads to be found at the website of the National Folk Museum of Korea.
This show is a feast for the eyes!Whoever had the idea for a certain scene in Episode 7 (which involves some characters…
Oh ok, I must say something more, so let's do it behind the spoiler warning....
The scene is so poignant and beautiful because it's one of the few times, Park Gye Won and the Dowager Queen are actually shown in such close physical contact. They love each other and have history with each other, yet have probably had to refrain from any physical contact ever since the Lady entered the royal court as concubine for the former king.
So this scene is so moving and impactful - because it is the only way, they have been able to embrace in probably a long, long time and it's just such a fleeting moment, probably only seconds --- but we get to see it in slow motion, and how deeply they are affected by this moment. There is nothing sexy or frivolous about this scene - there are far too many layers of cloth in both of their clothing but the way they keep staring into each other's eyes shows their deep emotional connection. WOW! That beautiful and meaningful imagery! I would love to know how they shot this scene - if it involved many repeats - and if they shot it on location or in a studio and added effects.... Probably the latter... Both actors are AMAZING- every scene between them just crackles with tension and the viewer wonders at all the things that go unspoken between the two characters....
This show is a feast for the eyes! Whoever had the idea for a certain scene in Episode 7 (which involves some characters falling into a pond)* should be given a special prize!! I have watched this scene on repeat a few times and will continue to do so....
So poignant and beautiful
(*I hope this is non-spoilery enough so I don't have to hide comment behind the spoiler tag)
Once I synched with the rhythm and the tension of the story my brain cells are dancing and I feel very sexy while…
Yes! Great comment! I think the stunning visual style has a lot do do with the sexiness of this show! The costumes are to die for, not only for the ladies, but I am forever puzzled by the huge variety of dress you can see on State Councillor Park Gye Won. It seems like in almost every scene he is wearing something different and those clothes are so stunning and gorgeous to look at - not to mention the hats... ;-)
This is one of those rare gems in Asian television where the second half of the show is superior to the first.…
Your comment makes me look forward to watching further developments unfold in this drama. I'm only on episode 5! But I am loving it! Soso clever and challenging to watch. The viewer really has to pay attention and think in order to follow the plot.
I initially stopped watching this after the first episode because I thought this was just another boring love story and there was not enough screen time for Jang Hyuk, who is one of my favourite actors. Now, after the ending of My Liberation Notes and Our Blues I found myself at a loss with no Kdrama to watch, so I gave this another go. And I am so happy I did! This is not just another sageuk where a royal princeling meets a low-born pretty girl love story but a gripping, brain-scrambling , tense political drama focussing on the power struggles at a fictional court. I am gripped by the complicated storyline and ambiguous characters.
Can anyone confirm or correct my impression that the title is derived from a famous poem by Jeong Mong-Ju that I found mentioned in Wikipedia? If so, the title alone clearly points to the drama's focus on political themes....
English translation Though I die and die again a hundred times, That my bones turn to dust, whether my soul remains or not, Ever loyal to my Lord, how can this red heart ever fade away?
This story line messed the whole series for me. I actually enjoyed everything else but the whole guilt tripping…
I had my problems with this storyline, too, but then I enjoyed the superb acting by both actors too much to care about the plot anymore... Those mobile phone shots (almost) on top of Mount Halla.... very moving....
I'm still puzzled by the last two episodes, esp. the character of Kang Ok Dong. Many questions were left unanswered...She…
Thank you for all your replies. It is good to read other ideas and interpretations of the characters' actions and motivations.
I wonder whether Ok Dong gave her son so many tasks to do in order to give him these joint experiences as consolation (after her death) that he did all he could for her in her final days.... But maybe she is not as considerate or emotionally intelligent to do so...
I'm still puzzled by the last two episodes, esp. the character of Kang Ok Dong. Many questions were left unanswered... She never did answer Dong Seok's question why she could look with such affection at a dog but never at her own son...
Or did I miss something? She only explained her behaviour in that she wanted to avoid financial and physical hardship for herself and her son following her husband's and daughter's deaths. That explains why she moved in with that other man but not why she has been treating her son as a stranger for all those years in between.... She has been treating her animals more kindly and with more affection than her son...
Those scenes were so moving, by the way, - when Dong Seok finally manages to directly ask his mother some pertinent questions... without getting proper answers to some of them...
There's no "I did it for your sake" reason the writers come up with that'll take away the fact that a mother pretty…
@Jyte12 I fear this will end up as a plothole... If there is one big tearful reconciliation between mother and son it isn't really comprehensible how she could have watched him struggling through life without attempting to help or reconcile matters much earlier. I cannot think of any plausible explanantion for this - therefore I think we might not get a satisfactory answer to this conundrum.
Dong Seok doesn't even have a proper home - for *od's sake!!! We are shown he sleeps in his van or in cheap motels or hotels!!! How can anyone assume such a person is doing ok, handling his issues, living a 'normal' life? Does nobody care? It hasn't been mentioned/talked about by the characters. A 40+-year-old man with no fixed abode who sleeps in his van? Wouldn't that be a talking point of any small town/island?? -----> plothole.... (?)
I am currently re-watching this from the start and noticed one thing: Mrs Yeom's mobility/health problems are very subtly hinted at from the start. You see her painfully getting up from the floor or struggling with her back when the family is in the fields harvesting chilis. It is always Chang Hee who notices her discomfort and he comments a few times, sometimes he just throws her an exasperated or worried look. Mi Jeong usually rushes to help her Mum and Gi Jeong is often oblivious or too lazy to lend a hand. In episode 1 there is a very quick shot of a surgery scar on her knee, a meaningful image relating to a later scene where Chang Hee is the one to decide to take back her artificial knee after cremation and then he buries the artificial joint in earth together with his two friends... I find re-watching very rewarding.
She treated stray cats better than how she treated her son. From the recollection of Dong Seok, imagine being…
I can't wait to see what explanations we are going to see for this weird, unkind behaviour of hers... It's very hard to watch but I would be very surprised if there isn't some kind of twisted reason for her abandonment of her son... I found the two old ladies' behaviour atrocious... They were so obviously unconcerned about the time constraint they must have planned to miss the ferry and to go for breakfast (and a heart-to-heart- chat??) first... I still found their behaviour grating.... Ordering poor Dong-Seok around like a servant.... ;-(
Excellent show. Makes you wonder what really goes on behind closed doors in politics. Can you imagine Trump's White House? The staff must have been scrambling to make up for the president's faux pas all the time... Anyway. This was a very good show - complicated and scary plot, with excellent actors... 10/10 from me!
The actress with Down Syndrome was amazing! Why can't I find her name on the MDL cast list??
It's still not the norm everywhere to have disabled actors play disabled characters in TV and film and I applaud Our Blues for going there! This storyline was very unexpected for me and quite well done. (Apart from some scenes between Park Jung Joon and the disabled sister (can't remember her name, sorry, and as mentioned before - SHE IS NOT LISTED IN THE CAST LIST!), they were a bit cringey and forced since the actor seemed uncomfortable and his main reaction to anything she was saying was to laugh....).
Still did not quite get the title....
So it's meant to express his loneliness, going through life alone (=rider) , etc.... !?
I get it now, thanks to your reply.
(The way English is used in Korean drama or film titles is sometimes not quite what I am used to.... therefore I am often unsure what they are trying to express .... But I am slowly getting better at Konglish, thanks to help like yours! ) 😉
Encyclopedia of Traditional Korean Clothing
https://folkency.nfm.go.kr/en/main
(scroll to the bottom of the page)
The scene is so poignant and beautiful because it's one of the few times, Park Gye Won and the Dowager Queen are actually shown in such close physical contact. They love each other and have history with each other, yet have probably had to refrain from any physical contact ever since the Lady entered the royal court as concubine for the former king.
So this scene is so moving and impactful - because it is the only way, they have been able to embrace in probably a long, long time and it's just such a fleeting moment, probably only seconds --- but we get to see it in slow motion, and how deeply they are affected by this moment.
There is nothing sexy or frivolous about this scene - there are far too many layers of cloth in both of their clothing but the way they keep staring into each other's eyes shows their deep emotional connection.
WOW! That beautiful and meaningful imagery! I would love to know how they shot this scene - if it involved many repeats - and if they shot it on location or in a studio and added effects.... Probably the latter...
Both actors are AMAZING- every scene between them just crackles with tension and the viewer wonders at all the things that go unspoken between the two characters....
Whoever had the idea for a certain scene in Episode 7 (which involves some characters falling into a pond)* should be given a special prize!!
I have watched this scene on repeat a few times and will continue to do so....
So poignant and beautiful
(*I hope this is non-spoilery enough so I don't have to hide comment behind the spoiler tag)
I think the stunning visual style has a lot do do with the sexiness of this show! The costumes are to die for, not only for the ladies, but I am forever puzzled by the huge variety of dress you can see on State Councillor Park Gye Won. It seems like in almost every scene he is wearing something different and those clothes are so stunning and gorgeous to look at - not to mention the hats... ;-)
Now, after the ending of My Liberation Notes and Our Blues I found myself at a loss with no Kdrama to watch, so I gave this another go. And I am so happy I did!
This is not just another sageuk where a royal princeling meets a low-born pretty girl love story but a gripping, brain-scrambling , tense political drama focussing on the power struggles at a fictional court. I am gripped by the complicated storyline and ambiguous characters.
Can anyone confirm or correct my impression that the title is derived from a famous poem by Jeong Mong-Ju that I found mentioned in Wikipedia? If so, the title alone clearly points to the drama's focus on political themes....
English translation
Though I die and die again a hundred times,
That my bones turn to dust, whether my soul remains or not,
Ever loyal to my Lord, how can this red heart ever fade away?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeong_Mong-ju
Those mobile phone shots (almost) on top of Mount Halla.... very moving....
Great movie, with a somber, melancholic tone. Brilliant acting by Lee Byung-Hun.
I wonder whether Ok Dong gave her son so many tasks to do in order to give him these joint experiences as consolation (after her death) that he did all he could for her in her final days....
But maybe she is not as considerate or emotionally intelligent to do so...
She never did answer Dong Seok's question why she could look with such affection at a dog but never at her own son...
Or did I miss something? She only explained her behaviour in that she wanted to avoid financial and physical hardship for herself and her son following her husband's and daughter's deaths. That explains why she moved in with that other man but not why she has been treating her son as a stranger for all those years in between.... She has been treating her animals more kindly and with more affection than her son...
Those scenes were so moving, by the way, - when Dong Seok finally manages to directly ask his mother some pertinent questions... without getting proper answers to some of them...
I fear this will end up as a plothole...
If there is one big tearful reconciliation between mother and son it isn't really comprehensible how she could have watched him struggling through life without attempting to help or reconcile matters much earlier.
I cannot think of any plausible explanantion for this - therefore I think we might not get a satisfactory answer to this conundrum.
Dong Seok doesn't even have a proper home - for *od's sake!!! We are shown he sleeps in his van or in cheap motels or hotels!!! How can anyone assume such a person is doing ok, handling his issues, living a 'normal' life? Does nobody care? It hasn't been mentioned/talked about by the characters.
A 40+-year-old man with no fixed abode who sleeps in his van? Wouldn't that be a talking point of any small town/island??
-----> plothole.... (?)
Mrs Yeom's mobility/health problems are very subtly hinted at from the start. You see her painfully getting up from the floor or struggling with her back when the family is in the fields harvesting chilis. It is always Chang Hee who notices her discomfort and he comments a few times, sometimes he just throws her an exasperated or worried look.
Mi Jeong usually rushes to help her Mum and Gi Jeong is often oblivious or too lazy to lend a hand.
In episode 1 there is a very quick shot of a surgery scar on her knee, a meaningful image relating to a later scene where Chang Hee is the one to decide to take back her artificial knee after cremation and then he buries the artificial joint in earth together with his two friends...
I find re-watching very rewarding.
I found the two old ladies' behaviour atrocious... They were so obviously unconcerned about the time constraint they must have planned to miss the ferry and to go for breakfast (and a heart-to-heart- chat??) first...
I still found their behaviour grating.... Ordering poor Dong-Seok around like a servant.... ;-(
Anyway. This was a very good show - complicated and scary plot, with excellent actors...
10/10 from me!
What a cast! Choi Min Shik and Son Suk Ku.....
I'm already intrigued...
Why can't I find her name on the MDL cast list??
It's still not the norm everywhere to have disabled actors play disabled characters in TV and film and I applaud Our Blues for going there! This storyline was very unexpected for me and quite well done. (Apart from some scenes between Park Jung Joon and the disabled sister (can't remember her name, sorry, and as mentioned before - SHE IS NOT LISTED IN THE CAST LIST!), they were a bit cringey and forced since the actor seemed uncomfortable and his main reaction to anything she was saying was to laugh....).