Reviews

Losing the person you once were.

This episode touches so much about love and sacrifice. This is the story of Phob his life of poverty and the loss of dignity as a slave becoming the determining factor in his desire to free his country and its people from tyranny. In any revolution, there will always be winners and losers. But for Phob, at what price?For what is a man who gains his dreams and aspirations, only to sacrifice the very thing he truly loves?And then there is Tin, who loses everything and yet, in losing everything, finds his true self. He chooses to keep his love within his heart, perhaps realizing that sometimes loving someone means letting them go.So who is freer of the two?History shows us that the first revolution was never going to be easy. And history also teaches us that power has a way of corrupting even the wisest and most idealistic of people. The revolution may free a nation, but does it necessarily free the people who fought for it?Episode 9 delves deeply into the feelings and emotions of Tin and Phob, giving us a glimpse of where their lives may ultimately lead. It feels hopeful, but there is also a sadness underneath it all, the feeling that freedom, like love, often comes with a price.And perhaps that is the real question this episode leaves us with: What good is winning the world if, in the process, you lose the person you love or the person you once were?

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extremely rare tinn W

thank god tinn finally got to experience what it’s like to be an average person so he could stop whining about losing his royal status. grandma clutched af when she was checking his privilege lmao. also hilarious how he had to comfort phobtee (not happy with him rn) and say that his work IS making a difference… meanwhile phob has genuinely been moping around crying that his man has to do physical labor (normal job btw) and questioning whether releasing the world from royalty was worth it if they just replaced it with a dictatorship (spoiler: the country of thailand considers it worth it in the long run). also was tinn paid from the labor job in money AND food?? you’re kidding. americans, we should be revolting in the streets by now

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Save three by killing six

Commander Lu has given Zhang an opening to take over for Gen Huo, but only if he personally eradicates mystic nine to prove where his loyalties lie. He comes with a letter from Xie. While the conversation is in his mind’s eye, the strained anger and shock at the ruling Xie made for the remnant to be spared. He is sticking with Hong, Huo and Zhang. Hing is an opera singer and Huo is a clan of women so to prevent public outrage these must be soared with Zhang who will be the best strategist and warrior against the Japanese. XiaoYu is not happy that Zhang plans to ignore the order, rescue mystic nine and go to Nanjing for punishment. Which would most likely be execution. XiaoYu breaks his promise and pulls out his traitor card to take on Gen Huo. It is unclear if he survived the multiple needles and bullets he received but he did get a nice stab at Gen Huo’s throat. I would like that it killed him but most likely he’s just in the same poison boat with his mystic nine captives. If only water around to finish the job.😝 Wu is sent to a temp,e where he also receives a letter from 9th master. He is given the mission to become the leader of the mystic mine and then be taken. He is considered one to not be rescued, so the mystic nine will no longer be considered a threat. He is given the choice to save nine or 9000. 😝He is outraged at the choice he’s been given sine the group just rescued him. He is told if he cripples 2nd master all leaders will be incapacitated and he can take over as leader. One of the few times he and Zhang are in exact same page about a mission.😔It brings tears to the eyes to see 9th master plead. 😭He knows he is taking advantage of Wu’s nature to make him view the bigger picture, which he very reluctantly does. 😔If he becomes the sacrificial lamb things will improve. Wu must sacrifice who he is and become assassin. 😔😭Wu’s work with the papers got news of Changsha’s curfew from Nanjing to Shanghai forcing the ministry of war to stop the curfew and release the mystic nine leaders. 🎉It’s prolonging the inevitable, but it sure feels good to get even this small victory. Wu played his part magnificently but how heartwrenching what he did.💔😭The anguish from 2nd master💔😔😭

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storytelling shortcuts

it's totally okay to use storytelling shortcuts, but 3 aspects quite bothered me. What is the point of having the short scene where the emperor and his eunuch read the letter and decide to hurry to the palace? is it just to break the scene at the palace? what is the point of allowing feng zihwei to be so stupid as to protest some killing? just to create tension between her and ning yi? and then again so stupid as to get herself held at sword point? was it just so the relative value of feng zihwei could be weighed against the intensity of ning yi's goal to kill chuan? just to bring the characters all into relation to one another? maybe i'm a bad storyteller because i adhere to logic... and maybe in truth people are stranger. and finally the scene of flagellation in front of the coffin is an odd place to bring together the ring, the flagellation and a little coffin talk. it just doesn't seem historically sensible. but i suppose entertainment is not always meant to be logical, or life-like. sometimes it is just a tool to move attention and emotion. for the storytelling shortcuts, i reduced the rating from a 9/10 to a 7/10.

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Choose Your Beeyatch, Bitcheez!

My thoughts while watching 4E:FIRE Ep 6 * Most Grateful Moment - Thank you, Northstar Entertainment! Everything about FIRE is unfolding to show that you did save the best for last.... Not to take away from everything kind and calm and sweet from EARTH, WATER, and AIR, but to put together three stories about commitment and sincerity and noble intentions, and cap it off with with the story about lifelong debt of honor, Northstar produced one of the best 🇹🇭 lakorn ever made, regardless of genre. FOUR ELEMENTS is not just GL, it is everything good and beautiful and engaging and noteworthy about human long-form entertainment. Huwatta clapback on AI-generated faux-art and insidious vertical noise!* Sweetest Moments - Fai and Phrao trapped in the cave. Every time Fai smiles, it's like honey and caramel pouring onto the scenes! Someone bottle that captivating Namneung Milin Watinthanakit smile and give stevia a run for the money!* Funniest Moment - Aunt Panee's hair in her rain-soaked dramatic highlight. I'm amazed that all the other actors and the crew were able to keep their composure! Coz I totally lost it - a truly pee-in-my-pants hardcore laughter incident - when the camera closed in on Panee and her melting inverted cereal bowl hair! Haha haha haha haha Northstar, do share if this scene has some hilaaaaaarious BTS footage! * Best "This Is So Fai" Moment - "You can go now if you're done here", that line and THAT LOOK that Fai gave Nod - Pure fiery alpha energy that only this youngest W cousin possesses. Rose married into a world of kindness, Chonlada wed into a sea of peace and calm, Blew married into a breath of sweet, fresh air. But Kaphrao, you're in for a high-octane ride, girl! * Most Iconic SE Asian Drama Moment - You'd almost never see it in Japanese or K-drama, but it's always present in a Thai or Pinoy tele-serye: That "let's make such a ruckus in public, then let's get angry when the whole town talks about our dirty linen" scene! Panee letting out all her anger and frustration while she was at the fish market, making everyone else around her explode, that was unadulterated southeast Asian angstsy rage-bait! * Most Competitive Roles of the Season: It's a contest like no other battle for notoriety that we've seen before - Who's going to win the competition for the most vile, horrible, detestable, reprehensible, incorrigible, ultimate evil hag of all? Is it that irredeemable monster-in-law in IN LOVE FOREVER? Or is it this disgraceful witch-aunt in FOUR ELEMENTS:FIRE? Choose your beeyatch....

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Back to ChangSha

On the bank of Xiang River Wu declared peace with Zhang and distance from Huo. Nobody would have predicted this at start of story,🧐🤯 It is fun how Wu was reminded of the oath he made Qi take and his legacy would be in question if Zhang remained leader. 🤣Back in Changsha Gen Huo is already to dismantle and kill off mystic nine. He is warned by Commander Lu that complete uprooting may cause more harm than good, Gen Huo makes an arrangement with Xiangxi assassin leader for the heads of mystic nine leaders and gives up secret intel on them. He is told it can be accomplished in three days and no refunds if change mind. Unfortunately Gen Huo’s plan is working. The Xiangxi assassins have taken out 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th masters who were defending loved ones. 9th master was killed by injection. The silver lining is 6th master took out the Xiangxi assassin leader. All have been poisoned. It is up to Gen Huo if the get antidote. He has also taken over Huo clan and set up shop in Zhang QiShan’s residence so jerky boy ministry of war lackey is riding high on his successes in Zhang’s absence. 😝🤬 At least they were forewarned by his second before entering Changsha. They know what’s up and can prepare. Love the battle Zhang had with the Xiangxi guys. That double needle break off🤌🏼too bad Commander Lu didn’t show up 5 minutes later. 😝Making him let go of his gun in front of the boss.🤣😂 Ya know I thought Commander Lu was a decent guy. He just wanted a better henchman.😝🙄He was a complete disappointment talking out of both sides of his face. He has warned Zhang but wants Huo to purge his clan and kill the others cleanly with no loose ends. I’m disgusted with him because he is the Chinese version of Hatoyama. He gets others to do his dirty work for him so he can look good for the superiors with all he’s accomplished. 😝At least XiaoYu and second were returned to him but not sure what punished correctly during martial law entails. 9th master is most likely lost because he was really looking bad at the auction, but the others might be rescued if Huo has to part with the antidote. It is laughable that Zhang accomplished more with his leather coat fighting than Gen Huo did with a gun and platoon of killer assassins. 😝Mystic nine;s time is very short and Zhang needs to come up with something. Whiny petty boys like Huo Wenhai and Tottori should not be leaders for the next era. They need to go. 😝one the plus side Hatoyama and that Xiangxi assassin leader are down for the count. Mr Yin and Xinyue find everything boarded up and closed. Yin notes the wind of change and senses war coming soon. He is shifting everybody to warehouse 11 to make better plans. He sends word to Zhang and recieves response that Zhang is stuck there. She and her dad understand that the mystic nine is no longer wanted or acceptable to the changing world view. Zhang now has to decide if he stays with his colleagues or lines up with the ministry of war. I hate that his only choice on that front will be to become Commander Lu’s more capable henchman. I’m not sure that won’t be a fate worse than death to him. 😝commander Lu is Huo Wenhai 2.0😝🤬 He visits 9th master in jail and wants a way out for Zhang to be his henchman. 🤬😝 He is to,d to kill six and spare three for the stability of Changsha. Lu must spare Zhang, Hong and Huo clams for the city to remain stable in the aftermath. He must also have Zhang be the executioner so the ministry of war won’t doubt his loyalty. Xie also confirms he will force Zhang to do it because even Lu doubts Zhang could betray them. Xie is shown seeing his oath as a small boy and knows he has to save Zhang now. He is bittersweet that a remnant can be saved but accepts it is the long night for mystic nine as a whole. This is the fate of heroes who come home to a nation that no longer needs their services but fears them because of their strengths. This is the dark side of thank you for your service….but it’s no longer required. 😔🌹

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A very good ending, with the possibility of a season 2

Wow, the way they were ready to sacrifice their lives for each other... And both almost died. 😟 But thankfully, they pulled through and defeated the Crown Prince's spirit. 😮‍💨And the ending? I really liked that they stayed together, left the palace, and the little Ggeomeoksali followed. 🤗But it did look a lot like an open ending, which means the creators could easily decide to make a second season. Not sure if that's needed, though, but there are things they haven't answered yet... 🤨For example, what the creepy thing in the woods said — about someone who's neither spirit nor human having to die (it actually could be either of them, because they both have dead mothers and both can sense the spirit world, even if differently, but most likely it was about Gu Cheon). So, the unanswered question is: why did that child have to die then? And why was it meant to die now? And maybe their near-deaths count towards that? 🤔Also, Gu-cheon becoming an ak-gwi with a chain bound to Supreme Gwi-mae. How does that affect his future interactions with the spirit world? Will he always be an ak-gwi when he enters there? Is he in servitude to Supreme Gwi-mae? And I could ask so many more questions about this bit. 🫣But long story short — amazing drama, worth every second. The plot twists were unexpected, the atmosphere remained eerie, creepy, and even horrifying at times, the music was spot on, and the cinematography too. Loved the main trio (yes, I count the little plushie too) and I hope they will have amazing adventures in the future! ❤️

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Like father like son — yet another plot twist!

It's good that gwi-mae's eyes work also in the living world. I wonder if there will be any consequences of having those or if they are just fancy eyes. The effects with the two pupils are pretty amazing, for sure. 😏Saeng's grief over her mother's soul being devoured was really heartbreaking. Knowing there's not even that tiny possibility for her to be reborn in her daughter or anything else, really... Gone forever and with no way to meet again. Not even a peaceful afterlife... 😟💔Him promising her not to let her father be taken away too, and then her giving him her yang energy by putting her hand on his... Beautiful bond between those two. 🥹And of course we got even bigger plot twists than before! Turns out the Crown Prince could hear spirits too, learned of those 30-year-old secrets and tried to make himself the sole heir to the throne in the exact same way... 🤯 I just wonder if what the King said was the reason for killing the Crown Prince was true — was it for him killing his own brothers for the throne, or was it because of his abilities and knowing that secret? 🤔But now the Crown Prince's spirit has gotten even stronger and I have no idea how they can defeat that guy! 🫣😨

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Good intentions…..the way to hell is paved with them

The stunt in the maze didn’t work out for Yu.😝😁 Zhao never did tell TingYun what was at stake. He loved her too much to disappoint her. I love that she showed Yu the only gift of any value was his admission of wrongdoing at their first meeting. I was a bit disappointed she turned around as Yu wanted, but she laid him out flat with her response.👏🏻🥳Once again Zhao Ling is held back and Mo is reinstated as garrison commander. His family should get the pay, but Mo knows better than anyone he doesn’t deserve it. Yu still tries to gain way with TingYun and again falls so short. 👏🏻👏🏻 She calls him a liar to his face with his hypocrisy in the value of his favor. That she showed him up close and personal how little she valued his regard was applaudable.👏🏻👏🏻He has never really looked at himself objectively to note that he is every inch the recipient of the favors he detests most. Did he choose wrong? Absolutely ..in marriage and career. His mother always did have the clearest view. Her mistake was not the choices she made for him but the enforcement of them on him with no input or explanation about why they would serve him well. She gave him more credit than he deserved at having some common sense.😝What was even better was TingYun letting him know how big a favor he gave her not binding her to the Yu’s😝 She recognized immediately the gilded cage his mom would have her in and more than happy to not be anywhere near it. 🎉Zhao’s man meant well, but he forgot exactly how Lu had earned those merits and now thanks to his good intentions….he has given way for Yu to use it all against Zhao. What shined in this episode was TingYun’s confession to Zhao. She told him everything he had always dreamed for a life partner. His response ❤️ This ignites Yu to be sure to deny him the promotion he deserved. The only thing I am glad about in this regard is that Ms Mo will have no reason to hold a grudge or treat TingYun shabbily. Ms Mo earned the rank her husband did not value enough to hold onto. He preferred to grant favors and bed to the Lu’s and reaped what he sowed with that. And now thanks to a very well intentioned second who made the same mistake in thinking anything from Lu had value is making Zhao pay tenfold for that depraved man by a petty hypocrite with just enough authority to punish him. Mid management is always most guilty of abusing their bit of power just because they can. 😝🤬 Loving this show. The one I thought I’d like better have last 4 episodes out today and I opted for this one first.👏🏻😁

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