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The Moon That Embraces the Sun: Episode 14

Woohoo, things finally get good with some major, major developments up in this hizzy. I’d been slowly losing interest with every episode, resigning myself to the fact that maybe this would just be one of those dramas that lost steam as it went on. Thankfully, I think it just found its second wind.

I’m not going to cry about the loss of the child actors because that was always going to happen so there’s no use saying “I miss the kids” in every episode. What I missed wasn’t the kids, but the sense of a smoothly unfolding plot, and once Yeon-woo lost her memory and the two brothers basically turned into Mopey and Piney, it felt like the drama was just hanging on to one very simple plot element and dragging it out till kingdom come.

Now things take a huge turn, finally kicking the plot into motion again after spinning its wheels for ages. Better late than never.

SONG OF THE DAY

Wheesung – “눈물길” from the drama’s OST. [ Download ]

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EPISODE 14 RECAP

Wol is spared the greater charge of plotting against the king, but because of her and Yang-myung’s confessions, she’s culpable for seducing a member of royalty (using her dark arts), she’s to be driven out of the capital to care for the sick. She’s given a leather patch to wear as a scarlet letter, marking her as a lewd woman.

Hwon sits with Queen Grandma, his game face on as he smiles pleasantly and compliments her tea selection. It’s a special kind with health benefits, and he replies that it’s also known for growing more potent with age: “It’s like you in that way.” Did you just call Granny old? She laughs, saying it’s not a bad thing.

She makes sure to remind Hwon that he now owes her one, and that she’ll come to collect on that later — he’ll have to grant her a favor in return. I’m pretty sure she’s going to demand your firstborn, so I’ll give you a big hint now: Rumplestiltskin.

The king’s council informs him of an upcoming solar eclipse, and the ceremony that the court will hold on that day. They advise the king to be particularly cautious, because an eclipse is a big heavenly deal. With the folks in this drama being so superstitious, it strikes them as a bad omen to have the sun (aka king) completely covered by another entity (aka the moon). As an aside, can we take that symbology a step further for some solar-lunar convergence/covering happytimes, please? I mean, if we’re going to be so literal with the whole sun-moon business…

Hwon agrees to their advice to be careful. The ministers then inform him that Wol is going to be sent away the day before the eclipse, which angers Hwon — she was declared innocent of their trumped-up accusations, so why the punishment? But now both Yang-myung and Wol have been endangered by their nobly stupid attempts to save each other, because their association opens them up to the whole plotting-to-overthrow-the-king storyline that we saw in the previous generation, with Prince Uiseong and Ahri.

Yang-myung discovers this firsthand when he finds his path blocked by officers, who inform him that his movements are being restricted on royal orders. More like royal council orders, but in this drama the council basically pulls the little puppet strings. Yang-myung fumes thinking it’s Hwon’s doing.

Wol receives an unexpected visitor at her cell that night: Hwon, who reminds her of the order not to leave until he found a way to calm his chaotic feelings. He says that she had been right: “I had not been seeing you, but seeing her through you.”

Wol’s face crumples at that, as Hwon continues, “Now you can leave.” He offers her the chance to say anything to him, even if the words are hateful. But she says no, there’s nothing to say.

Hwon staggers out of the prison and breaks down into sobs in front of Woon, saying that he could offer no soft words for the woman who’d given him such comforting words when he needed them. Woon tells him he has done what he can to protect her, in his own way, but Hwon sobs, “Can you call this protecting?” I know, right?

Minister Yoon mulls over the matter of Wol’s familiar face, unable to place where he’s seen it before. Yesterday I assumed this was a reference to Yeon-woo, but today Minister Yoon lands upon the eerie resemblance to Ahri, whom he’d similarly tortured. He recalls how she’d defied him and vowed that the heavens would punish him for his evil deeds.

That night, Bo-kyung hears the crying sound again coming from the dead princess’s Hidden Moon Building, and asks her court lady if she hears it. But it’s only Bo-kyung who does, and that fact is almost as alarming as the crying sound itself. And then when she glances in her mirror, instead of her own face she sees 13-year-old Yeon-woo’s.

Ah, but tonight Queen Grandma hears it too. Like Bo-kyung, she’s unnerved when her court lady can’t hear it, but she’s sure it’s coming from the Hidden Moon Building.

Nok-young looks up into the skies with fear, understanding that the heavens will insist on uniting the connection that human hands have tried to sever. She feels the gathering energy for the impending “blood wind that will rage,” which nobody will be able to escape.

Min-hwa is also a bundle of nerves, though hers is fed by the guilt and trauma over Yeon-woo’s death. She cries alone in bed, thinking of Grandma’s words that manipulated her child’s mind into thinking that Min-hwa was the reason Yeon-woo was killed.

She perks up to hear that her husband has returned early from his trip, and rushes to see him. She grabs Yeom in a backhug and tells him how she missed him, and he turns and hugs her face to face.

The queen dowager calls the head of the royal astrology department to ask about the rumored crying sound, and is a little mollified when he chalks it up to the disturbance of the coming eclipse. But she gets defensive when he asks if she heard it herself, and she dismisses it as a ghost story.

The astrology official suggests she call the head shaman of Seongsucheong to deal with it, but the queen refuses. After all, telling the powerful (and currently angry) shaman who threatened to reveal your murder plot that you’re hearing the victim’s voice just gives her more ammo to use against you. She orders him to deal with it alone, and secretly. He suggests a memorial service to console the spirit, but since this is a rite performed by Seongsucheong, the queen is reluctant. He has one alternative proposition…

Nok-young bribes the prison guards to visit Wol, and gasps in horror to see her bloodied condition. The first thing Wol does in her tortured, battered, and soon-to-be-exiled state is apologize for worrying everyone, which sort of makes me want to slap her. You’re good, we get it. We don’t need to see the little birds braiding your hair to get the point.

Nok-young tells Wol of once having a best friend, whom she last saw sitting in this very prison. And that friend’s last words were to beg her to protect Wol. Tearily, Wol asks if that woman was her mother. Nok-young shakes her head no, saying that in trying to protect Wol, she endangered her.

Wol counters, telling her that she raised her well. She reminds her of the time Wol had been so dead-set against becoming a shaman that she’d been about to end her own life, but Nok-young had told her that if God had chosen her, there was a reason for it: “That no matter the pain or the despair, he had given me the ability to bear it. From then on, I began to think that there is no such thing as meaningless pain. God must be giving me this pain I feel now be for a reason.”

Yeah, or maybe there are sadistic fuckers using you as a political pawn. Just sayin’.

At that, Nok-young removes her outer cloak, rises to her feet… and sinks into a deep, respectful bow. Oh, now that’s lovely.

At Seongsucheong, Seol and Jan-shil arrive in time to hear a group of young shamans gossiping over Wol’s fate, gleeful in their schadenfreude. The leader is the girl who’s always been jealous of Wol, and she’s all but cackling.

Seol screams and attacks, knocking down the leader with a satisfying kick and drawing her sword on the others. They run scared.

Nok-young tells Wol she will have tribulations to face in the future, but that she alone will know what to protect and what to leave behind: “But do not seek answers from outside, but from within yourself.”

Wol is confused at the cryptic words, and also at the sudden change of address, now that Nok-young speaks in jondae and calls her “agasshi,” the equivalent of Lady. She urges her to remember that she is strong, and that her wisdom will lead her to make the right choices. Well, thankfully somebody remembers Yeon-woo’s supposed to be wise, since she seems to have lost that with her memory.

Nok-young ends by telling her to believe in herself, adding silently to herself that Wol ought never to forgive her.

She returns to find Seol waiting for her, brimming over with fury. Is she just going to leave Wol to rot in prison? Seol says she’s done everything Nok-young ever told her to do, including lying about Wol’s past to her.

Nok-young says that even if everything is cast in darkness, nothing can block the brightness of a waxing moon — so they can do nothing but wait for the moon to wax. The truth will come out in time, and it’s all in Wol’s hands.

Hyung-sun regards the despondent Hwon with sympathy, and tells him he’ll go make a snowman — understood to be code for letting him see Wol — but that this is the last time: “When spring comes, the snow will melt.” It’s a lovely moment in one of the drama’s subtler, more poignant relationships. Hyung-sun is showing himself to be quite wise, restraining Hwon from giving in to all his emotional impulses, but it’s not at the expense of feeling.

So Hwon, disguised as a nobleman with Woon, watches as Wol is led away by officers, wearing her scarlet letter.

Bo-kyung is enraged to hear that last night, Hwon was seen heading toward the Euigeumbu prison, and berates herself for letting Wol live. But another passing glance at her mirror shows Yeon-woo’s face yet again, spooking her further. She screams and throws her vanity chest from her, cutting her hand on broken glass.

The physician is called, but Bo-kyung screams that nobody is to be let inside. She shakes uncontrollably, holding her bloody hand.

Hwon encounters the physician on his way in, however, and arrives in Bo-kyung’s chamber unannounced. He sees the damage and takes the dressing cloth to bind her hand. Bo-kyung tells him he’s not the only one with a longing heart, because hers feels the same — he was her first love. She asks how he, after so painfully losing his love, could be so cruel to her.

At that, he leans forward to hold her while she cries, thinking that they’re all so sad and hurting — himself, Bo-kyung, his brother, “and her.”

Wol’s very public procession through the city attracts the attention of the people, who see her mark and hurl both insults and objects at her. Her mother is walking nearby and hears the commotion, and upon glimpsing Wol, she starts with immediate recognition. She pushes her way through the crowd and yells Yeon-woo’s name, which might be more affecting had we not seen her mistaking every random street urchin for her dead daughter in the past.

Wol turns back briefly at the sound, but her mother falls in the crowd and goes unseen.

But then the royal officers hand off Wol to new hands, accompanied by a bribe. She’s alarmed at this change in plans — if she’s not going to her intended destination, then something shifty’s afoot. She challenges her new captor — is he really defying royal orders? The man drags her away, saying he answers to a more frightening power.

Yang-myung hears the news that Wol disappeared in transit and never arrived at her destination. Perhaps she was attacked by robbers en route. He heads out immediately, only to be confronted by Woon, who tells him to go back inside.

Yang-myung takes out his sword, remembering that Woon can’t draw his without royal order. So will he break his loyalty to that rule to defend himself, or not? Yang-myung starts to fight him, and Woon gives a final warning — that holding a sword out of anger or love is a dangerous thing — before drawing his sword.

They fight, but Woon readily disarms Yang-myung, sending his sword clattering away as he asks, “Who is your anger directed toward?” Yang-myung says, looking desolate, “If I knew that, I wouldn’t be acting like such a madman.”

Woon asks why Yang-myung can’t understand how the king feels; Yang-myung counters, “How can you not understand your friend’s feelings?”

Yang-myung asks if Woon will report that he raised a sword to him. Since Woon is acting on royal orders, it’s equivalent to defying the king, aka an act of rebellion. Woon replies that although he has not forgotten his duty, today he was acting as a friend. Awwww.

It’s nighttime by the time Wol is taken to her new destination, and she’s surprised to find that she recognizes where she is: the palace. The queen dowager’s astrologer is there to greet her, and now we’re clued in to the suggestion he’d proposed to the queen to rid the palace of the ghost. They can use Wol as a spiritual vessel, capturing the ghost’s spirit in her body during the eclipse.

He calls it a type of sacrifice, because this practice is dangerous for the vessel. In cases where the ghost is strong, the shaman can go mad or die, which is why shamans rarely perform the ritual. But hey, this shaman is an expendable presence, right? I do love that they’re unwittingly reuniting Wol with her “ghost,” thinking it’ll serve their purposes when I suspect we’ll be met with a surprise.

The royal astrologer shuts Wol up the Hidden Moon Building with a brief explanation that she’s to comfort a ghost. Wol looks for an exit but finds all the doors and windows barricaded, and marked with talismans.

Now she recalls the gossip about the dead princess crying and realizes with some shock, “The soul I am supposed to comfort is the king’s woman?” Aw, that’s got to hurt — even though we know she’s really just jealous of herself at this point.

The day of the eclipse arrives, and preparations are made for the ceremonial rites. One Euigeumbu investigator is curiously absent: Hong Kyu-tae, the king’s secret mole. His hyungnim goes looking for him and finds him, hilariously, embracing a dead half-naked dude.

The officer jumps back and gives him the shifty eye, but Hong Kyu-tae is immersed in his investigation and wonders if his hyungnim has ever seen a dead body that hadn’t gone cold. If a living person holds a dead person long enough, can that heat transfer? (Side note: Who else thinks the royal physicians must’ve bribed their way through royal medical school if they buried a body that was still warm?)

The hyungnim retorts that if that happens, the body ain’t dead yet. Thank you. Somebody give the man a medical license.

Hong Kyu-tae reports his findings to Hwon: The body expired from an unknown illness, and bore no marks of poisoning or murder. The body remained warm for hours, although the doctor had confirmed that her pulse had stopped.

In the morning, Wol wakes up to find she’s not alone in the room. Her 13-year-old self sits there with her back to Wol, who has expected something of the sort and addresses her sympathetically. She asks what happened to make the girl cry — is it because she misses the king? Is there something she wants to tell him? She asks to know what it is, so she can do what the ghost wishes.

Yeon-woo slowly turns to face Wol — and Wol’s eyes widen, as though in recognition.

And Wol awakens. She’s in the same room as before, but no Yeon-woo this time. Are we in a dream, or are we in a possession? Wol painfully crawls from her sleeping position, gasping for breath.

She drags herself toward the door, mirroring young Yeon-woo dragging herself out of bed the night she was attacked by dark magic in this room. Ah, so it looks like possession, allowing Wol to relive the story the ghost wants her to see.

Hwon takes his place at the rites, as the court awaits. The eclipse begins.

Nok-young narrates as the eclipse reaches its zenith, explaining the heavenly event that will reunite that severed connection, and how everything will be returned to its rightful place.

Hwon sits under the darkened sky, mulling over the details — an illness with no source. A murder leaving no trace. He thinks of his own mysterious illness, and connects the dots: spiritual attack.

Wol collapses at the door, flashing back to eight years ago when she heard Nok-young explaining to her father that Yeon-woo was suffering a spiritual ailment. She remembers the coffin she was trapped in, and being pulled out. Looking up at the face of Nok-young. Her father feeding her the medicine. Dying in his arms.

Are the dots finally connected? Wol cries, “Father. Mom. Mom!”

More flashes: seeing young Hwon for the first time, running through the palace with him, the puppet show they watched together. All her memories come flooding back, and Wol cries in great, anguished wails.

Nok-young comes to Ahri’s grave and thinks sorrowfully that Wol will have uncovered her own secrets, but now is headed for a different, new kind of pain. She prays for their protection.

As the eclipse ends and the sun reappears, Hwon comes to a conclusion: “Black arts.” He orders Hyung-sun to bring Seongsucheong’s head shaman to him, but secretly. He needs to ask her whether one can kill using such arts.

The queen’s astrologer comes to Hidden Moon Building, ready to have Wol’s dead body disposed of quietly if necessary. He finds her in the room, hunched over creepily, and sends his officer to check whether she’s dead.

Wol raises her head slowly, and he asks nervously if she was able to console the ghost. Wol answers, “Yes. That girl will cry no more.”

 
COMMENTS

Finally! I think it took way too long to get here, but at this point I’m just relieved that we’re here at all. At first I worried that Wol’s memories would again be interpreted as shamanic visions, since she could have just believed that she was possessed by the ghost, and that the memories belonged to the girl. But coming face to face with the dead princess, and realizing that she looks just like herself at that age — that provides a jolt she hasn’t had before. (I suppose that’s the flaw in using flashbacks for memory sequences, since WE see what Yeon-woo looked like as a child, but Wol wouldn’t be seeing herself in her memories.)

So I’m relieved to find that the amnesia arc is indeed over — Nok-young’s comments are fairly decisive about Wol recovering her memory — and that we can proceed to the fallout. Because in stories that hinge great big dramatic devices like amnesia (or birth secrets, or identity swaps), the fallout is way more interesting than the setup anyway. Are we gonna get a taste of some revenge? Oh, I hope Wol gets all revengey on the queen’s ass. Pretty please?

Wol finally stepped it up as an interesting character in this episode, after being rather placid and frustratingly passive for a while. I understand why she was that way, given the whole shamans-are-not-people line of thinking that has been drummed into her head, but it doesn’t mean I liked her for it. But I love the ending of this episode, since an angry Wol — or should we call her Yeon-woo now? — is a much more compelling character. I want to see her go all-out and finally put her wits to good use in combating the old bat and her cronies, and giving Bo-kyung what-for.

Now that she knows what her rightful place is, and has an understanding of how things have been stolen from her, I anticipate a fiery clash. And while I thought her reunion with the king as an adult left something to be desired, now I’m on pins and needles to see how the reunion goes, now that she’s in possession of her full identity.

Nok-young foretold of things returning to their rightful places, and if we’re going to get a restoration of order and a downfall of our villains, we’re gonna have to get this train movin’. Lots of ground to cover in three weeks, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — maybe it’ll speed up the plodding pace and recapture some of that early excitement. And speaking of remaining episodes: Extension rumors are, as yet, simply rumors. The articles reporting an extension cite no sources, while the subsequent reports denying the story cite an actor’s agency and the production company. The current situation: Nothing has been decided. It may happen, but I wouldn’t count on it yet.

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Thank you for the recap!

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Yes things finally started to pick up! *renewed love for Moon/Sun. Yeah, I change my views quite quickly.
But really, all of a sudden I see every character (well, almost every) developing and I suddenly FEEL for them. I like where this drama's heading (again). :)

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Once again, kbap...AGREED.

I was just pumping my fist at the end screaming YES YES YES FINALLY THANK YOU SHOW!!!

I'm back in it!!

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Yep :) Unless ep 15 disappoints D: Which I hope does not happen. Awesome how we see eye-to-eye on many things, KRush :)

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oh the joy.
it is possible the heaves have answered upon my rant.

letss keeepppp it goinnn! (:

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And did anyone else FINALLY got chills when han ga in was crying?
this is seriously the first scene i finally see her let go and just go for it, gentleness be damned!

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Yup, same here. She really went all out for that scene and it was one of the few times that I felt she was in character as Yeon-Woo/Wol.

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Oh yes. At that scene I was like, "Damn girl, where have you been?" Makes me think that her previous blandness was more the character and not the actress.

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Remember Dream High last scene in ep13? When Samdong sang Dreaming. That feeling of anger,longingess,relief and hope all into one.That's exactly how i felt when the princess is back.Great job!

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OMG!! so child actor for yeon-woo was in episode 1 of Flames of Desire!! I just started watching that and I flipped out!!! :D

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Yay!!!!! Thank you!

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My brain hurts :\

But thanks for the recap!

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You dont need your brain for this drama lol. Watch Tree With Deep Roots. I promise your brain will love it.

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Yep. Tree with Deep Roots is one intellectual drama. I had to re-watch some parts just so I can grasp at some of the points. One of the best dramas I've ever watched!

BUT in this drama (Sun/Moon), my heart hurts. AND the cliffhangers are just about to kill me. Wednesdays can't come soon enough.

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yup haha.
it(TWDR) could have won my heart like princess's man if it had more balance of heart/brain

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Thanks for the recap :)

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thank uuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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yaaaaaay! thanks :D

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alriight. let's see where it goes from here.

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thanks for the recap! finally things are heating up! :)

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Awesome! Thanks for the update, and FINALLY we see some stuff getting in motion. I love how there's still that lack of clarity between the grandmother queen and physician guy who think that a ghost is in Wol's body, but we know differently!

Thank you!

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OMO!! fervently hoping for a time skip! thanks for the recaps :)

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My only complaint is that the blood is so fake. I mean, it IS fake, but blood dries and congeals over time, and turns into a dark red color, rather than the bright red and washed out color that obviously looks like bright red dye. With all that money spent on the jewelry and clothes, I would have thought they'd have money for proper fake blood, sheesh haha

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its a thing that i find in all dramas though...most of the time the blood is pinkish and very fake...only see good fake blood in films i think

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Real looking fake blood may make the viewers too queasy.

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Well, all they'd have to do is change the bright red color to a dark red color; I don't understand why a darker color would make viewers queasy, if seeing so much blood and the torture scene wasn't enough.

Meh, it's a small complaint though. I definitely do enjoy this series!

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Finally!

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This drama is still Overrated...............IMO!!

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Baker Kim Tak Gu was overrated...

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Exactly both are overrated.

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It may have been overrated, but I was glued to the screen following that. Mostly because of Joo Won, of course!

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so why are you ALL here darling?

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Omg. Next week's episode is going to be so interesting. Let's hope for even higher ratings!

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It's good that Yeon Woo is back, but it would be better if the King also step up to make some action. So it would not revenge from Yeon Woo's side alone. For all matter, what is our main actor to do if not to be the hero? Because ep 13 - 14 already makes me dislike the King more.

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I think *cross fingers* he will, because immediately after the ceremony, (near the end he realized that yeon woo must've been cursed like he is everytime he faints) he asked Hyungsun to call the head of songcheungchong (did I get that right?) Nok-young.
So it's prolly revelation time.
I want to see Minhwa fess to her husband.. geesh about time.
Lot of tears on this ep. I love it!

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Yeah, it'd be awesome if yeon woo and the king carried out revenge working together. two heads are better than one haha

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Ohhhh gosh... Cliffhanger for more!! I wish it's already wednesday next week!

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HAN GAIN NAILED THAT LAST SCENE!
I had goosebumps watching that scene *O*

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good to know I wasn't the only one.....

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agreed! from when she was crying with such sorrow to that look of anger and determination.... she really nailed it!

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Thank goodness...I was really worried we'd never see anything powerful from her. Keep it coming!

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Finally!!!!! The moment we have ALL been waiting for!!!

Their "destinies" are back on track, Hwon's thinking straight, and Wol has regained her memories!!!

HGI did particularly well in this episode and I applaud her performance ! =)
Secrets are now unraveling finally . . . can't wait till next week!!!

Thanks for the recaps =D

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YAY she finally woke up. Now please keep it up girl. Hopefully she'll be on revenge mode so she wont go back to boring.

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I'm still not holding my breath on this one. The last few eps, they always end with a cliffhanger that keeps you on the edge of your seat and then come next week its totally fails to deliver and you're left shaking your head, "that's it?!!!"

But hey, I'm all for moving forward. Show, get it together.

Btw, thanks Javabeans for the recap! We totally owe you guys one for hanging in there when this show has been going around in circles for the last couple of weeks.

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@yumi: I totally agree with you :)

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Agree with you. Don't expect too much. So she recovers her memory. Will she go on a revenge spree? I doubt it. She'll just wait and bide her time and drive us all over the edge.

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she prolly can't anyway, with her current state. being branded with that adultress thingee makes her even lower than a shaman, plus old evil granma has something brewing, as she told the minister of her future plans for the amulet in case she doesn't die from channeling YW.

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haha tell me about it yumi. i went on a rant about this last episode. -__-

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This episode has rekindled the fire! I was starting to lose the passion, but with this intensified ep., I'm definitely hooked again.

I felt sad for Hwon; it's almost like what I felt when I saw young Hwon crying endlessly and screaming to get near Yeon Woo who was being dragged out of the palace due to her supposed sickness. That particular scene made me cry buckets.

That aside, I'm so happy that Yeon Woo is finally back. I wonder how this change will affect all the other characters. I'm especially curious at how the competition between her and Bo Kyung will go. I know the 2 suns will be fighting all over her again, so I'm more concerned to see what happens to the band of evil...

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After watching this episode, the only word I wanted to say is FINALLY!

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amen !

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FINALLY Wol looks like she'll be stepping up!

I can't wait to see how far ratings will go next week, heheh. Lets get more naked abs of the leading men please before the next three weeks end, please. I don't care how, but now that the story is picking up, lets not forget the visuals!

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BTW - is it just me or is Han Ga In's skin pores very visually obvious in comparison to other actors? (Judging by screenshots, that is...)

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Didnt noticed...got distracted by the deer-in-headlights expressions. ZOMGIMYEONWOO.....huhuhu.

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Aw Yeah Yeon-woo has returned! And she's pissed! So excited for her character to quit being sad pathetic I'm-not-really-a-person Wol. I miss her being clever, brave, and cool ^_^ Next Wednesday can't come soon enough!

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I love that she's pissed. She got screwed over by everyone. I would love it if she tells noone she remembers, and then goes on the revenge warpath with everyone still believing she's sad pathetic Wol. *cue evil laugh*

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Ooh I like it! I could totally see her turning into this ultimate goddess of revenge and destruction! All the while under the guise of a lowly innocent shamen. Because she's smart enough to pull it off.
And who would blame her? She had her first love, her life, her family ripped out her hands in the most violent of ways all because she was in the way of their little schemes.
Give 'em hell honey!
*evil plotting hand gestures*

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YES!!!! I'm sooooo happy she finally got her memory back jeez took her long enough I too was losing interest due to the stretching storyline but now things have picked up again I wonder what the ratings were for this episode?
Thanks for the recap!

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Thanks JB,

When Yang myung was young his fighting skill was so good compared to the king's body guard,

how come now it did not show at par about his fighting skill ?

Discrepancy in script writing.

Why still put wol at the hidden moon building ?.

I know, so that the script for her role is
she can still visit the king during the night.

I want to know how the scriptwriter is going to let
yang myung's role to have a more balance plot role

a bigger role for him to play in the future,
besides the king's role only.

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hmm seems to me that yangmyung is now starting to go against the king so i'm interested to see how that plays out ^^

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Yang Myung himself tells Woon "its been awhile since i've held a sword..." or something along those lines in this episode :) so yeah, no discrepancy really.
methinks he's been running away instead of fighting more often as he grew older, so obviously he wouldn't be as good as he was when he was younger.

and Wol was put in the Hidden Moon building to "comfort the spirit of the dead crown princess" which the court astrologer and the queen dowager plotted in order to let the spirit come into Wol's body to make the crying/screaming stop... o_o not so that she can visit the king during the night. the king thinks she's been sent away from the palace.

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oh yes !

that is what being written, to justify the written script that she is going to get involve with the king again.

If the script is written such that she is thrown out
somewhere at a remote place or another country then

how would you write the script for the lovelorn to be always connected (write lenghty love letters !)

it is for the sweetheart to be always connected all the time so that the love is always fresh in viewers mind.

to me "comfort the spirit" is just to let us kmow of the plot but of course we already know what the scheme is
about.

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Oh My Oprah.... I was screaming, crying, and cheering in this episode.... Wol/ Yeon woo last line was epic and it left me wanting MORE... AHHHHH hope we see some revenge and love in these remaining episodes cause its finally moving to an interesting plot. HURRAY for suspense!

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Aw. I was starting to enjoy the trainwreck episodes. THIS should have been aired 2 weeks ago. Now, I feel like demanding the last 5 hours of my life back. Although, yes please on the Revengey Yeonwoo.

As for the extension rumors: oh MBC you greedy greedy ratings whore. Don't you dare.

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LOL Yesh.... I hope it's a rumor and not true either! I hate extentions!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The whole "I forgot" should have only been 1 week of episodes. I think the whole "I'm going to get revenge on your butts" is far more interesting. Maybe the "Falling in love" part wasn't played too well which was supposed to play into the 5 hour torture. But still, you knew it wasn't workin', so directors--your bad.

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Thank goodness that the other characters are getting better developed especially YW. That was just driving me absolutely crazy - and there are supposedly only 6 more episodes. I am starting to not like the King all the much - at least I am losing interest in him... everyone is walking all over him. He had better be hashing a secret plan to over take them. So glad that YW is moving somewhere now. I'm curious what she will do next.

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I liked this episode a lot, but I thought that for a tortured woman, who was all bloodied up, Han Ga In/Wol, seemed physically fine right after... I mean if that was me, I would barely have any strength to keep a straight face..

In the torture scene from ep 13, Han Ga In was pretty good, but after, I thought she put in more life into her acting when she was in the jail cell, which should ve the opposite..

Also, I'm really bothered by the fact that the counsel has so much power and that the King barely has any... Its like the only thing the King can do is do things in secret. If you look at Dong Yi, the king was willing to save Dong Yi even if no one approved. Here, the King just watches her leave.
Good episode though...

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That king is now a plane captain :)))
Yes, in Dong Yi the king was so smart = almost like a Lawyer. In here, the king use to be smart, because he took the power from his grandma soon after his father died. Now hi is under a spell :)) the spell of stupidity and he needs an eclipse to overcame the spell.
I will make my self a costume like his with the occasion of the next eclipse.

I don't believe they are gonna recover much from the mess because YW can't go to the market to by guns and closes for revenge. I'll keep reading the recaps and comments witch are so much more interesting.

PS - I totally love your funny comments, javabeans! especially this one "You’re good, we get it. We don’t need to see the little birds braiding your hair to get the point. "(I can't laugh loud, my baby girl is sleeping :)))

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lol, how come the King from Dong Yi
when he's using JUST his heart to decide?
And his character is a weak king
if I'm not mistaken, 'cause the fact that
Jang Hee Bin (or Lady Jang) entered the Palace
because of his foolishness.
Come on.

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lol, how come the King from Dong Yi is smart
when he’s using JUST his heart to decide?
And his character is a weak king
if I’m not mistaken.
Thus, the fact that
Jang Hee Bin (or Lady Jang) entered the Palace
because of his foolishness means he's not smart/wise.
Come on.

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yesss!! we have development finally :D now....just have to wait another week :(

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Yay for plot movement! Yeah, it was getting pretty slow and mopey for me too.

**is it weird that i'm crazy about Woon, even when he barely appears in the episode?**

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Not at all, in fact:

http://couchkimchi.wordpress.com/2012/02/10/before-the-moon-that-embraces-the-sun-song-jae-rim-for-10asia/

I mean we have a lot of attractive men in this cast, but man would I love to have him at my side at all hours!

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not at all honey,that makes 2 of us.I thought i was the only one who found him really hot in that royal guard uniform

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Woon is just too hot.thanks for the link to his pictures.he is totally my wallpaper on my phone.I see him as often as I want now.Wooooonaaaah,I love you!

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Thank you for the recap! yay!

This episode actually picked up the pace a bit considering how sluggish it's been the last couple. I like it!
Finally! She remembers! wahoo! and just in time too! Now that she knows who she is, I hope she does kick some asses and finally see her family again--this might not happen for awhile if she doesn't want them to be in danger.
Alot of people knew what happened to her so when the King ask to see the head Shaman, she better tell him the truth. But then again, even if she did, would it make a difference? There are just too many baddies in this drama. I would like to see more good people show support for the King. Everything is starting to reveal itself. Yes, truth will come out eventually. I would love to see what happens to the baddies.
*Writer---I hope you have something awsome/tortorous waiting for them! 0_0

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Thank you. the story was professionally captured and well described.

Thank you very much for writing such detail and clear wording.

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ah,,, I wonder what will wol do after this....

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Why do I have this feeling like this is just going to disappoint us again? I mean, I want this arc of the drama to be good, but I feel as if anticipating too much will lead to disappointment. I gotta say though, I hope we see some angry Yeonwoo. But I really really want to see more Seol too. The small glimpse we got of Seol kicking butt was just not enough. I say MORE SEOL!

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Okay, the fun begins! Love me some revenge beat down.
Thanks JB for some awesome recappin.

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First time comment here,
haha..
I love this drama so much..
Just want to speak up my thought:
I don't know but many people kinda disappointed with the story, where Hwon doesn't step up or go further a 'real relationship' with Wol (not YW).. Like he wanted to help her so badly without actually haveing any strong reason (like affair or etc with Wol)..

but, from my point of view, I like it like this.. Where Hwon cannot adjust his feeling is it love or he just see YW in Wol.. And that Hwon is still deeply in love with YW and feel guilty to YW if he however fall for Wol.. And how actually he loves Wol because eventhough he may convince himself it isn't because he see YW in Wol, but it is a yes that he actually loves Wol because the girl reminds him with Yeon Woo..
Call me freak, but I do love how Hwon is so faithful to Yeon Woo.. May be as a girl, I'm a little bit selfish, but don't you all want a man who love you so much and faithful to you no matter what happen?

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ditto! totally agree with that!

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What Hong Kyu-tae did with tgr dead man 's body was so funny...
Finally she got her memory back!!!
I wonder who would be the first to find out that Wol got her memory back aside from Nok-young, Seol and Jan-shil...
Though I think Woon knows something more...

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Thanks for the recap, JB.
I'm not even watching this one (yet) but really enjoying these detailed recaps.

"You’re good, we get it. We don’t need to see the little birds braiding your hair to get the point"
LMAO for this comment - snarky and awesome!
:)

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i loled at that too

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At long last!!! Forward movement AND an interesting setup. Before this episode, I had emotionally checked out of Moon/Sun. Hope it stays this good all the way 'til the finale.

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thanks, guess it's a start of more formidable plot, looking forward next week, can't wait to uncover wol's sidekick stories too...

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i may have missed something here, almost all the people in this story believes in shaman, if anything bad happens, they relate it as a person's evil doings against royalty particularly the king, but why didn't anybody in the story points to the queen as a dark moon that destroys the heat of the sun? whenever the king (sun) comes near the queen (dark moon) the king collapses or gets sick. People does not make sense at all. even the king's people did not think of it. Or maybe i just missed that part .....

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Uh... I think I'd attribute that to being high treason... or at least they don't wanna offend the powers-that-be (aka grandwitch and the prime monster).

At that time, people can be punished harshly for the most ridiculous reasons ever.

Anyway, they did wonder why Hwon always got sick whenever BoKyung went near him...

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the Queen has too many powerful allies.

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thanks for the recap! i have yet to watch the episodes. i'm just relying on your site for my weekly dose.

i'm so excited for the coming episodes! i can hardly wait for what are in store for the characters!! :) by the way, i can't help but wonder.. what will wol do now that she knows who she really is. will she be able to approach the king and reveal things as easily?.... hmm...

would anyone know where i can find an english translation of the book version?

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FINALLY THE PLOT IS MOVING FORWARD!!! this scene should have come a lot earlier because now theres less wol and hwon moments whenever they reunite again :( but i am happy with this even if i did have to wait this long. i want it to be wednesday but at the same time i am worried about how the story may turn. like many dramas in the past where i just envision this epic storyline and then the next episode just became sour and just like wtf just happened. i am hoping that the ratings are not going to go over the writers head

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Ok, so I am finally glad to see the development. Before, I was worried about the Yang-Myung bomb (I still am. X( I wonder if he will actually conspire against lil' bro, and what will he do once his suspicions are confirmed that Wol is Yeon Woo!?! The suspense!). However, with the Wol bomb now set and ticking.. Next week it is! :o

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Ow, I watched this live from last night's episode and darn, that scene with Bo-kyung and Hwon... Hello there, pang of jealousy... hehehe

Just a random thought, since the writer of MoonSun is the same with SKKS, and we all know that SKKS somehow lost its drive on the second half of the series, so maybe the writers have learned their lessons... and will give us the excitement and something to look forward on the (well, it should've been since episode 10 but minus the 6 episodes with the kids, which was awesome as well...) second half of MoonSun...

Here's to hoping...

Is it Wednesday yet??? =)

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I think SKKS had a lot of things going for it - the explosive cast chemistry, the acting, the college camaraderie and hijinks, gorgeous visuals and OST - that covered up the weaker plot and character developments.

But keep in mind that the novel writer wrote SKKS and MoonSun, but the screenwriter is probably a different person for each. I know from ockoala's novel translations that Wol and Hwon had already kissed when the drama covered ep 7 or 8 (when Hwon ran outside his room with Wol). So the scriptwriter seems to be responsible for changing the source material in several ways.

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WOOOOOON- Ah ~~~ (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ ) ♥

(just had to get that out of my system)

...on knees beagging the writers, "Please throw some lovin'Woon's way."

We all know that adorable-faced Seol is NOT gonna ever going to realize skinship/or any other 'ship with Yeom, even if she longs for him for a lifetime. As long as Princess MinHwa is breathing...she''ll be attached to her husband like a tick.

As much as I loved the young MinHwa...(she was hilarious) the adult has definitely GOT to own up to her knowledge and thus become a righteous person. To be honest, she's already past the expire-date on when it's appropriate to confess that you know about something...really, REALLY BAD.

I had hopes for her.
..and Janshil too. Oppa needs some Shamanistic-Fu in his court....c'mon Janshil give PrinceMY some smoky-paper-clouds-of-magical-whoop-ass...

oh and......Mama Heo....she's suffered the death of her beloved daughter, and husband...her son is banned from his once brilliant career....I would LOVE if this lady personally took a bamboo rod to the Dowager....beat that Drangon binyeo outta her *weave*.
(Go Mama Heo ~)

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*dragon binyeo.....edit button needed for poor typist :)

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Cannot wait fOr next week's episode. So exciting. I hope the remaining episodes would be great and complete.

Thanks for the awesome recap.

This is the first time I choose to watch a show that is still airing. Normally, I will wait till all eps are shown.

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happy bday kim soo hyun!!!!!!!!!

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It's about time that this drama picks up again because I was on the verge of dropping it.

There's just too many other dramas that are currently doing a great job, so I am less inclined to slog through a slow one.

Moon/Sun, this is your last chance to make me care!!!

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