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Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 4

So good. Arang and the Magistrate has got to be one of the most creative shows I’ve seen in recent memory. The central conceit isn’t itself new — we’ve had ghosts and heaven/hell stories since the beginning of ever — but this drama’s interpretation and visualization of these ideas are so innovative. It’s colorful and refreshing. And simply gorgeous as well, which isn’t always an automatic given despite improved CG and cinematographic techniques these days. This is one drama where the technical aspects really enhance the storytelling; it’s the whole package.

SONG OF THE DAY

아침 (Achime / Morning) – “파도색 신발” (Wave-colored shoes) [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
EPISODE 4 RECAP

Eun-oh looks for Arang and can’t find her that night, worrying about what’s happened. He sees Bang-wool running madly through the woods; she arrives home and immediately prays to the gods, crying that she did nothing wrong.

Eun-oh scares her half to death with his sudden appearance and asks after Amnesia. She tells him Arang went to the hereafter — for real this time, replete with a goodbye to the shaman. She wonders if Arang went loopy in the head, daring to threaten the grim reaper and demanding an audience with the Jade Emperor: “She probably won’t be safe in the afterlife, either.”

Mu-young leads Arang through the forest. I love that while he’s as grim as his job description, Arang goes from walking behind him to sidling up to his side, asking whether he can really die. He answers, “Nothing in the world is infinite.” If he dies, though, he just disappears — the same fate Bang-wool warned would befall Arang if their portal-trick went awry.

Again Arang sees no big deal in disappearing, which I suppose is what happens when you have no memory and therefore no pathos about not having ever existed. She asks if he has a human past too, but he doesn’t answer.

They arrive at a clearing, and the reaper’s lantern drops to the ground, absorbing into the earth — and night turns to day, just like that.

They’re at the bank of the river to the afterlife — once they cross, she cannot return. He asks whether she feels no lingering attachment to this life, and she notes, “I didn’t say goodbye.” To Eun-oh, she means.

Still, she’s ready to face what comes next and just reminds him to keep his promise. A boat floats down the river toward them, and he boards it. Arang joins him and takes a seat.

As the boat travels on carrying the two of them, Arang looks back toward the shore. It’s eerily beautiful imagery, traveling on water that’s littered with greenery, almost like they’re floating atop the world.

Soon all the color drains away, leaving just black and white and coldness. The water turns choppy, and Arang looks on in horror as they approach an enormous waterfall. All around, there are other passengers in other boats, all falling over the edge. Arang falls, too, bracing herself.

The camera pulls back to give us a look from a distance, showing us that the waterfall is actually in the shape of a huge circle, leading to a white, watery abyss in the center. That’s so cool.

She falls into the water, sinking deeper and deeper… and then somehow the medium around her changes and now she’s floating in air, toward…

“Look here, Amnesia!” Where’d that voice come from?

Arang opens her eyes and finds herself standing with Mu-young in a large cave. A huddled figure in white suddenly leaps to its feet, vaguely human in shape but with strangely long, withery appendages.

The evil-looking scarecrow flies at her, face to face, looking at her with fiery eyes. It hisses at her…

Cut to Eun-oh, who asks, “Hell?”

Bang-wool is explaining the process of punishment and passage into the hereafter, determined by the life you led as a human. Most people have a little leeway, she explains — you spend some time in an ethereal prison as punishment and then go on your way to what’s next. But Arang? The thing she committed against that reaper? Instant hell for her, with no wiggle room.

Eun-oh argues that she can’t know that, since she doesn’t even have full shaman powers. Way to insult the only one who can help you, dude. Bang-wool huffily points to her shaman’s guide, all, How dare you disrespect The Book?, and outlines the description of hell: there are ten of them in all, each with its own punishments. Boiling vats, flying knives, and other horrors.

After all this, I’m going to die laughing if Arang shows up amidst literal daisies and rainbows. But it’s dire news for Eun-oh, who asks if there’s anything he can do. But what can you do when the opponent is Death?

Late that night, the Bang Trio lead a group of Lord Choi’s men into the magistrate’s yard, here to take agasshi’s body. Dol-swe has been put on guard duty and although Lord Choi’s name has him quaking in fear, he stands his ground. Commence fight!

Dol-swe’s outnumbered and unarmed, but he’s like a huge roaring bear and keeps fighting. One man goes after him with a knife, just as a shoe flies into his back, knocking him off-balance.

It’s Eun-oh, and Dol-swe cries out in relief.

Eun-oh has expected something of this kind, figuring that Joo-wal and Lord Choi wouldn’t let go of the matter easily. He drops his father’s name and warns that should anything befall him, these henchmen are digging their own graves.

It’s enough to get the men to back down and leave with hateful glares. Dol-swe cries and embraces his master like a huge lumbering puppy, and Eun-oh thumps him on the back for doing a good job. I love these two.

Eun-oh asks the corpse what she would have him do, at a loss. In the morning, he informs the Bangs to begin preparations for Seo-rim’s funeral. The villagers will be informed to pay their respects, and apologize for gossiping and maligning her name.

He sighs to himself, “Amnesia, this is the only thing I can do for you. At least your body may lie in rest. After your funeral, I will leave.”

Lord Choi is displeased to have his plans thwarted, although he is mollified to hear of the funeral. He’d thought Eun-oh was going to make a big deal of the murder, but now it appears he’s letting the matter drop. So did you kill her?

A notice is posted in the village announcing Seo-rim’s funeral and asking for apologies for besmirching her name. They wonder how it can be that the corpse hasn’t rotted, finding it creepy.

Eun-oh sits at the memorial altar, sighing that nobody has showed up in the past two days. He says it’s a good thing Arang didn’t meet Joo-wal after all, considering how he was so dismissive of her death. He asks, “Hell… Is that really where you’ve gone?”

The next day, Eun-oh receives the bows of Seo-rim’s servant woman, both dressed in mourning whites. Aw, has he taken up the position of her next of kin? That’s so sad and sweet. Today’s the burial day, and Eun-oh plans to take off afterward.

Dol-swe vents his outrage over Seo-rim’s lack of mourners as he packs their things. Though he concedes that it’s not just the people’s fault; it’s because they find it so hard to scrape by, thanks to Lord Choi’s harsh rule.

But when Eun-oh steps outside, he comes face to face with… Arang?

He stares in shock, while she leans in and teases him for his speechlessness. Cheerily, she says, “Good to see you again.”

Dol-swe joins him outside — and curiously, he looks right at Arang and asks if she’s here to pay her respects. What, he can see her? Omg. Is she alive?

Dol-swe leaves wondering who she could be to have the master in such agitation. Then he stops in his tracks, indignant: “He got himself a sweetheart without me knowing?!”

Arang’s incredibly touched that he went looking for her, which is just adorable. But he’s dying to know what happened to her (and so am I, frankly), and he impatiently demands her explanation.

Arang says, “I’ve become a person.”

Yesssss! I dunno how, but I’m ALL FOR IT.

Stunned, he touches her face, then grabs her shoulders as though to test it out. Which would be a better indicator if, you know, he couldn’t do that back when she was a ghost.

So she gives him her story, as we flash back to the last time we saw her, confronting that hellish scarecrow being:

The scarecrow flies backward and in its place grows a bright white light. Mu-young leads Arang toward it… and together they fly upward into the clouds…

Arang lands on a floating stone disk in front of heaven’s gate. The Jade Emperor’s voice asks, “Why did you ask to see me, Arang?” And there they are, the rulers of heaven and hell, standing tall to meet her.

Hilariously, the King of the Underworld leans in suspiciously and asks what Jade Emperor sprayed. Jade replies, “A heavenly scent to welcome a woman.” Pwahaha.

Arang defiantly harrumphs and says, “So we finally meet, old fogey Jade Emperor.” Which she directs at Hades. HA. Jade Emperor’s all, Yo, I’m over here, and she gapes: “You’re the Jade Emperor… old fogey?”

She gets to the crux of the matter: Why was she left dead in the ground? Jade Emperor replies, “Oh, were you?” Feigning ignorance, he says he can’t know everything — do you know how many people he has to keep watch over? But you know, if she’s that desperate, he’ll confer with Hades.

Hades grumpily refuses to play along with his charade of “consultation” and retorts that they already decided what to do. Ha.

Hades: “Arang! Looking at your sins, you should be heading for hell immediately. But because of the Emperor’s desperate plea—”
Jade Emperor: “Hey, that’s not right. I’m not one to desperately request anything of you—”
Hades: “—DESPERATE! PLEA! I have decided to give you another chance.”

This is the first time they are permitting anything of this kind, but they are returning her to earthly life — to find the answer to her question herself. If she can’t find the answer, Hades will take her to the deepest hell. Will she accept?

Arang’s reply: “Sure, why not?”

They stand under a huge orb, a heavenly yin and yang. There’s Hades and Jade Emperor, with Arang smack dab between them.

Jade Emperor gathers his heavenly power in his hands as he explains that before there was an earth and sky, there was one yin-yang. From that, all things were born, and the universe was created.

Hades draws upon his own dark force, and both of them shoot their energies at Arang. The forces swirl around her, sending her in a whirlpool of wind and power, light and dark, black and white.

The result? One perfect little glowing sphere, containing Arang. One side shows the swirl representing the yin and yang as we know it. On the other side is the seal that had almost sent Mu-young and Arang into the great unknown.

Jade Emperor tells Arang to uncover the truth about herself, and throws the ball into the sky, where it absorbs into the big yin-yang in the sky, which I swear is not a euphemism for anything.

On the earthly side of things, that ball of energy falls out of the sky and lands in the sea with a huge splash. In the water, the ball unfurls and Arang emerges from the fetal position, a literal rebirthing. It’s part Aphrodite emerging from the sea, part Little Mermaid.

Arang swims to the surface and yells up at the sky, “Are you crazy?!” Now she’s addressing both old fogeys, pointing out that they could’ve given her clothing. Haha. These grand entrances are high in visual splendor, low on practicality.

Arang darts through the grass, dripping and naked, and stealthily swipes the clothing hanging from a clothesline. What’s one more sin to add to the list?

Interestingly, Arang can still see ghosts. To test whether she’s really a human, she asks a child if he can see her, and asks how she looks. She giggles when he says she’s pretty, and goes off skipping, greeting every person in her path.

Spying the funeral notice in the village, she’s touched that Eun-oh would give her such a send-off. Off she goes to meet him… and that brings us current.

Eun-oh half-scoffs at the incredible story — why does only she get this treatment? She shrugs; the gods probably felt sorry for her. She eagerly proposes that now they can start delving into her murder case together.

Dol-swe’s voice cuts in from outside, calling him to the burial. He’s adorably pissy at his young master, assuming he’s romancing the lady, while Eun-oh tries in vain to get rid of him. Eun-oh orders Arang to stay put here and not move a muscle, then heads off to the burial.

She complies for all of about two seconds before exploring the house, heading next door to Seo-rim’s old room, and she announces that she’s returned.

Arang makes faces in the mirror to confirm it’s really her, marveling at her humanness. “I’m really a person!”

But it doesn’t come without its conditions: the gods had given her three full moons to solve her murder. Only after she finds the truth will the bell be rung. Hades warned that he’ll have hell prepared for her, cackling that she’ll never figure it out.

She’d challenged, “And if I do it? Then will you negate everything and let me live in heaven?” Jade had told her they’ed think about it when the time came.

Now Arang grumps that she’ll show the old fogeys — and what’s more, she doesn’t even need three whole months! “I’m different from that weak Lee Seo-rim. I’m not going to be ignorant and do nothing but scream!” Which is why we love you.

Up in heaven, Hades points out that the truth of the girl’s death isn’t really that important: “Do you really think your strategy will succeed?” He smirks that he’d thought Jade had a better plan up his sleeve, clearly believing it’ll fail. And when it does, he’d better be ready to honor his promise.

Jade Emperor assures him he will, and asks what Hades wants if he wins the bet. Hades: “Your body.”

HAHAHAHA. There is not one thing he could have said to make me laugh more, but it’s so perfectly in character. Petty-minded, calculating, aging Hades wants the heavenly king’s youthful hottie looks? Of course he does.

That actually shocks Jade Emperor into stutters, but he agrees. He doesn’t specify what he wants out of the deal if he wins, saying merely that he’ll let him know later.

Hades wins this round of badook and cackles in glee. Jade Emperor asks what earthly lives will end now, since each game results in life or death consequences on earth. Oh wow, so it’s a direct connection to the fates of mankind, is it?

Hades replies philosophically that things have to die for new life to spring up in its place.

The funeral procession makes its way through the village. At home, Joo-wal suddenly looks up at the sky — sensing something ominous?

Elsewhere in a small, isolated cottage, a woman sits in a room. She’s behind a veil, wearing the hairstyle of a gisaeng.

Joo-wal turns the lock in the gate — shutting something out? Or himself in? Who are you, creepy possible non-human?

Lord Choi’s steward leads villagers to a warehouse containing sacks of barley, potatoes, and corn. It’s an act of charity to starving citizens, and they thank him for the generosity. It’s rotten food, but they carry it off nonetheless. The steward tells Lord Choi that the food was unsellable and unconsumable, so they’ve earned a debt of gratitude from the people without losing anything themselves.

Joo-wal walks through the gate, and Lord Choi pointedly asks his man when the next full moon is. Isn’t it tomorrow? Father and son exchange loaded looks.

Lord Choi points out that this is particularly ominous, being the full moon of a leap month. He asks Joo-wal, “If you cannot find that girl by tomorrow, what will that person do? Surely he wouldn’t cast you away because of one mistake. Don’t worry too much.”

Joo-wal replies coldly that Father need not worry about that and suggests his father go to the funeral. Buying a round of drinks would do a lot more for his image than handing out spoiled food. Hm, so Joo-wal openly disapproves of his father’s corrupt and avaricious ways, but they’re clearly on the same side with regards to this cryptic secret. There’s such an interesting tension between them.

Arang decides to head out to her funeral, and dons the uniform of a guard as her disguise.

While the coffin is lowered into the ground Eun-oh wonders if Arang’s story can be true. If she’s visible to other people, it must be true. All the while Dol-swe glares at him silently, which cracks me up so much. He thinks jealously, “Look at him — his thoughts are somewhere else! What are you thinking about? That woman? Who the hell is she?”

Arang hurries along, belatedly realizing she doesn’t know exactly where the burial is. In her haste she bumps into someone coming from the other direction, who grabs her arm before she falls: Joo-wal. And wouldn’t you know, the black ring on his finger starts to glow a bright red, to his shock.

Arang pulls away and thanks him for his help. Would he happen to be going to Seo-rim’s funeral? Does he know where it is?

Joo-wal stares incredulously as she excuses herself and continues on her way. He runs after her.

Eun-oh decides to believe Arang’s explanation of becoming human to uncover her truth. He tells himself fine, she can do that, and he’ll continue investigating his mother’s mystery.

Just then, Officer Arang joins the party and promptly gets into an argument with one of the Bangs, who orders her to shovel dirt. The Bangs realize they don’t recognize this face and ask if (s)he’s new to town. With no way to gracefully escape, Arang pushes her way free of them and darts off in a run, setting off a chase.

Eun-oh pursues griping that he knew she’s cause trouble, and bringing up the rear is Joo-wal.

The chase-a-thon heads into town. Eun-oh darts off in a different direction, while Joo-wal hops on rooftops. Arang loses the bumbling Bangs, but Joo-wal catches up to her in a dead end.

Eun-oh’s not far behind them, and she panics, knowing he’s going to be upset that she disregarded his instructions. She tries to hop the fence and asks Joo-wal for a lift, promising to repay the favor.

So he lifts her up onto the wall, and she beams at him in gratitude. He doesn’t realize she’s a woman, but the smile strikes something in him, and he asks if she’s really an officer. She insists that yes, she is, absolutely.

Just then Eun-oh spots her and yells out, sending her quickly hopping over to the other side. He gets there too late, and belatedly registers Joo-wal. They eye each other warily, two suspicious alpha males.

 
COMMENTS

If yesterday was Arang’s episode, today gives us more of Eun-oh and his growing attachment to her. While she’s around, he could grumble and pretend he found her irritating, but at the idea that she might be gone forever, he showed a melancholy that I found really lovely. He was so worried for her fate and unable to do a thing about it, and that pathos was palpable.

And then she returns? HUMAN?! What a fantastic twist I didn’t see coming. I guess now it makes sense why Seo-rim was so closeted, if only for the fact that it makes Arang’s return less of a narrative pickle, since there are so few people to recognize her.

On one hand it’s nice and convenient to our romance to make her human again… but no gives come without a cost, and with the ticking clock hanging over her head, I don’t doubt we’ll be getting our share of heart-wrenching conflicts in the days to come. It’s great.

Because: Human falls for ghost? That’s a sad, impossible romance. Human falls for human with a limited life span, governed by powers greater than yourself? Well, that gives them a lot more reason to grow to love aach other, and lament the loss when it comes time for her to make good on her side of the deal.

It’s a nice bit to have her retain her ghost-sight, keeping us firmly anchored in the world of the supernatural. Or is that sentence an oxymoron? In any case, I love the idea of both our hero and heroine sharing this second sight while the rest of the world remains blind to it.

This episode seriously upped the fantasy element, and I loved everything about it. Not just that it looks so beautiful and has great ambiance, but because it brings out some really interesting narrative themes — like Arang being indifferent to the idea of non-existence. I
love the idea of memory being the great loss of death. With her blank memory, she’s got literally nothing left to lose, as she told Mu-young when she was threatening him with the portal — it makes her more desperate, but it also keeps her adrift in her ghost-existence.

Everyone else understands the difference between dying and not existing, but Arang shrugs it off like it’s nothing. I wonder if that’ll tie in with the final conflict — this idea that she may go, but she’ll be remembered. Because at the end of the day, she’s dead. Her great tragedy isn’t dying, but in not existing, twice over: Once because she can’t even recall herself, and again because her death is shrouded in mystery and being covered up, by evil men-werewolves-reapers-or-otherwise-supernatural-beings-maybe. (What is Joo-wal’s deal? I’m so curious.)

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Yahhhh! Thanks so much. I've only seen it without the subs.

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Same here, even with subs its not complete without your recaps so "Thank You" ladies <3.

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hehe, this is what I'm doing: 1) watch it without subs in the evening; 2) read the recaps right after I get up in the morning; 3) watch it subbed in the evening after --> prolonged viewing pleasure!

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oh hell, that's what i'm doing too. good to know i'm not the only one crazy enough to do this stuff.

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Loving this show! It really took an interesting twist this week.

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And my first thought for her incarnation was "Wow, Pokemon in Joseon." lol

But I think the visuals and cinematography are great. That's got me hooked almost as much as the story and actors.

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Yeah, and I'm getting the feeling there will be more twists later on! :D

What if Arang was a supernatural being while she was alive, maybe a witch or something? ..err ok, maybe not.

Haha I love how when Joo wal comes on screen, there's the typical villain music being played! XD Oh whatever you are, please don't be a werewolf!!

I'm not liking the gisaeng being the big baddy. Maybe she's a gumiho? ..yeah I'm not too creative. Hope the writers give us something unpredictable.

So far, I love this show. All the supernatural and fantasy stuff is just my cup of tea! :D

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wow I was not expecting her to return to her human form this early on. this makes their romance so much more possible.
lurrve this twist.
and luuurved this episode to bits.

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btw, total sailormoon vibes from that under-water fetal position scene. lol

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OMG YES. LMFAO. and I thought I was the only one. I love the visuals here...faith can learn a thing or two..

heck faith can probably learn something from "to the beautiful you", the 360 cameras there are used like every second..
> <

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lmao good to know im not the only one.
and YESS. faith needs to learn from arang.
so far, this show's cinematography and story is so much more captivating in my eyes.

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OMG LOL totally. I thought I was the only one being reminded of Sailor Moon. Makes me love the show even more, haha.

Thanks for the recap, JB! I'm so excited for this new development. And is Joo-wal...falling for Arang? I hope so. Because. That. Would. Be. Awesome.

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After the way he looked at her when she smiled, I'm afraid I'll be suffering from second lead syndrome again.
I seriously ship those two, I ship her with Eun-Oh, too. :P That way I won't get too depressed when Joo-wal doesn't end up with her.
I think Mu-young is more of an older brother type to her.
Did anyone think of shipping Arang and the Jade Emperor? He wouldn't care since he's such a *coughwannabecough* player. :)

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Love love love the Jade Emperor and his mischievous ways. He is on top of the PLAYER list after Kim Bong Do.
Yoo Seung-Ho is owning it and I'm counting his age in dog years so I dont feel like a disgusting perv.

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How can you ship a potential shapeshifter who pulls a knife on you every time you sneak up behind him? Joo Wal is a ticking time bomb. I kept screaming at Arang to "run faster!" when Joo Wal started to chase her through the forest after their first encounter.

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I did ship Arang with the Great Jade Emperror. He's such a cutie pie. Love his expression so much.

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there's something inside of me telling me that joo-wal is this tortured but sweet soul that only arang can tame.
it'd be cute if he fell for her, but, like every drama with 2nd leads, rarely do they ever end up with the gal, sadly.

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Thank you again for the recap.. gonna watch it, then read the recap n then come n talk bout it, or may be gush or maybe babble like a idiot lets see how it goes... :P

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Ok this is gonna be a total gushing post!
First of all the visuals are out of the world * smirk*. Don't knw what it is but you have the touching like the light calling in the ground turning day in to nigh and the fading in and out of color giving the show the out worldly effect. (I adore the two heavenly brothers fighting they are so much like a bickering 5year old- not something you would think someone who has been alive for ages would be like).
Another relationship i like is between Eun-oh and Dol-swe as well as Arang and the shaman. Eun-oh and Dol-swe reminds me a bit of city hunter and his ajussi home shopping addicted wife!
YOu know i have a strong suspicion that the Jade emperor will ask Arang to be allowed to like as a human.. Though it would be reallly funny if he as to live in the body of the King of hell..

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Eun-oh and Dol-swe are ADORABLE! I loved Dol-Swe's monologue and how pissy he was after thinking that Eun-Oh had a girl behind his back!:D

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Am I mistaken in thinking Dol Swe is the older brother in The Great Chef? He's awefully funny here.

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Thank you!

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Hey javabeans/girlfriday,

But did orangy911 stop recapping AGD? There's still 2 episodes left to recap...

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My question too ma freind

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Yeah, I was wondering about that too. Maybe she's really busy?

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Love this show so much. Thanks for recapping!

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Just had a belated thought...I think Eun Oh grabbed Arang's shoulders to turn her to see if she still has that tattoo on her neck, since all the other ghosts do. Of course, she doesn't, so that is one piece of proof that she isn't a ghost anymore.

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That's exactly what I thought! I think that first he grabs her face to see if there's the tattoo, and then he grabs her shoulders to show he's happy :3

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i also love how mu young has such brotherly vibes towards arang.
"mind your manners, arang. araang."

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yes yesss!! Mu Young is so brotherly! I love the dynamics between him and Arang... aaah.... BIG HEART...

"Jade replies, “A heavenly scent to welcome a woman.” "
LOL I knew the subs had some problems... But its good to know thats what it means... I love the subbers to bits because they work through the night to sub by morning!!

The story is progressing so quickly I was really surprised.
Who is that mysterious woman Joo Wal has locked up?
Why is his ring glowing?!
Is that woman going to wreck havoc on the fifteen if she doesn't get something? Like lots of souls?

AAAAH another week....

thanks for the lovely recap as usual javabeans!!

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it almost looked like joo-wal was star-struck by arang's darling smile.
maybe he did, at one point, love her? man i am SO curious about him.

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yeah, totally! star-struck by the (perhaps other-worldly) pretty. i'm guessing he is supposed to harm her somehow but won't be able to because he'll end up falling for her. i foresee a love triangle...

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If Joo-wal is telling the truth by saying he only met her once, I don't think it was love. He needs her for some reason, which is probably why Heaven's Bickering Boys put her on ice in the first place.

I think Arang was delibrately set adrift as part of some bet between them, especially with her (original) body tied that ribbon.

Can we move faster towards next week? lol

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I hope he is telling the truth. But he does provoke the evil aura but he seems truthful but not good. If you know what I mean? Lol.

There's some about Joo Wal's character and Arang that makes me draw to those two. Even more than Lee Jun Ki. Maybe because Joo Wal's background is soooo fuzzy ominous yet tragic? Lol.

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i think he lied when he said he barely remembers her face, because i think he's in on her murder and he'll probably deny any thought of possibly being close with her.
AND it makes the murder look less suspicious.
When he saw her face something struck him. I think it was obvious that it's a face he knew and recognized.

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He might well be telling the truth about the one meeting but at the same time, deliberately left out other details as well.

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starstruck is a good description - I like that this episode showed us a different side of joo-wal; and made me wonder even more about him. that's a really complex character! Is the actor who plays him new? I don't recall seeing him ever before.

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He's not new, he played in Ojakgyo Brothers (the maknae)... I'm also very curious about his story, very mysterious...This drama is really interesting, moreover the cinematography is breathtaking :)

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No. he is good actor. Go and search for " Just Friends" on U-Tube. It's a Korean short film. Hilarious and funny.

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could mystery woman be the missing mom?

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ooohhh! nice point! maybe he and eun-oh are brothers? because eun oh has the really unique superhuman ability to see, touch and feel ghosts...

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I was thinking the same thing!!!

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Joo-wal is adopted, so it could be a possibility. :)
Then wouldn't the story go a bit makjang-y: two brothers fall for the same woman who has a limited time to live, but they don't know their brothers since their mother kept it from both of them. Their love for the same woman leads them to uncover the truth about their own family...

written by one who can't stand makjang dramas since they leave her depressed and angry/frustrated

I have too much time on my hands, don't I. -_-

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totally agree on the brotherly vibes statement...makes me wonder, mmmm...

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Wow wow wow!! Araang is getting better and better!! ♡

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yay same day recap! thanks javabeans :D
the gods are so nice to arang!

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now, you're making me curious too. i read back to old post about the original story and i wonder, how original are the production team bringing this story? if Joo Wal is the bad guy, was he the one who killed Arang? because why care so much if he's just the ignorance fiance? curious, curiouser...

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by the way, Javabeans, must be nice to get an even numbered episode!!! with story this goooooood!

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This drama has my heart...I lub it sooo much! The human twist was awesome. Can't wait to see the mystery unfold.

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The recap's finally here! Thank you very much JB!
YOU are HEAVEN-SENT. Which brings me the question: How's Jade Emperor doing up there?

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Could she be Moo Young's sister?

Somehow?

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Or could it be that Moo Young is the boy for who she left JW?

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the fact that joo-wal seems to be hopping off those hay rooftops so swiftly tells me he's done it alot before. hmm...

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Woooooooo the rooftop killer. I'm sleeping with the lights on tonight.

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Yeah, I don't think EVERY scholar is supposed to be good at martial arts. You only have those skills if you have a purpose to USE them. He seriously makes me sit on the edge of my seat, so mysterious! There are so many mysteries circulating around in this drama, I love it!

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Still at the top ten after reading! Hehehehe. Thank you!

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Thank you Javabean, now off to read^^♡

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waahh!!! I never know that this Drama can be one of my favorites for life! :x

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This show just turned from cute and funny to freaking awesome for me. Thank you for recapping this so quickly! You guys are on fai-yah!

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Thank you Javabean for the great recap. What a wonderful complex story.

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I wonder if joo wol loved her at one point. It seems like he remembers her face in a way. And I also wonder who he's looking for. A girl? Aishhh. Two episode if not enough of this awesomenesss.

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I think when JW looked at Arang, and she smiled that heart melting smile, he felt pity and regret, not love.

Here is my theory:
JW is a body snatcher. He may have even residing currently in a snatched body. That is why the father said something about a shell, was it?

He works for the gisaeng lady in the room, and her soul is the one who receives the bodies, uses them up, and throws them away.
Her current body is EO's mother who was tricked into helping.

The next planned possession had been LSR's body, but something went wrong, and she was killed before whatever horrible body swapping ceremony could take place. Maybe the fact that her body didn't decay is one attribute to being the perfect body.

This leaves me to believe that JW did not kill her but that her death may have been caused by him indirectly and accidentally. JW instructs his bad people to go get her, and we have your typical girl-falls-off-cliff-to-her-death-after-being-chased.

That means for the past three years, JW has been searching vainly NOT for Arang, but anyone else that'll set off his perfect body detector ring. We saw JW had not found anyone among the gisaengs.

There must be an upcoming expiration date for the lady's current body - that being the full moon. If Arang had stayed away long enough, she would have been safe. JW would have failed, and probably sent to a bad bad place.
But, of course, through blind luck, JW runs into her on the way to the funeral...

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EO's mom would be like a Queen Ravenna from Snow White and the Huntsman :). What if she is the real villain here and JW is just the huntsman?. I still dont believe he killed Arang for some reason.

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Wow! This makes perfect sense! If this is true, then it's going to be heart-breaking for Eun Oh to discover that his mom's body had been used as a shell.

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I didn't think of that, but your argument totally makes sense! I figured that EO's mom was the woman locked away, but you've put into my head all sorts of possibilities that I didn't think of before. The question hanging over my head is that hairpin--is it a symbol of being the "Chosen One" by this woman, because if it is, it may confirm the EO's mom theory. Just a thought.

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That's a very interesting theory! At this point, I think any theory could be possible since we don't have that much information concerning the Choi family and EO's mother.

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Thanks for the re-cap.

So much fun and so much to think about.

We know how human Arang got her second sight but not how Eun-oh got his. Maybe this change in an indication that they are the same kinds of being now--neither are pure human nor purely other worldly.

I wonder is mystery woman is Eun-Oh mothers and she gave Arang the hairbob.

I'm keeping my fingers cross that the Jade Emperor's wish to for Arang to continue as a human being.

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i know it's gonna be alot to ask for from the writers but i wish to god that after arang discovers the truth about her death that they let her remain human.. it's a win-win situation for our OTP..
it might be a stretch, since arang understands that the most that can come from this deal is that she be sent to heaven after all this.
I hope jade emperor allows arang to stay in human form, although what is this talk about inbalance in the afterlife?
btw, i find it so awesome how arang the ghost now has a human body of her own, instead of returning to her old body. then again, if she did return to her old body, that would not fly with the villagers knowing a dead girl was magically revived.

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Yessss!!! When I was watching without the subs I thought she's asking from the Jade Emperor to let her stay as human if she succeeds. I was a bit disappointed that she only asked to stay in heaven. Perhaps she'll change her mind once she's fallen in love with Eun Oh and plead from the Jade Emperor to let her live.

And to Yumi, that's a brilliant thought. Perhaps there's another mystery to how Eun Oh gets to see ghosts.

Pure awesomeness!

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Yup. like JB mentioned, arang knows she has nothing to lose. that's why unlike a regular human being, she takes her life/fate not as serious as one would. I guess returning as a human does not matter to her much other than getting to the bottom of her death, and they owe her that at least.
fingers crossed. love how this is a 20-episode show so it gives us alot of time to unravel the mysteries and a plus with the visual effects! love ittt

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Yeah.. And the fact that its 20-episode long makes me crack my head wondering what's in store for us.

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She has the same face/looks the same as when she was alive right?

It's hard to know because Eun-Oh always saw her 'spirit' as a ghost, before he saw her body. I thought Joo-Wal recognized her also, but it is hard to know because I have no idea of who are what Joo-Wal is.

So I am confused about if her current body is the same in features as her former body.

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I just did a re-viewing and she does look the same as she did before she died. At her funeral rites she was afraid of being recognized by the granny who mourns her.

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I think it has to do with Eun-ho's mom in the first episode she talked about who his maternal family was and their greatness, even though it seems she (perhaps them too) have fallen from greatness. I think you're right on the not only/fully? human thing though.

And on the hair piece thing its interesting that the body was found without it and that the images of her early days as a ghost - when she was still scare and hungry- she appears without it.

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According to other East Asian movies I've seen, there's a folklore that if you've had a near-death experience you can see ghosts.

And since Arang was actually dead, it falls in line with that legend. Likewise, it's possible that Eun-Oh experienced some disaster as a kid.

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Thanks for the insight.

Seeing ghosts and hearing ghost is one thing--Our seer can see ghosts and longs to see them.

But Eun-Oh interacts with ghosts on equal footing.

Sees, hears, and hits them at will. Although I'm not familiar with Asian ghost traditions his ability a little unusual for most traditions.

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thank you... :D

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There's not enough good things to say about this show. Not only does it bring LJK and SMA together, the story itself is twisted and mind-blowing.

To think that so many mysteries have been revealed in just 4 episodes and yet we're still left wondering what's with Joowal and the whole missing mom ordeal. I bet the conflict with Eun Oh's mom is also far bigger than what we'd expect. I still don't feel it why Eun Oh's so keen on searching for his mom but with what the show has given us so far, it'll definitely tie up to the whole story.

On another note, did you guys see the preview? That's another mental torture seeing Arang being stabbed and not knowing exactly what's gonna happen. Sigh. Why must we wait for another week?

I love you show! I love you so very much. And thank you jb&gf!

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Omg. i looked at the preview *MINI SPOILER*

and also saw her getting stabbed by none other than joo-wal. i'm hoping it's not going to be happening soon but rather a flashback. i cannot have arang being stabbed so soon after she returns as human.
Anyways, the previews got me itching to see they're gonna serve us next week. agggh the waiting is torture.

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Not it doesn't make sense because the clothes is the clothes arang is wearing not Seo Rim clothes were wearing before dying so I don't think it is a flashback.

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perhaps the magistrate's mum had the ability to see ghosts as well and helped arang in the early stages after her death? but somehow met her own demise because she helped arang?

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opps... i just read some other comments and realized the mum might not have been dead yet.

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I was going crazy when I saw the preview. It's as if last night's episode wasn't enough of a rollercoaster ride. But if it's a flashback then why would Eun Oh go around searching for her with such worried look?

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I wonder if she's incapable of being killed during these next few months of being human.

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I hope not. Part of the suspense lies in wondering if the killer will get to her before she uncovers the truth. If she can't get killed as a human, then it won't be as exciting.

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I love this show. Arang's human again! YES! But it's also sad. Poor, Arang. She has a limited lifespan now. It reminds me of 49 Days, where Ji-hyun came back to life, only to be told she would die again in a few days. I hope something really awesome happens and Arang gets to live. With Eun-oh. But, I doubt it.

Joo-wal is really interesting. I want to know what he is so badly, but we won't know for a while I guess. What if he's some kind of heavenly reaper in human form? Hmmm.

Also, I think Mu-young was a human once, too. he didn't answer Arang, but maybe that's because it's too painful.

Anyway, the Jade Emperor is so cool and mysterious. You can never tell what his big plans are. Also, the badook being literally about life and death is a nice twist. These writers are awesome.

Thanks for the recap, Javabeans!

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I think the mysterious woman is eun oh's mother and she's being locked up by joo wal and his father.

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who is that veiled woman?
why is jo-wal's ring glowing red when he touch Arang?
whi is jo-wal, and what's with the full-moom and leap year at that.
and why after three years dead, seo-rim's body didnt decayed
and the hairpin in the last episode, why does dead seo-rim didnt have it.
and why does the magistrate sees ghost? what's his story? is the mother some supernatural (a previous grim reaper perhaps or the sister of mo-young or a powerful shaman), and passes on the super genes to him.

lots of mysteries in this drama and just as i have mentioned, i wish to the gods that they better not end it like BIG, even with a caliber writers (hong sisters) they failed, so you writers of ARANG, pleaseeeeeeee , tie all thos mysteries in the end, do not leave us hanging.

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Yes, we all sat around guessing. This is fun.

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I reread the character profiles.

Eun's mom's actress is listed as a "High Shaman" in the same hanbok so yeah, she's the veiled woman. That's probably why Eun can see the ghosts. I wonder if she too is being used and that is why she wanted to protect him. I don't feel like she is good though. A very ambiguous character.

I feel like his mom must be involved with the murder. If not the murderer then she still must know something.

JooWal is the adopted son, not real son of Choi. I wonder if Choi is blackmailing him. I feel like JooWal must be a mythological being (A Gumiho? A Dragon - cuz it always seems to rain when he comes) in disguise due to the full moon issues.

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I went and (re-)read the character profiles, too. It says about Joo-Wal that he was adopted as a favor to a shaman. hm. brother to Eun-Oh?

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That would be so typical. I hope that's not the case. You'd think there could be a Kdrama these days without half brothers in it. :P

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and why does he have a ring that looks a lot like Jade Emperor's ring in the first place?!

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Loving Dol-swe character, so funny and cute!
Thanks for the recap, keeping me sated while waiting for subs.

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haha every show needs a dol-swe. without them, we'd be incomplete.

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Arang's travel to the afterlife is through Land-water-air-stop-go. They first walked on land, rode a boat, flew in the clouds, stopped to stand on the rock, and off she goes thrown(?) literally back to the land of the living.
I love how Arang is all comfy even while talking to the gods, discovering that old fogey is not that old.
This drama is loads of fun!

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It's nice to have Arang back as human but I somehow find her less charming than Arang the Ghost. I kinda expect a clever setup for Arang and fiance's encounter rather than K-drama cliche: cute naughty girl accidentally creates a silly-but-cute scene, stealing male hearts in the process. The part where Arang acts innocently to her fiance is out of her cynical ghost's character (SMA smile is cute but ...). Hope this don't keep dragging and destroys the character we had in first 3 episodes.

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She did act all shy when she was going to meet him, so maybe that is why she acts that way with him, maybe she thinks she liked him back then.

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I don't think he knew that she was a "she", and even asking if she was an officer. It even puzzles him why the ring glowed with a man than a girl. lol Anyway, it's a cliche that we all love, but it does have some twist into it. haha

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Wow.. this is turning out to be a great series.. I haven't watched this live yet, but just reading your recaps made me interested and captivated in the story.. I dont know if I will have time to watch this now, but I definitely would like to watch this.. interesting storyline.. SO INTRIGUING! :D

Thanks for the recaps!

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The mystery of Joo Wal is definitely the one I'm most interested in. We know there is something hidden there and I'm dying to know what it is.

This show is so beautiful. I love it.

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About Joo Wal...the loaded conversations and veiled implications in this episode make me wonder if he made some kind of dark demon deal, the consequences of which are his uncontrollable Berserker rage and some kind of transformation slavery to the full moon.

Also I'm 99% sure the gisaeng woman is Eun Ho's mom. I truly hope she is because otherwise the missing mom shtick seems awfully pedestrian in comparison with the other mysteries. :/

I got my wish for more Twins of Heaven and Hell so I'm 100% satisfied this week. Can't wait for more!

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Also, I know it's too early to tell but I wonder if the person who did the dark deal (if there is one) with Joo Wal is the mysterious gisaeng/Eun Ho's mom.

This is all pure speculation right now but I'm just casually putting it out there in case it later turns out to be true. :)

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yes, the mysterious gisaeng definitely gave me the creeps. if she is Eun Ho's mom, she's scary.

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I feel like he's a gumiho.

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Heeeeee! I thought that, too. Male gumihos please?

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I am 100000% sure that veiled lady is Eun Ho's mom. They released a character poster for that person and it looks exactly like the actress playing her.

If so, she may have been involved in Arang's death and I'm just ancitipating THE ANGST if our OTP finds that out.

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According to this pic :
http://direct1.anhso.net/original/11/111409/158201222211231.jpg

I am pretty sure it is not. This woman looks so much younger.... And no grey hair? haha

Anws I think Eun Oh's mother, who also disappeared 3 years ago, has died and perhaps meeting the spunky Arang, gave her the (ghost) hair pin.

Aaaah I can't be sure either...aaaaaah

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I googled her, and IT DOES LOOK LIKE HER.....

Mind blown...

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Yep its her.

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Zomg. mindblown.

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It's her, bb. For me that's the only way to tie her into the story since her disappearance is made out to be a really big deal. xD

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is anyone else preparing for definite angst in the future?

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I am but I don't think I'll make it because you just know the angst is going to be huuuuuuuge.

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Oh my goodness! It is her! I was wondering...

I love lurve this show so much! I think we are certainly in for some interesting conflict set-ups with our OTP, particularly if the gisaeng/witch/closeted woman is his mother. It would certainly explain the hair pin. Does she require the killing of young girls to maintain her youth/powers?

And Joo Wal - what is he?

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Oooh I like that idea! Like she needs virgin maidens or something to keep either herself alive or her power alive. I think she's a shaman too, but a more deadly one (was she locked inside that house or something?) In the preview it did seem that Lord Choi was under her mercy. She asked him, "should I save you or Joo Wal?"

This show, seriously. So much mystery, I almost can't.

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So beautiful show!all the characters are right.

Thank you so much for the recap!

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Am I the only one who noticed that Joo Wal has the same ring (albeit a different color) as the Jade Emperor/Underworld King? Not sure if it means anything but I love a drama that encourages speculation. And as many others have suggested, I'm willing to bet that the woman locked up is EO's mother.

Speculating aside, I just have to say how much I love the cinematography and the music (oh heck I love everything about this drama), it just takes the narrative to a whole other level.

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I thought that too about the rings! But I only had a chance to watch it once without stopping before real life interfered. But I wondered about that too.

More mystery! Yay!

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One curious point is why EO can see ghost. That's never been explained. And, he, himself, doesn't seem too perturbed by that fact.

What if he is in the exact same situation as Arang, which means that he is also dead?????

Thanks for another great recap of a wonderful drama.

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i hope it is but the conversation in heaven was this is the first time they are doing this .

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*Semi spoilers from the next preview*

My theory is that Eun Ho's mom is actually the mysterious gisaeng who's also a witch locked in that room and that Eun Ho inherited his powers from her.

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Eun Ho's mom is described as powerful shaman somewhere. that's where he gets his powers from.

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At least we can rule out Joo-Wal being a vampire because I see no evidence of guyliner there.

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"A huddled figure in white suddenly leaps to its feet, vaguely human in shape but with strangely long, withery appendages" --> that thing REALLY scared me. I was watching late at night, will thunder was roaring somewhere outside, coming closer ... *shiver*

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that wasn't supposed to be a comment to you, Gee ... but all the better it became one, your comment made me lol!

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That part was soooooooooooooooo scary! I was wondering if I might need to start covering my eyes while watching the show!

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Honestly after a string of disappointing dramas (yes I mean you BIG) and some so so. I finally have one that I look forward to watching - that makes my heart race every time I refresh my page to see if JB or GF has a recap. I should just really learn korean so I don't have to go crazy waiting for the next installment from Dramafever.

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I LOVE THIS DRAMA. I should've studied tonight, but I couldn't help myself. The 3rd episode was a little slow, but the 4th episode definitely picked up.

Seriously, I'm wondering the same thing. WHAT IS JOO WAL?!?

Aahhhh, I really hope the writers know what they're doing and flesh out this story well. It has SO much potential...please don't let the mythology go to waste!!

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This episode was gorgeous. I can't wait to see their relationship develop.
Another week of waiting D: arrgh. Part of me wishes that i found this series later so that i'd be able to binge watch like I usually do but I love it so much I couldn't give it up now.
Love this drama SO much.

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Thanks for the recap JB. What’s up with Mr. Weird’s red glowing ring??

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Okay I give... just spent an hour with my friend Google and still can't make a guess on what Joo-Wal is except for a werewolf. HHhhmmm...

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joowal is a GUMIHO

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From wiki:
" a kumiho could further ascend from its yokwe (monster) state and become permanently human and lose its evil character. Explanations of how this could be achieved vary, but sometimes include aspects such as refraining from killing or tasting meat for a thousand days, or obtaining a cintamani and making sure that the Yeoiju (dragon) saw the full moon at least every month during the ordeal."

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Sorry dragon=dragonball

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Thanks for the recap!

I am loving this drama so much now. Just watched this episode twice! It's so sad how no one came to pay their respects to her and how Lord Choi's lackeys were trying to steal her body. How can anyone rest in peace like that? Dol-swe fighting to protect her body got me teary-eyed. Arang's won another ally.

Eun-ho: never has dropping your powerful father's name to gain the advantage been so hot! =)

The whole Arang-becomes-human twist was like WHOA! I didn't expect them to go there. I feel like being human will make it a lot more challenging to get to the truth, since Arang can no long walk through the streets undetected.

Love the Arang and Joo-wol scene too. I don't think Joo-wol can be that bad of a person (maybe some supernatural creature cornered into doing questionable things) and I thought that moment when Arang smiled at him and he was stunned was really cute.

And beautiful cinematography in today's episode. There were a few moments that looked questionable, but wow is everything just breathtaking and epic without being gaudy.

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I seriously think the Choi family have some kind of connection to the ghostly accident the Jade emperor let happen hundreds of years ago...am I the only one who thinks this? and what's up with the full moon reference? werewolf? gumiho?

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Oh em gee, I LOVE Seung Ho!! *_* The Jade Emperor's boyish charms with an occasional tantrum kill me. Can a god have a crush on a ghost because methinks the Jade Emperor has one on Arang...

Bang Wool the Shaman is all kinds of awesome. Props to Hwang Bora for delivering her comedic lines with a straight face. I adore her undying reliance on The Book. What was its super long name again? ;)

The white water rafting down Styx coupled with the suspenseful background music was intense. At the gates of hell, that devil who flew toward Arang reminds me of the dementors from Harry Potter or Imhotep from The Mummy.

What is Joo Wal!? The way he was pacing back and forth seems like his animalistic sense of smell detected Arang's scent among the living. I must be watching too much CSI because when the villagers started removing the rotten sacks of grain, I expected a dead body to be hidden underneath...

Thanks for the great recap, javabeans!

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HAHAHA this! The shaman had me laugh out loud during so many moments, the reference to the mystical book with the looooong name and the idea that, much like the act of going to the toilet, people could not possibly take the place of others in hell XD

And I was completely freaked out when I saw the creature guarding the gate of hell, cold shivers down spine and all *shudders*

Oh and I had the same thought running through my mind during the removing of the sacks of rotten food scene, had me on edge for a while I must admit. Pffftt, how petty was Lord Choi though? 'Oh that sack looks perfectly fine...' let's take it back from the hungry civilians even though its was going to rot anyway!

My thanks as well Javabeans!!! Great recap as always :)

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oh, i soo wish he will come down on earth as human and fall in love with Seo-Rim, ! Waaa Lucky Seo-Rim, three hot boys after her!

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Yeon Woo Jin does have baby faced good looks, but I honestly can't get past Joo Wal's creep factor right now to find him attractive.

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omg i was getting harry potter vibes too from that weird devil or w.e it was.
plus it started hissing all slytherin-y.

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I'm saving reading the recaps until I've watched eps 3 and 4, but your opening words, Javabeans, "So good. Arang and the Magistrate has got to be one of the most creative shows I’ve seen in recent memory" make me happy and excited! Yay!

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wooh2.. daebak2! very very good start from the first episode and it's solid now. I hope it remains as it is or more surprises in a good way.. Thanks for the recap. Shin min ah's character reminds me of gumiho - both ghostly creature lolol. But i always wonder why is gumiho received more interests than this, when both are amazing light rom com.. oh well heheh :}

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But i always wonder why is gumiho received more interests than this...

Are you talking about the ratings in Korea or here at Dramabeans?.

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shin min ah is spreading her charm in this drama :D i like it

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Awesome show! Didn't think I watch it for Shin Mina but liking Lee Jun Ki also. Awesome!! Hope it stay this way.

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