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Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 8

Another episode of Arang, another layer of plot peeled back. The gods learn a little more about the kind of power they’re up against, giving us a glimpse at the endgame. And finally! A clear answer on what Arang is made of—and it’s a lot more than just sugar and spice.

Plus! The hero starts on the path…to being a hero? Awesome.

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EPISODE 8 RECAP

After being cleaned up and treated by the doc, Eun-oh wakes up painfully in bed. And finds Dol-swe snoring on him, having fallen asleep literally hovering over him. Why is the dumb adoring lug so cute?

Eun-oh’s first words are to ask what happened to Arang, and Dol-swe says that after such a fall, only one conclusion is possible. He sent men to find her… corpse.

Eun-oh immediately heads out, ignoring Dol-swe’s protests.

Bang-wool is back in the marketplace, wearily trying to peddle her pseudo-supernatural wares. She’s in the middle of lunch as Dol-swe comes roaring by and stares slack-jawed. I love how her rosy-tinted images of Dol-swe are usually more grotesque than swoony. Ah, the beer goggles of love.

Dol-swe just remembers her as the woman who slammed a pot lid into his head, and he storms back to confront her. But then he sees her in a new light too, and… gulps? Omo, don’t tell me you’re just as smitten? These two are perfect for each other.

He wipes a drop of kimchi juice from her lip, and then they both snap to their senses. Shocked at himself, Dol-swe bolts and wonders if he’s crazy.

Eun-oh rides to the shore where Arang washed up, though by now she’s long gone. He scans the water intently, shouting her name. He wonders where she went, and whether she’s awake.

Aw, it’s a notable shift, using her name; he once said he’d never call her by name and he’s stuck to it (using Amnesia instead). Then she dropped from the cliff and he screamed, “Araaaaaang!” I love that we’re seeing this change in both characters, precipitated by near-death experiences (or, you know, death experiences), where the worry outweighs that self-denial on the surface that usually keeps them from acting like they care.

Meanwhile, Joo-wal arrives at home with Arang, who’s still sleeping.

Finally Eun-oh goes home and asks the Bangs whether anyone has come to claim the remains from the mass grave. They reply that nobody has; those bodies have nothing to do with the people of this village.

It doesn’t make sense to Eun-oh, and one Bang suggests that they could date back a long while, and therefore these dead people aren’t known to the current inhabitants. Eun-oh scoffs at that idea.

The Bang Trio is relieved that magistrate seems willing to drop the issue. With everyone terrified of Lord Choi, nobody dares step forward—they all know how he hates drawing attention to their village. Too bad Dol-swe overhears this conversation. The Bangs deny and dash.

Dol-swe finds Eun-oh brooding and tries to cheer him up, saying he can give the girl a nice funeral once her body washes up. Uh, not the consolation you think it is. He tsk-tsks at the state of this village, with the people living in fear of upsetting Lord Choi.

Eun-oh wonders how they can discover a murderer in their midst and not clamor for the truth to be discovered. Dol-swe points out that it’s not so different from Eun-oh, who shows no interest in the world, which, touché.

That night, Eun-oh paces his yard, replaying his earlier conversation with Arang—the one where he’d callously tried to drag her up to her death site and she’d fired back that he doesn’t know how frightening the moment of death is.

Joo-wal watches Arang sleep, asking who—no, what—she is that Mom would have ordered him to keep her close. Is it me, or does anyone else get a chill down their spine whenever someone asks what Arang is?

Mom returns to her secret cavern, which we can pretty much call Hell on Earth, and summons her swirly black energy. She bleeds from her hands onto two pieces of black paper—is this how she makes her unholy talismans? Must be, because the blood arranges itself into symbols on the papers, which Mom places on the hilts of two swords. The talismans absorb into the weapons, presumably infusing them with her demon-power.

Mom takes out the twin swords with an evil gleam in her eye. Or is it redundant to add “evil” to anything she does? Just a gleam, then. And are we saying she gets demonic superpowers, invisibility from the gods, AND deadly human weapons? Dude, not fair.

She says, “The time has come to test the swords.” She summons her two demon-reapers, handing one to each.

In the woods, a mother and daughter run screaming from a man charging after them with a knife. Mom lunges forward at him; he hits his head on a rock and the knife ends up in her chest.

The souls emerge from the two bodies and get bound by a reaper’s red ropes. Mom fights hers, desperate to get back to her sobbing daughter—and then out of nowhere the two demons show up to sever the ropes. Reaper gets slashed too.

Infused with Mom’s power, the swords do their work and the reaper… dies? He dissolves into wisps of smoke, and then the demons slash the mother’s ghost into smoke too. Hmm, so they’re either destroying souls, or releasing them from whatever laws of the supernatural-verse that bind them to their roles. Is Mom out to destroy the gods, or to unleash anarchy on the world?

The murderer ghost, however, gets dragged along with them. Why, ’cause he’s sufficiently evil and therefore useful?

But two reapers (one of whom is Mu-young) show up to stop them and a swordfight breaks out between the four. Aie, this is visually confusing; they’re dressed so similarly—couldn’t Mom make her minions a new outfit, or something?

Mu-young loses his partner, but he manages to stick one of the demons. He isn’t able to catch the second, however, and it runs off with the ghost.

Minion brings the ghost to Mom’s altar, and while she’s annoyed at the interference, she’s pleased to have a new soul to… eat? She places her hand on the ghost’s face, who dissolves into black wisps that are drawn into a red urn. AHA. It’s the same type of urn that held her demon-reapers—so she’s building a minion army!

Mu-young reports to the gods and shows them the one sword he managed to pick up. Hades is particularly furious that Mom would take one of his reapers, while Jade Emperor views the talisman emblem and deduces that their foe has recovered much of his (her) skills. Furthermore, his actions suggest a hint of urgency.

(The gods refer to their unseen enemy as “that nom,” or that guy, which suggests that they don’t know who it is or that she’s a she. Mu-young seems to be withholding his suspicions from them, holding on to hope that it’s not who he thinks it is.)

Hades returns to his underworld throne and rages. Not that he has a sunny disposition to begin with, but it’s an uncommon anger; Jade Emperor says it’s been a long while since he’s seen him that worked up.

Mu-young asks Jade Emperor if he knows who the enemy is. If he knows that their skills have been regained, that means he knows what they once were.

Jade Emperor: “It isn’t important who that nom is. What’s important is how to catch him.”

Mu-young asks why they can’t catch him—is it because he’s human, and therefore not under their purview? Jade isn’t forthcoming, but Mu-young presses, wanting to know at least one thing: Is Arang related to this most recent incident? Jade Emperor sighs and leaves. Oh come on, he asked for just ONE straight answer!

Eun-oh charges out in a hurry, ignoring the villagers gathered at the gate. They tell Dol-swe they’re here to request something of the magistrate, but Dol-swe smirks that the magistrate won’t bother—he has no intention of doing anything magistrate-y.

Eun-oh scopes out Arang’s lakeside thinking spot, but she’s not here. Where she could have gone? Where else would she have to turn? An idea strikes, and he rides off in a hurry.

Arang awakens in an empty house and wanders around, looking for Joo-wal so she can thank him before heading back to the magistrate’s office. Arang decides to ask the ghosts for help, but curiously, there’s not a soul in the entire estate—not human, not supernatural.

She looks in all the expected places, but none of the usual suspects appear: No kitchen ghost, no well ghost…

At the edge of the estate, Arang finds a stone staircase leading into a wooded area, and heads off in that direction.

Lord Choi pays a visit to Mom, having recovered his good health and spirits. He assures her that he’s taken care of the grave and offers to have the magistrate killed—he can do it without Joo-wal knowing and tie up all the loose ends.

He’s eager to get back into her good graces and chatters on, but Mom orders him to shut up. Not a good sign. He leaves in foul spirits, muttering that he wishes he could just off her. Shh, don’t say that out loud! I don’t even like the guy and I fear for his safety.

Arang heads into the bamboo forest, looking for signs of life. There’s a well-traveled path here, with two poles stuck on either side like gate markers. Both are inscribed with red talisman emblems.

She reaches out a hand to touch them, and even though she makes no contact the symbols start to glow from within. She doesn’t notice this, however, because Lord Choi interrupts angrily, stalking toward her. Ah, so the path leads to Mom’s. Convenient, that.

Lord Choi shoves her back and demands to know how she come here. Arang stares at him wide-eyed—almost like she recognizes him. Does she?

Meanwhile, inside her hut, Mom turns her head, sensing Arang’s presence. Shivers.

Joo-wal steps in at that point, calling Arang his guest. He starts to lead her back to the house, but Dad yanks her back and declares that once she’s entered this place, she can’t just leave it.

Adding an extra layer of nervous energy to this scene is the way Joo-wal’s eyes keep flicking down the path as he speaks to Dad, like he’s afraid of waking the slumbering beast. He steps closer and whispers the warning—doesn’t Dad remember what happened with the other day when he acted carelessly? He must mean the illness Mom inflicted, and that reminder gets Lord Choi to back down.

Then Mom comes walking down the path, watching them retreating to the house. She puts her hand up to the talismans and feels its energy, saying, “That girl…”

Arang apologizes for wandering, and Joo-wal asks if she’s okay. She assures him that she’s fine, with her super-strong heart (that’s an understatement). Joo-wal offers her a ride home or a change of clothes, but Arang declines, saying that she has to get him to cough up the new clothes. Heh. I love how this drama makes the acquiring of new clothes a character point for Arang. Old ghostly habits die hard.

Arang cheerily thanks him and starts to leave… but something has her turning back for a second look. It’s that pavilion where she’d once felt heart palpitations, as Joo-wal sat painting.

Unnerved at this sense of deja vu, she asks for his name. Ohhh, she never connected him to his name before! (The first time with the heart-flutters, she only saw his back. Every time afterward, they hadn’t had a chance to trade introductions.)

She hears his name, and clutches her heart. He asks for hers, and she answers, “Arang.”

She asks if he’s seen her before. He says they met at the funeral, and at her prompting he recalls, “Oh right, the woman’s name was Lee Seo-rim.” Not exactly the response of an ardent lover, and Arang looks troubled. She dashes off upset.

Eun-oh arrives at Abandoned Mountain, equally fearing that Arang is here and that she’s not. He senses something and mutters in alarm, “This shouldn’t be happening. How could this be?” Eeeek. I have no idea what he feels, but that response alone is enough to chill my blood.

Eun-oh arrives at the mass grave site—and swears, finding the ground completely covered up. It’s fresh soil, and he knows “they” must have had something to do with it.

Lord Choi’s handiwork, of course. With the graves literally buried, anybody who keeps insisting on their existence will look the fool.

Arang races to her thinking spot by the waterside, sure that her heart’s pounding is just the same as the last time. She wonders why Joo-wal can’t recognize her, and why he speaks so indifferently of Seo-rim.

His voice cuts in, asking why she came here instead of the magistrate’s office. He admits following her here, acting the part of budding lover, like he was too worried to leave her. Though when she rejects his hand of comfort, the nice guy look turns to a displeased one behind her back.

Joo-wal follows her back to the village, keeping a step behind. Talk turns to the magistrate, and she’s surprised to hear Joo-wal knows him, although she remembers they did briefly meet in the road the other day.

Joo-wal says they actually met before—the first time was when they’d discovered Seo-rim’s body. Arang stops in shock. Then the magistrate knew who Eun-oh was all along?

*Record screeeech. Stop.* Wait, now I’m having to rack my brains trying to figure out who knows what about whom, because this is all stuff I thought was out in the open.

Working this out: Arang and Eun-oh have crossed paths with Joo-wal several times, and each time she merely thought of him as a “young master” in town. She didn’t know that this was her supposed beloved fiancé, and Eun-oh never connected the dots for her so she assumed he was on the same page. Thus now she’s feeling like Eun-oh hid the truth on purpose (and okay, I suppose he did. To spare her pain, I think?).

Just then, Eun-oh’s voice booms angrily: “What the heck are you doing here?!”

Eun-oh storms up to Joo-wal, who says he intended to escort Arang home first thing in the morning, and took a little longer than anticipated. Angry Arang keeps her eyes averted and stalks past the gate without a word.

Eun-oh follows her inside and starts to make an excuse for why he never told her about Joo-wal. She shuts herself in her room, slamming the door in his face with a glare.

But she pops right back out to demand an explanation. They fire questions at each other, totally ignoring each other as they essentially hold two separate conversations: He wants to know how she ended up with Joo-wal, and she wants to know why he pretended not to know Joo-wal.

He’s upset that she didn’t come home immediately and let him worry so long, softening his tone to say he was afraid she hadn’t woken up. She fires back, “If I hadn’t woken up, would that have been a problem?”

She answers her own question, saying that of course he’d have a problem—he needs her to find his mother. And that’s why he didn’t tell her about Joo-wal, isn’t it, because he thought it might interfere with the Mom-search. “You phony,” she sneers. (Literally, lump of phoniness.)

He takes issue with that, so she gets right in his face and repeats herself, spitting out each cold hard syllable. She tells him she’ll never give over her memory for a phony like him.

The peanut gallery has seen this whole exchange, and now Eun-oh confronts the Bangs over getting rid of that gravesite. Who gave them the order? Lee Bang caves and says Lord Choi did. Eun-oh demands, “Lord Choi told you to bury the grave?!” To which they ask confusedly, Huh?

Turns out they’re talking about different things; the Bangs are referring to the remains of the dead, which have been cremated on Lord Choi’s order.

Eun-oh grabs Lee Bang and rips into him for following a citizen’s orders instead of his actual boss. But he’s reminded that in this village, Lord Choi’s word is law. They plead with him to just let it go and remain quiet, for everybody’s sake: “Magistrate! That’s the kind of place this is.”

Eun-oh orders them to summon Lord Choi immediately, and to prepare his official uniform. Shit’s about to go down.

Eun-oh fumes that he may prefer turning a blind eye to other people’s situations, but even that has its limits. This time he’ll have to show them all what the proper chain of command is.

The reappearance of Arang has Dol-swe scratching his head (well, more than usual). He definitely saw her fall off the cliff, but she’s totally uninjured. “Is she not human?”

He’s on the right track, but takes a sharp left turn: “Is she a gumiho?!” Ha, wrong drama. Though admittedly I wouldn’t rule out gumihos in this world. He decides that must be it—she even looks just like the way people describe gumihos. How else could she have bewitched Eun-oh?

Dol-swe laments the lack of confirmation methods to prove his theory. But then he remembers the shaman, which brings a blush to his face and a fresh bout of mortification at his wayward thumb (for brushing her lip).

In heaven, Mu-young mulls over his suspicions, finding a small bit of consolation in the Jade Emperor’s comment that the Big Bad’s identity isn’t important. He tells himself, “Mu-yeon, there’s no way it would be you.”

The Jade Emperor joins him for tea, and asks him what it tastes like. Mu-young doesn’t know. Jade Emperor explains that he’s developed a tea whose taste expresses one’s emotions (ha, mood rings and now mood teas?)—so if Mu-young doesn’t know what it tastes like, he doesn’t know how he feels.

But Jade Emperor figures that doesn’t make sense for Mu-young, and declares his tea a failure. While Mu-young takes this in, Jade mumbles to himself, “What else should I mix with it? Poop?” HAHA.

Joo-wal visits Mom that night, who asks sharply why he’s not bringing Arang to her: “Do you still not trust me?” Uh, is that a trick question?

Joo-wal stutters in fear, apologizing and bowing. Gah, every time Joo-wal turns into a terrified little boy, my heart twists a little more for him. Corrupt is corrupt, but still, how he got there is so sad.

Mom gentles her tone and lulls him back by telling him not to doubt her: “Does it trouble you that much, wondering why I have such interest in that girl?” She offers to tell him why: “That girl does not die.”

So the unkillable aspect isn’t a design flaw or a side effect, but the very crux of the matter. And yes, total demon-bait. Arang’s immortal—a being nobody has ever seen before. Mom adds, “If I can have that body, I can live forever. I must have that girl.”

As Mom narrates, we see Arang waking from sleep and stepping out into the courtyard, finding Eun-oh pacing there. She zooms right past him, though, not even acknowledging him.

Mom asks Joo-wal for his help in procuring Arang, saying that he won’t have to kill anybody again. Reeling from her big reveal, Joo-wal stammers, “W-what happens to me?”

Still in Loving Mom mode, she smiles and assures him that he’s the most precious thing in the world to her. “Son, how could I abandon you?”

She holds out a hand to his face, and despite his fear he leans into the caress. She asks, “When I have that girl for my own, won’t you call me Mother?” Yes, because the one thing this drama was lacking was creepy.

But it’s just the thing to speak to Joo-wal’s innermost desires, and he asks, “What must I do?” She tells him that to get Arang to come of her own will, he is to find out what she most wants: “Win her heart.” If he becomes her sweetheart, he can get her share all her thoughts with him. But Mom has a condition: “Leave your heart here.” You mean figuratively, right? ‘Cause one can never be too sure with her.

Lord Choi responds to Eun-oh’s summons, though in his mind he’s not bowing to Eun-oh’s demand. He’s just, you know, going out for some air and all. The Bangs roll out a literal red carpet at the office, which Dol-swe takes great delight in dirtying with his steps.

Eun-oh emerges ready for battle, wearing his magistrate’s garb like armor.

A surprise visitor arrives in the form of Joo-wal, but aside from a brief bow to Eun-oh, he doesn’t stop to speak with him. It’s Arang he’s interested in, and he invites her out. She hesitates, and Joo-wal gives her a once-over, taking in the ragged damo clothing she’s still wearing. Eun-oh blusters in outrage at his impudence.

Joo-wal says he needs her help with something, and reminds her that she promised to repay him for his help. Arang momentarily fumbles for an excuse, but when she sees Eun-oh hovering in the background, that makes up her mind for her: “Fine!”

Eun-oh stalks off muttering incredulously about ghosts going out on dates: “And in my front yard!” Haha.

Just then Lord Choi arrives, and the two men shoot each other dark looks. Them’s dueling eyes.

They trade a few barbed pleasantries, with Lord Choi offering to fix up the shabby old government office if Eun-oh finds living there uncomfortable, like a host to a guest. Eun-oh fires back that he’ll take care of his own office himself, thanks.

They get straight to the point as Lord Choi asks for the reason behind Eun-oh’s request. Eun-oh growls, “It wasn’t a request, it was a summons.”

 
COMMENTS

That’s… a strange ending. Not in theory, but in the abrupt way we just cut to credits, like they realized they ran out of time and had to cut out where they were. Oh well, in the scheme of things it’s a tiny point; it’s just odd given how well-paced the show usually is.

I’m liking how the Joo-wal storyline is playing out, in that it has all the trappings of a conventional love triangle, yet the reasons driving him to participate are so far afield of the norm that it feels different. This gives us the appropriate scenarios for Eun-oh to feel jealous and threatened, and we’ve seen how he’s stubborn enough to keep himself in self-denial unless there are serious outside factors forcing his hand. I anticipate lots of great things to come, so long as the drama doesn’t get too complacent about following the conventional trajectory of this kind of love relationship. Somehow, though, I don’t think conventional will be a huge issue with this show.

I expect Joo-wal to exert himself to win Arang over, confusing her own emotions, which will be a great complication given her own crossed wiring regarding her physical reaction to him. I notice that she didn’t feel heart palpitations until she recognized that particular pavilion on Joo-wal’s estate—because she’s spent plenty of time with him by this point (and in his arms, to boot) without such reactions. I suspect she may have actually died here at the house—which also explains why she didn’t feel anything in the murder shack, even when lying down on the altar of death.

But for now, I actually anticipate the confusion this elicits, especially when Eun-oh’s struggling to convince himself that he doesn’t care. Once Arang is back safely alive, Eun-oh reverts to calling her Amnesia, meaning his guard is back up. But it’s the moments when he’s not thinking, when he’s slipping up and using her name, that show he’s totally fooling himself. I can totally dig watching him fighting with himself, because it’s revealing and also totally amusing. Just as long as he doesn’t carry on for too long, since I want to see him getting attached enough for the impending separation to carry due weight. (Because, uh, she’s leaving, right? Immortal ghost and all?)

Eun-oh’s noncommittal attitude extends beyond Arang, though, which is another development I enjoyed watching unfold. We’re seeing little flashes of him getting more and more involved, despite his insistence that he doesn’t get involved with other people’s affairs, even when they’re suffering. I suspect he’s actually the type of person who’s in danger of being overwhelmed with emotion and attaches deeply when he lets himself, which is why he usually forces himself to detach, before he winds up hurt. Arang had his number, for sure, when she called him the warm heart inside the cold act.

Dol-swe was pretty convinced that Eun-oh would turn away the villagers with requests, because that’s the Eun-oh he knows. But the donning of the uniform marks his readiness to assume the role for real—even if he probably will continue insisting it’s just temporary. He’s starting to care, and who knows? Will Miryang finally get its proper magistrate after all?

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Wow thanks for the recap! *off to read*

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Thanks JB :).

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I do thank you too. I read after watching the show and I was surprised that I didn't find that "awakening of the tiger" reference. Well, I know that "Arang" recap is not a crossed recap ("Arang" and "Faith") but it was funny in a way that this week is "the awakening" week of both dramas and that both lazy "not-yet-heroes" turn into what they are expected to become. Plus that this "I was sleeping but you forced me to wake up" is spoken out loud by our both leads.

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Plus Joo Wal is awakening too, I think. To love, to maturity, to freedom from Big Bad.

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So ture :).

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Ty for the recap!!! Yay!

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Each time Wife/Mon touch Joo Wal she makes my skin crawl. I feel like she will eat him or something lol. Ok Joo Wal is a muderer but still...

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Love. Love this drama. I'm not a fan of all the new fantasy stuff - I prefer my dramas to remind me of real life. But this one is just amazing. Funny and creative.

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Thank you!

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The recap's here!!! *happy happy happy dance* Thanks JB! :)

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i lurve it when i come ofc on thu & fri, there's recap for arang...and only 5 comment available...means it must be freshly posted, the same thing happen ytd too

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Thank you for the recaps J.,. :D

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Thanks for the recap JD! I'm looking forward to the unraveling of mysteries and growing romance. Keep on recapping this drama even with NG's premier next Wednesday. Please don't give up on this drama. :)

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Typo mistake JB not JD hahaha :)

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JB.,. I'm sorry I was in a hurry typing.,. :)

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Thank you so much! I actually go here first even before I watch subbed videos. Though I watch raw before anything else. I really enjoy reading your recaps (especially for your witty side comments). It's been a while since I watched a drama that kept me thinking this much. I just hope that it ends up well.

I really hated Joowal at the beginning and although I knew he will probably be part of the triangle, I've always thought that his character doesn't have much existence. But now.. I have all these things in my mind how this story will unfold for him. His character makes you hate him but pity him as well. My heart hurts whenever mom tries to 'fake comfort' him. It seems like he knew she was just using him but denies the fact because she's the only one he's got. ㅠㅠ

It will be hard waiting another week for this. Ooooooohhh.

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Thank you for your recap. Euh-oh is turning into someone special. Arang, not so much.

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I wonder if Creepy Mom is like the people from Kate Hudson's movie "Skeleton Key", where the people switch souls/bodies.

So if Creepy Mom is just inhabiting Magistrates Mom's body, was she the Reaper's sister?

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Nice conclusion! I just hope all will be well in this drama coz until now, questions runs thru my mind yet this drama just gives you just a glimpse.,. Still my mind wanders what will happen.,. Oh well off to watch it.,. :D

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Been thinking of this theory for some time. If EO's mother and her family were victims of unjust politics, then she would have wanted nothing more than revenge.

The fact that Creepy Mom wants to know Arang's most coveted wish seems to signal that in order to occupy Arang's immortal body, she must have Arang's willing heart.

It could be that EO's mother gave her body to Reaper's sister's soul in exchange for revenge. Though this may negate the theory of EO's supernatural powers coming from Creepy Mom (unless his own mother was also a shaman), it seems to make more sense than asking how she was able to procreate and give birth to EO when she distrusted "humans" so much.

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Given the scenario that Eun-oh's mom and the evil mom are different people and that Eun-oh's mother gave up her body for revenge, I wonder if there is already something special about Eun-oh's mom's body that got Evil Mom making that sort of bargain. Just like how there must have been something special about Lee Seo Rim for her to escape and for the Jade Emperor to pick her as the one to set things in motion.

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It could also be that EO's mom and Arang died the same night.

Perhaps before EO's mom made the final trade off with Reaper Sister (I really do believe it's MY's missing sister from 400 yrs ago), she already met Arang (or her past life) and had a kind encounter. Maybe Arang was the trigger/sacrificial blood needed for a soul transfer.

What seems obvious so far is that Creepy Mom does not have the power to draw souls from living bodies - they must have died. Which makes Arang unique b/c she can not die, and implies her soul is never untethered from her body. Therefore, it's the reason why Creepy Mom needs to know Arang's deepest desire. She needs Arang to willingly separate Arang's soul from her own body.

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I also think that EO's mom gave her body to Reaper Sister, but I don't see how she could have died the same night as Arang. In the flashback to Joo-wal's childhood, we're shown Evil Mom already in EO's mom's body. So I think the change must have happened earlier, maybe soon after EO was sent away to live with his father.

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Ryoko,

interesting.. i remember when young EO pleaded with his Mom, she actually cried so my guess is she's still human then.

EO & JW looks almost the same age. Maybe it's not really the actual EO mom who pick JW up from the street but depicted as such in the flashback cos he wants it to be real.

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If Eun-Oh's mom was a mudang and a powerful one that could actually see the spirit world, that would be leverage that Evil Mom would desire beyond reason. She "cured" the sickness of Lord Choi. So if she wanted the spiritual power of Eun-Oh, to magnify her own demon powers, that would make a lot of sense.

There was a short mention too of Lord Choi having a daughter that was killed. I wonder if Arang was his daughter, especially since he "kinda" recognized her and the "spiritual sickness" is there to make him forget.

In that case that would be yet another reason Evil Mom wants Arang. She needs to keep the ruse going.

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Lord Choi had probably met with Arang's dad (the magistrate) before to arrange the marriage between Joo-wal and Arang.

I wouldn't be surprised if Lord Choi made his daughter one of the sacrifices for the Madam. Drama parents can be pretty horrible.

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@asianromance

Ew!
What if that is how they met in the first place?
He didn't kill her, but she died somehow and because she was pure, Creeper Mom stole the soul, and then grabbed him, too.

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I'm sorry but I'll have to disagree on Arang being Choi's daughter. I know its based loosely on the folklore but thats a drastic change even for the first part of the show. Arang was engaged to marry JW so Choi must have met her before. It's customary for parents to meet their future in laws before the wedding right?.

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As they were in the grove -- according to the translators at dramacrazy (same as viki looks like) -- Joo Wal whispered to Lord Choi, "You remember what happened to your wife when she came here, didn't you?"

Recapper wrote: "He steps closer and whispers the warning—doesn’t Dad remember what happened with the other day when he acted carelessly? He must mean the illness Mom inflicted, and that reminder gets Lord Choi to back down."

So I'm wondering which is the translation. If dramacrazy/viki translator person is thinking Lord Choi's wife accidentally happened upon Big Bad in the grove...then these guys are allowed to get married but they better keep their wives or other women far from Soul Eater. Apparently, Soul Eater doesn't get out much past the grove....unless absolutely necessary.

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Thanks! its getting even better!!

Joo Wal will fall for her, right? Please make him fall for her, Rie style! not Shunji style!!

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lol. i'm agree with you

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Shunji style! That is a useful dramaland description. Maybe it will be ome standard usage.

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Cannot wait to watch this epi.

Thanks JB for the recap!

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I still have to catch up with this week's eps but me thinks Arang is a Power Puff Girl.

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Like
:)

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LOL!

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so the conclusion is , ARANG is somewhat a god too, coz she's immortal. A human god, it's just no special powers like those of FAITH, lightning, fire, ice and flute sound killer.

I pity JW, he is 100% human and under the control of the Evil mom, I wonder how can he be of help to Arang.
If just one finger flick , he's disarmed and gone.

tsk tsk tsk

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I just saw the ratings for this week, and it had better be Gaksital at work. This drama is too good to sink so low in ratings. Gotta be kidding me!

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The ending was definitely weird. It definitely felt like they ran out of time and just cut it right there. That weirdness was compounded by the song that accompanied the preview for the next episode. I was totally expecting the Jang Jae In song that I love or the new Baek Ji Young song, but it was a more like a song that would play if Arang was being naughty while Eun-oh was like "no, don't do that!"

Anyways, thank you for the recap! Love how you guys are recapping this series and bringing in so many people together to speculate over the bajillion mysteries in this series! This episode was also surprisingly slow compared to the first 6, but I like the developments here with Eun-oh taking on his role as magistrate and Joo-wal's craving for affection. I watched it without subtitles first and paid more attention to the mom's expressions. It was so soft and creepy the way she played up to Joo-wal want for motherly love. Horrible woman!

And is anyone else sort of indignant how Eun-oh got like two clean outfits in this episode while Arang got stuck with her one bloody, grimy outfit? While Arang was shutting herself in being all grumpy, Eun-oh should have gotten her some clean clothing. I was really glad when Joo-wal came by cuz I bet he would have the forethought to get her a change of outfit.

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I know!!

The creative team is tricksy with the costume changes.
Knowing Arang likes clean pretty clothes, watching her walk around all dirty (but her hair is neat) creates so much tension in me. JW will be smart to use the cliche of shopping spree as a way to win her, and the audience, sort of, if we can forget he is a murdering murderer.

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His only excuse is he has a lot on his mind with Lord Choi.

I pity her when she came out with bloodied hanbok, torn skirt & all. Is the beautiful one EO gave her when she was still a ghost with shaman?

But what's more puzzling to me is - it's like the living human hardly eats. Arang as a ghost eats more then (when she can) now, i only saw her ate one peach.

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But didn't he put on the outfit just to impress Lord Choi? Plus it shows he has begun to commit himself to his job as magistrate.

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All I have to say is that Eun Oh looks SO. SEXY. in his magistrate's uniform. I have waited for this moment since I saw it in the promo pictures. Lee Jun Ki just sells the outfit, man. I'm fanning myself right now. Hahaha.

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And I just wanna say that I've never been interested in Lee Junki before... But he's really rocking this role. That charisma...

And I may also be finding Muyoung the hottest underworld deathly being around. Him just standing there in that costume is enough for me to drown in attraction. Loved the fight scene he got in this ep

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Hubba hubba!! What a swoony reaper boss.

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Thanks for the recap.

I have to say, so far, not bad.

I'm really hating evil mom and son. Both are creepy. :P

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The "mom" seems to be some kind of shell for something freakier than Friday. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Mu Yeon is (maybe but probably not) Eun Oh's mom? Maybe Mu Young was murdered by the guy that Eun Oh's mom hates and in order to exact revenge against said guy, she offered up her soul/body to a super powerful/crazy creepy reaper-snatching demon? Or not. I'm looking forward to how the show connects all the familial dots.

On a side note, I was expecting Arang to be immortal so I hope they do something else with that. For instance, what about her soul? So the Jade Emperor easy-baked her a brand spanking new immortal body, but where is her soul? The soul is, in some cultures, the source of warmth; maybe Arang's new "life" is merely an "imprint" of her ghostly personality on an immortal body and her soul is trapped somewhere else? If not, all this dying-reviving has to have some sort of consequences? Maybe her time is shortened with each death or her soul comes closer to corruption? I feel like with her deeply in-tune this drama is with its myths, there has to be some price to pay for being something so out there that the bad guy starts playing house just to get you.

Oh snap, I'm excited. When's Wednesday going to be here?

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Didn't Creepy Mom say something like Arang has a body that won't die and no heart to warm her?

Maybe I made that up, or combined two conversations.

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That descript is cold-blooded....

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Poor thing! She just wants to be people. I hope she gets her wish and gets to warm up the Magistrate for reals.

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Idk. I'm iffy on the show's details since I usually watch Arang will doing something else simultaneously. I'm just curious about what's going on with her soul especially since no one has seemed to mention it yet?

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I've been reading loads of recaps on DramaBeans and I'd just like to thank you all for doing what you do. When something strikes me in the drama as particularly funny/odd, I come here almost at once to try to figure out if y'all caught it. It just struck me at this episode's recap, when I read your commentary on the abrupt ending (which I totally agree with, btw), that reading your recaps makes me feel like I'm watching it with a friend, and for that I thank you <3

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Thanks for the recap.

I lurrvvve jealous Eunoh. So out of his element and so so transparent. And him in magistrate uniform? Sexy!!! Can I request for some brooding time sans top after this? You know, he feel jealous but not sure why he is jealous thus brooding san his top kinda storyline? (^_____^)

Hopefully Eunoh-Arang conflict wont be drag out for too long with all the standard cliche. But with Joowal as the third wheel, it might confuse Arang a bit especially since Joowal showing more affection (though it is fake) than Eunoh. And I need answer!!! So many Qs but no definite answer.

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The murder shack! Hahaha!

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As creepy as that woman is, it's better than calling it a love shack.

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One of my favorite understated moments was the scene where Arang calls Eunho a phony. As she accuses him of only worrying about her because he wants to find his mom and needs her to regain his memory, you can see Eunho react but not respond, because the whole episode he has not said anything about mom--it's all Arang. He's been worried about her because he cares about her. And when she says that to him about his mom he realizes that it is her that he cares about and he freezes up. He doesn't snark back.

She's hurt that he's kept info from her, but she's also hurt that when she challenges him about whether or not he'd miss anything if she were gone--namely her for her.

But like he bangs said, they are talking at cross purposes, not saying what they really mean but showing everything on their faces. Wonderful, emotive acting by both leads!

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I LOVE your analysis of both of them because you hit the nail on the head, imo. If only our OTP would just say what they mean for once instead of bickering.

At least they make up next episode (from the previews). And they were smilingggg a;lsdjfal;dfjk.

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I think the misunderstandings and the bickering is starting to get old and repetitive. Next week will be mid-point and I hope they'll get off this merry-go-round already.

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I think next week we're going to start seeing a change for Eunho and Arang, as we've seen in the preview. Whatever bickering and hurt feelings they had in this episode, it seems like they'll have some nice moments together. Is it too much to hope that when Arang suggests they go see flowers together they actually get to go and it doesn't get thwarted by baddies, or at least, not until they get a little closer?

It also looks like they're back into action as the badass duo, fight off enemies and being cute and protective while they're at it.

I think the pacing of the romance, while slower than some might want, is going at a pretty good, realistic pace for who these characters are. In episodes 1-2, we had the awakening of attraction. In episodes 3-6 we had their own personal growth, but also the growth of genuine concern for one another. In episodes 7-8 we get them in moments, shedding their self-protectiveness and showing that they care about one another, even if they're not saying it (Arang finding him when he was hurt and trying to caring for him once he was hurt; Eunho frantic in his search for her and worry, which I think had all to do with her and nothing, in that moment, to do with him using her as a key to find his mother).

And we also got the beginnings of jealousy. Eunho is jealous of Joowal; and Arang, in some way at least, is using Joowal to prick at Eunho--she doesn't agree to the "date" until she sees Eunho watching them.

Now, in 9-10, as we reach the mid-section, I hope we get more cute moments and advancement in them showing and telling one another, how they feel.

(Also, can I say how happy I am that Arang has not fallen head over heels for Joowal? She's still wary of him--and has not mistaken the pounding in her chest again as a sign that she loves/d him. I was worried it might go that way, but Arang, when she's not being self-protective of her feelings, is a smart girl, and thank goodness for that so far.)

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts :). I just watched the preview and it looks promising. I cant wait till next week.

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I love your thoughts is all I have to say. <3 I can't wait till what you said happens on the show seeing as how it's entirely possible!

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That bickering part, the way Arang accused while staring angrily at Eun-Ho, so reminded me of the raining scene where Lizzie Bennet (Kiera Knightley) doing the same to Mr Darcy. Wow!

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You're right! Now I want a Mr. Darcy-style confession of love from Eun Oh! Haha.

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I LOVED the gumiho reference. That was a good showing. Even the subtle reference last episode with the liver-eating demon. Lines like, "I don't do that" which seemed like a reference to the Hong Sisters drama. But this reference went overt... I love my Easter Eggs.

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me too! Awesome winks at her previous gumiho character! Though I don't think Mi Ho ever ate livers anyways. Cows were more her thing.

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Opening scene. Eun Oh irritably pushes a sleeping Dol Swe off of him. Aggressive Magistrate? Rawr~ Next scene. Eun Oh sternly yells at Dol Swe to let go of him on his horse. Angry Magistrate? Double rawr~

The swordfight between the good and bad reapers was awesome. I am interested in the villagers' request of the Magistrate. Is the town throwing an upheaval on Lord Choi and his acrimonious treatment? It seems strange that Joo Wal lives like a hermit. I can understand why Arang found not one ghost -- Mom is so scary even ghosts refuse to live there, like the abandoned shack. But the Choi Family is rich; shouldn't Joo Wal have people waiting on him or guarding the premises?

Thanks for the recap, javabeans!

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How creepy/unsurprising was it that Arang couldn't find any ghosts at the Choi compound? Joo Wal has just upped the creep factor for me, too.

Arang being immortal is interesting. Does that mean she can't even really die after the 3 moons are up? I hate that she's unwittingly being used as bait—it's one thing if you know and volunteer, but it's completely different when you don't know to protect yourself extra carefully.

I am so loving the weird love story happening between Dol Swe and Bang Wool! So awkward and cringe-worthy, yet delightful at the same time.

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I think she is just immortal for now because it wouldn't be fair if the Jade Emperor promised her 3 moon and she gets into some freak accident that kills her after one day and then he goes "Whoops. I guess that's that."

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I agree that she is in this immortal state temporarily but if she happens to solve the mystery of her death which is connected to these these lost souls then I can see Jadie using his last card to reward Arang. Perhaps she will be given another chance to live her life as a human?.

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Just wondering... The Jade Emperor said Arang had 3 moons to complete her mission thing. So after 3 moons what happens? I get that within that time she can respawn infinite times but after that, does she die? If she does, technically she isn't immortal right?

The Mother says Arang is immortal or does she just mean Arang's physical body is immortal and can regenerate? So the time given to Arang is time given to her soul or something like that. The body is just a shell that can be used. Okay. I'm confusing even myself but does anyone know what I'm trying to say? Cos it'd be quite funny if she takes Arang's body and after the time given by Mr. Pretty Guy in the Sky, it just crumbles. Hurhur.

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I feel like Mom doesn't know Arang's immortality is for a limited time only! Which, I feel like, makes the plot sooooo much more complicated since this is something she might actually NOT know (considering she comes off as all-knowing-ish...)

I love the facial expressions our two leads give us! I'm dyingggg to see how my OTP is going to get together.

-rolls around in feels-

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I love the oxymoron of:
limited immortality
How about temporary deathlessness?

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@nessaaa - ooooo ~I like the idea of CreepyMom not knowing that the body she covets has a swiftly arriving expiration date.

Jade Emperor might have already pre-supposed that the Evil-Baddie would attempt any and EVERY manner of capturing an immortal body...and thus created bait-Arang. (pretty cold of him, but hey...she was already a ghost and I suspect he will reward her in some way)

I just hope that Arang is able to keep *mum* about the 3-moons-thinghy ---- because that could blow the whole deal.

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Not only would that be funny, but actually makes for an absolutely brilliant plot point.

I used to wonder why the gods have to fashion a new body for Arang when she has a perfectly fine one (remember her unrotting corpse?) buried somewhere up in the mountains. Couldn't they just re-attach her soul to that bod? Makes for a much simpler process.

And yet they had to go through the trouble of encasing Arang's soul in a floaty yin-yang ball and send it plummeting back to earth, so that Arang had to emerge from a lake butt-naked.

But what if their plan all along is somewhere along the lines of ....

1.) So "Madame" manage to get hold of Arang's immortal bod and effectively eject Arang's soul from it; she hops into Arang's bod, goes "Yes! Yessss!! YES!!!!!!" walks around in it for a minute or two, and then ....

2.) The 3-moons-expiration-date alarm goes off, "Madame" now in Arang's bod, gets sucked back in to the heavens, to emerge as that floating wad of yin-yang ball, delivered fresh right at Jade King and Hades' doorstep. And she goes all "Nooooooooo!!!"

So, effectively, Jade King's 3-point plan would be:

1.) Ghost-whispering Eun-Ho would be the hunter to hunt down evil mom.
2.) Immortal Being Arang would be the rabbit-bait to flush out evil mom from hiding.
3.) Arang's immortal bod would act as the proverbial steel trap to trap in evil mom's soul.

Jade King hottie's more than a pretty face.

Then they could just dig up Arang's spare bod from her grave in the mountains so that Magistrate Eun-ho could get into third base with her.

And everybody lived happily ever after ...

(Except for evil mom.) ;)

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I love this show, but these two- Arang and her Magistrate- should kiss already.

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hahha>:D you just my night :P agree*W*

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hahaha>:D you just made my night :P agree*W*

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It's funny but both heros from Arang and Faith basically want to lead an average uneventful life where he just live passively. However, in both cases the evils of the world force them to awaken the inner tiger and fight for the right of the world. Both Young and Eun Oh even mention that they kept getting poked until they are fed up and ready bite the hand doing the poking.

I actually liked the ending. Although abrupt, it sets up the big question of who is the head honch in town. Since Choi thinks he knows Eun Oh secret about his background, he thinks he has the upper hand. However, from past scene we know that Eun Oh could care less about his illegitimacy and his mother's family history. He just wanted a "normal" life with good old mom.

I like DW and shaman's relationship. They are so funny! Love at third sight? Hehehe

I also enjoy the ambiguity of Jade Emperor's answers to MY. I feel bad for MY because he is really hoping that it's not his sister. :-(

Can't wait for next week!

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I think Lord Choi just gonna throw the fact that EO is just a half yangban to his face and some harsh words.

(ughhh, reminds me when Gu Yongha was revealed a fake in in SKKS)

Does the old man knows who the mother is, i hope he'll get a stroke or something.

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Right, the fact is regardless of his father's high rank Eun-oh is a son of a slave. To make it worse she wasn't even a concubine and that makes Eun-oh a illegitimate son. So Choi is going on a power trip and revenge at the same time.
Now I'm really going to enjoy seeing Choi being tortured by the witch even more for messing with (her) son.

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This show really makes me wish I knew Korean. This seems like a show where you really need to understand the exact word being said so you can clearly understand the clues given out. The scenes of Mu-Young with the Jade Emperor seems to stress this point. If the subs at Viki are correct then it would imply that Mu-Young's sister has the capabilities to do the things happening but not the reason to do it. If this is the case and the Jade Emperor knows that Mu-Yeon is the one behind it all then it seems to cruel to have Mu-Young involved in this. I can't even imagine what he would feel knowing what his sister has become.

I'm loving Eun-oh's transformation into a hero. I already know I'll love seeing him help the townspeople fight the injustice they've been dealing with all these years. It's also significant that the mother is essentially behind all that's wrong with the town, like keeping Lord Choi in power, and it's the son who will be fighting to correct this.

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question- can Mu Young feel? He cannot taste the tea Pretty Guy make so maybe it wont hurt as much?

I love it here.. We hv so many questions!!

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My understanding of the taste of the tea is that it reflects how the drinker feels.
MY is confused about his feelings, so the tea doesn't have a definite taste.

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so i just rewatched that part - and the tea is actually the goat's flower.. hahahahahaha, sorry i just find it funny

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So good. Except, I hope they skip the bickering parts between the leads, and just go to a sweeter path. I wish. Although, the next episode looks promising with sweet smiles and all, at least at one point prior to that screaming.

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Whoa, we're 8 episodes in, and there is still so much that we don't know yet! Mommy dearest: who are you and what the heck are your powers?
Alrighty, so disclaimer: Forgive me guys, I grew up Irish Catholic and I really don't know a lot about Korean folklore. I checked some books out at the library, and did a couple Google searches on Korean mythology. I probably got some things wrong. It's a lot of fun looking this stuff up, and I might use the fun stuffs like this in my senior project next semester so... please tell me if I'm wrong. ;)
Okay, so I have a guess. It's looking pretty likely that she's Mu-young's sister. If this is the case, then she's got Mu-young, Lord Choi, Joo-wal, AND Eun-oh wrapped around her little finger. These guys all worry and care obsessively about her. Could this be one of her powers? Men crave her affection?
So, if she's seducing her hotties and possibly eating people does that mean that mom is a Gumiho? This sounds legit. And it's Shin Mina, what a cute throwback, right? But, when you think about it, a Gumiho eats the liver of their lover. So… maybe, maybe not.
Here’s another idea I have: Is mom a Dokkaebi (도깨비)? Alright, a Dokkaebi is a ghost that haunts mountains and forests. It’s not exactly a ghost because it was never a person, sometimes they’re thought to come from inanimate objects. It’s trick AND treat with these guys, they reward and punish the humans they come across, and other kinds of strange mischief. Sometimes their personalities are nice and funny, but they’re usually not. Dokkaebi have a magic wand called dokkaebi bangmang'i (도깨비 방망이) that’s usually wood. Rather than being able to conjure anything, it just kind of helps the Dokkaebi do their bidding, they still need raw materials to use their magic.
It might make a lot of sense that she’s a Dokkaebi. That would explain why she’s not dead or alive, and why both would be wary of her. This would also explain her affinity for the woods, and why she performs all of her evil-doings there. She’s also proven to be a twisted in how she treats humans. She’s given Mu-young riches, but she’s cursed his life. Giving the illness, then the cure, Mommy ‘helps’ Lord Choi with his disease. But the biggest evidence I think is here is that wand. I think the hairpin is the wand. I think she uses the hairpin on the freshly-dead-pure-heart-folk to transfuse their life-force to her own. Or, maybe she adds them to her army? Anyway, stuffs to think about, time for sleeps. Ha, this is an essay, sorry.

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I don't know Korean folklore either, so thanks for sharing this! That Dokkaebi thing sounds very interesting, I really like the way it explains the affinity with the woods and the wand/hairpin. :)

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I love all of what you said!
The hairpin, however, came from ES, so it is mundane and not magic.

She may not need the wand, since she was able to pull blood from somewhere and create talismans with just a swoop of her hands.

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The face of the actress who plays "evil mom" really bugs me.

Don't know why Arang all of a sudden became a timid girl in front of the liver eating ghoul when before, she could brawl w/ the best of them as a ghost.

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i think its due to she aware of herself is wanted to be killed by some and killable even tough she can resurrect. plus, she didnt know what being she is.

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I thinks she is diff when she is a human, she can feel inferior, can be attack etc.

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Lol, her faces bugs me too, but as she's supposed to be a surnatural being, I pretend that her plastic-like face is due to her powers, like Creepy Mom would modify her face with magic to appear young and perfect...However, in a non-fantasy drama, I don't think I would be able to avoid being bugged by her face... ;)

I think Arang became a timid girl in front of the liver eating soul simply because it was a kind of thing she had never seen, and what's more, the guy was totally nuts. Craziness is very unsettling and frightening, so it is not surprising that Arang would feel petrified and afraid.

Also, as a ghost, Arang only fought for herself, while in this situation she was trying to save Eun-oh, so she may have been paralysed by her worry for him. That, and the setting: a dark creepy cave -not easy to fight in there when you don't have your ghost body anymore.

So yeah, I think Arang's shyness can be explained in a lot of ways! But I do hope we will see more of fighting Arang as before! :)

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I was finding it really creepy, partly because her skin looks extremely stiff and unnatural, but I think the main reason is this: she never blinks!:O

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Evil Mum, with her magic and magical swords, reminds me of a better looking Rita Repulsa.

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Thanks for the recap, JB!!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS the magistrate uniform!!!! Finally!!! I've been waiting for this!!! Eun-oh looks so good in it!!!

I have no doubt that Creepy Mom is Mu-Young's sister. I'm also beginning to think like you guys; Creepy Mom probably possess bodies and would need to know their wish to possess them, so she may have possessed Eun-oh's mom knowing Eun-oh's mom wanted revenge for her family. If that's the case, what happens to the person when Creepy Mom switches of body? If Creepy Mom is defeated, does that mean Eun-oh's mom can wake up or is her soul already dead/consumed?

I really like the way Eun-oh changes into a hero: not because he cares, but because the bad guys have being poking at him repetively! I can't wait to see him actually showing his softer side!
Oh, and I absolutely love the comical romance between the shaman and Dol-swe!!!

About the three-months thing...I think it very smart from the Jade Emperor, because if they fail to catch Creepy Mom and lose Arang's body to her, Creepy Mom won't have an immortal body in the end, because of the time limit on Arang. So I see this time-limit thing as a way to both motivate Arang and get sure the plan doesn't backfire on them.

Now, Joo-wal...this is an interesting bad guy! As for now, my guess would be that he's going to die in the end, which is the classical way for his kind of baddies to end in dramaland. However as Arang and the Magistrate so far has surprised me at each episode, maybe we can hope he would have a different ending.
I'm wondering as well just how many girls did he truly murder? First I thought it was each full moon, but wasn't said in one of the recaps something about an extra month each three/four years? If that's the case, does that mean the murdering thing only did happen each three/four years? I mean, if girls were murdered on each full moon, wouldn't the people talk more about it? Or is it as the Bangs said to Eun-oh, that the bodies weren't from this village? I would find it very hard to Joo-wal to go search for girls responding to his ring in other villages. To me these bodies are unknown because they're old -Creepy Mom has been there for 400 years, hasn't she?

Well, so much questions!!! I can't wait for next week!!! :D

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I looked up leap months, and they do happen every three years or so:

Year Leap month
1979 05
1982 04
1985 02
1987 07
1990 05
1993 04
1995 08
1998 06
2001 05

That's still a lot of dead girls, esp. over 400 years...

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Every time we see the Jade Emperor, he has another funky, old lady hairdo.Hate it.He needs a good hair stylist in Paradise.

Finally, Lee Jun ki is in the magistrate's outfit.Swoon...Can't wait for him to show Lord Choi who's the boss.

Just love the two actors who play Dol Swe and Bang Wool. Can't wait for Dol Swe to succumb to her charms. Love it when he admonishes his finger. LOL.

I'm glad Arang finally put two and two together about Joo Wal being her former fiance and giving Eun Oh the cold shoulder which he deserves..Is Lump of Phoniness the worst name calling in ancient times? Love to see the messy love triangle develop although Joo Wal is just as creepy as his demon mom. Her face alone gives me the creeps.

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Bang Wool! I just can't get enuff of her. The faces she and Dol Swe makes has me replaying their scenes. And the way she delivers (reads) her lines just cracks me up. I'm going to watch them in their other works. Hope I can find all of them.
FYI: Bang Wool is played by 황보라/ Hwang Bo Ra
Dol Swe by 권오중/ Kwon Oh-Jung

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Gosh I love Bangwool too. Can't wait for her to see Arang walking around with the voice of the ghost she thought she finally got rid of.......

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can't help but think there's a reason for every new do of the Jade Emperor. First his hair is mostly down when he's being the carefree god. Then after he sent Arang down, he has that up do, and most of the time I see his face is looking worried. After the seals were broken, his hair is now mostly down again, he seemed relaxed though not as carefree as before.

or maybe it's just the demand of netizens? hehehe...

but yeaaayy for the magistrate outfit!! I guess this costume change is also a sign for his character change. Wednesday can't come any sooner...

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The netizens or his agent/stylist team.

"Do you have any idea how much this kid's face is worth in print and tv ads?!! Either get him a good wig, or we are PULLING HIM from the show!!"

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This is my take on the show so far from watching eps. 1 through 8:

1.) 400 years ago (in the middle of the Joseon era, according to
1st ep), something catastrophic occurred which resulted in
the breakdown of the barriers between the mortal plane and the
next-world plane, allowing lost souls to wander around
on earth instead of moving on to the next. My guess is demon mom managed
to escape from hell by blowing up said barrier. The Jade King and
Hades has been trying to repair the rift ever since, and the only means to
build the barrier back up is throwing said escapee’s ass back to hell.

2.) Eun Ho is the chief means the gods had devised to do so.
I mean you have grim reapers to drag the dead to the underworld,
makes sense to have ghost-whispering Eun Ho drag mom’s ass back
to where she escaped from.

3.) Demon escapee needed fresh, virgin souls to keep her body in
the mortal plane, and a host body to walk around in. Enter Arang
(when she was still Lee Seo Rim) as the virgin soul to be
sacrificed, and Eun Ho’s mom (before she was monster mom) as the
host body-suit. This is why both disappeared at about the same
time — I’d say exactly the same time, and both were brought
to the death-shack-in-the-woods to undergo whatever ceremony
is needed to effect the change. In trying to save her own life, Arang (as
Lee Seo Rim) grabbed Eun Ho’s mom’s hair pin as a weapon, managed
to escape, but died somewhere down the river. No problem: all
monster mom needed to do is hunt down another virgin soul. Eun Ho’s
mom didn’t escape (or maybe she was a willing host?) and that’s why
monster mom is walking around looking like Eun Ho’s mom. Because Arang’s
soul wasn’t sealed inside her body, she rose out of her body to wander
around as a lost ghost for the past 3 years.

3.1) Arang / Lee Seo Rim has always been and was born an “immortal being,”
which is why her body never decomposed, and why, even
as a ghost, she was not a “pale” ghost — she still has
the same coloring she did when she was still alive.
Contrast that with all the other ghosts we’ve seen
in the series: pale skin, pale lips, hollow eyes ….

3.2) Ghost-whispering Eun Ho is the hunter for monster mom;
Arang will be the rabbit-bait to flush out monster mom.

3.3.) Still no idea how and why Arang lost her memory, other
than it makes for a better story.

3.4) When Joo Wal killed Arang in ep 5, he managed to seal in
her soul inside her body, which is why Arang was able
to revive in her own body, and didn’t rise out of it
like white steam to wander around as a lost ghost like
she did in the beginning of the series. And her soul
still remained sealed inside her body, which is why
she’ll just keep reviving in her own body throughout
the length of the series, I would think.

3.5) From this episode, it's clear that Arang's heart going barumph-barumph in a previous episode doesn't stem from the sight of Joo Wal (or else she would have felt the same thing upon meeting him in the episodes that followed), but from the Choi's pavilion instead. Perhaps she was killed there and the heart palpitations stem from fear?

4.) From what I can tell so far, monster mom needed two types of souls
to carry out her own agenda:

4.1.) One: the pure virgin souls which she consumes to keep herself
young, alive, and within the mortal plane;

4.2.) Two: twisted, evil souls (like the murderer-for-hire in ep. 8)
which she ferments in clay jars to serve as her minion
at the proper time. This is why the mother who sacrificed
her life to save her daughter in ep. 8 were promptly dispatched
by the faux grim-reapers: she serves no serviceable
purpose in evil mom’s agenda, since she is neither evil nor a
virgin soul.

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WOW!!! I read all this amazed! You are soo good! You're giving me so much to think about. Thanks.

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Nice!
Agree with everything except Arang being able revive her own body because of soul sealed inside.
While the soul sealed inside part may be true, I think the self-revive was the JE's doing, so she could continue on earth for 3 moons.

As far as A losing her memory, maybe because she is an immortal, it was always like that. She always died and forgot her previous life - something like reincarnation.
But when she came into contact with MY's sister who had jumped into Creepy Mom's shell, the usual process failed, the JE was alerted to something evil this way comes.
At that point, JE loosened the red bonds of death so she could escape to begin to solve the problem for him.

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I might think of it that way too, about Arang losing her memory ... except for the fact that she had already died twice more in the series and each time she revives she retained her memories as Arang -- so that couldn't be it?

I suspect Creepy Mom strips the sacrificial virgin souls off their memories before she eats them -- kinda like filleting a fish (okay, extremely bad metaphor, but you get my gist). She needs their souls to keep herself alive, but it'll be terribly inconvenient to take in their memories and identities as well.

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Wouah, that was nice too read. I really liked all the points you made even though I do not fully agree with 1 or 2 of them. Thank you :-)

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We're almost half-way through the series already -- 8 episodes in, 12 more coming out. It'll be nice to come up with theories at this point and see which would bear out. I'm sure more than one or two would fizzle. ;)

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Wow! This was an amazing analysis! Thank you!

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Thanks for the recap!! =D Just as I was tiring Jade's hairstyle... they gave him a new one!! WOOOOOT!!

I am too sleepy to work out theories, but I love everyone's here! Gets me thinking too heheheh

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A lot of people are speculating that Mom is not the Mom she used to be--i.e., she has been possessed by an evil demon. My question is this--if you think this, how long do you think this has been so? It can't be since she disappeared 3 years ago--because we've been shown that she "picked up" Joowal as a child, and has been using him for fresh souls ever since. She's also been "wife" to Lord Choi, who was probably in the same situation as Joowal when he was younger.

I like the theory but I don't know if it could work. But also, I think for maximum drama and impact, it would be best if Mom was not possessed, and that this is just who she is. I say this because then it makes the conflict between her and Eunho all the more meaningful.

I think she has love for him. Family is important to her--which is why she made him go to his father's house so he would live a different life than the one where, oh, yunno, his mom is a soul sucker bent on revenge--and she took and wore his hairpin. While she wouldn't look at him to show affection, she cared enough to take a token of his love. And she must have shown him something like love in the past if he has such feelings toward her--unless she's THAT good at withholding, which makes little boys with mommy issues crave her love all the more.

Also, if we come down to Eunho vs. Mom, it will be easier for him to "battle" or "destroy" her if she is no longer the mom she was, if her soul is gone. And vice versa--if she is his mom and cares for him, it will make her battle that much tougher. Does she destroy her son to get her revenge? Does she destroy living family for the sake of the family that is dead (or is she just so corrupt that it's no longer about revenge but about power)?

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Wow, love this, all very good points. Add to that the fact that she could also possibly be Muyoung's sister....

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I think she has to be his sister, at least in some form, because it is compelling and interesting, and introduces a new conflict. Muyoung has been reaper for who knows how long, but I imagine a while if he's the head reaper.

And speaking of that family, we have been given hints about a promise Dol Swe made to Eunho's grandfather (but now I'm confused--is that maternal or paternal grandfather?) so what role does he play? Also, what about this mysterious "master" that Eunho trained with for a year in the mountains? So many little breadcrumbs. I hope they are able to tie this all together. So far with the quality of the writing, I feel like it is possible!

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I've commented on the grandfather business as well: There has to be a reason why Dol-swe keeps mentioning Eun-oh's maternal grandfather and that promise he made. Who was he and why did he think it necessary to ensure Eun-oh is looked after? Just a normal deathbed wish or did he know something more sinister was going on with his daughter? (or, "daughter"). And yea, why did Eun-oh go train? I love the breadcrumb writing as well but this episode's ending really alarmed me. What on earth was that cut?? Hope it's just a one-off thing and the slightly slower pace this round means there's more fun ahead ;)

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DS's comments about EO's family tree on his mother's side are intriguing as well. If mom comes from traitors, what did they do?

I missed the line about EO training for a year alone without DS. What ep was that discussed?

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Actually, if you review that scene where Joo Wal -- probably 8 or 9 years old at the time, dressed like the son of a powerful noble lord, standing under a tree (ep. 5 I think) -- got approached by a woman who looked like "Madame/Wife" from behind, they never actually showed her face. So it is very likely that it is not Eun-Ho's mom.

Also, one other reason why I believe that Eun-Ho's mom has not ALWAYS been Wife/Madame -- not until 3 years ago, anyway -- was that she was a slave concubine since Eun-Ho was a child (or more likely, since Eun-Ho was born), and as far as we know, from what we've seen from the series so far, remained so 'til Eun Ho saw her for the last time and gave her the hairpin, which was 3 years ago. Why would a powerful she-demigod who could manufacture and command her own minion of evil beings spend time as a lowly slave to get knocked up by a noble lord?

The only thing that makes sense was that "Wife/Madame" (purportedly the long-dead black-arts practicing sister of head grim-reaper Moo Yeong who must have escaped 400 years ago from the underworld) has been body-hopping from one human host to another for centuries, made possible by the consumption of the souls of pure virgin maidens, helped along by human lackeys like Joo Wal and Lord Choi. And that Eun-Ho's mom is the current body host.

Also, the reason why a lot of us think the body-hopping she-demon theory has merit is that Wife/Madame revealed in this episode (episode 8) that she wants the undying body of Arang for herself -- that is, she wants it like a permanent Chanel suit. Which worries Joo Wal, because then she no longer has any need for him to procure fresh virgin souls, which is why he asked her point-blank, "What would happen to me?" Note that it didn't surprise him at all to find out she needs a body-host to hop into, which makes me think he'd been aware of that fact for some time, which just confirms our suspicion that Eun-Ho's mom is simply her latest and current body suit.

And of course, it is at this point that she dangles the mommy dearest card before him: "You shall be my son, and you shall call me mom." Auggh. So Freudian.

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So much in my mind about these boys with mommy issues. But the one thing I'll say is falling in love with a ghost is a horror that cannot be underestimated. I think folks who are used to love stories being somewhat speedy have to take that into consideration. It's a bit like an interracial marriage, a doomed interracial marriage. Even Eun-ho comments on this. Ghosts are another race entirely. They are from a culture he has nothing to do with.

IT's hard to fall in love with someone outside your culture. So Eun-ho has to get rid of his initial disgust at the idea and realize that, like it or not, he has fallen in love with someone he should not have -- from a culture he tried to ignore. That kind of working past his disgust at the idea intermixed with his generally cold act toward the world in general is a good reason why he would not fall in love. Yeah, it's denial..but it's cultural denial. She is not like me, she is not from my culture but DAMMIT! in spite of myself I'm falling in love with one of these people.

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If Arang and ES do fall in love and want to be together, my guess is the JE will offer for her to become a real girl if she gives up immortality.
We have seen that she keeps insisting she is a PERSON, so that would be an easy bargain for her to make.

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ooooooooooh, wow!!! YES! Hadn't thought of it. That's probably the request the Jade Emperor is gonna ask from Hades after he "wins." He'll ask for Arang to be a real girl so Eun-ho and Arang can go off into the sunset together and live to a ripe old age together. Feels hokey but i bet that's what JE's gonna ask.

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Thank you for the evocative recap, I think.

The show is super creepy, but reading your words actually made me shudder with the creepiness in broad daylight.

(Why exactly do we do this to ourselves?
What ghoulish delight are we enjoying?
Can't wait for Nice Guy to start so I can experience having my heart stabbed and stomped! Whoo-hoo!!)

I feel LJK and SMA have left all their other roles in the dust. As I watch Arang desparately pulling her dead body up from the sand, or fighting everyone constantly, it amazes me that this is the glamour girl in some of DB's headers. And putting LJK in sageuk garb, no abs or glorious mane in sight, forces me to look at the character, not the beauty which usually distracts me.
Yeon Woo-jin, too, despite being dressed in the most glorious of hanboks, transformed himself into this pitiful and horrifying shell of a person.

I love the illusion of dramas and movies, but this show for the most part (I am looking at YOUR WIG, YSH!) managed to create a world I believe in and am afraid of, in spite of its fantastical elements. So happy they decided to bring this to air!

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Why was the Choi compound empty when Arang woke up? I can understand no ghosts being around -- Big Bad and all. But why would no humans be present? Surely, Lord Choi and son don't cook their own foods and wash their own clothing? An error in script or some other reason?

Am liking Arang a bit more although her insistence that he not think of his mother and only think of her is a bit off-putting. Not that I'm some old-fashioned stick-in-the mud rigid type but it seems to me tht if she was his wife she could demand that..but she's hardly a girlfriend. So...yeah, it seems a bit much for some stranger to come up and say "you're phony because you're thinking of your mother instead of me." Just really self-centered and odd.

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No i dont think that the issues. Finding his mother is not the issues but puting aside that for her to gain her memory back by reminding te previous person in her life as important.

Im as mother has read your previous comment regarding this issues mother-son. Having much concern in finding our loved one is not an issues but to be totally immerse without realize other party interest and feelings and what happen around you is another story. This is what tick Arang off during the earlier episode. But for this ep it is because they have vowed to work together on both interest - gain memory finding murderer and finding mother- so it is painful for her he is hiding on of the key element that can bring back maybe a lil bit of pieces of her memory.(put aside why he did that which Arang didnt know yet)

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I'm a mom, and I understand mommy issues and girlfriend (or daughter-in-law) issues. But seriously, how long have they known each other? And how much does she demand of him in such a small time? I know for us it's a mere 8 episode. But in storyline "real-time" they've known each other for about five or six days and she is acting like a girlfriend who is possessive and jealous of her sweetie's mother...dead mother.

I'm sorry. I just think..."WOW!!" I'm a writer so stuff like that bothers me. I am trusting the writers realize this aspect of her personality and are not particularly proud of it. Maybe it'll be part of her growing curve. After all, she doesn't know what it's like to have a mother. She doesn't remember her own parents so maybe she can't understand parental love.

I am trusting (maybe just hoping) the writers are aware of this and will have a scene further on down the line where she acknowledges that she was selfish and indifferent to Eun-ho simply because she doesn't understand mother-ly love. It's either very bizarre or very odd that she lived all her life and had so few friends or people who are aware of her.

As a writer, I see that it is convenient that the writers said she was a shy demure lady. It leaves out the complications of her having had friends. But wow, she was engaged to a guy and even if she never saw him she didn't seem to have given him some kind of embroidered gift or note or what-not. I'm trying to believe that such a thing could happen. But it's a concerted effort at believing.

Basically, we don't know what Arang was like before she died. The excuses that she is a new-born soul or that she is grasping for life ...well, they don't work for me. I'm thinking the writers either are so in love with her pluckiness that they have totally not realized how she comes of. Or her time for self-judgment is coming. In the meantime, the viewer can either take whatever Arang says about Eun-Ho as her being the writers' mouthpiece or the writers want the viewer to be aware that whatever Arang says --especially of Eun-ho-- must be taken with a grain of salt.

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Regarding Arang's in-your-face calling out of Eun-Ho's mommy issues in this episode (ep. 8):

Arang was angry at Eun-Ho because he kept the fact that he met with and knew who Joo Wal is -- Lee Seo Rim's fiancee -- but purposely kept that fact from her, even though Joo Wal might be instrumental in Arang finding out what happened to her (as Lee Seo Rim), who killed her and why she was killed. They agreed to help each other out: with Arang finding out the reason behind her death, and Eun Oh the reason behind her mother's disappearance. Joo Wal would have been a very important piece of the puzzle behind Arang's death, and speaking with him would have sped things along for Arang. If Eun-Ho already knew him even before Arang came back in the flesh, it would have been very easy for Eun-Ho to arrange a meeting with Joo Wal so that Arang could finally have some answers for herself. But he didn't, and that's what pisses Arang off.

Arang suspects that Eun-Ho purposely kept Joo Wal and her apart because he didn't want Arang to find out too soon why she was killed. Not yet anyway, not until he could find out answers regarding his mother himself, or not before he could figure out how to turn things around to make it work for him.

And this is exactly why Arang was royally pissed: she felt like he's been playing her, that he's too hang up on his mommy issues to be fair to her, to help her out. I could very well understand her feelings: I mean she's been left wandering as a ghost who has to learn to fend for herself, blackmailed a grim reaper into arranging a meet with the Jade King, bargained with Hades to send her back to the mortal plane, all to find out who she is and what happened to her. And here is Eun-Ho -- for whom arranging a meet between Joo Wal and Arang would have been a simple matter -- not lifting a finger to help her out, even after they'd both agreed to do so.

Also, regarding the fact that Arang as Lee Seo Rim lived a very secluded life. I think her father (the former magistrate of Miryang) purposely kept her apart from other people so that other people wouldn't find out who or what she is. I mean if you find out that your child has super self-healing, self-regenerative, self-reviving powers, you know it will just freak other people out. They'd probably kidnap her, string her up, slice her up, make potions out of her blood, etcetera -- you name it. I mean, yes, she couldn't be killed, but still, you don't want any of those things to happen to your child. So the only way to keep her safe is to isolate her.

And I think Arang was born an immortal being, not made into one by the Jade King. This is why her corpse remained fresh and untainted when it was found after 3 years, and why as a ghost she retained the same coloring she had when she was still alive. I mean, didn't you ever wonder why all the other ghosts in the series had pale colouring, pale lips, and blood-shot eyes -- exept for Arang?

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One other reason why Arang has every right to be pissed at Eun-Ho:

Arang has been doing everything in her power to find out the truth behind her death, and consequently, the reason behind Eun-Ho's mother's disappearance, even going so far as to go back to the death-shack-in-the-woods to re-live her death scene, even though it's the most horrifying experience of her life, or non-life, or whatever; and even if Eun-Ho was initially an ass about it ("Go back into that death-shack and try to remember! What are you afraid of? You don't die anyway!"). And yet Eun-Ho failed to arrange a meet between Arang and Joo Wal. She felt that it was a one-sided affair, the bargain they struck between them: if they could follow up a lead that can give Eun-Ho answers, then they'd go all out for it. But a lead that will give Arang answers but not Eun-Ho? Just drop it, according to Eun-Ho.

So really, Eun-Ho IS being an ass, and Arang has every right to call him out on it.

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Also, the consequences are direr in Arang's case if she couldn't come up with answers before the three moons is up: she'd have to spend eternity in hell per her agreement with Hades.

Eun-Ho, on the other hand, simply has to live out the rest of his life as a little-boy-lost who couldn't be made to care about anything else .... Not much different from what he is now.

So, honestly -- wouldn't you take Team Arang in this case? She wasn't acting like a jealous non-girlfriend - just a girl afraid to go to hell.

(Although admittedly, the bickering between Arang and Eun-Ho could have been handled better by the writers to make this point clear.)

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It's so convenient to blame EO for not arranging the meeting with JW. But seriously, when did he have any opportunity to do that ? Let's go back and consider the past scenarios

(1) After her dead body was found, she went to the underworld alone. He looked for her. They finally met just before the funeral.

(2) He told her to stay at the office while he's at the funeral, but what happened ? After the funeral, they had a fight, he went off, then reconcile, another fight, she went off, reconcile, she went to bed and got stabbed.

(3) He took the injured Arang back, went off with DS, found bones and remainings. She woke up. He tried to bring her back to the place (OK - being a jerk here). She ran off, went to that place alone, came back to him. He went there alone the next day (now probably felt guilty to drag her along), fell down the cliff.

(4) She looked for him, get together but he was injured and could barely speak. DS came to rescue them, she fell. JW found her.

Consider the timeline, all of this may happened in just a few days. And during those times, whenever they talked, they ended up with a fight. So, I'll say it's Arang being unreasonable here.

I think this pissing from her is unnecessary. The writer could have made her getting chirpy with JW, knowing now that he's the fiance. Then EO turned up with jealousy. They could still end up with a fight, but it would make Arang be more likable.

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I'm not buying the Eun-Ho-never-had-the-opportunity-to-tell-Arang-about-Joo-Wal-because-he-never-had-time angle. Remember, this is the guy who told a girl who just survived a knife-wound to the chest to go back to the death shack to re-live that experience. If he could mouth that off, what's with "Joo Wal was Lee Seo Rim's fiancee -- better have a talk with him." I mean, he didn't have to arrange the meet -- just simply tell her. The perfect opportunity would have been in Episode 6 when -- after Arang told Eun-Ho she remembers why she had mom's hairpin -- they run into Joo Wal. It would have been a simple matter for Eun-Ho to say "By the way, pretty boy just now is Choi Joo Wal, your fiancee." Two seconds. Four tops. No -- what he told her was (grabbing her hand and dragging her away, all man-cave-like and all) "we better get home now -- it's getting veerrrry late" ... "why do you have to keep going to my room? you go to yours -- I manage to wash the blood off your duvet" .... PLENTY of opportunity at that time.

First time I watched that it really made me wonder why he held off telling her that. My guess? Two reasons: 1.) Jealousy (although of course he wouldn't admit it to himself); and 2.) I suspect he didn't want Arang to figure out who and why she was killed too soon, not until he could figure out how he can tie that up with mom's disappearance.

I'm with Team Arang all the way on this one. I mean, honestly, if you're a girl whose soul literally hangs on the balance (spending eternity in hell and all if she couldn't come up with answers) being black-balled by a guy with mommy issues, wouldn't you be pissed? At the very least?

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Well, let's agree to disagree then.

Had Arang ever mentioned that she didn't recognize her fiance. EO knows JW didn't recognize Arang, but why on earth must he know that she didn't actually know her fiance's face ? Previously they went to JW's house together. She saw him briefly and had her heart pumping. For me, it's perfectly logical to assume that she knows him.

And yes, in episode 6 the three of them met again. JW acted surprised to see Arang as a girl while Arang was all chirpy with him. Well, EO may or may not notice whether she recognized JW or not. And it's not a surprise if jealousy clouds his vision. I can go to the extreme in EO's defence that it's still logical to assume Arang already realized that JW didn't recognize her and thus pretended to not know him. Or else, wouldn't it be weird introducing yourself as a diseased fiancee ?

All in all, I think this Arang-JW affair puzzles everyone ... the characters ... the audience. Let's see how it's played out in the next episodes +.+

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If you're actually convinced that sharp-as-a-tack Eun-Ho wasn't aware all along that Arang never put together that "Young Master" = The Fiancee ...

... you'd be quite alone in your conviction.

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Well in this situation I don't think I would call Arang selfish. She just saved his life and "died" in the process and then was missing. And she was upset because they do have some sort of relationship--camaraderie, friendship of sorts, budding romance--and it hurts her feelings that she thinks he doesn't see her as anything but a vehicle for his plans.

She's not making light of him wanting to find his mother--because that's not the issue they are fighting about. It's separate and valid, and she's trying to remember, trying to help him, too. She's just frustrated that she thinks that he's so one-track, that he might not be the warm-hearted person she thought him to be (though he is)!

For her, being a "person" doesn't just mean having a corporeal body--it means being thought of as person, too, as someone deserving and capable of love and emotion.

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I think her problem with him is that no one seems to remember her from her past life..and that pretty much only one person cares. Even her betrothed doesn't seem to remember her name. And she took it out on Eun-Ho.

She has been pretty selfish but in the last episode she finally began to think of others. She saves him, yes...probably because she likes him. But also probably because he is the only one who can help her. So she had better save him.

I guess what bothers me is that she isn't very self-questioning. She questions him and his behavior all the time. She judges his behavior. She mocks his love for his mother. He, on the other hand, questions himself a lot and always thinks of what might be wrong with him. If someone challenges him, he goes into memory morbid introspective mode. So I like that about him and I feel in a relationship one character/person shouldn't be continually judging the other and being so frickin needy. Even if she IS dead. Seriously, he just met her four or five days ago and she wants him to think more highly of her issues than of his mother?

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You still seem to be missing the point that everyone is saying. She's not upset because she feels like she should be prioritized over his mother. She's upset because she 1. has proper reason to believe that he sees her a tool for finding his mother and cares about her in no other regard at all. The fact that she has this human-identity crisis makes it even worse for her to think that she's just a tool to him; and 2. as others said, he and she had an agreement that they'd help each other in this case. Even if he was trying to spare her feelings, she doesn't think of it that way. Joo-wal is an important piece in her past life and if they're going to solve HER case, they need to be on point with each other in order for that to happen. So the conclusion she comes to is that because her talking to Joo-wal and knowing who he is, is more for her benefit than his, that he just didn't care enough to tell her. That's reason enough for her to call him a phony in her eyes. Do i wish they had just talked things out. God yes. But they're emotionally stunted to a degree(especially Arang i feel) so it was gonna happen :P
It's in people's natures to judge. If her immaturity is what's bothering you then I understand that but you're forgetting that she hasn't really had room to grow. She's been fighting for her life for 3 years and is now on a quest to find her killer. So like you said, she doesn't reflect on herself often. She doesn't have the time, or the maturity level yet to do that but she's getting there I think.
She also doesn't understand parental love, so if she sees this guy who's very hung up on finding his mother she's going to question why. And she won't get a good answer that she truly understands(emotionally) on her own and she'll think it's silly so she mocks. Immature, yes. But I don't fault her for it. If you do then okay, but I just want to make sure you understand where she's coming from.

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I like this. I got so interested in this debate I went back to watch the scene...

So Arang probably handled this fight a little worse than Eun-oh. He started out trying to explain why he never mentioned he knew who Joowal is, in a sufficiently (gasp) sorry tone, but she just slams the door in his face, which sparked the worst thing he could have said to her at that moment : It was fun watching her interact with this Young Master she couldn't even remember (from her memory loss she hasn't been able to regain) was her own fiance.

That's when she snapped I guess: "Am I a pushover? Until when did you plan on laughing behind my back?" To her Eun-oh really is the kind of person who might do something like that, withhold that information to entertain himself. Here's an engaged couple who can't even regconize each other, and she previously thought she was in love and got all girlishly flustered? Which is why she got mad at Joowal as well (after being confused and hurt and shedding a few tears): Why is it that nobody seems to remember Lee Seo Rim, the girl she was? Even now, nobody, not even Eun-oh who pulled such a dirty trick, would care if Arang hadn't revived right? So yeah she probably was taking out her hurt on Eun-oh using the mommy excuse again, but that isn't the first time this couple has lashed out at each other saying all the wrong things. (A little part of me also feels SMA could have played this better, if my take on their fight is right)

This episode allows you to connect a few dots about the plot so far but not without some thought, but that's also what I love about this show. Bare minimal flashbacks and all.

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I haven't had such a terribly difficult time waiting for the next episode as I do with this drama. Loving the plot and pace. I hope it can only get better.

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Ditto. :P

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Thank you for the recap!

I don't like this episode.. There's no spark in the story (despite the revelation of who's what, what whose).
And the weird ending! LOL. It's like they want spe

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watched this episode in broad daylight and i was freaking out! those demon scenes...creepy! plus i cant be the only one totally crushing on the head grim reaper? and he's not even spruced up yet!

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Interesting ideas shared by drama followers... here are my two cents:

In Joo-wal's flashback of evil mom, her actual face was not really shown. So I am guessing that the theory that she used Eun-oh's mom body as a host kinda stands. Probably the evil spirit needs to change into a new shell every leap year to continue living in the human world. This was why it desperately want to get hold of Arang's immortal body, so it does not need change host anymore, and hence, no need for human minions, who proved to be not so reliable.

Somehow, I want to believe that Eun-Oh's mom was a good person, despite her hatred towards Lord Choi. I imagined that she went to the village 3 years ago to seek revenge against Lord Choi, but somehow got to know Lee Seo-Rim and build a relationship with her. Then when she found out about Lord Choi's plan to offer Lee Seo Rim as a sacrifice to the evil spirit, she gave up her life in order to save Seo-Rim. This was probably how she became the face of the evil spirit. Unfortunately, Seo-Rim died anyways, but at least her soul remained intact. She stayed on as a lost soul because she had an unfinished business in the human world - to redeem Eun-Oh's mom's soul from the evil spirit.

I also think that the evil spirit was actually Mu-Yeon. Interesting info from Jade Emperor that "it" was regaining its power...maybe hundreds of years ago, Mu-Yeong and Mu-Yeon were wizards/witches practicing dark arts in the human world. When they died, Mu-Yeong was given a chance to become a reaper to redeem his sins, while sister Mu-Yeon was unable to give up her evil ways, and was able to trick her way back to human world. It was some sort of a punishment as well for Mu-Yeong to catch his own sister, and the sister captured by her own brother.

Eun-Oh might have inherit the ability to see ghost from mom's side of the family...another interesting detail was how dad was keeping Eun-Oh a secret, and how dad got involved with a slave woman from a family of traitors. Maybe dad owed favor to Eun-Oh's mom family, and to repay that favor, he saved mom's life by marrying her. I am hoping Eun-Oh's quest to look for his mother will lead to the solving of a greater mystery that will resolve his hatred towards mom and dad.

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Ah me!! Wow, you have me thinking...thinking.... Would Eun-Ho be related to Meo-Young? IF so, he wouldn't have recognized him when he saw him because that's the first time he would've seenthe adult Eun-Ho.

I have a serious crush on Grim. I'm picturing a culmination where the men will have to go against the ONE WOMAN. Joo Wal against Evil Mom. Meo-Young against Evil Mom. Joo Wal against Evil Mom. Dear me! The men in this family are all going into angst "I love you but I gotta kill you because I love someone greater or something greater" than you.

Can't wait.

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There is a line Carole, since Chuno lol.

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Very nice points so far, except for the last part. I don't think Eun-Ho's dad (a noble lord) married Eun-Ho's mom. If you remember in ep. 7, it was revealed that Eun-Ho is the illegitimate son of Lord so-and-so (forgot the name), and was the son of a slave concubine, but Lord So-And-So kept that latter part a secret from the general public and embraced Eun-Ho as his legitimate son and heir. Also, a little over 3 years ago, when Eun-Ho last saw mom and gave her the hairpin, she was still living alone in that one-room shack: she wouldn't if she were legitimized as the proper wife of a powerful noble lord.

I don't think Lord So-And-So is so noble as to marry a disgraced slave concubine with a father as a traitor; I think he just simply knocked her up. That would also explain Eun-Ho's not-so-warm feelings toward his own father, and why he would much prefer being with mom instead of dad. But Lord So-And-So, not having any other son and heir, kept Eun-Ho for his own, but kept Eun-Ho's mom out of the bargain.

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Thank you for the recap! I'm soo addicted to this drama! It's great and unique - and doesn't rush things too much (since it has 20 eps). I have the feeling that Eun Ho has to choose between his mom (or more explicit her soul) and Arang at some point - a choice the Jade Emperor will maybe offer him for taking a significant part in solving the big mystery. I really really hope it'll have a happy ending where Arang then is like "Well, I'm warm now" (since she then has become a real human again).
Can't wait for next week!

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thankyu for the recap, like i was reading a novel..
cant wait for the next ep...

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