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Arang and the Magistrate: Episode 19

The end is nigh and everyone’s paths converge in the big showdown. It’s a nail-biter from the start, and it looks like the tension won’t let up until tomorrow’s finale. Just the way I like it. We finally get some answers of the non-cryptic variety (Gasp!) and our hero faces the toughest decision of his life. It’s okay, Eun-oh. Only the cosmic balance of the entire universe is riding on it. No pressure or anything! *shakes fist at pretty old fogey*

 
EPISODE 19 RECAP

Eun-oh races through town searching for Arang, to stop her before she offers herself up to swap places with Mom. Thankfully, one of his ghost minion lookouts is racing through town looking for him, because he saw Arang creep into the creepy woods, ignoring his cries. Handy, that.

Eun-oh follows him toward the cave (where the ghost can sense that Mom is near) and sees Joo-wal running in the same direction. But Arang gets there first, and enters the cave alone.

And up above, we see that Mu-young is perched on the rocks, watching the whole scene unfold. Geez, it’s like a friggin’ class reunion here. Anyone else coming to this party? Mom looks unsurprisingly like a cat that’s getting canary home delivery, and invites Arang in politely.

Arang asks if she gives up her body, will Mu-yeon return Eun-oh’s mother to him? No, no, you’re asking it wrong! Any good soul-swapping lawyer would tell you to add the clause: return Eun-oh’s mother alive and well, to live out her naturally long, healthy life. Even a crossroads demon would tell you that!

And then with tears brimming in her eyes, she asks if she does this, will she ever get to see Eun-oh again? Mom says no. She cries as she says she’ll still do it. What? Nooooo!

Even Mom is surprised to witness the depth of her love, and she marvels that she’s actually reaping the benefits of human love, of all things. Arang asks what she needs to do, and Mom tells her to empty her mind and simply think of the thing she wants most.

Arang closes her eyes, and Mom reach out a hand. Black demon smoke starts to swirl around Arang…

Mu-young watches from the shadows, ready with his knife. But Joo-wal bursts in, calling out for them to stop. Ohthankgod. He tells Arang that she can’t trust Mom’s words—Eun-oh’s mother won’t survive the body swap anyway. That’s what I’m sayin’!

Mom is so furious that she zaps him with her demon mist, and knocks him against the rocks. She tells Arang not to trust him, and gives her the this-is-your-last-chance sales pitch. Arang looks back and forth between Mom and Joo-wal… and then says she’ll believe Mom.

WUT. The boy risked his life to run in and save you, but you want to trust the demon over him? GAH. Okay now you’re just pissing me off.

Mom starts the transfer… Mu-young takes out his knife and approaches…

And then FINALLY, Eun-oh runs in screaming, “Arang!” and punches Mu-young to keep him from stabbing anyone. Did he come in time? Arang falls unconscious into his arms, and he picks her up and races out. Yes, but… did he come in time?!

Mu-young picks up the knife to try and stab Mom anyway, but it won’t go through the mystical barrier. She looks up at him… and glares. Oh phew. Mu-yeon’s still in there.

Joo-wal stirs awake, and then it’s his turn to pull out a knife. Whoa. Mom backs away, asking what he’s doing, and he says that he’s going to kill her and then himself. He looks determined to go through with it… until Mu-yeon starts gasping and struggling, and Mom overtakes her.

She looks up at Joo-wal, calling him young master in a pleading voice. He stops in his tracks.

Eun-oh puts Arang down against a tree, and she stirs awake. He hugs her for dear life, yelling that she makes him crazy—this isn’t what he wanted. She says, crying, that it’s the only thing she can do for him.

Arang: “I’m going to disappear anyway. And I can’t see you anymore. And you need your mother.” Eun-oh: “Do you think that if I lost you and found my mother, I could be happy? You don’t have to do anything. I said I’d do it all! I’m going to find my mother, and I’m going to send you to heaven! I’ll do it. Arang, trust only me.”

And then, finally, the heart-crushing truth. Arang wails into his shoulder through a flood of tears: “I don’t want to go! I don’t want to let you go! I don’t want to leave you behind and go!”

Waaaaaaaah. Eun-oh just holds her as they cry.

Mu-young reports to the Jade Emperor with his head hanging low. Jade asks if he’s trying to get rid of Mu-yeon or save her, and points out that even trying to kill her is an attempt to save her from herself.

Jade says that either way, Mu-young is acting out of his human attachment for her, and that’s not something a reaper can have. Oh no, don’t you get kicked out of heaven too.

Hades tsk-tsks human attachments, but when Jade asks what he’s going to do with Mu-young, he doesn’t answer. I’d bet you have some attachments to your reapers too, old fogey.

Joo-wal sits by Mom’s bedside as she sleeps. And perhaps it’s because Mom is in control or because Mu-yeon is severely weakened, but Joo-wal begins to remember… everything.

He flashes back to Seo-rim dying to save him, and that night that he killed Arang in her sleep. He stumbles away and calls himself a fool, wondering how he could know nothing.

And then he remembers his proposal for Arang to accept his heart, only now realizing that he asked her that after murdering her in cold blood.

Arang wakes up in the middle of the night to find Eun-oh sleeping next to her. Aw. She turns toward him and reaches out, air-tracing his face while he sleeps. She puts her hand in his, and closes her eyes.

He opens his eyes once she’s asleep, and squeezes her hand.

He comes out after a while, and sighs as he looks up at the full moon. Mu-young appears and says once again that their objectives are the same, but Eun-oh growls that they aren’t—he wants to save his mother, but the reaper only cares about killing the demon.

And that’s when Mu-young drops the bomb: Eun-oh’s mother can’t be saved in this, no matter what he does. Oof. I expected as much, and it would’ve helped if he had known this sooner, but it’s devastating for Eun-oh.

Mu-young just vanishes, leaving Eun-oh in tears. Thanks for the emotional drive-by, reaper. Damn.

Arang wakes up the next morning and looks into the mirror to tell Seo-rim that there isn’t much time left. She goes to her grave to speak to her directly.

Arang: Thanks. You know I went to see the Jade Emperor, right? Now that I know you, who gave up your life to save the person you loved, I know where that crazy courage came from. The days that I’ve spent as a person have been painful and difficult, but thankfully you’re worth it. Thank you, for being strong and brave. I don’t regret finding you, and finding out the truth. I love you, Lee Seo-rim.

Joo-wal is on his way to Seo-rim’s grave as well, and turns back when he sees Arang. Always the cowardly instinct first. But he braces himself to face her, and turns back.

He doesn’t know how else to say it, so he tells her a story about a foolish man who proposed to a woman, not knowing that there was once someone who died to save him. His eyes fill with tears as he says he didn’t know, and then when she came back, he didn’t recognize her.

He falls to his knees before Arang, crying that his heart fluttered when he saw her, like it was the first time. This is why my heart bleeds for him—because he’s sorry he didn’t recognize the face of the woman who died to save him.

Joo-wal: “I’m sorry! Don’t ever forgive me!” She crouches down and puts a hand on his arm, shedding a sympathetic tear for him.

Later, as he walks home, he thinks to himself, “That I didn’t recognize your face, the one who died to save me… that I put a knife in your heart… I couldn’t say the words.” He says that knowing that would’ve just caused her even more pain. Tragically, a coward till the end.

He finds Mom sitting outside when he gets home, and he helps her to bed. He asks what happened to Mu-yeon, and Mom says she’s weak, so she’s just given up control of the body for a little while.

She says, full of regret, that if she had just let go of her vengeance and just accepted the pain in her life, she might be living happily with her son. She asks Joo-wal to tell Eun-oh: “That I never once forgot the face of my son. That I’m sorry I didn’t hold him while he was sick, that I never once gave him a mother’s warmth… Tell him.” What’s sadder is the fact that Joo-wal is jealous of those few words.

Joo-wal races over to tell Eun-oh that his mother has awakened and that he doesn’t have much time. Eun-oh is skeptical, of course, but comes along anyway. Mom wakes up and calls out to him, but he stands way back, asking how he’s supposed to believe her.

She says it’s her fault, that she shouldn’t have left him, that she’s responsible for him distrusting her this way. Eun-oh: “You’re not my mother. My mother never once looked at me, even when I was laughing.” Oof, sometimes I forget how much your childhood sucked.

He turns to go, but she says through tears that she’s sorry for all the horrible things she said, for turning him away when he found her, for not wearing his gift for him to see. He whirls around at the mention of the hairpin, and reels when she names it.

He inches closer, and then falls to his knees, “Mother.” He asks how she made it so difficult for him to just say that out loud once. Seriously. Mom clasps his hands in hers, saying that she did it all because she didn’t want him to live as a slave.

He asks what difference it makes, slave or nobleman, when all he wanted was to live with his mother. She tells him now that she’s sorry for all of it, for letting her revenge take over. “How lonely you must have been! How much did you hate me?”

He says he didn’t hate her; he just missed her and wanted nothing more than to be with her. That just makes her foolish choice that much more tragic.

She asks him to promise—that when Mu-yeon comes back, he not hesitate for one second to put a knife in her heart. She cries that she’s neither living nor dead, just trapped, and begs him to end her suffering, even if it means death.

He swears to save her, to end her suffering, and breaks down in tears. She pats him on the shoulder as he cries, which is probably the first and last bit of motherly warmth he’s ever felt.

He bows to Joo-wal on his way out, as a gesture of gratitude for looking after his mother. Joo-wal calls out to him: “Don’t give up on her [Arang].” Eun-oh turns back to glare, and swallows back the angry retort he would’ve had on any other day.

He starts to walk away, and Joo-wal wonders aloud, “How is it that you have everything that I’ve ever wanted?” Aw. Eun-oh doesn’t turn back or answer and just walks away.

Joo-wal’s servant says he plans to leave Miryang, and asks if he’ll stay by Mom’s side. Joo-wal sighs, and what kills me is, he will because he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.

He says that when he was young and starving, he thought being hungry was worse than death, but now, he realizes he was better off then. His trusty servant says that there must be some sort of fate or connection between Joo-wal and Mom, and adds that he’ll remain by young master’s side till the end.

Eun-oh slumps down in his room, crying as he finally asks aloud, “Is there really no way to save you?” He asks for his teacher to help him.

Suddenly, Eun-oh opens his eyes in a totally different room. What? Did he teleport? He gets up, and then two little kids run into the room screaming, “Father!” Buuuuuh?

Arang comes in with a table and everyone gathers around it, while Eun-oh stares at them like they’re alien robots from the eighth dimension. He keeps asking what Arang is doing, and she keeps answering like this is perfectly normal.

What’s more is that she mentions Mom, alive and well. He heads through town and goes to the magistrate’s office, where Magistrate Dol-swe greets him happily. Mom and Bang-wool come out smiling, and so do the Bangs.

Okay, this is some weirdass dream, right? But if it is, why is Eun-oh as confused as I am? He trails after Mom in disbelief, and hugs her tightly, just to be sure she’s real.

She hugs him, and then tells him to listen to his teacher’s words. Aha. Tricksy dream-vision-voodoo!

And then poof, Mom turns into the Jade Emperor. He jumps back, not recognizing him. Jade introduces himself as his teacher, and Eun-oh asks if there’s really no way for Mom to come out of this alive.

Jade tells him to think hard and remember what he gave him and what he said. “Though you may not be able to keep her alive, you will be able to save her. Think carefully about what it is she really wants.”

And then he vanishes, and Eun-oh wakes up back in his room.

Joo-wal keeps watch over Mom, as she opens her eyes… with Mu-yeon back in control.

Eun-oh tells Arang what the Jade Emperor told him—that his mother wouldn’t survive, but he can save her soul. He says that setting her soul free is the best that he can do for her now.

She asks how and he reminds her of what they learned—give the first soul what it wants most, and the second soul will be forced out. He holds up the hairpin. Arang reads the engraving again: Mother’s heart.

Eun-oh tells Mu-young that he’ll play it his way, but asks him to make sure that once his sister is out of Mom’s body, he’ll take care of her without any mistakes. Mu-young assures him that he will. Aw yeah, human-reaper buddy cops again?

Joo-wal comes by to alert Eun-oh that Mu-yeon is back in control.

Eun-oh decides that he should wrap up Lord Choi’s loose ends before dealing with Mom, and has him transported to Hanyang for his sentencing. I love that he’s taken through the center of town for everyone to publicly mock him.

Even in this position, Lord Choi is as smug as ever, and blames his minion for not guarding him better. He plans to let the minion take the fall for everything, insisting that the king will be more lenient to a nobleman than a slave. Should you really be telling your murderous accomplice that you intend to burn him to save yourself?

Little children throw stones and the crowd ends up mobbing him, and they rattle the cart enough to make it fall apart. Lord Choi fumes in indignation, but the minion sees his chance, and grabs a guard’s sword.

He raises it and strikes… and Lord Choi falls dead at his feet. Not even Joo-wal, who sees it happen from the distance, feels too sad about it.

Eun-oh braces for battle, and arms himself with the hairpin. Arang comes by worried, and makes him promise to return exactly as he is. He smiles and promises not to lose a single hair on his head, and hugs her before walking out.

She whirls around as soon as he leaves… Oh noes, don’t tell me you’re thinking of following him.

Mu-young meets him outside Joo-wal’s house, and they go in together. Mom senses them coming and when Eun-oh charges at her with the hairpin, she throws him back with her black demon mist.

She does the same to Mu-young. Suddenly, Arang bursts in.

NO! Why are you here? Girl, you are seriously makin’ me craaaazy today!

Mu-young lunges with the knife, but it does no good, and then Eun-oh finally gets close enough to put the hairpin to her heart.

She asks if he’s really willing to kill his mother, and with tears streaming down his face, Eun-oh says that he’s saving her.

And with that, he plunges the hairpin into her heart.

Mom gasps and struggles, and Mu-yeon gets forced out. She clings to the body for as long as she can, but Mom falls to the ground and she gets cast out.

Eun-oh rushes to Mom’s side, and Mu-yeon runs… past Mu-young…

…And straight for Arang.

Goddamnit.

Arang sees her coming, and screams, “Noooooooo!”

 
COMMENTS

AND THE REASON YOU DIDN’T STAY HOME IS?? I swear, if you get possessed because of this, you’re grounded! Go sit in the corner and think about what you did! Gah.

Truth be told, there wasn’t a whole lot of surprise in this episode, since things shook out pretty much the way most of us had anticipated (regarding the hairpin and Mom’s fate). I was more nervous about Arang and the body swapping, because the worst-case scenario would be if Eun-oh had to do this with Arang instead of Mom. My nerves took a beating at the start of the episode, when she kept agreeing to the deal. I really wish she’d quit with the noble idiocy, especially if she’s going to run about making sacrifices without reading the fine print first. My heart still breaks for her, of course, especially when she finally says out loud that she doesn’t want to go. That kind of confession never fails to turn me into a puddle of goo.

Eun-oh, on the other hand, is making my day because he’s doing everything right, by not clinging to a false hope that his mother can be saved. I’m glad he got the chance to be reunited with her, if even for one moment. It was a bittersweet reminder of how sad and lonely his childhood was with and without her, and it says a lot that he doesn’t resent her despite having the right to. It’s so interesting that Joo-wal sees Eun-oh as having everything he ever wanted, because that’s not actually true; he’ll just always see the world that way, which is why he’ll choose the wrong thing at every turn.

Even after learning the truth, Joo-wal still chooses the coward’s way out, which says everything about his character, doesn’t it? I did love his apology to Arang and Seo-rim though, because it bookends nicely her quest to find out who Seo-rim was, and to leave behind someone who’d remember she was here. But now that he’s recovered his memories, there’s no longer anything to hide behind, and despite his recent attempts to do the right thing, it won’t change the fact that he has to pay for his crimes. I’m just nervous for the fallout and how much it’ll break Arang’s heart to know how he repaid Seo-rim’s selfless sacrifice.

I hope that Mu-young holds up his end of the bargain in getting rid of Mu-yeon, because I want some happy time for our couple before they have to say goodbye. That dream vision actually made me more nervous, because it all seemed too good to be true from start to finish. Old fogey, if you just gave him that happy vision of being married to Arang for kicks, I will hurt you. I don’t care how pretty you are. If there isn’t some sort of cosmic reward for saving the world, then invent one. What’s the point in being the king of heaven if you can’t even do that, HUH?

 
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Thank you....!!!

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OK, start counting the number of deus ex machina that this drama will deploy by the end of tomorrow's final episode.

We had one today when Sa Boo appeared in Eun Ho's dream to resolve one impasse. The drama will need at least one more tomorrow to keep Arang on earth and to marry her to Eun Ho. I am expecting both Zeus and Hades to appear in person tomorrow to make everything right for Arang and Saddo. Hohum.

It might have been dramatically interesting to see Arang possessed by Moo Yeon. That might have brought some fire back into both Saddo and Arang, who have been sagging since Episode 15. But the drama got cold feet and retreated. So tonight we were treated instead to watching Arang accomplish, well, precious nothing.

And where was Saddo, when Arang was trying to give herself up? He needs to work on his timing. He should have been there even before Arang set out for her rendez-vous with Moo Yeon. Didn't Arang give Saddo plenty of hints? Sorry Girlfriday, but I don't see how Saddo did anything right in this episode except at the end (or in the last four episodes, for that matter).

Up until Episode 14, this cheeky, kick-ass drama was full of irreverent adventurous spirit and an endless supply of surprises (and wits). Then the pressure of ratings got to it. So, in Episode 15, it slowed down to snail's pace and remade itself as a melo drama.

I have a theory. It is not the high rating that degenerates a good Korean drama. It is the FEAR of losing the high rating. Think back to City Hunter and Gaksital, among others, and see if you agree.

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"We had one today when Sa Boo appeared in Eun Ho’s dream to resolve one impasse. "

Mostly because the writer forgot to interweave the hair pin more often so this was more to remind the watcher the hairpin was there in the first place. I'd been waiting for this for ages and waiting for the characters to catch up to me. I thought it was obvious.

Personally, I think it's because the writer didn't have anything after the hairpin... and it was obvious... I would have been a whole lot more interested with the hairpin+something that the characters had to figure out leaked more slowly.

Mostly the dream sequence is either
A. A clue to Arang's deepest desires.
B. A horrible way to tell the viewer it won't end up that way and thus stomp all over our hopeful hearts before the end. TT
C. Both, in which case I want the hairpin after Eun Oh next to exorcise the writer...

BTW, Kang Moon Young is rocking it in this role. The way the air moves around her is awesome. As Eun Oh's mother, I get a feeling of calm, but when she's Mu Yeon... I get chills. She deserves an award for that performance.

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Yes, WE the viewers figured that out eons ago.

But the deus ex machina became necessary in this episode because the writer had painted himself into a corner so that the hero could not see a way out without intervention from God ("deus") and the writer needed to move the story forward.

Another frequent use for deus ex machina is to bring a happy ending to a drama and that is what I expect to see happen in the final episode.

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re: "Another frequent use for deus ex machina is to bring a happy ending to a drama and that is what I expect to see happen in the final episode."

agreed.

....and actually I hope it does come to fruition, complete with a frolicking flowery-goat, stone-faced wise-cracking fairy, and some kind of comical king-of-afterworld-body-swap , because in my mind, this entire story was created by the Whim of the Gods.

It's hardly a feint, to me, to have the Gamer-Gods pull a shifty-maneuver in the 11th hour.

If ZERO Gods had been involved from the beginning of the tale (like so many shows we've all seen before)...THEN suddenly lays down the lightening bolts or rainbows....yeah, that's a hard pill....but this show --- it's been the Gods X-Box/Playstation from the get-go. ;) cheers.

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@KimYoonmi - re: "BTW, Kang Moon Young is rocking it in this role. The way the air moves around her is awesome. As Eun Oh’s mother, I get a feeling of calm, but when she’s Mu Yeon… I get chills. She deserves an award for that performance."

seriously. As the evil baddie--- she's nailing it 9 different ways....then, she flicks a switch and is....MOM.

Kudos to her....for sure.

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Agree. Beside LJK ....KMY is deserved an award too. Though she looks plastic ( too much plastic surgery) but she is great. Sure.

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I agree Kang Moon Young is rocking it and she should get some award for that.

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yeah, KMY's switch between EEEEEEVILLLLLL and 'mom' is amazing - she was terrifying all the way through before this as demon mom and a different kind of scary when she was Neglectful Mom, but here? She just brings the motherly emotion, it's such a huge change from the ways she was before.

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Agree. Well, I don't believe in rating system... esp the korean style. Just watch those reality shows & Immortal legends etc.... What is the criteria. It's blurred. Even the song contest is not based on the voice wisely but many kind of stupid attraction. Become ballet, musical, party like. So I heve stop watching it. Kinda stupid. Korean legend vocals lost to unknown boy band because the teenager viewers ... screaming so much ...when their idol sings.
Not only movie, drama or tv series... it's all degrading. The qualified actor has to give a place to unqualified idol.

A committed talented actor like Leejunki should be appreciate more than other pretty actors without talent. LJK even do all the stunt incl the dangerous one . The other actor ..even riding a horse use stunt.
I'm unable to understand Nice Guy can get higher rating than AATM. Watching it ...made me felt disgust. SJK acting is really suck. Even Joo-wal is much much better than him. Not to mention LJK.

Just hope korean will realized ...it's a mistake to let this things happen in the future.

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Faith ...suck too ...so boring . Leeminho doesn't have Junki charisma ...even he wear a general uniform. Gosh, i hate that drama. LMH is very handsome good looking ...but watching him...not so amusing. LMH + SJK still have long way to learn.
Maybe i'm get used to Sato expressive face . I found LJK is much handsome, much charismatic, much manly, much sexier . Yeah i don't believe such rating too...

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"SJK acting is really suck."

... You have got to be kidding me. Perhaps Song Joongki's acting may not be your cup of tea, but he sure does not suck in acting... at all.

And generally, Nice Guy is getting a higher rating in Korea because Koreans tend to love melodramas, which Nice Guy is. It has very little, if not nothing, to do with Song JoongKi being a pretty boy waith a sizable fan-base and if you want to argue with that point, I should say that Lee JunKi's pretty well known too, so both shows are equal on that point.

Also, not everything that has Pretty does well in terms of ratings in South Korea. Not to offend anyone, but look at "To the Beautiful You".

What is wrong with using stunt doubles? Stunt doubles ARE trained to handle dangerous and do dangerous acts. It's much better having someone with the actual knowhow doing a particularly risky move that have someone with no knowledge of it at all attempting it. Lives are at stake here. Not to say that actors doing their own stunt scenes are not praise worthy, but there are some things that one should leave to a professional. And riding a horse galloping at high speeds is one of them.

You might not agree with the ratings of your favourite drama, but don't bash its competitors because others like it more. All the cast members and staff in all the dramas work equally as hard.

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Sorry...i have to agree with them. Song joong kii & leeminho are no match with Leejunki. It's unfair to Leejunki ...cause he is serious actor & acknowledged as talented actor. The other 2 are not his match. It's Bitter to admit . No offense to sjk & lmh fans.

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To be honest i prefer watch not so handsome with great acting skill. I prefer uhm tae wong 'equator man' than a pretty face sjk. Leejunki is an exception ...beside pretty boy trade mark he is a great actor as well. Using double stunt is not a sin but committed to each role ... Really get into his role is only great actor willing to do that. Shows his seriousness and his committment. We pay to watch movie and we felt worth it if the actor is doing a great job.

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I can say I agree with you concerning Lee min ho (sorry his plastic face doesn't appeal to me) sucky acting, but Song joong ki :o ? Attention ! Have you seen TWDR or SKKS ? Boy oops man has as much charisma as LJK and gives the latter a run for his money !

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@peeps
Well...well...well... I'm the one ..posting LJK doing the dangerous scene without double stunt.
Of course...with stunt or without stunt looks different. A real Hero & a fake Hero looks different. The feeling we got from watching ...fighting scene or other scene ...different. Looks so fake & looks so real . And I bet the actor without double stunt must work much much harder ... 3 times or more harder than the one without stunt. Leejunki even help with the choreography. No offense.

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Love them both. Soong Ki for his performance in "Tree With Deep Roots" and Jun Ki for "The King's Man", TBDAW and his best performance so far in Arang. LJK has matured a lot, not just with his looks but with his acting.

As far as rating goes, it is what it is. NG is getting the higher ratings because thats what Korean viewers prefer to watch (melodrama) plus solid casts and story. Fantasy sageuks and time-travel sageuks are not as popular no matter who the hell is in it.

I agree with your last statement, I dont get the bashing of another show or actor in order to prove a point.

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I don't think those 2 girls (yaya & waiwai) ...tried to bash competitors . Having watch several dramas at the same time...it is unavoidable we will unconsiously ...comparing one drama (one actor to another) to another drama. We starting to compare ..that's human character. And unavoidably ...they compare the facial expression of 1 actor to another. Esp those 2 drama are serious drama. Here is a Free Forum...any body can talk or express their feeling. Feel Free to Comments ...right ? No hard feeling. I think they just honest with their feeling ...so what ??? All people have different opinion. I have my opinion too. Frankly speaking ...I'm junki Fans too. Maybe I'm bias too. I'll go with Donna. Leejunki is "unbeatable". That's how I feel.

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@peeps "If other actors worked to death, Lee Joon-Gi worked to death twice as hard"~ Movie Director Lee Joon-Ik

that's what makes me can't see SJK nor LMH, cos I learn something from him (LJG), work harder you get better ~♥
With double stunts or no double stunts has a meaning for me, may be camera effect, CG etc etc can make it real, but yeah fake is fake :)
SJK is good actor, same goes too JGS, Joo won, Park Yo Chun etc etc
But still they are only "actor" to me. They have to show something as their value added to make me look at them as I look at LJG now, kkk don't get mad, this is just me

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@yaya@peeps@lily@waiwai@joogirl@albert@donna@kiara

Well... I think it's fair enough to express our feeling . Like or dislike. Love or Hate. Whatever. Personally, I don't think waiwai has any bad intention or bash another competitor. I knew her because we belong to the same group ( korean rock legends fanatic fans). She always honest with her feeling. Straight forward. And she still young. As some one much older than her ...I think she just have to adjust the language. At least use more proper than really sucks ! .She is SKKS Addict too... and she likes all the characters there. in the past she Posted many SKKS pics on her FB wall, but she is very disappoint with songjoongkii in Nice Guy. Frankly speaking, I'm dis appointed with SJK too. As young sejong he is better. Remember SKKS is not too serious drama...so not much expresion can be shown.
Personally, I prefer a real Actor too. Not just an actor. If somebody getting older like me , they would understand why we prefer serious - real actor than just an actor. Pretty or handsome will fade with time but "memorable talented actor" will last forever within ...our heart. I 'm not on any side. I try to be 'neutral'. No one is really right or wrong. People have their own choice. Just be honest with your self ...but don't use any harsh language. Try to respect other ppl opinion. That's it.

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Erm... to all who read my post and replied, thank you for your time. It is always a pleasure to hear a different opinion.

However, I have some issues or misunderstandings that I seem to have caused to clear up.

Firstly, nowhere have I ever stated that Lee JunKi could not be a better actor than any other. I agree, in any profession, there will always be some who are better than others and Lee JunKi IS one of the better ones. Whether he is the best, I cannot say. I am not a qualified acting critique.

What I was taking issue with is saying that the acting of others who are not one's bias and who are actually legitimate actors "suck".

It is uncalled for to discredit someone's acting and efforts just because one does not feel that it is on par or better than one's bias', even more, when it is just because one finds it different from one's bias'. (And I stand firm that Song JoongKi's acting does not "suck". I wholeheartedly agree with Lilly on that.)

Regarding the use of stunt doubles, I also agree that actors who do their own stunts are praise worthy and that they do put in much more effort to accomplish the stunts compared to those who don't try at all. I mean, I LOVE HaJiWon slashing around on camera with her sword/whatever it is and kicking butts. However, to do those, one needs time and energy to train and we all know how crazy the South Korean entertainment industry can be. Sometimes, castings are confirmed just sooo close to the airdate that we ourselves marvel at how they're going to shoot and edit it in timeit, let alone expect there to be time for extra training. You don't just hop on a horse and go YEEHAH!! and expect the horse go galloping off while the wind blows in your hair. The horse is an animal, with it's own mind. Rather than ride off into the sunset, the horse is more likely going to be severely startled and throw you off and leave you paralysed waist down forever, or even something worse. That is something that nobody wants. So to reduce that risk, we have to bring in stunt doubles, who have had time to train and practice for it (which can take anything from 3 weeks to 3 months) and hence result in a much lesser risk of having someone getting bucked out into the air and suffering lifelong paralysis.
Bottom line is, we should not discredit an actor just because he does not do his action scenes himself. Usually, time is so limited, that to minimise the risk of injury (to anyone) and to actualy shoot the piece in time for airing, there is no other choice other than to have stunt doubles brought in. Sure, there are some stunts that can be learnt in just a few minutes or hours, but there are some that cannot and failure can mean injury or even death. (Also, with the live shoot, actors are usually dead beat. I think we should be happy as long as they don't start slicing each other and hurting themselves.)

I agree, this is a free forum and anyone is welcome to post their opinions. What I didn't like was basically bashing others just because you don't agree.
("suck" is sort of a strong word to use... its like saying something's the worst, of no worth at all... and what it was referring to most certainly was not.)

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I will give extra credit for actor do his own stunt. It needs much efforts & hard work. Risking life for his profession. I will highly praised some one like that. Committed - talented hardly find esp in this era.

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@Peeps & Lilly & Joongirl,

I'm not taking my own words ... I did mentioned Faith is sucks too. I really mean it. Both Faith & Nice Guy or Innocent Man ..whatever - in my opinion are suck. Though I didn't use such words as "really sucks ".
Btw, I have watched those 2 drama you mentioned...SKKS & TWDR. SJK in SKKS - as a playboy he looks handsome ,lively & sweet ...I like him there . SJK as Sejong is better but the old sejong is much much better than him. I do like him, though. But I felt his acting in Innocent Man is suck. That's True. I'm get used to LJK facial expression. So impressive & really get straight into my heart. Therefore I'm unable to like SJK more than as an actor. Only like his pretty face.

Regarding charisma ... there is no way to say he is as charismatic as LJK. Junki Oppa in Hanbok & Magistrate uniforms looks very charismatic. Not to mentioned his acting here , as Sato. He looks so real... Read some netizens comments : LJK sophisticated expression has captured many women heart , the way he express complicated was highly praised, he looks so good in hanbok & surprised many fans. So in my opinion ... and I believe many people here have the same opinion with me. Junki as Sato is very impressive, charismatic, sexy, manly. Another netizens comment : Even by looking into his eyes & hearing his voice made people fall in love. I would say ...I totally agree with all those statement. Lee Jun Ki never failed to amazed me. Since the King'sMan ...I never stop falling in love with him. I didn't hate SJK nor LMH. Just like Joongirl said ...no matter what ...for us ...they just an actor. Not more than that. Like joongirl maybe it just her. Not only her, I felt the same way.

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Yep...just don't get it why there those who had no qualms at all to bash mercilessly and unreasonably at others just to 'prove' that their idol is the so-called superior/better one :(

I happened to like all those 3 under discussion here....SJK, LMH and JK.....all good looking in their own way and all had their own charms and charisma and acting skills.

The word 'fan' incidentally comes from the word fanatic, haha.......so let's not lose our heads over such stuff, thereby losing our 'balance' eh ?

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@Peeps 1.1.2.2.9 that's it, your long statement just explain why I do love and being fanatic to LJG! He learned all of those stunts so hard even when he was just a rocky actor. He made him self prepared first with those capabilities (like fighting skills and dance skills, even horseriding skills ) first even before he took his first role on Japanese drama as rocky actor. He learned everything before he was being an actor. He said so when he got the role in the future, he was ready and yeah...
Nowadays I saw actor, get the role first, then learn the stunts, I appreciate them too to learn hard, but well it's not the same appreciate as I gave to LJG
However, fan is from fanatic, and so far I watched so many actor from KDrama Land, I am only fanatic with him, lol

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I was watching Arang till the 4th episode and I got bored and only keep reading recaps just to know what happened, maybe I wasn't in the mood for a drama like this. I'm currently loving Nice Guy, the acting, the story, the direction of this drama it's awesome, but that doesn't mean SJK & MCW are better actors than LJK& SMA, it depends what you want to see, everyone is free to watch what they feel like, you can't make others to like the same things that you do, just saying :D

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waiwai, I'm actually enjoying Nice Guy though it's a very different show from Arang, and I think all the three leads are doing a good job in their roles - but somehow I'm not as invested in it, I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. Arang on the other hand, it's all 'OTP OR DIEEEEEEEEEE!' for me lol.

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Like i said in my comment further down after watching that cave scene i was just like, that's it?! I mean we waited a whole week for THE showdown and thats all we got! Well the ending gave me hope that maybe the actual showdown is the finale one so yeahs i'll reserve my rants for now...

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You are not the only one. I was expecting some epic show-down worthy of the build ups. I honestly had my expectations lowered for the finale just so I wont be disappointed lol.

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A real deus ex machina doesn't really follow the rules of the story, though. I don't see the deus ex machina in this episode. Deus ex machinas are not scripted inside a story from the beginning. The hairpin thing is from the beginning.

If Arang gave herself up, that would've been silly, cause it would be a mere little loop and a subplot with no real purpose. There is no way Eun Ho would've killed her -- or even tried to kill her-- because he has already been told by Meo toung that only one who is blood-related to the body can push the possessing demon out of the body. (I think he knows this. Am not sure what we know and what the characters know but I think this conversation took place.) So that would've been the writers needlessly adding something useless to the plot.
And really, if Arang is fated to die at the third full moon, even if she gets possessed, doesn't it mean that the body will drop dead in a coupla days anyway? We all know the body has reached its due date -- Big Bad doesn't know this.

One thing I've noticed about all good love stories is that the love story isn't the only aspect --or even the main aspect-- of the story. Romeo and Juliet for instance -- the lovers rarely meet. We tend to remember the love story as if that was all the story was about but a love story that is solely about the lovers is just plain flat and simply a shallow kinda empty romance.

I think we were given enough reasons to trust that Eun Ho believed Arang when Arang promised him she would not give up herself.

That said, I wouldn't mind a deus ex-machina...but from the beginning the deus ex machina has been worked into the plot. When the emperor wouldn't tell what his wish would be if he won. IF a deus ex machina is already written into a story from the beginning, it's not technically a deus ex-machina. The groundwork has already been laid for whatever the Jade Emperor decides to do. Even if it means changing the rules of heaven...when the deus ex machina appears, it will fit perfectly, seamlessly into the plot and won't seem like something done for ratings. I really think we ought to give these writers the benefit of their skill.

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You are right. What happens in the end will hinge upon the Jade Emperor's wish, whatever it may be. His unspecified wish was mentioned early in the show and, therefore, whatever he decides to do will not seem like (at least it shouldn't) a sudden, last minute plot device.

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Exactly. The Hairpin AND JE's wish were mentioned in the previous episodes. So whatever happens next, I wouldn't necessarily call it deus ex machina since it doesn't work that way.

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I think you have a mistaken understanding of the term 'deus ex machina', especially when applying it to a drama where two major characters who control everything (or try to, anyway) are LITERALLY gods.

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Sato did his part; Moo Yeong had better do his!!!!!

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*giggles*
I know.I know.Inappropriate.
But has LJK ever have kids in his dramas? He must be old enough to have kids now.Hot actor.Post army.He must be thinking...wow,am old enough to play imagine being a dad?

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Sorry my only excuse is I bawled watching it last night.Can't imagine how it will end satisfactorily.

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Not inappropriate. :) It is funny how utterly shocked he is to see that he has fathered two children. hehe

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LOL, Eun-Oh must be thinking that 2 kisses ==> 2 children!

Actually, I don't think LJK has ever had any kids in his dramas. In fact, he normally doesn't even end up with the girl, much less get married and have kids!

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Oh ...no...not now. I suggest you to open the website recommended by JK.... LJK still looks young + handsome + fabulous . Don't miss the video too. Look at those comparison photo.. ( a decade different but he still look the same) . No, I'm sad if he is getting married & have children. Not now....next 5 years would be ideal.

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and while we're on the subject, is SMA old enough to be the mother of two kids?! Not even babies at that >_<

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Ahhh... it's here... thank YOU GF... been waiting for this...

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OH snap....it's the first time I've been first on anything... teehee.

Also...YES...Eun Oh going the RIGHT, SANE way of doing things.

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holycraptherecap'shere!thanksgf!

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Thank you so much for this! I have been camping in front of my comp just waiting to read your recap for this episode :)

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Thank you dear~♥

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Hmmm... when I saw him with his kids, I said, "Awww... cuteeee... the Daddy I mean!" Lol I want a "Dad" like him one, for my kids, ~♥

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you mean my kids. Hehe .......

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Random but seeing arang hold her daughterl on her lap and feeding her i was just like huh?!! She can't be younger than 8, big girl imo!

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thank youuu ^__^ cant wait for the final ep..

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Thanks GF for the recap! You are faster than Superwoman. One more left - I'm holding my breath.

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Thank you girlfriday;) it made my day;) so sad that this drama is ending though.

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Really Sad. I love this drama very much. Hard to say Gud Bye. Can't wait Junki next drama .

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Thanks Girlfriday. You always say exactly what I am thinking, i.e.: DAMNIT ARANG, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST STAY HOME WHERE YOU WERE SAFE? She could have at least acted like she thought about staying there for a little bit anyway, until she felt a premonition or just got too worried or whatever. But NO, she just flits off right after him! ARGH.

I really want a happy ending and you're not helping, Arang. :(

On a totally different note, when they got to the dream sequence with their big happy hypothetical family, I couldn't help wondering if the writers are cruelly dangling this possibility in our faces just so they can heartlessly wrench it from us at the end of the show. You wouldn't be that cruel, would you, drama writers?! Would you?!

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She didn't stay at home to add more thrill to the drama..HAHA!

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Well I knew she had to be put in danger again, but what I mean is that the writers could have at least had the courtesy to have her PRETEND like she intended to stay safe for at least a few minutes before having her just outright run after him. :(

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I knowwwww! I can already see the writer telling us "well yeah, this is the best happy thing I could give you". The writer's probably not gonna end it that way so that scene was like a consolation. Damn.

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Dont worry. We will have a happy ending.

The dream is not what we will have in the future. I think it is more significant on what the mother should have if SHE is not selfish enough to put revenge as everything. Simple and contend life in contrast what Lord Choi has and what Eun Oh really want.

I believe that is the courtesy of JE to have at least EO feel and have a life for a moment with her mother be able to hug her and see her smile as a happy person.

I think that dream is a brilliant scene from the writer since she/he giving us glimpse of hope on how Eun Oh as a dad, her children feelings to us and our prediction of the ending with Dol Se as the satoo. As a satisfactory feelings to the viewers so that if

1) The viewers EVER questione why can't they live together as a wife/husband - they have in a dream like that if they will, that is it.

2) If the viewers didn't like it, then they have show what if they live as a human with a normal life.

So it is a win-win situation.

Very beautiful and very heart breaking.

Excellent I have to say.

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At least she has a pattern of following him around (as with most of her characters do. Haha) so it's not out of the blue. She wants to be not useless. Well established.

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She will hurt him more by doing that ! giving her body to Moo Yeon is the most stupid ....in the world. I'm glad Sato come to rescue her. I'm disappointed with arang.

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I'm anti-helpless woman in tower syndrome... so I enjoy that about Arang. Especially the bit where she took Saddo dooownnnn.

I'd like to see her fight back though... I hate it when the woman is made kick butt and then later becomes screaming girl in tower... makes utterly no sense.

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LOL..!!!

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I reaaaaally dislike that dream sequence, because it's like, "here, a taste of a happy ending!"--but that's just it, a TASTE, because something bad/tragic might happen in the end. Nooooo. I feel the same way GF, there HAS to be a reward for the both of them for saving the world! Get on it, Jade!

My favorite part of the episode though has to be Arang talking to LSR. It just made me cry how she was talking to her (former) self like that, and saying "I love you". Break my heart some more, please.

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Ouch, don't be so mean to pretty old Jade. Heee.

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Jade looks hawt in his traditional garb.

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SUPER HOT...excuse me while i drool...

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Yea, be nice to the pretty Jade Saint.

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Oh I love Jade's lips.

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I bawled like a river. Arang and the character in this drama has appeared in my dreams like multiple times already. For real.

Arang wouldnt be possessed. No worries.

So beautiful. This episode is. Emotional outburst.

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Me, too... So many scenes, almost every other scene, I was holding back my tears so hard like Mu-Yeon struggling to stay in Mom's body.

So heart-wrecking, and I am so emotionally vested into the show that I almost feel the characters are more real than reality.

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Watching the showdown in the cave i was just like; thats it? We done? Thank God theres part 2 tomorrow, i want fly kicks, magic fans, old fogeys' knives, demons, friendly ghosts the whole lot! Lets go out with a bang Arang!

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Yeah, I was completely disappointed in this episode. There were very few moments I was satisfied. The finale better be EPIC to make up for this!

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exactly what i was yelling at the screen when mu yeon started running towards her. "WHY THE HELL AREN'T YOU HOME RIGHT NOW?" and then a "YOU BETTER KICK HER ASS ARANG!" came out right after. My parents think I'm crazy.
Thanks for the recap!

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My parents think I'm crazy as well looking at how I've been laughing, screaming, rofl, and pointing at my screen as I watch korean dramas and variety shows for hours in these past few years haha.. But it's funny how my mom now always asks me to watch Nice Guy at least 2 episodes back to back..which is too much for me to handle. I wonder why she doesn't like AATM though -_-

Btw thanks for the recap dramabeans!

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Arang showing up at the end really, really, really ruin this drama for me..... So predictable! I Hate that part so much!argghhh!!! F@$krng stooopid! but im going to watch till the end!

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Yay! Last ep tomorrow...how will it end?
The cast of this show are awesome!

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Thank you! =D

Also, I don't think Mu Yeon will be able to get into Arang's body because Arang has to want to willingly give it up, right? And since she's screaming 'NOOOOO!'...

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Haha, and we're screaming along with her! NOOOOO!

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Thanks, girlfriday! Can't wait for the last episode! Although I feel my heart wrenching to think that after today, there'll be no more Arang and the Magistrate to look forward to! Sob sob :(

While it wasn't much of a surprise that EO ended up having to choose to stab his mom with the hairpin, I feel that the PD still managed to surprise us in this episode. The dream that EO had, for example. There are many ways of interpreting it. If you look at it from the PD's perspective, they are (kind of) giving us what the viewers wanted, a happy ending in whcih EO and Arang lived happily, had kids, mom is well, Dol Swe being the magistrate. But that is also where I become uneasy about us actually being able to get a happy ending tonight. I get a foreboding feeling that this is just too good to be true.

Then from EO's perspective, this is exactly what he had wanted - a simple life with the woman he loves and his mom, giving away the title of magistrate to a person he deems more suitable. It was never about having power, money or status, although it was obvious in this alternative world EO still has the respect of the people in town and those who work in the magistrate's office.

From Jade's perspective, he said the human heart is difficult to understand so that's why he exists. His choice of the alternative world in which he appears to EO is interesting. Seems that he understands EO very well (and thus knows EO will always do the right thing) and what his heart desires, but then again still manipulating him by luring him with an outcome that he desires? Manipulation aside, I think it's also Jade's way of telling him that "if you think this is too good to be true, you are not too far from the truth".

I'm still praying fervently for a happy ending though, no butterflies, no goats, no memory loss, no back to the future, no open-ended endings... Just a good old happy ending..

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can we have a prayer circle for that .. I WANT a happy ending for these two, cannot take another of my OTPs being permanently separated from each other in this life, PLEASE NO.

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I'm in ... ur prayer circle! *Start praying ... pls let AATM OTP have a real happy ending that we viewers will praised the PD and the whole crew till they landed in heaven to join the JE* hahaha

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Ahhhh I'm gonna miss reading your comments in Arang as well. Last episode tonight ㅠㅠ

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I'm going to miss JK's comments too!

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I'm with you with the "good old happy ending"...actually I don't mind if I see the goat at the very end as long we get the ending Arang & Saddo truly deserve :D

Just like @earthna said, I will miss your comments too :D

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JK I'm gonna miss reading your insights. So well-thought out.

That aside, your analysis hit it nail on the head. Let's just hope the writers aren't being a tease for once and actually give us a clean happy ending!

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I'm still pondering over the significance of EO having died and been raised back to life, and Jade saying to him, 'EO, one day you will remember this fated encounter'.

Up till now, EO remembers vaguely having almost died, but still hasnt realised he was once, like Arang, dead.

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I feel as though this will become EO's bargaining chip for Arang's safe return to earth as a human. As to how? Your guess is as good as mine. At this point, all predictions will become moot as the PD have demonstrated time and time again that we will be outguessed.

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I'm taking the dream as a clue on what Arang wants... since she said that Eun Oh has so many people. Since the dream was sent by the Jade Emperor, and he keeps harping on "deepest desires" it would add up a lot.

Eun Oh probably hasn't thought as far as children from the shocked look on his face... but more than anything the entire series Arang wishes she had a family and friends... she's taken on some of Eun Oh's desires. So I think the dream is more hers. *shrugs* I may be off base because that would be far more clever writing than I'm giving credit for, but to me, I'd write it that way...

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This is a really interesting perspective! Puts a whole other spin on the message there...

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@pogo, earthna, Arang2soul, Redge, thank you so much for your kind comments. I haven't enjoyed a drama as much as I have in the recent past, one that sets me thinking and makes me remembered and rekindled my love for writing. I will miss reading of all your comments too :*(

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Btw ... thanks for your nice Junki pics JK. LJK looks so handsome. Thks for your nice recaps too.

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Gonna miss Sato, Arang . Gonna miss U too JK. Thks for those nice pics & vids. Thks for your insight too. And last but not least, Thks for always ...there for Junki Oppa. Love U JK.

Not gonna miss JB or GF because we still can read their recaps ( another drama ... Kekekeke ....)

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This is, hands down, my favourite tv show this year - not just favourite kdrama. (and I think it's now my favourite kdrama of all time too).

It's hard to think of any flaws in it other than that the cinematography became less 'pretty'/beautifully lit for a while when they headed into live shoots and didn't maybe have so much time to set up lighting/makeup etc,........but when the story, directing and performances are this good, that doesn't even matter.

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Same here! This is definitely my favorite k-drama ever now (though I admit I haven't watched that many). It had everything I wanted--flaws aside--and happy ending or not I'm still going to be content because it's just a really, good and well thought-out show. Man I'm going to miss AatM SO MUCH. ;__;

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My favorite sageuks of the year: Arang & the Magistrate and Queen Inhyun's Man. Love both heros, Kim Eun-oh and Kim Boong Do.

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Me Too... Love Kim Eun Oh and Kim Boong Do.. they are perfect in their own way!

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Me too!

It topped MANY others drama that I have watched and fav. It fullfill my inner emotions despite the flaws.

Beautiful

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This year was a great K-drama year for me!

I usually only really love and obsess over one K-drama each year, but this year there was:

King 2 Hearts
Queen In-Hyun's Man
Arang and the Magistrate

So much to love!

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One of these days I'll marathon K2H. Too many sageuks on my watch list right now.

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imma add gaksital to your list. one does not simply forgot lee kangto~

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My Fav too. Never been so much involved ...I mean emotionally. Thks to Sato . Thks to LJK. He can pull...our emotions so much in this drama.

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Me too ~~~~~~~

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Hoping our OTP couple will be rewarded for doing what the gods could not. Since their souls are in the gods hands now (having both been revived from the dead), they deserve a happy ending-just like Eun-oh's dream!

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Oh my god... lol! I was just reading the recaps and I can't believe that I teared up! Ahhh can't wait for the last ep tomorrow... but I'm going to be super sad to say goodbye to this series! It is the best out of all of them!

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oh forgive my bad ranting.... but I do want to say thanks for DB team for writing recaps! Thank you so much JB and GF! I hope the last episode will make up for my previous frustration. :)

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"The eyes are the window to the soul" ~ every time Mom has her eyes wide open we know that it's Mu Yeong inside LOL

Thank you GF for your awesomeness & fast recap! Love Love Love your humor! I will miss AATM really bad once it's over tonight. :( As I said in the past, every episode has it's special moments but this time there's so much that I can't pinpoint which I like the best.

Why is it that Dol Swe looks like he just borrowed the Saddo uniform from someone else while Lee Jun Ki looked like he owns it! LOL!

Just like the previous comments, I hope that family dream/vision is not just a "taste" but a premonition/vision of the future!!! I'm not usually a violent person but that might change if they give us a crappy ending! Writer-nim chebal!!! :D

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"Why is it that Dol Swe looks like he just borrowed the Saddo uniform from someone else while Lee Jun Ki looked like he owns it! "

MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY. In a convoluted way to read this, however, EO deep in his heart knows he was stepping into a role that he believed was not meant for him, and Dol-swe with his honest and truly empathic nature was naturally born to be something like a Sato. Despite this, he filled out really nicely in his uniform even though to him it was just a 'borrowed uniform'. On our dear Dol-Swe, however, it just looked ill-fitting.

The things AATM do to me, now I'm psycho-analysing his uniform! I will so miss this show when it ends.

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@Boingboingracquet: I'll buy your psycho-analysis regarding the uniform! LOL! I can't think that deep but what you said make sense to me.

@Jan: oh poor DS, he borrowed his because he's only wearing his once right? We'll have Eun Oh as our forever hot Saddo :D

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"oh poor DS, he borrowed his because he’s only wearing his once right?"

I totally LOLed at this...poor dol-swe. ok, I'm hoping he wears it twice because I want the dream to be for real in this next episode.

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“Why is it that Dol Swe looks like he just borrowed the Saddo uniform from someone else while Lee Jun Ki looked like he owns it! ”

"MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY. "

Mwahahaha. I'm sorry I just had to laugh because it's so true. Poor Dol-swe.

Your reason for it really makes sense though. Really buying it.

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Junki in the magistrate outfit ... looks so handsome. He is the most handsome magistrate . Not only Dolsoe...I bet any other actor will not look as good as junki.

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Lee Junki looks like he owns the Saddo uniform because of the authority and strength that emanates from him when he wears it, such that he becomes the Saddo instead of someone just wearing a uniform.

Of course, the practical reason is that the uniform was tailor-made for LJK, whereas DS really borrowed his. LOL.

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This was my thought too! I think he really did literally just borrow LJK's costume. I think it was _supposed_ to look like it didn't fit for all the reasons listed.

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i love reading your recaps you just add that extra spice with your remarks that makes the episode all that much more entertaining.
i have to say arang and the magistrate has me hanging by a thread of nerves. i really don't know what is coming in the end for EO and arang. a testament to the great writing we have seen from this drama. i can usually say oh i know how this drama will end especially when getting close to the ending but here we are episode 19 and i still don't know what to expect for the finale. i know what i want ( arang and EO together and happy) but i don't know if we will get that and if we do in what capacity. honestly they better not do a together for ever symbolically. i think i would go nuts if they went with the butterfly and the flower symbolism. i don't know, they just better figure it out. these two kids deserve big rewards for being pulled by the strings of fate or you know jade and his shenanigans lol.

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Jade Emperor clearly cheated in this game of souls , so I'm betting that he has one more card up his sleeve . But why has the truth bell not rung? I looked away for like five seconds before the premonition dream and went whoa wtf did I miss. I'm really glad that Eun Oh got some closure with mom. I am going pray for some divine intervention

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"Why is it that you have the things that I always wanted?" - JW to EO

I think it's interesting how JW continues to be so self-absorbed till the end. It has always been about himself. EO may seem like he has Arang and his mom - but we know that's not totally true. And EO didn't just happen to have the people he loved and have those people loving him in return - he earned their love. What did JW do to gain others' undying love? Nothing. EO had love even if those he loved were to leave him soon enough. With love, comes pain. Probably JW has never heard of the phrase no pain, no gain. He only wanted to have love but not having to deal with the pain that comes with it, as can be seen from his denial time and time again (refusal to admit his misdeeds and in the end his half-hearted, less than complete apology to Arang). To me, that's really sad and that's also the reason why he will never really appreciate love even if it comes knocking on his door.

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So true and that's why I really admire the writer(s) and this drama because of the lessons in life they tell us. We always wanted something that we don't have or envy other people's fortune but we never see the blessings we have, however little they may be. Arang realized in the previous episodes that she she was loved by her nanny but didn't see that at first because she was too focused on her pain ~ same with Joo Wal in this episode where he has his servant's loyalty and love, but still didn't see that person to be considered as his only family & instead too focused on other's "fortune". Yes, the grass maybe greener on the other side but do we know how hard the owner worked for it?

Thank you JK for your wonderful insight :D

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Metaphorically speaking, JW turned his back on love not once but twice - once when love was thrust in front of him (LSR shielded him from the stab) and then even when he had a second chance at love, not only did he fail to recognise it (Arang) but he ruined any chance of deserving that love when he stabbed it in the heart (ep 4).

Arang's gesture (of touching JW's arm) when they were at LSR's grave touched me profoundly. Not because JW showed remorse but because Arang had in that gesture showed empathy and forgiveness towards that one person who is perhaps the most undeserving of all. And even if the truth behind her death doesn't matter to Arang any more than her wish to stay with EO forever, the fact that JW still chose to withhold the truth from her stings the most. Even if I hadn't watched the preview of ep 20, I would still say that JW doesn't deserve the sympathy he did.

But to the actor, kudos for bringing out such a memorable character. And may your father rest in peace.

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Don't forget ...JW still has a slave. A loyal slave.

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It's just rather distasteful how they portrayed the happy family in alternate reality so poor! and Arang looking so ahjumma!
They cld have portrayed the happy alternative a family of gracious living. With servants who cook and bring the food in!!

And the 'married' clothes that EO had to wear looked poor and uncultured, short too! BW and DS looked the wealthier and a role reversal! Is JS giving a hidden message in this portrayal? It's lost on EO but not on me!

Bad.

TsK.....truly unsatisfying.

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I really satisfied.

It means, we can't have everything.

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I did notice EO's and his family's clothes and home are those of the common folks instead of the rich robes that he and Arang normally wear as befits their "noble" status, and I thought that it was a brilliant touch!

It really emphasizes that true happiness does not come in the form of wealth and riches, but rather in the form of love and family.

EO always had simple wants, to just find his mom and live with her happily and peacefully, and he was even willing to give up his "noble" status for the status of being the son of a slave, which implies that they would be living in "poorer" conditions than if he stayed with his dad. Getting Arang as his loving wife plus kids would be a bonus!

It's sad to note that JW also only wanted simple things in life like proper meals, a roof over his head and a mother's love. Poor JW.

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I think you're completely missing the point... That's exactly what Lord Choi and JW--these selfish, money/status grubbers--would want. On the other hand, love and family are truly what matters to Arang and EO.

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Correction: not JW. Just Lord Choi.

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I actually thought it was perfectly sweet.....

Better be poor and happy and living in bliss, no matter how mundane, than be rich and chaebol and deeply unhappy (cue Joo-Wal)....

And I thought, this was what EO wanted all along..a quiet life. After all, he had told his mother he didn't want to be a yangban, but just wanted to live life simply with her, alone and far away from everything....

The short clothes are cool in my eyes too..but then again EO looked amazing even in his underthings, tied up on a bed of straw in prison, haha.

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I don't think I would want to wake up if I dreamed that perfect dream. I really hope the writers aren't telling us that we'll have a happy ending ~ only in our "dreams" LOL! I'm going to hunt them down not with a hair pin but with a bolo! LOL!

It also killed me how many times EO called his mom "mother" and the way his mom was lovingly looking at him. Truly JE knew what's in EO's heart. With that being said, I hope JE will win this game against Hades and give us a happy ending or else Hades will end up with his pretty face :D

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LOL.. !!
i do agree and love your words :))

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ummm, why is it distasteful?

for me the dream is the opposite of the present, EO is a common person, the son of his mother (a slave), with his beloved Arang, he's not a yangban, not a Satoh

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All the romantics out here....long live!

Hee hee...prefer my heroine and hero looking more, shall I say, "have it all together".

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I think that's missing the point, Eun-oh never wanted to be rich or live like a yangban, he just wanted to be with his mother and have her love him like a normal mother and son. So it makes sense that in his dream he sees himself and Arang living simply but happily - EO would rather have simple clothes and food cooked by his own wife than a palace with lots of servants and silk everywhere.

(and also, ahjumma Arang - can Shin Mina even be called ahjumma?! - is so cute!)

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Joowal is such a fascinating character in the way he draws you in despite knowing how flawed he is. He's so far from a hero. And that's why it's so hard to predict if he will actually step up in the last ep..?

So many things I want to say but just this first: Love plays out beautifully in every single character. Like even Seorim, it's because she loved Joowal that I feel he has a chance in changing his fate. And because Joowal fell in love with Arang, and Arang loves Eun-oh, she has had so much help with her quest in her second life, almost cheating fate, kinda.

And Lee Jun Ki, I don't even have words for how awesome you are anymore.

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Thanks for the recap girlfriday! Was waiting allllllllllllll week for this :)

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The fact that EO life is also borrowed hasn't been revealed yet... so nervous for the ending..

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Yeah, this one.....and the bell. Hope there is no loose end. Or we are all going to have to write the script ourselves!

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Agreed... this drama has been unfolding in such a near-flawless way that I am almost afraid to watch tonight's episode...

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hmm, and the reason about why lee seo rim's corpse still in good condition after 3 years is not revealed yet

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finally the recaps here!! thank you soo much, been refreshing like crazy since I got to office 8D
araaaang, what r u doing???? we don't need your noble self-sacrificing!!! trust sato, he'll make everything alright!!

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Arang's body should be possessed by Mu-yeon, it's integral to the plot, that's the climax of her having an immortal body. But I find it anti-climactic for Mu-yeon to ran to Arang, wasn't there supposed to be willingness and emptying of Arang's soul before those swirling black smoke enters. hmmm, well , drama, i predict that Mu-yeon will succesfully possess Arang's body and it will
be Mu-yong's turn to stab her and redeem himself
in the eyes of Hades and Jade! Isn't it perfect!

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But what if we're just made to believe that MYeon will take over Arang in the last scene? I'm imagining the opening for the last ep to be like this: So MYeon runs toward Arang but MYong is able to catch up to her just in time for him to stab her. Problem 1 is solved, then (although that's kinda copped-out)! And then we turn to the dilemma#2, aka When Will the Bell Ring?

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I think I can imagine the ending now. Two kids, happily married to the love of his life and mom's safe. Perfect world as he would have imagined or dream of. I guess the Jade Emperor knows what EO wants in his heart.
Thank u GF for the quick recap. It'll be sad to see the end of this series but I always love a good ending.

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yup, and i wish a happy ending for Jo-wal too but i don't thinks it's possible, he really have to pay for his crimes. My heart already bleeds for him, what a tall handsome
guy to end up like that. I ship for him you know but of course i wouldn't want to be stab by him. hahaha!

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Ack!!!! Agreed that there weren't too many surprises this episode, and geez - noble idiocy - seriously like my least favourite thing in the world!!!

I am interested though to see how this will play out if Arang does get possessed. Hmmmm, Eun Oh might have a nervous breakdown, as will I.

My favourite parts of this episode though:
1. The crying under the tree with Arang admitting she doesn't want to go. I really, really love this OTP.
2. Joo Wal trying to make things right, but allowing his cowardice to fail. He breaks my heart with his lost boy pitiableness.
3. The nice book end we had with Lord Choi. The "Move aside!"/let us through with him tied up nicely echoed the same words from the beginning of the drama when he was oh so smugly going through town.

And drama writers, I am so with everyone else, if that happy dream sequence family was the only we happy we get, I will hunt you down and dismember you, okay.

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Am still not sure if Joo Wal was a coward. Both Arang and Eun Ho waited a while to tell some secret to the other because they didn't want to hurt each other. Joo Wal said, "I didn't tell her I murdered her because that would hurt her."

Either he was being honest with himself -- and thus, kind to Arang. Or he was being cowardly.

whatever the reason, we don't know what will happen. Arang took a while before telling Eun Ho his mother killed her. She wasn't the guilty party but she cared about Eun Ho's feelings because she loved him. Whatever the reason, it takes time to tell certain truths.

(Trying to stop myself from looking at the unsubbed version of Arang...but dang, it's so tempting.)

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This episodes have a lot of heart breaking scenes.. I almost finish one box of tissue sobbing.. Whether it's EO-Arang scenes, EO-Ommoni scenes, JW-Arang scene & JW - EO's ommoni scene.

Arang confession about not wanting to go back to underworld truly makes me cry.. Her wailing, sobbing while in EO embrace is heartbreaking.. She makes me feel like giving both of them a hug for being in such pain..

And also, I wept during the bedscenes, when Arang air-tracing EO face & the way they hold each other hand (while K.Will song is as the background). It's full moon, and I hate full moon in this drama coz everything tragic & accidents always happen during full moon.

Btw, I find it's hard to watch when EO & Ommoni scene coz it's such a sad misfortune.. Where he promise his mother to kill her in order to save her soul (T_T) I can't imagine if parent told me to do so, I might probably wail n cry.. But in order to save the world order, he must do it even though he loves his mother too..

Although he's used to support the axis of evil, my heart also bleed for JW.. Being an unfortunate child, he has to serve the evil in order to live like a normal being and he's simple wish is to get a mother's love. The way he clench his fist when he found out that EO mother loves EO is a proof that he envy of EO.. Like he had told EO, how can EO has everything that he ever wanted.

To the writer-nim, thank you for the foreshadowing, but I don't want it to be just a dream juz for the sake to make EO braver to complete his mission!

The loving hugging & bedscene in this episode is indeed beautiful, but the perverted me wish to see more intimacy or kisses between EO & Arang in the final episode. :P

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I deliberately chose to watch the entire episode in the safe haven of my study so that I know I can cry to my heart's content watching the second last episode. And boy, did I cry buckets...

LJG... you really have me today. Who else in the world can cry as prettily and heartbrokenly as you do? My heart really goes out to you, to EO. If there is an award for the best crying scene (s), I hope it goes to you. There are just so many of my favourite scenes today. The deep purple hanbok you wore... resplendent and yet reflected a deeply troubled and tortured soul. The devastated look that you gave Arang when she sat in front of you before you told her that the only way is to stab your mom with the hairpin? It will go into my deepest memories.

And today, finally. I was totally able to feel Arang's love for EO. Her broken-hearted wails, EO's brokenhearted sobs, at the tree; and once again, the two lying quietly side by side, as they did a few times before, still with Arang watching EO, but the exuding emotions ever so different from the past few times. Whimsical for the first couple of times (ep 1 and 2), fearful and curious (ep 7), and then now, lovingly and being so afraid to let go. The two of you have come a long way, and so did we.

We have totally enjoyed the ride. Now let's just have a great satisfying happily ever after.

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JK you're killing me with your thoughts here. </3

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@JK ~ it's like you read my thoughts. I wish I can write as great as you are! Thanks a bunch for sharing what's in your mind ^_^

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woaa, thank you! yh tbh, there wasnt anything surprising for me either. It was kinda expected well i mean like we guess it already. Anyway, are you going to start recaping nice guy and get it out like a day after *korea time? since arang is finishing soon and nice guy is turning to be hella good :D just wondering heheh

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Nice Guy is already being recapped by HeadsNo2. And the recap is pretty fast and im grateful for Heads for doing a great job.

And by the way, Koala is also recapping Nice Guy and she is really fast.

And for JB and GF's thoughts on Nice Guy, it has been discussed in the recent podcast.

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Arang!!!, you fool! Why did you go and expose yourself? While watching the episode i could't stop yelling at her for the free noble idiocy dose... Anyway, it ends tomorrow and i'm pretty sad with the idea of no more Satto :(
Thanks for the recap

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Thank you much GF :). So sad to think about all those years she wasted on seeking revenge instead of being happy with her son. Living well is the best revenge.

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"Living well is the best revenge" ~ so true!

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I still can't believe it's ending

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Gosh, this episode rocks to the most! very intense... I think I have to repeat watching so that I can make a better picture of it, thanks for all the recap & let's enjoy the drama's grand finale.

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<3 Cant wait for tomorow:)
phew..m relieve they actually led EO have his moment with Mom.Now he can be free of dilema,Since mom herself gave him the confidence.
& that family illusion..i bet its a sign of a happy ending apart from all other motives.
............................. :( ........ :(.... Waiting is :(

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Thank you for recap! ^^

Nice cliffhanger Arang! LOL

I hope it end with a bang! errr, happy ending that is. :P

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE every scene of eun oh and his mom in this episode.
I love Joo Wal's apology.
I love how Eun Oh is really calculative.
and...

I just find Arang so annoying these days. Her character was so much better when she was a ghost. Just..urgh.

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This is completely out of left field, but what are those yellow floors made of?
It drives me crazy wondering every time I see it. How did they get it like that?

Anyways, maybe Mu-young will be able to catch Mu-yeon right before she crashes into Arang. Here's hoping.

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Now you mention it, the small room in Eun-Oh's dream looks as if its floor got completely covered in masking tape - badly.

I don't hold out anymore hope for Mu-Young..like Jade, I have completely lost faith in him, garh.

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Sigh....totally, noticed it too. That poor condition of a home in the dream....I mean, seriously. Does love have to be poor? ;)
Does being together means something's got to give? Funny. Don't get the logic. Even if EO wants a simple life, still this is too, shall we say, poor?
I am no romantic when it comes to this particular part.
Hee hee

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LOL!!!!

Thanks so much!

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This episode had me gripped from start to finish, and I cried. One more episode! NOOOOOOO! I don't want it to end!!!!

So much good stuff happened, like Arang confessing she didn't want to leave (that really got me) and Eun-oh reuniting with his mother, even if for a brief moment. Also, his mother may now be able to find piece. Joo-wal apologized, but he's still a coward. I really feel bad for him.

But that ending has me terrified for Arang!

Also, I felt bad for Lord Choi. Even if he was a douchebag and evil and was mean to everyone he met because he had some creepy evil prejudice against everyone else, I don't think he should have died like that. I felt kind of bad for him. But, whatever.

Thanks for the recap, Girlfriday!

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(it was supposed a reply to this comment but was posted individ. ) so I post it here again in reply to abbie's comment!

I agree the death was too swift, I opt for more gnashing, torture kind of suffering that will lead to death.
Like, dying of hunger maybe, since he has been hoarding food.
Dying of exhaustion at heavy work related thing, since he force people to hard labor.
basically all this evil things he did to others will come
back to him and slowly eat him until no breath is left.
That is what I agree. But then ,it didn’t so I just wish
to see him torture steamed in hell, feeling the endless pain, I think that is much better!

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@ANYA:

Don't worry....Hades is not done with him yet. Next episode we'll see him climbing those steps as a little person with Hades delivering his sentence in the booming voice, 'Tongue-cutting Hell!'

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Yeah. I think seeing him suffer the way he made others suffer would have been more satisfying.

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Don't worry guys this will end happily :D

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i hope too... 2 hours to go cant wait

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