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Faith: Episode 15

A surprisingly strong episode, which pulls out a nice twist just when I was starting to tire of the current configuration of alliances and intrigues. I’ll give it to this show: It may be plodding at points, but from a character standpoint it does quite a good job drawing out layers and rich conflict. Relationships are always shifting, evolving, and even sometimes regressing, but above all things always move. That’s a good thing, especially when the actual execution of so many of the plot points tend toward the static.

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Monni – “울지말아요” (Don’t Cry) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 15 RECAP

Deok-heung reveals to Lady Choi that he poisoned the papers used by Eun-soo. Naturally, he is the only one who possesses the antidote. She sends Jang Bin straightaway to treat Eun-soo, just as Young is about to tear out of there for help.

Jang Bin starts to examine her, and Young sits by in agitation just dying to help somehow. He pulls out his container of aspirin and offers it up, which is just the sweetest useless gesture ever. He wants to know whether she can be saved, and Jang Bin directs him to meet Deok-heung to find out.

It’s like Jang Bin’s composure under pressure prompts Young to lose his own, and he demands to know how long she has to live. Jang Bin gives her a day at most.

Young takes off running, firing orders at his Suribang mates as he goes. He mentally replays the young king’s death from poison, dead-set against letting history repeat itself. He arrives to confront Deok-heung, and leaves the Suribang swordsman outside to take care of any guards.

That means Eum-ja, who arrives to confront him, flute versus sword. But Dae-man whistles to get Eum-ja’s attention—and dances around on the roof, mocking his flute playing, which is awesome.

Young barges in to find Deok-heung awaiting him with a table of refreshments prepared; he offers him a seat to talk things out. Young is in no mood to play games and overturns the table—he wants the antidote now.

Deok-heung takes offense, reminding Young he’s royalty, and Young replies by punching him in the mouth. He shoves him against a wall with a knife to his neck, telling him that he’s killed countless people in his life, but he always aimed to end it swiftly and with the least amount of pain. That won’t be the goal this time.

Deok-heung grits out that if he doesn’t become king, he’ll die anyway. Young slices the knife across the back of his neck—a shallow cut to warn of the deeper one to come. But Deok-heung tells him, “If I die, so does your woman. She is your woman, isn’t she?” Young releases him.

While Jang Bin works on finding the antidote using his own methods, Eun-soo dreams. Her head is filled with distorted images that look like memories—of her, treating a commoner patient. She has her modern tools but is still in Goryeo, and this is a scene we haven’t seen before. Hm, so is this the other Eun-soo who left her diary behind?

Clearly Deok-heung has orchestrated everything for a reason, so Young gets to the point: What is the condition for the exchange? Deok-heung: “The royal seal. Take it or steal it, but bring it to me and I’ll give you the antidote.” Eun-soo won’t make it past morning, he warns.

Young leaves his sword behind with Dae-man, then slips into the palace. He takes down guards at the gate, but presents himself openly to the king. They’re all pleased to see him, and Gongmin greets him with a lighthearted comments about how he’s technically a lawbreaker and fugitive. But Young’s grave mien has him sobering quickly; he can read the seriousness of his mood.

Young tells him of Eun-soo’s condition, and to save her, he needs something of the king’s. He says it’s the royal seal, as bald as you please, as though he hadn’t just asked for something that would undermine the king’s authority. He understands what he’s requesting, but lays out the reasons why: Eun-soo was dragged here on the king’s order, and saved the Goryeo queen’s life.

Upon hearing that it’s Deok-heung who wants it, Gongmin actually scoffs in incredulity—he’s asking the king to basically just hand his enemy the throne, is he? And for a woman?

Young reminds the king that he’d told him he was his friend and his citizen; now that citizen asks the king to save a life. “Do you still not know why we need a king?” Uh… I’m not sayin’ you’re wrong here… okay, I am. I’m with Gongmin on this one, unless Young has some super-smart secret plan to retrieve the seal right away.

Gongmin calls Young crazed. Young says if the king doesn’t hand it over, he’ll take it himself. Unsurprisingly, Gongmin orders his men to apprehend Young, and the Woodalchi men draw their swords. Choong-seok sees that he’s unarmed, and Young tells him, “Stop me properly, like Woodalchi should.” You’re full of contradictions today, hero boy.

They charge, and Young easily knocks them down and grabs a sword, taking care to hit his men with the flat of the blade. Then it’s one on one, Young against his second-in-command Choong-seok. This fight lasts longer, but ends the same way.

Leaving the king’s party there in the courtyard, Young dashes toward the palace. Next line of defense is a team of archers, but he knocks the arrows right out the air. Woodalchi mobilizes to cut off his next path. Choong-seok vows that they must stop him, and Joo-seok states the obvious: “How can WE stop HIM?”

Next, a wall of men block Young’s path, led by nervous young Deok-man. Aw, you can see his conflict in his eyes; it kills him to stand up to his hero, but I do love the idea that the more his men oppose him, the more proud he would be of them.

Case in point: Young gets Deok-man in a hold, a sword to his neck. Deok-man knows he’s in a bind so he screws his eyes shut and yells at the men to stab him, to get to Young. Damn, if ever there was proof that he learned from the boss. And Young realizes he’s serious, twisting both of them out of harm’s way and getting sliced in the bicep.

Choong-seok stations his men in the room guarding the seal, and reminds them all that the enemy cannot kill them (or rather, he won’t)—so if they find any opportunity, they are to attack, even if that means cutting down the general to protect the seal.

The Woodalchi men nervously bide their time, looking for any sign of Young. None yet.

Then inside, the king’s poor eunuch (who’s already on the verge of a nervous breakdown as it is) nearly has an apoplexy as he spots a foot poking out from underneath the table. There’s an unconscious eunuch lying there. They open the box containing the seal… and find that Young had gotten to it first. It’s empty.

Choong-seok reports to Gongmin that he must have taken the seal before confronting the king. Then he pretending he was heading to that building to get Woodalchi mobilized, and took advantage of their movement to escape.

More poison-wracked dreams for Eun-soo, who pictures herself (the Alternate Eun-soo) writing in that diary. She’s dressed differently from the Eun-soo we know, but clearly the same person. And yet… that name in the end of the diary? It’s actually written “To Eun-soo.” From… Eun-soo?

Young delivers the seal to Deok-heung, gets the antidote, and asks for one good reason why he shouldn’t just kill him right here. Deok-heung replies, “Because one dose is not enough.” Damn. Okay, that’s pretty smart, in an evil way. Now I’m starting to wonder if we shouldn’t just let the guy be king. Not that I’m advocating evilness; just smartness.

To be fully cured, the antidote must be given every three days, seven times total. Deok-heung points out he had to protect his own hide in this deal, and pointedly asks for some proper respect. Young ignores that, continues using banmal, and refuses to stay for a chat, saying that he doesn’t bother conversing “with things that aren’t people.” He stalks out, leaving Deok-heung to fondle his new toy.

The antidote is administered, and Jang Bin wonders how he got his hands on it. Young says dismissively that he traded it for “something useless.”

Young asks impatiently how long it’ll kick in, worrying that Eun-soo is too cold. Jang Bin explains that the poison thankfully didn’t target her blood, but caused a slow paralysis of the heart, which is why her extremities are currently immobile. She’s likely to regain consciousness before the use of her body, so he advises Young to talk her through it.

Deok-heung takes the seal to Ki Chul to confirm that it’s real, and explains that Choi Young brought it to him. A fact that has Ki Chul gaping in shock. Deok-heung tells him to use the seal however he needs to in order to enthrone Deok-heung. In exchange, he offers the doctor to Ki Chul.

Gongmin orders his men to keep this incident under wraps. The Woodalchi men kneel before him and Choong-seok blames their ineptitude for the seal’s theft, asking for punishment. Gongmin is in a dark mood, and makes clear that nothing happened, got it? Because acknowledging it would alert the world to his loss. But if word leaks out, then Woodalchi will have their punishment.

Ki Chul muses with his brother and his advisor that Deok-heung is playing a dangerous game. The others are more worried about the armed men they’ve sent out to track down Eun-soo, and suggest that they call them back; currently their armed forces are halved, and the movement of the royal armies have them nervous. But Ki Chul shoots that down, intent on getting Eun-soo back. He sent people in every direction, and surely they’ll turn up something.

In the privacy of his stateroom, Gongmin fumes to his wife that Choi Young turned his back on him. Of all the people in the world, he’d believed Young would stick with him through the end, and he feels this blow keenly.

Noguk can’t believe Young would do that, but she’s shocked when Gongmin informs her that he’d ordered him to give up his kinghood. But then he says that that is what Young meant—it’s not precisely what he said, since Young spoke of the seal, and the seal represents the throne. Hm, interesting. Gongmin is thinking about this symbolically, which is the obvious way to consider it, but now I wonder if Young was being his usual uber-literal self. You know, considering the seal a trinket entirely apart from symbolism.

Noguk may be thinking along the same lines, because she asks the king to tell her exactly what Young said.

Gongmin spits out the words bitterly—about how the doctor was dragged here on Gongmin’s order, how Young was making the request to save her, as one of his people. He can’t believe how brazen Young was in demanding he give up his throne, and when Gongmin asked whether he understood what the seal meant, Young had replied, “And who gave you that seal?”

But… wait. A look crosses Gongmin’s face. An idea has struck him, one that wipes the anger from his face as he turns to a scroll to confirm the seal’s imprint. He reads it, and falls into his seat, stunned.

There’s that sense of shame Young spoke of, coloring his voice as he tells Noguk what the seal actually states—it’s a symbol of authority given to Goryeo as a son-in-law state from the parental Yuan. In other words, it is a Yuan seal.

Now he remembers Young’s words about serving his own citizens. Gongmin’s voice wavers as he explains how every day he talks big to his statesmen about doing things for his people—but now he realizes he knows nothing about his people. He doesn’t know what they look like, having never met any. “The only citizen I know is Choi Young, and I spoke to him like this: ‘That bastard is crazed. Grab him.'”

Noguk slowly approaches his seat, and puts a comforting arm around him. He clasps her hand and fights tears.

Young doesn’t move an inch from Eun-soo’s bedside. He holds her hand and tells her of the things he’ll teach her, like fishing.

Meanwhile, Eun-soo remains in her dream-state. Now she runs along a path and into a building where Young sleeps. She cradles him, crying, and kisses his forehead.

She seems to hear his voice in her sleep, and starts whimpering aloud. She cries in her sleep, to his alarm, and he grabs her close. She manages to say in her sleep, “Don’t die!” Ah, so maybe Dream Young isn’t actually sleeping.

Jang Bin checks her pulse and says with relief that she’s back on the mend.

Lady Choi arrives that evening to talk to Young, who asks after Woodalchi, sighing that he taught them to fight better than that. (Read the enemy’s thoughts, not their moves.) She asks what he plans to do, and he answers that he’ll save the doc, and send her back. Half-jokingly, he asks, “Should I follow her there?” YES, why yes you should. You said it first! No take-backs!

He also warns that Deok-heung is bound to start messing around with his newly acquired seal, and that means his uptight new ministers will be giving the king trouble.

He’s unsurprised to hear that the king has puzzled out Young’s meaning, and that Ki Chul will be moving quickly to call a meeting. Advisor Jo is meeting with Deok-heung, and the king is currently alone. That last bit has Young looking chagrined, but he has no immediate plans to return: the doctor’s life comes first.

Eun-soo’s awake now, and he tells her it’s his fault that she nearly died. He was the one who sent Deok-heung to her with the diary. She beckons him near and asks for a hand up, and for him to sit behind her. She wants to lean on him.

He complies, and she sits back against him, telling him of the dream she had. She’s unsure whether it was a memory, not recognizing her surroundings, and he was there as well.

She tells him she’d worked out the date in the book before losing consciousness: She knows when heaven’s door reopens. Aw, that’s hard news for him to hear, and she says it’s in a month. If she misses that day, it’ll be 67 years till the next opportunity: “If I want to go home before I die, I have to go on that day.”

In the morning, Gongmin steels his nerves before joining his council in the emergency meeting called by Ki Chul.

Ki Chul affects a demeanor of concern, saying that he has heard the king does not use the state seal. Could he perchance have lost it? Deok-heung arrives and sits right at the king’s elbow as Ki Chul asks Gongmin to show the seal, so he can get to work dispelling the rumors.

The councillors urge the king to comply. Gongmin declares, “That seal—I got rid of it.” Confused looks abound, including on Ki Chul’s face, as Gongmin explains the words on the seal. He intends to have a new seal made, one that declares his position as king of Goryeo rather than as son-in-law to a different dynasty.

Ki Chul warns that this may be viewed as an act of rebellion. Gongmin: “That would be too bad.” Ha.

Councilman Lee Saek urges the king not to decide this unilaterally, and to take his council’s advice in mind. Gongmin replies that yes, they should offer up their counsel—on what the new seal is to read. Advisor Jo argues that he endangers them all. Gongmin retorts that Advisor Jo was always suggesting that they cast off the confines of Yuan and declare their independence; was he just spouting empty words?

Advisor Jo asks him to consider what the people want. Gongmin: “Have you ever once asked the people directly what it is they want? Or are you just afraid?” Gongmin orders his ministers of war brought to him. They are to fortify the border and prepare for movement from Yuan.

The councillors discuss this among themselves as they leave, with elder statesman Lee Je-hyun expressing concern about possible war. His student Lee Saek actually sides with the king, arguing that nothing he said was out of line about the seal or their relationship to Yuan.

The king leaves the meeting confirming that the seal’s theft is still a secret. If word leaks, then Young can never come back. Which, aw. Still looking out for his best buddy. Even if you are losing faith in him every other episode.

Advisor Jo finds Deok-heung waiting for him. Having secretly jumped ship to his side, he’s noticeably nervous about this, but sits down to discuss the matter. Deok-heung is pretty calm about the matter despite the setback, since he’s well on his way to putting another plan into effect: a revolt, supposedly in the spirit of protecting the country.

They must act quickly, before news leaks out and more importantly, before Ki Chul’s soldiers are called back to the capital. He instructs Advisor Jo to seek out a certain lord who recently lost his government position and has aligned with Deok-heung.

Advisor Jo asks whether he can be guaranteed Ki Chul’s position (and holdings) if he can successfully attack him. Deok-heung says not quite—he must become king in order to make that guarantee.

Deok-heung’s contact is Chan Sung-sa, and his increased movements have already been noticed by Suribang, who have been put to the task by Young. This is the man who framed Young, and now his flurry of secret meetings have pinged Young’s radar.

Young prepares medicine for Eun-soo, who balks that it looks bitter and asks him to feed it for her. The Suribang ajumma and ajusshi lean forward curiously to watch as Young coaxes her to drink.

He’s off to get the second dose today, and Eun-soo asks him for a favor while he’s meeting Deok-heung. Well, two; the first one is “I wish you’d beat him up” and he replies that he did. The other request is to find out about the back of the diary, because it was in her dream; essentially, she’s trying to figure out whether the dream was real, or a figment of her fevered imagination.

They send moony smiles at each other, but the minute he’s out the door Eun-soo slumps over in pain. She’s lost mobility in her hands again as the poison gains hold over her again.

Young arrives at Deok-heung’s quarters again and demands to know today’s rules. Deok-heung motions for him to take a seat and says, “Spend all night talking with me about the world. That’s my condition.” Aw man. That’s probably the easiest thing ever in terms of physicality, but asking a lot of a guy who’s hanging on to his last shred of patience to not, you know, kill you in slow, agonizing fashion.

Young will have to stay till sunrise, which cuts the timing awfully close. Deok-heung taunts him with it, saying that one time he delivered the antidote just a little late, and the guy died.

Young sits there silently while Deok-heung plays a game of badook with himself and chats. Something grabs his attention, though, and Young takes up his sword. Seconds later, Ki Chul enters.

Ha, I do appreciate that there’s mistrust and tension going three ways here, instead of a straight-up Good vs. Bad scenario. Ki Chul reminds Deok-heung warily that he’d promised to send word when meeting with Young, only to be told that since Ki Chul is monitoring his movements, he’d assumed he’d find out soon enough.

Deok-heung invites them all to sit together, calling them on the same team now. Cue Whachoo talkin’ bout, Willis? looks from the other two, who most decidedly don’t agree.

Deok-heung says Young is as good as his person now, and Ki Chul asks suspiciously, “Since when?” Is he jealous? I totally want him to be jealous, in the pettiest way possible.

But there’s a larger plot in the works, because this is the time for his men to storm Ki Chul’s estate, while they’re caught off-guard and understaffed. Or rather, he makes use of the royal army, without Gongmin’s authorization—Advisor Jo explains to an outraged king that he sent them, since Gongmin couldn’t.

Choong-seok roars, “You sent all two thousand? And what of the palace defense?!” Gongmin orders Woodalchi to apprehend Advisor Jo for using the king’s name to move the king’s army. Woodalchi darts forth to comply… but royal officers step forward to guard Advisor Jo.

Advisor Jo gives this righteous martyr speech about watching the king for fifteen years loyally, and having his loyalty unappreciated.

As Deok-heung informs his guests that this is a friendly gathering, there’s movement stirring outside. Young’s Suribang informants run up to the building and find the gate blocked by Flute Boy and Fire Hand. At the same time, Ki Chul’s advisor comes running too, having narrowly escaped.

The advisor informs him of the ambush and says they were overpowered. Ki Chul bolts for the door, but stops himself: “No, the king doesn’t have that kind of nerve. Especially without you [Young] by him.” Then he looks to Deok-heung, sitting there smiling smugly, as he starts putting pieces together. His hand starts to smoke with icy ki and he growls that there was someone else who called him out for a reason.

Young sees him reaching for Deok-heung and draws his sword, saying that he can’t die yet. Boy’s still got an antidote to collect. Haha, I actually enjoy the look of incredulity on Ki Chul’s face, as though taking this as proof of Young’s loyalty switch to Deok-heung. Oh, let him stew in that for a bit.

Ki Won runs through his dungeons, trying to escape from the royal soldiers, and makes it as far as Ki Chul’s room of artifacts before getting stabbed. The officers find a chest and take it out with them. Hm, is that the box of Hwata’s artifacts?

Young just tells him to stop spouting nonsense and advises him to think about his own problem. Ki Chul has 800 to 900 men currently outside of the capital, and he orders his advisor to rally them immediately: “Attack the palace.” He intends to take the king hostage and use him as a bargaining chip. After all, with all the palace guards at his house, the palace should be unguarded. Young’s eyes widen—that’s true.

Deok-heung just smirks to himself. When Ki Chul leaves to enact his plan, Young turns his sword to Deok-heung’s neck: “What the hell are you up to?”

Deok-heung merely says that they have hours to go till morning. “Or will you give up the antidote and go running to the king?”

In the palace, Gongmin is ushered to safety by his core group of Woodalchi.

Meanwhile, Deoki is left tending to Eun-soo… who is by now slumped over, unconscious.

Young grapples with his dilemma. Did I say rock and hard place last time? I take it back, because now I really mean it.

 
COMMENTS

Well, that’s a pretty sticky conundrum. We’ve had shades of this conflict crop up before, since the question of loyalty and faith is pretty much the backbone of the show. But this time, the stakes are on par on both sides, which puts it on a whole new plane of Oh, fuck. We’ve seen uneven stakes multiple times before—disobey the king, or rescue the girl who’s not in mortal peril (yet). Lose one person’s trust, but perform the greater good.

This time, though, it’s life for life. Save the girl and your king might die. Save your king and the girl definitely dies. It’s not even a matter of head versus heart, because Young values both people, and is beholden to them both. Deok-heung’s got him good, and this choice will say a lot about Young—some of which he may not much like himself for.

Plus, I’m tickled to find Ki Chul finally rattled. It’s a bit of a “What have I created?” scenario, only we’re not quite sure Ki Chul had everything to do with it; it’s quite possible Deok-heung was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, surviving by allowing himself to be underestimated. But now he’s revealed himself, and Ki Chul’s gotta be kicking himself for letting his guard down. Nothing like an evilly clever free radical to join the party late and wreak some havoc with his own agenda.

And finally, more bursts of emotion from Young! I’ve been waiting all series for this. I totally get why this character has been responding with composure and indifference thus far, but that’s just made me want to see him get worked up and agitated even more. Ruffle those feathers. Break through the calm.

Eun-soo’s dreams must point at some kind of memory, or perhaps it’s more like a glimpse of the future? It’s clear she hasn’t lived out these scenarios, but Future Self is always on the table. Now that we know that the portal opens regularly throughout time, it’s possible that she finds a way to travel back and forth at will… although that’s cold comfort to Young, who only gets her once in his lifetime, thanks to the whole 67-year gap. Can she just come back to the same time every trip, save the princess a bunch of times, and have Young fall in love with her over and over again for all eternity? I’m sure that’ll be such a trial.

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Loved this episode!!! Thanks for the re-cap!

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Hi Rashell, I have missed you, didn't see you write anything in the last recaps ( Am I wrong?). Anywooo, your boyfriend is so gorgeous with that lighting they use on him :-). Part of me wishes his skin naturally looked like that :-)

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Hey Ivoire!! You're right. Had some trauma in my real life that kept me from my drama life the last couple weeks. But of course I hurried to catch up with Faith and my boyfriend.

He really is just so handsome, and the lighting in this drama does accentuate that for sure. He and Eun Soo are so pretty. And I love seeing this passionate side to Choi Young. He really just adores her. It's the sweetest thing to watch. Now we just need to figure out how to keep them together somehow.

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ummm excuse me rashell but lee min ho is MY HUSBAND so how can he date you??? hehe i am just teasing. THIS DRAMA IS GREAT AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE RECAPS!!! but aside from the normal usual boring comments...these recaps have been so great as i can understand the parts of general korean knowledge and actually get the story!!!!! I am so excited and so sad i have to wait, after tomorrow's episode, until next week T_T

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Awww... Rashell, it is good to have you back!!!! I know about life traumas and yes, we need to attend to those, so I am personally glad you took the time to do what you had to do. Real life is important and it can't always take care of itself. I hope that things are better now, or at least OK. *sends you virtual hugs*

I agree with you, ES and CY look really good together, she is also gorgeous and that lighting does wonder on her as well. I did like seeing the passionate side of CY as well :-). He does adore her, and I hope we will see more of that, because he hasn't shown that in 7 years, remember? And he is probably reserved because she is from heaven/the future. How does one "date" a doctor from heaven? (although, based on how he ate her food last week without asking her, some were saying that they are sooo married, because they act like a married couple, he he he)

And poor guy is sooo shy around her, she IS the one who has to keep on pushing through his walls for his resistance and hesitation to slowly come down. She is from the 21st century, so she doesn't have the same hang-ups and concepts of what is proper and I understand that, and also that it is part of her personality. I think the way that their relationship has evolved is quite interesting, wouldn't you agree? I was so happy when he held her hand (of his own volition, not less, KYA!!!!), because we know that a few episodes ago, he would not have dreamed (OK, maybe he would have dreamed, but you know what I mean) of doing that.

And I agree with you, I wish we could figure out a way to keep them together. Maybe this drama will have an alternate ending, different from his story in real life.

Be honest now, wasn't it nice that someone (or maybe more than one person) noticed that you hadn't participated in the recaps and on OTs? How does that feel like to get such a welcome? :-)...

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HA! Yeah, it does feel nice to be missed even in this "virtual" world. I really sincerely missed you and this place too. It's crazy how we can be so close when we haven't actually met.

My real life issue has thankfully had a happy outcome but it was scary for a while. Thanks for the kind thoughts and cyber hugs. Always appreciated.

Now back to the drama. It's true that when CY is with ES he is somewhat shy. But once she prods him a little, he's right there to give her the support (skinship) she needs. And he's fiercely protective of her with anyone else. He doesn't even try to deny that she's his woman. And he'll beat the hell out of a member of the royal family for daring to hurt her. Swooooon. He's fabulous.

I don't know the answer to the history vs. drama HEA problem. Maybe JB had the solution. ES can just keep coming back to the same time and place so CY can fall for her over and over again. Wouldn't be a bad way to spend your life really. LOL

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Something I really like about CY: he might be all proper and reserved, and embarrassed by some of ES's "daring" actions (like showing up in the barracks with bare legs, or grabbing his hand while his men were watching from the shrubbery, lol), but when it's only the 2 of them -- well, he's always giving in to her wishes now, and honestly, without much of a fight. :D Like when he let her warm his hand, or sat down with her in the palace's courtyard, or sat behind her in bed to support her back, or fed her medicine etc. It totally shows that, in truth, he totally yearns for ES's touch/nearness as well and will revel in each opportunity he's given to enjoy it.

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Hi, I wrote something along those lines on another blog, but you said it so well!!! Thank you for sharing that...

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Thank you!!!!!!! off to read :D

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Thank you!! :D

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It's here, Yay!!!! Thanks!

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I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (did I say I LOVE) the skinship in this episode between ES and CY!!!! The beauty of sageuks: every little skinship makes me jump with joy :-)!!!!
And Gongmin and Nogook, awwww... I love how they are now (open with how they feel at any moment, I think...) and especially how she comforted him. Awww... Did you guys noticed how pained her face looked when she was hugging him? She feels everything he feels, that's how much she loves him. *Sigh*

I also LOVED THE CODED message of CY to Gongnim (which I didn't get at 1st, until someone explained it to me). I love it when this show brings turns and twists such as these.

More on this episode later...

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I have a question which doesn't pertain to this episode, but I forgot to ask it eons ago, so here it goes: why did CY change his hairstyle a while back? What was the significance of it, and I don't think the woodalchi changed their outfits or hairstyles, did they? Did that change had anything to do with the king and the princess changing their outfits to now wearing (only) Goryeo (sp?) types of clothes? I think that was also when some of his (CY's) outfits changed, right?

Thanks for some answers...

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I just thought that he changed it because he had become the woodalchi's general. I don't think that the king and queen would like a general with curly hair. LOL. Which is why he straightend out his hair and tied it up in new do to look more professional. LOL. I like it though :D

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Yeah, I think it was just new hair to go with his new outfit. He's kind of a girl that way. LOL. But he's so fine that I really don't care.

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Lol. But i think sb commented somewhere(i think the Open Thread or sth) that there won't be any kissing scenes btwn CY and ES(not sure how true that is but i guess we must prepare for the worst). Anyway thanks for the recap, jb!

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Arrghh, no kissing scenes between CY and ES?... been waiting for that.. LMH is a good kisser on screen...
or could be because ES is a married woman in real life, thus she not going to kiss on screen...

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I think it had to do with his promotion more than anything. Once the king freed him from jail and the king commanded that the wooldachi are his personal army and his to command.

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Hi Sparkles, I thought CY was the leader from the 1st episode already? Remember when he was still recovering from his surgery and ES didn't want him to walk and move around, and he was instructing them as to what they should do, and he collapsed on top of her? What was his title then? Weren't they calling him "general" already? I thought they were calling him that since the beginning of the drama...
And when he brought the king from Yuan land to Goryeo, wasn't he the leader then to? Because the woodalchi seem to me to have always listened to him and sought him for directions, imho...

Now I am confused...

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Yes, the change had a lot to do with the switch from Yuan to Goryeo (which is kind of a running theme, how this king is freeing himself from the Yuan and is becoming the first real Goryeo king). CY changes his clothes and hair style when the king starts wearing the Goryeo outfit.

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First, like others have already mentioned, once Gongmin shed the Yuan robes and elevated CY and the Woodalchi's status, CY and his men changed uniforms to reflect those changes within the palace. So CY's changed hairstyle is, primarily, part and parcel of his changed overall appearance (see the new uniforms of the entire Woodalchi corps).
On a symbolic level... well, his former hairstyle was all curly and unruly -- sort of disorganized, I'd say, which kind of mirrored CY's previous nonchalant attitude and lack of focus in life. But when he gained a new purpose in life/a reason to live and fight, this was then also mirrored by the new hairstyle: the hair was now tamed, pulled back in a sharper, military style. In other words: a sharper look to go with the new, fierce CY, who now totally means business. At least, that's my take. Does it make sense?

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Edited to add:
CY has always been the Woodalchi's captain, but he had a lower military rank (like 5, I think), and Gongmin elavated him in ep. 9 to rank middle 4. (or sthg)

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This episode was a killer in many ways. Love it. Thanks so much for your awesome recap! Dying for tomorrow's episode already.

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I do have a crisis of faith in faith drama, but thank's for your wonderful recap, i am still on board. Your recap make the drama a lot more interesting. Off to read.

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Thank you!

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I still have faith in you Faith...

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Will you please give Choi Young a break? There's battle after battle... im gonna have a heartbreak.

Can we have fun times for Choi Young and Eun Soo please?

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Totally agree with you. I second that.

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Wow! This episode is just fantastic! Can't wait to see ep 16 tonight!

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omg am i the only who absolutely freking LOVED it when young got all pissy at deok heung, like flippin the table over, punching him, throwing him against the wall - CUS IT SHOWED HOW MUCH HE LUHRVED EUNSOO<333333333333
KEKEKE.
young<3eunsoo. dey too cute togetha.

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Hi, that was actually awesome to watch :-)

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that was a great scene

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thank you thank you!!! :D I LOVE this episode!
Eun-soo's dream kind of points out that she's Hwata. (can't really say it's about the future, since it's also of the past ke)
Choi-young was really awesome in this episode! loves <3
many touching, awesome, and funny scenes (that scene when he was giving her medicine, the Suribang siblings were just sitting there watching, like me LOL waiting for the kiss??)
i think that Uncle DH will die soon~ he's just getting on everyone's nerves XP

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Yeah, everyone want to slice DH into mincemeat and then boil him slowly in acid. And then feed his soggy remains to the hounds of hell.
As a side note: I do love DH as a villain. I think he's brought a lot to the show in terms of excitement. :D

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Yeah, he's totally on my nerves too. It seems like he won't die until the last episode. But I really hope it's earlier.

I grudgingly admit that he's a way better villain than Ki Chul ever was.

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Reading this recap, I don't know maybe it is just me that the idea that the dream Eun-soo could be Eun-soo mom pop in my head... I don't technically remember anything mention about Eun-soo family thus that idea just pop in my head when she wrote to Eun-soo that the dream Eun-soo could possible be her mom.

Maybe Eun-soo was sent to the future, lol .... kinda like the Once Upon A Time show where Snow White send her daughter to the human world ... lol

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Oh exciting! Then could she go back to the future, call her parents really quick and realize that she was adopted, get a buttload of medical supplies, and then go back through the still open portal and stay with Choi Young?

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Okay when Young was beating up Deok-heung....that was kinda HOT. I love Lee Min Ho best when he's emoting. Ooofph. Those eyes.

I want more ruffled feathers!

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i like that ES is the 'man' in their relationship 'sit behind me'...'feed me the medicine'..hehe..i hope next time 'kiss me' will be one of her orders...

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LOL That would be great to see! The look on Young's face!!!

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I'd love to see that. Imagine CY's incredulous look when ES instructs him to kiss her. LOL.

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Well, I mostly see ES as the modern princess who has CY, the fearsome warrior (which he is, undeniably), turning into a fluffy puppy when with her and basically worshiping at her feet. Without losing any of his edge when fighting the bad guys, though. Which is just so *hot*, right?

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SO so so hot.

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Thanks for the recap! :)

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"Deok-heung invites them all to sit together, calling them on the same team now. Cue Whachoo talkin’ bout, Willis? looks from the other two,"

OMG... loved this quote! If there was one way to describe that scenario - that is the best way. This drama is so awesome and always keeps me guessing.

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Equating eveilness with smartness! hmmm, that's interesting but then if all of our rulers are like that, Earth will not be a better place to live in.

I love how sassy Eun-So is, she said , you should have given DH a beating,. hahahaha!
and that was a smart thinking for Prnicess Noguk to ask
the King what CY said. To ask someone how you were insluted word for word is hard to swallow,
it's like licking your wounds over and over again,
but this time, it did good!

So pity Advisor Jo had to go this far, 15 years of service
thrown into the water .

I'm expecting tomorrow 's episode, CY will calmly sit down with DH to get the second antidote. Ki-Chul will
succesfully kidnap the king and return the seal and both of them in a short interlude will team-up to go against DH!
Kichul wouldn't want DH to be his King, it's to uncontrollable for him compared to Gongmin, at least
with Gongmin , he just have to get rid of CY and he will have Gongming in the plams of his hands.

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Man... I'm totally on Deok-heung's side... haha. The man is smart! There isn't really a right or wrong in history right?

This is totally a scenario of "if Person A and Person B fell into the ocean, who would you save first?" Gotta suck to be in Young's shoes right now.

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That will always remind me of Yoonje.....only this is literal right now

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Ha, Tony Oppa, right? Oh, I miss 1997.

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What I like about Gongmin is that in this drama and in real life he was so dependent, yet the stronger kings before him couldn't/wouldn't free Goryeo from the Yuan. There's something to be said about never knowing what weak people can do. Perhaps he is so touchy and hypersensitive that he chafes under the power of the Yuan while a more intelligent indifferent king would have been more practical. Who knows?

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Thanks for the recap!

"Not that I’m advocating evilness; just smartness."
I hafta agree. I love a man who is one or two steps ahead of everyone else, and in this case, I will also love when they separate his head from his body later on...Jerk!

Why is ES in Goreyo in the dream? I say she goes back home in a month, turns around and comes back through forever. The scene of her running back was because she had left for a bit and came back (fuzzy part here) when she found out CY was in peril.

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Ha "I will also love when they separate his head from his body" LOL!

You cant do that we NEED someone to give KC nightmares. I haven't forgotten how evil he is.

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Oh, I think I did forget about KC's evilness. He's just been so ineffective lately, but he killed the poor little boy ex-king. I'd like to see him have some nightmares. Good call, lol.

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I will always faith in FAITH, this episode is simply amazing

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ooooo.What's with this tension building up!I cant take off my eyes. I was staying still with fingers crossed hoping for Good vs Evil.But waiting for Evil to take charges so they pay heavily for what they had done.And what's with Eun Soo's dream..Was it her formerself in next era coming as Hwata's and wrote dairy before leaving...Will she be able to go? Will she and Young be alive till they? Will he follow her?And what happen next?Its really killing me.Ahh.*sign*And will there be Coup De Ta.?Will the king be remove/replaced???And I love Young who isnt foolish,crazed with love.But thouhtful of every moves he made.Will he be able to save his woman and king?Its nearly impossible for one person to be in two place at the same time.And again I think he come up with tactic until he stay put with that evil king's Uncle...OMG...hope nth turns bad..And when young realizes his love to Eun soo...Why it had to be tragic one where she have only left a month to leave him..
Thanks for recap..<3<3<3<3

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I'm thinking the day is gonna come when she will be at Choi Young's side begging him not to die. Dreams don't hve to depend on chronology so one dream is from the past and another is from the future, i think.

The fortuneteller said she would be away for a year so i'm not sure how that fits in with one month or 67 years.

It was so strange seeing Eun Soo all sickly and helpless, though. She's such a force of nature. It's like when one has a healthy friend and suddenly wow, the sickness lays them low. I could see Choi Youhng's worry for her.

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Totally agree with you!!! I was asking myself omg is that the same Faith as before? It's kind of epic now, and I love it! It's incredible how they manage to keep the balance the dreams/Hwata mystery and the power struggles just perfectly so we would be drooling on both at the same time...augh, I wanna know what's going to happen!!!

Btw, Coup De Ta is written Coup d'état (Etat is state, as the state you overthrow in a Coup d'Etat. Even if "état" and "state" are from different languages, it gets easy to remember after you realize how close these words are; replace the é by a S and you've got your state...almost) ;)

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I love the part when Young was feeding Eun-Soo medicine. It is so cute!! LOL. He wants her to drink it to save her life but she is complaing that it is bitter :D Then, when she took one sip of it but turned away, I can tell that he is frustrated with her in a loving/caring way. Which, I can understand because he worked so hard to get that antidote for her. And after she drank it all in one gulp, he looked like he was so proud of her. *squels* They are so cute! This is another one of my favorite scenes of them! I want more of this!!!

At the end of this episode, I felt sorry for Young for being forced to choose between his buddy (the king) and his girl (Eun-Soo). This reminds me of the episode when KC's people told Eun-Soo to choose between the king, the queen, and Young. I loved her comeback though.. that they can do whatever they want because she doesn't care. LOL. I hope to see Young do a comeback like that too, though not in those same words. I would prefer a physical comeback such as knocking the prince in the head. LOL :)

In this drama, the only characters that I am enjoying is Young, Eun-Soo, and the Woodalchis. The king and the baddies are giving me a headache with their games/dramas and desire to possess people and things. They all want to possess both Young and Eun-Soo but the truth is that these two only belong to/possess each other! XD

Like you, Javabeans. I also wonder if Eun-Soo had been traveling through that portal in the past. I wonder... maybe she had been but she just can't remember now. What if, she had been traveling back and forth between two worlds to ensure that history is not changed. But then one day, she realizes that if she goes back to the modern world, then she will forget everything about the ancient world. Thus, she wrote a note to herself to help her remember or to let the amnesic Eun-Soo know what to do.

Hmm.... In her dream, she was saving a little boy, so maybe that boy can be Young? Just a wild guess. But maybe she met and saved Young's life when she went to the past, the last time. Which would explain why the fortune teller told her that her husband will be someone that she had met in the past. Hmmm... This is getting even more interesting! LOL. Too bad the PD made us wait by having KC be in possession of the last page of the notebook/diary :(

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"They all want to possess both Young and Eun-Soo but the truth is that these two only belong to/possess each other! XD"
LOL i love that comment! It's SO true!
Choi-young will beat anyone who says otherwise! HA!

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"I wonder… maybe she had been but she just can’t remember now. What if, she had been traveling back and forth between two worlds to ensure that history is not changed. But then one day, she realizes that if she goes back to the modern world, then she will forget everything about the ancient world. Thus, she wrote a note to herself to help her remember or to let the amnesic Eun-Soo know what to do.

Which would explain why the fortune teller told her that her husband will be someone that she had met in the past."

Same thought as you have sparkles.

Thanks JV for the speedy recap. Actually this is my 1st time to write a comment in this site. Now I'm totally hooked on kdrama because of dramabeans. Thanks a lot.

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"I hope to see Young do a comeback like that too, though not in those same words. I would prefer a physical comeback such as knocking the prince in the head. LOL "

This is true. I mean, so he has to stay with Deok-heung until the morning. No one ever said Deok-heung had to be conscious the whole time.

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"I mean, so he has to stay with Deok-heung until the morning. No one ever said Deok-heung had to be conscious the whole time." XD Love your comment!!!

I so wish Young would do so!

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Thanks JB for the recap.

This show is like pieces of jigsaw puzzle. First show builds a frame - established who, when and where. There's a weak and shameful king who strives to be better, there's a frozen general who needs life, there's a doctor who looks for her way back. Then slowly, it gives us these characters' motivations and intentions to move the plot along. It can get really frustrating at times to see where this is all going, and it somehow reminds me of doing a jigsaw puzzle. It can take forever to look for those pieces; and sometimes they just sit there and stare at me. But ahhh, it's so satisfying to see those pieces fall into place, and with enough patience and gradual work, a complete picture is formed.

I've been wondering why is CY so intelligent. I mean he's a warrior, so he should be good with swords, but he's also good with words? I had to go back to Ep. 4 to find that he came from a family of scholars. So he grew up knowing righteousness and evil deeds.

I also love that through this test of faith, we get to see Gongmin showing doubts and humility. I love subtle hints the writer drops along the way to remind us of Gongmin's quest to be a noble king. That speech about his citizens just ties in so perfectly with his conflicted narrative. In ep. 1, CY and King talked about how his subjects probably don't care about his reign anyway because they don't have, in essence, faith in the monarchy. Though we haven't seen this point brought up repetitively in every episode, the little hints here and there are just enough to remind me of an undefined relationship between Gongmin and his subjects.

Even the bad guys are interesting in their own ways. KC and his work to gain "something" we don't yet know. Now DH and his conniving ways. I knew, when he was first introduced with a recital of that Confucian poem, that this dude is smart.

Lastly, I'm speculating DH's plan is to gain the throne. With him as a king, CY and the wooldachi will follow DH's command because CY has made a pledge to his beloved leader that he'll protect a king over his subjects. Ahhhh, another test of character and loyalty. Title is no lie.

I have so much love for this show for some reasons. Like you said, the plot maybe static but the characters are filled with layers. Maybe a character-driven show has less dynamics in terms plot movements, but it just fills me with a lot of thinking. And I haven’t talked about time travel and our OTPs yet. Maybe next episode.

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Hi SH,

I don't think it is a speculation that DH wants to be king. That was the deal he had with KC, I think. He would help KC get what he wants, and KC would make him king. Same thing regarding his meetings with advisor Jo, I think DH told him that he wanted to be king as well, and that he would give advisor Jo, KC's position. Everyone knows DH wants to be king, even the actual king and queen know that. DH has not been shy about his ambitions.

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DH has said that he wants to be king so that he can stay alive. The throne doesn't seem to be his ultimate goal. Living is. And becoming king is the path to make that happen.

My guess is that he goes to the future to live out his life in peace when the portal opens, since he is not a figure remembered in history.

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Ivoire,

I wrote my comment way too late last night and sorry for not being clear :) Yes, I know of DH's ambition to be king but what I was trying to say is his motivation behind that. Obviously being king is powerful but occupying that throne also gives him a layer of protection against KC. DH knows he has two options: to be dead sooner or later after KC has no use of him or shaping his own destiny by becoming king, thus staying alive. Being a king means, he has CY under his command and by extension ES (the person KC desires the most).

Like Jellybeanie wrote, being king is not an end goal, rather having that seat gives him life protection.

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I feel the same about this show! At first I was a bit surprised by the slow pace, because I was expecting something more epic, but now everything falls into its right place. Now I feel it's more epic, I've just watched ep14 and 15 in a row and it didn't seem like two hours!

I totally knew DH was going to be problems for both the good guys and the bad guys. I mean, this guy was obviously way too intelligent; even his way of being unnoticed until now was a smart move. But I wasn't expecting him to really put KC into that of deep shit!!! Ha, in your face KC!!! I really loved it when KC wonders if by wanting to chase away a fox, he got himself a tiger on his back.

KC is a bad guy, yeah, but everything in his face just screams "I'm a bad guy!" while DH...actually, I think DH is scarier, because we have absolutely no way to know what he is thinking, and how many things he will have plotted out. I mean, to me, when DH made CY bring him the seal, he has already planned out Gongmin's answer and the rebellion with conselor Jo. Man, DH is scary!

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SH,
very nice comment. I like it a lot. Thanks for your explanatory notes and interesting view on this drama.

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Thx for recaps. Luv reading your insights as much as all the comments by your fan readers here.

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that is just mean. That Ddok hyung is acting like a bitch. Mean, mean, bimbolistic unmanly wicked eunuch.

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HaHa! DH may b evil but he's my favourite character right now. I just love what his addition has done to the dynamics of the show.

But I feel bad for CY though. He really didn't need anything making the kings trust issues worse. But then we know no one important is going to die so soon pssssh!

CY rock your gorgeous self on!

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owhh.. thank you for the recap! the first thing i do in the morning is searching for your recap! :)

I need kiss scene! many kiss scenes! maybe CY needs to feed the antidot to ES using his Mouth! LOL. i knw im a perv

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A strong episode indeed. I was quite surprised at the amount of things that actually happened in this episode, can't wait for the next one.

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wahhh!!! I've been waiting forver for this ep but viki and all the other sights haven't subbed yet. I'm trying so hard not spoil it for myself right now w this recap (I mean i read some parts hehe)

Anybody know where i can find it subbed already????

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ahhhwww... i always wait for this because i cant understand what the live recap is talking about

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I am new to this blog. I have just caught up reading the drama recaps and comments from Episode 1 till tonights.

I would like to give my take on Faith and LMH’s performance in this drama:

The drama’s main weakness has been the editing and the directing. The other drawback is the original concept as shown from the original trailer with Kang Ji Wan. It was supposed to be fusion-fantasy with a lot of special effects and it worked wonderfully in the original trailer but then they had used 3-D cameras and advanced equipment. I gather that they are not using the same equipment now but they are trying to recreate the same effects and it failed. So there is a lot of disappointment among viewers expecting epic.
This is a real shame because the premise is interesting. In a slew of time travel dramas, they have a modern woman meet an old style general. The coupling is unique. Imagine a modern, outspoken, materialistic woman and a traditional, Spartan, unemotional, macho captain from 600 years ago. The couple could not be more poles apart and that makes it fascinating.

Now I want to give my take on LMH characterization of CY. There were many comments about LMH not delivering. Comments such as he is too restrained, subdued and quiet, too young, don’t buy that he is a leader. No depth, dead inside, bored face, zombie-like, wooden, baffled by Eun Soo, too ‘light’ in comparison to some other characters (like his second in command, Lifeless and boring, unless Choi Young is supposed to be a robot, then no, LMH is not doing what he’s supposed to be doing… as in, acting, Even if Choi Young is supposed to be stoic and jaded, subtle display of emotion is still required from the actor… to enrich the character he’s playing… to show conflict between heart and mind… to show that the character has depth and complexity. Otherwise, is he not the most boring hero ever?

I checked the official description of his character, comments made by other characters during the drama. Basically, what his character is supposed to be is that he someone smart, naïve, a little quirky, but indifferent. He is quite talented in some ways but he is definitely a general we would never expect to lead the troops into battle. He is not the type of general that we would expect him to be, he is quite lazy and his hobby is to sleep for 2 to 3 days therefore meaning that he is lethargic, bored and laid back. He has been asleep for the last 7 years. He has no desire for money or woman (thus not ambitious). He does not strategize and just does frontal attack. He will try something and if he fails and he dies…oh, well. LMH himself says that Choi Young is not an expressive person and hard to portray.
Thus the character envisioned by the writer is someone who in the beginning is lackluster, bored, and lifeless, restrained, not expressive (meaning poker faced with no emotion showing on the surface, frozen like in his dreams. Suppressing his emotions up to a point where he no longer feels or cares.) It was mentioned that he became captain of the WooDalChi more as a punishment than a promotion. His job or duty is to protect the king so he does it but without passion or love but it as something he promised his teacher that he would do. Would someone serving more as a punishment want to excel in his job? He does not need to prove himself; he has no ambition to excel so he is definitely not a leader or wants to be one. He was probably given the position because of his super powers and fighting skills. He does the minimal of what he needs to do and leaves a lot to his second in command who is actually more of a leader and that shows in the drama. That is why they probably like and respect him because he gives them a lot of trust to do their job with minimal micromanaging. When he went through the portal, he asked the king to order him, he did not volunteer. He does not care to be a hero. It is very hard to portray a non-expressive or restrained person. He is supposed to be withdrawn, indifferent, and wooden in the beginning. My opinion is that LMH has delivered and does not really deserve the criticism of his acting being lackluster. He is supposed to be lackluster.

Where the film really fails at is its editing. I watched some of the fan made videos where they compiled various scenes into one You Tube clip, you really start to notice LMH's awesome depiction of CY. Maybe we should fire the film editor and use some of his fans instead.

The director has also failed to deliver and choreograph good action scenes even though Faith used the same action director as City Hunter. I wonder what the problem was. We know LMH can do action scenes as seen in City Hunter and looking at fan made gifs and action Faith scenes, LMH has some pretty nifty sword fighting moves. His sword slashing and twirling of his sword and spear look pretty cool.

I don’t say LMH is the greatest actor ever but he is pretty damn good, he has charisma, charm, the most wonderful smile and expressive eyes that convey a myriad of emotions. He does not have to say a word, his eyes reveal all. I love it when he stares at Eun Soo, you can see he is so enamored, fascinated, awed but yet perplexed by his feelings towards her, his eyes tells so much. He tries to hide his thoughts but his stare just reveals his feelings. When she gave him the flower, he looked at her questioningly and in bafflement. He shows all that through his eyes. He might be a warrior but as a man he is naive and unable to figure out the modern woman. I like how he peeked at Eun Soo as she pulled up her pants to look at her knee scrape during Episode 3. This is a man who is awakening to feelings of attraction to her but without realizing it. When he cried as the young king was dying and when he killed him, he did not over act, just the right amount of grief for a man who has submerged his feelings for a long time. I think LMH really expresses those emotions very well. In Korean drama sometimes it is really hard to do less acting and be more muted. Also he seems fine in letting others carry the scene. He is the lead but he does not act like he needs to be acting over the top so that he has to dominate every scene. It is hard to not over act especially in Kdramas when everyone seems to expect the lead to show emotions all the time. I think he does just the right amount. You see a gentle warrior, sensitive with a lovely enigmatic smile, yet fiercely protective of Eun Soo. LMH & KHS has managed to create a strong chemistry with each other even though there is an age gap. You don’t notice the gap. In the course of the drama you see the progression of an expressionless reluctant hero to a smoldering firebrand.

I am fascinated by LMH. He is probably one of the most famous Korean actors today but he seems so grounded. He is caring of his co-stars. He is always apologizing for his mistakes. He is always smiling and laughing and he seems to be keeping the morale up for everyone during the filming. He grew up handsome, popular, gained great fame at a young age. A lot of people in the US probably could not handle it and get illusions of grandeur or be a prick like some Hollywood stars. However he seems to remain sweet, and respectful. It could be Korean culture. LMH with all his fame has not let it change him like a lot of stars at the height of their fame might. I saw him at BOF but had no impression of him. As someone said in a forum, the elephant moment in CH was it for her and so it is the same for me. I started being interested in him after that. I am not a Kdrama fan. I have watched some and liked just a few. However there is something about LMH that keeps me interested in watching his dramas, watching his public appearances and BTS videos. He just has the “it” factor. The most attractive thing about him to me is his Mr. Nice Guy personality and killer smile. Famous yet he seems (underline "seems") to be so unassuming and modest.

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Thank you. I like LMH's acting & him being beautiful but I don't think I can elaborate so much! :)

I adored him in BOF though that show was a messy mess. I can only see him in that show.

I couldn't finish Personal Taste because lady lead said she didn't bath for days (put me off that much!)

CH did it for me. He can fight!

Faith - he can act!

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Yes, he can act.

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Thank you for your in depth-analysis of Choi Young's character. I loved it when you said "In the course of the drama you see the progression of an expressionless reluctant hero to a smoldering firebrand.", and I agree with you 100% that LMH has done a superb job in portraying CY's aforementioned progression/evolution.

I've also become a fan of LMH's with "City Hunter"; after that drama, I even went back and watched both BOF and Personal Taste (which I had rejected before after a couple of episodes), and I loved him in those 2 dramas as well. He made BOF bearable for me and made me love Personal Taste (because the actress in that one was likable, too).

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You are welcome. When I saw LMH on the elephant, I thought - Hey that is the BOF guy. After being impressed by CH, like you, I too went back to watch BOF again and Personal Taste. I loved him in Personal Taste and started liking BOF because of him. Despite the editing and directing flaws, I love Faith too. I have seen your posts in Soompi. I read through that forum as well. Faith is the only Kdrama where I comb the blogs and forums. It is my first time and it is interesting to read the various opinions. I did feel I had to defend his acting during the first few episodes. Actually I enjoyed the lazy CY.

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Callie, I love your post about LMH. I saw him in BOF when it was airing live, so naturally I got caught up in Min-ho mania. I've been on his bandwagon for a while now, and I have to say his performance in Faith is probably my favorite. How can someone act with their eyes like that? *swoon*

Totally with you about stalking every blog and forum for this show. Faith has cast a spell on me.

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I love what you wrote about LMH. I feel the same way about his acting too. He did a great job in portraying CY. He's one of the Korean actor that I really love and will surely watch all of his future drama(s) but sadly I don't think he will do another drama soon :(

CY did it for me I even like him as CY more than as YS in City Hunter!

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I think he does a drama once a year or he might turn to movies.

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Thanks! Such a great defense of Lee Min Ho and of Choi Young. Thanks. My thoughts exactly.

As for the original vision of the show as show in the trailer, I guess the film-makers might have fallen a little short there. But given what we have -- instead of what we should have had-- I think it's working very well.

They're exploring the theme of loyalty in so many ways that I'm willing to sacrifice the special effect-laden should've-been fusion sajeuk for a good story with a lot of thematic layers. When you set out to write a story, there is the story you intend to write, the story you actually write, and the story folks think you've written. So I'm cool with that. When I saw Minister Jo's grief and despair at the king not "noticing" his loyalty to him all these years, it really touched my heart, although the Minister did turn on him. IT made me question: Is there loyalty that goes unnoticed? or IS there a kind of false loyalty that is really self-serving?

All the characters in this story are shades and varieties of loyalty and heart-belongingness. And the way I see it, I love seeing all that explored. Although fusion-sajeuk would've been great, this is also great in its own way.

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In that sorrowful attempt at justifying betraying the man he worked with for 10 years, it seemed like Minister Jo was whining because he got friend-zoned. He's jealous because Gongmin and Choi Young wound up dating. If MJ can't advise Gongmin then no one can. But some thing's just aren't meant to be Minister Jo...

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Glad you agree with me. I have read quite a bit of your comments through the episodes and I did agree with much of what you said too.

I agree with your comment about Minister Jo. He had been loyal for 10 years and he had a point there about not being appreciated but maybe he was not sincere and the king instinctively felt it and therefore did not trust him.

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Wow, thanks for the post! I really like your analysis of CY's character. Actually I hadn't watched any of LMH's dramas until Faith, so I didn't know him and had no opinion on his acting, but I have to say I really like his acting in Faith.

I totally agree with all of your remarks, especially about his eyes. From episode 1, I've liked the way LMH portrayed CY, and I didn't think he was lacking at all. When the old monk tells him to just go and CY then understands it as some faith trial and just crosses the road, I had noticed how his eyes seemed to lighten up when he thought he had understood the monk.

I think it very nice too that LMH is a lead that doesn't take all the place in the screen; just as you said, I like the way he lets the other characters carry the scene. I know you said you don't watch much Kdramas, but when I read your comment I immediately thought of Time Slip Dr Jin, which is one of the worst dramas I've ever seen, and in which the lead vampirized the screen and the plot all the time with his overacting and his big "I'm the hero" sticker stamped on his face...that was such a pain to watch...

I hope we'll get to read more of your comments here on dramabeans...Welcome! :)

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Waca, thanks for your appreciative remarks. I had been reading all the recaps and posts and finally felt I had to speak up in defense of LMH's acting especially during the first few episodes of this drama. I am glad you understood my comments and agreed with me about his being in the background when he needed to. I had not planned to make more comments but with your encouragement, I might continue to do so. I did notice that part too when his eyes lit up when he thought he had understood the monk. It was endearing and hilarious at the same time.

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what I admire about this guy is as I remember he once said in an interview that when stressed, he just sleeps and sleeps (seems like they brought along his favorite passtime to the drama!!!) I wish I could just sleep....most people are the opposite they cant sleep with stress and drive themselv es crazy and start drinking etc. I know I sleep too little just 4 hours a day. I just cant .... I dont even stay up, I just wake up too early. wish he would teach me how to sleep like the kings´ cat like he does

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Wow, such a long and very in-depth analysis of LMH and Faith. I do agree about his acting though I've only watched a few eps of BOF and now Faith of all his dramas . He is really enigmatic and the show comes alive whenever he is on screen. Whether he is just standing on the sidelines or the main focus, my eyes automatically follow him and I'm guessing other viewers as well.

I also love his dynamics with the other characters esp. the king, his aunt and of course Eun Soo. He has depth and everything just falls into perfect harmony with him in the center. Choi Young and Eun Soo's scenes really make me swoon as they have great great chemistry with each other, age gap be damned. They look lovely and a perfect fit. I love how protective he is of Eun Soo and the crack that's beginning to widen in his indifferent, reserved and withdrawn facade as he gets entangled with her more and more.

As for the show, I don't really care much about the technical specifics because I'm really enjoying the story and portrayal of the characters. I think it's much much more deserving of higher ratings compared to Moon/Sun. Faith is really underrated in my opinion. But I guess, there are still us who appreciate it for what it is.

I just hope it'll have a satisfying ending and our heroes will get to have their happily ever after.^^

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Thank you, Callie. That was very well said. I love Lee Min Ho's brand of acting. He never overacts. Which is really refreshing. I like to think of him as a minimalist. He likes to convey a lot with minimal amount of movement and facial expression. And most of the time, he does it. It's just that some people are so used to over-the-top acting from asian shows that they seem to think that said acting equals talent. Sigh.

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Thanks a gazillion for the super-swift recap, Javabeans! ;)

As usual, your spot-on, crazy-hilarious and brilliant wit and humour with too many fantabulous quotes for me to list here because they are everywhere, really made my day after watching this episode without the Eng subs.

And I can't agree with you more about everything in your recap, most esp abt Lee Min HOT emoting...hmmm...emoting and skinship...at last!!! ;)

And may I just ask - haven't you notice how BEEEEEAUTIFUUUL the actor playing Deok Heung is?
He has the dreeeeamiest, softest, sultriest bedroom eyes, oh-so-KISSABLE lips and swoon-worthy smiles? Aaaahhh....it is just too much to have TWO of such BEEEEAUTIFUUUL people in Lee Min Ho and him in ONE drama!!! Oh, my poor heart....it hurts so bad just to gaze upon their perfect countenance...aaaahhhh.... ;)

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"And may I just ask – haven’t you notice how BEEEEEAUTIFUUUL the actor playing Deok Heung is?"

I have! God, these eyes!!! I swear, DH to me is much more fearsome than KC; he's so smart and beautiful! So the viewers are inclined to like him even if he's evil!!! Even if he gets to die in the show, I'm sure he'll have succeeded in bewitching we girls!

...argh, I am falling on the dark side!!!!!! :D

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Hi there, Waca! Welcome to this uber-special land created by the awesome duo Javabeans and Girlfriday for Korean drama lovers and would-be K-drama lovers!! ;)

I agree whole-heartedly with your comment :

"I swear, DH to me is much more fearsome than KC; he’s so smart and beautiful! So the viewers are inclined to like him even if he’s evil!!! Even if he gets to die in the show, I’m sure he’ll have succeeded in bewitching we girls!"

I cannot agree with you more! Hehe!! You are so spot-on! You have articulated exactly what was on my mind! BECAUSE he is sooooo utterly yummy-looking, he can so easily use that to his advantage and charm his way through anything and anyone and hide his devious, cunning, evil? ways and disarm his opponents oh so effectively....

because really...who would think a person with such good looks would harbour any ill-will towards anyone, right? But as we will see in the next episode, he DOES. *cold shivers*

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Thanks!

Augh, I've just finished watching the next episode and it's just as you said!!!! I got cold shivers just by watching his evilness!!! Evilness is the evilest when it's under a pretty face!!! :O

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I had such bad withdrawal this weekend that I marathoned 1-14 in so many hours, such a high! Ep 15 was just in time before I got the shakes again real bad. I'm so hooked on this kdrama!

The queen is the backbone, not to mention brain, in this royal duet. The king is so so lucky to have the queen and loyal bodyguard Choi Young and may even realize that he'd be a goner by now without them. But why is it that he defaults to the wrong thinking every time off the cuff?

Eui Soo, Choi Young has lost his heart to you, and now you tell him that in a month heaven's door will open. How is that going to work? I don't want her to stay in the crummy 14 century, but will he go with her? Seems like she's crossed time before. Maybe they could meet in another time and another place. Not likely, though. Ah well, fiction, time travel, and scifi super powers to boot, the story has a life of its own. Ep 16 tomorrow, yessss!

p.s. don't even wanna mention the bad ugly guys this round, boo hiss!

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Won't lie, I finish the whole recap this ep which I couldn't lately only to witness DH may be deserved the throne? I find GM a good king but not a capable one to rule. Young and GM in every other ep back and forth, bored *sigh*

Doesn't that mean by the time EH got all antidote, it will be ep24? Haha. I still want more from LMH, the man could have made Young sizzling hot, at the same time made us proud. More action, more energy, MOREEEEEE..gah.. *run to hide*

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just wanted to say thank you for the recap. makes it easier to understand the drama. :-)

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CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PLEASE explain to my CY's coded message to the king. I came to read the recap hoping to understand but I'm still confused on what it is that Gongmin realized about what Young "was really saying"? What was the coded message about the seal! HELP?????? please :)

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CY was trying to make Gongmin see that he shouldn't cling to the royal seal -- since that seal had been given to Gongmin by the YUAN emperor and was thus a symbol of Yuan's mastery over its vassal state Goryeo. And over Goryeo's king.
Therefore, if Gongmin truly wanted to be a good king and leader of a country that wouldn't bow down to Yuan anymore, he should denounce the seal from Yuan and instead create a new seal, that would be Goryeo's own.

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Oh! i got that, but for some reason I though it was another secret plan message, b/c he seemed so shocked when he "realized" the supposed coded message. To me it sounded like CY's meaning was obvious and should've been known instantly to the king when CY asked "who" exactly gave him the seal. Oh well. lol thanks!!!

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Episode was great! Loved the action, especially the fight with DH, well it wasn't really a fight, just DH getting his ass kicked. I was hoping that CY would zap that sucker with some lightning power. Bzzzzzz!
The scenes with the couples were sweet as well, especially CY feeding ES, I was like awwwww.

Can't wait for the next episode, keep up the good work Faith!

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At last! Let's be done with evil eyebrow-raising villain. Bring on more of the better-looking, smarter baddie for this conflict!

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Dramabeans needs a "I like" button!

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loveee how CY kicked DH's ass, he really didn't saw it coming, he thought since he's royalty CY would bow to him! ha, eat that DH! and sooo sweet how CY took care of ES, love them when their together! can't wait for ep 16. thanks soo much for the recap!

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Someone explained about LMH acting in faith and i strongly without any doubt 100% agree.
Tq jb for your nicest recap always

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Such a tender episode. I like it that they're taking the blossoming of love so slow...although everyone else pretty much assumes she's Choi Young's woman.

Incidentally, I'm tickled to see what their idea of a person from heaven is. In my frame of reference a person from heaven wouldn't be so prone to the troubles regular humans are prone to. Should she, for instance, be in danger of being poisoned? Should she be able to fall in love or be terrified by the baddies? But this all seems to be acceptable to the folks in pre-Josen time (in this drama at least.) So I'll accept it.

Gotta say that my heart totally leaped with joy to see Ki Chul. Don't know why cause as a villain he's pretty much a paper tiger when compared to DH. But there is something so dang flamboyant about Ki Chul that --well, it would appear I've developed a bit of an affection for him -- and his villainous accessory.

Thanks for the recap. Great as usual.

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Tq...JB for your recap..the best ever kdrama..need more energetic and emation LMH...

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Alright just sharing something I came up with... I don't know if you guys remember the time DH asked KC for ES to become his queen? Well I think he wants her to become queen in order to have CY under his power...

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I watched #15 yesterday (Monday) without
any English subs. In a strange way, it was
EASIER to watch because I didn't need to
read anything, so all that I had to do was
just enjoy the acting.

What I love about jb's and gf's recaps is
the explanations that make sense of the
story. Previously, I had NO CLUE about the
important meaning of the king changing
robes, and for this episode the fact that
the king's seal of office said (pretty much)
that Goryeo was a puppet state, and the
king was a puppet, too. THANK YOU to
the both of you, for your brilliant, inciteful,
and ALWAYS very witty recaps.

I love this series........a lot.
I love the "onion layers" to the characters.
Although it....IS....making me crazy, trying
to figure out how it's going to end. Both
stay in the Goryeo past? Both end up in
2012 Seoul "heaven?"

And I enjoyed reading post #31, by "Callie."
I agree 100% with her review of LMH's acting.
Restrained when called for, explosive when
necessary. Yeah, yeah, the guy isn't too ugly.
But damn, he knows how to act. Just watch
any scene on BOF where he battles against
his evil mom. That actress was so good that
she should have been able to mop the floor
with LMH. Instead it was an even match-up.
Call it a "Clash of the Titans," if you will.
I rest my case..........

And the scene of LMH touching Eun-soo's
shadow/silhouette (sp?) shadow on that
window screen? One of the reasons why
I love Korean TV dramas. A brilliant scene.
Hey....that must mean that I'm brilliant too,
for noticing it. Ha, ha. :) :)

So does anybody know when the DVD for
"Faith" will be out? :)

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I loved this episode. I don't know how, but I've reached the point where Faith is my favorite currently running show. You know those times when beyond rhyme or reason, you just like something? Well, I like Faith. I'm also a romantic sap, so of course I enjoyed the scene where Eun Soo regains consciousness - he took her hand! Sigh. I haven't been this excited by hand holding in a long time.

Fangirling aside, I really look forward to the death of wannabe king Deok-heung. I understand that Choi Young couldn't kill him because Jang Bin hasn't figured out the antidote yet, but oh how I wish he would. I kept making slashing marks at my computer screen. It says a lot about the writing that I can't stand a character to this degree. Ki Chul seems such a foolish villain by comparison.

And this princess is awesome. Isn't she?

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The boy in ES 's dream can't be CY because Ki Chul was said " A thousand years ago"

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So then Eun Soo must be Hwata eh? I kinda suspected it from the beginning. This explains how Hwata would know to say she is from Heaven and by that time she would've also done the calculations to know when the door opens and would know just when to leave. Although it begs the question at some point Eun Soo would have to arrive in Goryeo before she could go back to 1000s of years prior (in the future from POV of 2012 Seoul) as Hwata, but that means no one in Goryeo would have the knowledge of Hwata and hence no one would think of using the portal to get the divine healer. So then Eun Soo herself would've have come in the first place. Oh the paradox. Well..... I guess there would be no "first time," the loop must go on to infinity on both sides. Every-time she arrives in Goryeo, her future self would have already traveled back thousands of years as Hwata thereby facilitating her own arrival.

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My take on the time-travelling aspect of the show and the meaning of Eun Soo's foreboding dream is that Eun Soo comes back to the present time and tried to go back again to the past since life for her would never be the same again after all she had experienced in Goryeo. Though somehow she managed to go back to the past, it's not when Choi Young and the others exist but an earlier era thus the list of dates in her diary. I also think her future self as Hwata tried to send a cryptic message to the current Eun Soo in the Goryeo era as though to tell her (this I hope) not to go back to the present time 2012 Seoul but instead remain in the past with Choi Young. But then again, if the current Eun Soo decides not to go back to the present, Hwata will not exist and everything she knows of history will be messed up.

Well, it's really difficult when you incorporate time and space into the equation. It's bound to be an unending loop. However, I do remember reading in the synopsis of Faith somewhere that Choi Young and Eun Soo's love transcends time and space so I'm hoping the writers will be able to pull off a satisfying ending and give us viewers the happiness of seeing our couple get to have their happy ending.

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You are right Sonia , I think that way too

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Thanks for the recap!

I really really really like where this show is going! At first I didn't like the bad guys, but now that DH is in the equation, it makes KC more interesting; I prefer seeing him struggle with his own monster creation (well technically, he didn't create DH, 'cause I'm sure DH was waiting for a good opportunity, but he did unleash the wrong guy. I like when bad guys do mistakes as well). I can't wait to see how everything will turn out! ES's foreseer dreams is also keeping the Hwata mystery up, and I love it! I do hope we'll have some more animated scenes like in the beginning. I can't wait to have the time-travel explanations...I expect it to be simpler than Dr Jin, that's to say, not some time loops or whatever, but rather to me, ES is part of history, so everything already happened in history the way she's now seeing, with her future self having traveled even further in the past and becoming Hwata, then finally going home. Then I ask myself; holy crap, how the Hell is that show going to manage a happy ending? wait, is there any happy ending planned at all? I was already heart-broken when she said her farewell to Noguk while knowing the poor queen would die (from pregnancy, is it? I don't remember), leaving Gongmin devastated. And isn't CY supposed to die too??? Augh I don't want to see that!!! :'(

The romance is getting really great, I loved the chemistry between ES and CY. Loved that they get to talk more and more, loved that so poetry-like moment when CY reaches for the shadow of her face on the door...but seriously, I do hope they kiss some time in the show, because it's getting frustrating! They look so good together! I want them to cuddle!

Btw, about hugs - ES's hug to Noguk and Noguk's to Gongmin were adorable... <3

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Thank u JB, awesome recap. I am loving the new bad guy. I wonder what will happen to ES does she return to the future or remain in the past?

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