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Faith: Episode 17

A big episode in several ways: For one, our underdog team of palace refugees takes strides toward reclaiming their rightful positions. Our heroes find themselves with their backs up against a wall (and yes, also in a sexy way), and it’s up to them to find out a way out of the coil. The baddies have numbers and power on their side, but they’re not the only ones doing a little fancy maneuvering. It’s strategy on both sides… up to a point. If this were a chess game, I’d say both sides have been busily working their best battle tactics, only to find somebody ready to step in and overturn the board altogether.

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EPISODE 17 RECAP

After reading the letter from her future self (future in her lifetime, though she’s from the past, chronology-wise—now that’s not confusing), Eun-soo storms up to Deok-heung and asks him point-blank, “Are you intending to kill Choi Young today?” Where is the trap being set?

He doesn’t even bother to deny it, surprised enough to ask, “How did you know?”

Eun-soo tells him it was written in her diary. Uh, do you really want to show your hand about that diary? Crying now, she offers to do anything he wants if he’ll save Young. His mood goes from dismissive to interested—hm, surely there’s some way for him to spin this to his advantage.

Young makes his way to his destination, but looks around warily as he walks. Please tell me you can sense the trap. On a nearby rooftop, a team of archers waits for their moment, and a team of swordfighter assassins stealthily follows. There are ambushers dispersed all around, keeping Young in their sights.

He enters a house and joins senior statesmen Lee Je-hyun and Lee Saek in their temporary hideaway. He asks who else knows of their travel plans, and whether the royal seal they’re carrying is so important—sure, it’s symbolic, but a new one can always be produced. He wants to know whether they’re being followed for that seal, or a different reason.

Lee Saek wonders where the owner of this house went—he’s nowhere to be seen. Young is immediately suspicious, and rightly so, since the assassins are busily blocking off all exits with wooden beams, then nailing them in place.

Deok-heung explains the trap to Eun-soo, saying that Young would be hard to kill by the sword. Thankfully Ki Chul alerted him to Young’s weakness, honor, and that’s something he can use against him. Said the one with no honor.

Eun-soo argues that there’s no need to kill him now. He’s not Woodalchi’s leader, and he doesn’t strike unless in defense. Deok-heung replies that Young is an interference in making Eun-soo one of his people. Is it me, or this whole faith-as-romantic-metaphor thing getting a bit much for anyone else? We get it. He adds, “I must have you in order to also have Ki Chul.”

The house is laced with gunpowder, ready to go off. Trapped inside, Young takes stock of his surroundings, looking for an avenue out.

Eun-soo asks what she must do for him to call it off. He answers, “How about marrying me?” As enticement, he holds up a letter—it will order the mission to stop. Eun-soo asks if that’s all, like he’s asking her to do something silly and inconsequential: “Then let’s do it.”

With a smirk, he sends a messenger to deliver the letter. There’s not much time to spare, because poised outside is an archer with a flaming arrow, ready to fire.

Inside the house, Young tests their exits, frustration mounting to find that they’re sitting ducks. Finally, he just pulls back and SLAMS his way through the door, sending it flying off its hinges. That’s… it? Granted he’s got superhuman powers, but sigh. I just wish the show made its visual moments worthy of the story it wants to tell.

Young bursts outdoors with his sword at the ready… and finds the courtyard empty. He sees the trail of gunpowder, but no sign of the enemy. They’ve been called off.

Jang Bin gives Eun-soo the confirmation that Young and his Suribang mates have departed safely. He takes note of her subdued demeanor, and Eun-soo informs the doctor of her deal to marry.

Young delivers the statesmen to a different hideaway, this one housing the king and queen. He takes issue with the open door policy (since he’s been meeting with commoners to hear their issues), but Choong-seok says that it’s the king’s orders. Young barks, what if there are assassins lurking? Hilariously, Choong-seok says (obviously reciting Gongmin) that they are to look carefully and pick out foes by sight and sense. Ha. Is prayer and wishful thinking also a part of that policy?

Young parts company with the group, but is stopped by Lee Je-hyun. To his utter surprise, the man thanks him for protecting him. I suppose it’s a rather significant overture from the stuffy old scholar.

Gongmin invites Lee Je-hyun and Lee Saek to sit at the table. They balk—how could they dare? Noguk tells them that there’s no distinction between classes at this table, and the men sit. Gongmin hands them a roster of names and explains his intention to nullify the slave standings of everyone who was demoted from citizen status in the past decade.

Young can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong, and worries to his aunt. The enemy was just about to flatten them with explosives, but suddenly backed out. Why? He doesn’t see Ki Chul going to these lengths to assassinate a few advisors, nor does he think it’s likely Deok-heung would do this over a royal seal.

Lady Choi suggests that they might have just wanted to kill Young, using the advisors as bait. But that doesn’t explain it, either: “Why me?”
Lady Choi: “Beats me.” Young complains about the lax security around this place, and his aunt adds that they have to be wary of the king’s forays outside. It’s driving Woodalchi and the princess’s warriors nuts.

She asks after the doctor, and that has Young confusedly pacing the yard. He stops in his tracks and says blankly, “I… don’t know what I’m supposed to do after this.” Aw. Funny how Young wanted nothing more than to be relieved of his duty, but when he finds himself without job, he’s at a loss.

The two advisors present Gongmin with the new state seal. He shrewdly guesses that they’re really using the seal as an excuse to size up the king—to see if he’s crazy or unstable, or perhaps so weak-hearted that he’d just hand over his throne to his uncle. Noguk adds that they’ll also be preparing to send a message to the Yuan emperor, and they’ll be wanting to know which king they ought to support. The two advisors fidget, clearly not having expected the king to be this shrewd.

Gongmin reads the new Goryeo seal and finds it satisfactory. With it, he will make his first decree: reinstate Choi Young. He outlines his recent services to the queen and country, which are enough to wipe his slate clean and return him to duty.

And not a moment too soon, given Young’s own lack of direction; Gongmin finds him sitting outside like a lump on a log. Young starts his round of scolding for the king coming out unaccompanied, launching into a litany of all the dangers he faces. Gongmin laughs, “How is it that whether you are Woodalchi or an unjustly accused criminal, whether I trust you or not, you never change?”

Gongmin asks if it’s still his dream to become an ordinary man. Young replies, “I had forgotten about that for a while.”

The king tells him of his reinstatement (and promotion), and adds the rather rueful caveat the he may end up firing him or even exiling him in the future, “Because I am the king.” Aw, is that foreshadowing the history to come? He adds, “Even so, I would like you to stay with me.”

Deoki delivers a letter from Jang Bin to the princess, which informs her of Eun-soo’s marriage plans. Noguk wonders if they have to keep this from Young, although he can tell right away from his aunt’s shiftiness that she’s hiding the news. She tells him the truth, that Eun-soo is marrying Deok-heung.

Denial is his first reaction; he tells her to cut out the joke. Lady Choi adds that Jang Bin is worried as well, and then the news sinks in. She offers to go find out what’s up since he’s likely to be in danger, but he cuts her off: “I’ll go.”

At the palace, Eun-soo is dressed in the new clothes Deok-heung sent over. I do enjoy the way she yanks on the robe in annoyance, tugs at the cumbersome layers, and in general is the farthest thing from pleased with the splendor. Off she goes to meet the groom, but she stops in her tracks to see Young outside, leaning against the building with a smile.

She brightens for a split second before realizing she’s just imagining him there. She envisions him again in the courtyard, laughing with his Woodalchi buddies.

Deok-heung invites her to sit on the throne, telling her he intends to treat her as the future queen and his wife, asking for her to treat him as king-husband. He seats himself and asks how he looks, fishing for compliments. Eun-soo, barely tolerating his company, replies that he is ambitious and greedy, willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants, without care for others.

He just chuckles and suggests that they wipe the slate clean and start over. She tells him she can forget that he poisoned her (she’s a better woman than me)—”But I can’t forgive that you tried to kill that person. I’m going to think of it every time I see you. This person tried to kill him.

He merely tells her she’s better off hiding that sentiment, since it reveals her weakness.

Young beelines for the palace’s infirmary and demands to know where she is. Jang Bin informs him that she left to see Deok-heung, but warns that the man is heavily guarded. He advises him to sit first and calm down. Young answers that he can’t—as in, he’s literally unable to make himself sit, he’s so worked up.

Deok-heung and Eun-soo sit down for refreshments, and she snipes about his underhanded tricks—he only gave her half the diary’s back material, holding on to the rest for future use. Just like he did with the (supposed) antidote, withholding it bit by bit. She wants the rest of it, and he asks what the first part read. Eun-soo says she might if he gave her the whole thing.

Deok-heung counteroffers: He’ll give it to her on their wedding night.

Just then, a disturbance arises at the door, and Young comes barging in. Eun-soo pleads for Deok-heung to call off the bodyguards before somebody gets hurt, but Young doesn’t need the help; in no time he’s downed everybody and face to face with Deok-heung, ordering him to let go of her.

The downed guards rise to attack, but Deok-heung calls them off. Young turns to Eun-soo to ask if she really intends to marry Deok-heung. She says yes and asks him to leave peacefully, because she had her reasons. He asks, “Was that reason the price for my life?” He guesses that the aborted ambush was her doing.

He turns to Deok-heung next, and she jumps in pleading for him to stop. Thankfully he holds back, and Deok-heung exits without further confrontation.

Young tells her to come with him and grabs her wrist, but she argues that the wedding will be set more than a month in the future, and she’ll be gone by then when the portal reopens. She argues, “I have things to do here!” Young: “Then tell me, so we can do them together.”

When she doesn’t answer, he sighs and concedes, “I know you wanted to run away from the start. I know that you almost died several times, that you haven’t slept soundly for one night, that you’ve cried, that it’s all because of me. I know that, but still. I can’t leave you with a bastard like him. You may not have many days left before you go, but I can’t leave you with someone like him for your remaining time. So can’t you be with me instead?”

She stares at him with those big teary eyes through his speech, and perhaps decides to let it all out, because she asks if he’ll believe what she has to say, even if it’s strange. She says that the back portion of her diary warned of a day that would bring danger to somebody—him. She’s only read the first half, and she fears that the rest includes more information about dangers to his safety. That’s why she has to stay here.

He steps forward, advancing toward her step by step, and she inches backward till her back’s against the wall. He plants his hand on the wall, leaning in, reminding her that Deok-heung poisoned her: “You would marry a man like that to save me?”

She protests that she can’t know this and not try to save him. Wouldn’t he do the same for her?

Young pulls her toward him. Holding her, he sighs, “What are we to do with you?”

Deok-heung returns to his chamber and pulls out the diary pages from his chest. He takes the last page and burns it. Eek!

Gongmin sits with Young for a strategy session. He wants to remove his usurping uncle from his throne, but they’re facing an uphill battle. One, the statesmen see him as a weak king who ran away. Second, the two thousand palace guards are currently protecting Deok-heung. Third, Ki Chul is allied with Deok-heung, and his own private army will add to those numbers.

Young addresses each serious problem calmly, if vaguely, about how he’ll figure out something. There are only fifty Woodalchi so they can’t take them on in an armed clash: “But we’ll have to find a way that doesn’t require confrontation.”

Gongmin hands him his papers and adds pointedly that he heard of Eun-soo’s upcoming wedding plans and is worried Young will run off with her. It’s his way of reminding him of his post.

Lady Choi comes to visit Eun-soo and asks straight-out: “What mess have you made?” Ha, I do love that she’s a straight shooter. Eun-soo says defensively that she has no intention of marrying, and that she can just get engaged for now and break it off later. Lady Choi counters that this is royalty—how can she jilt him? Eun-soo: “Is that… not possible?” Heh. Is that… not obvious?

Eun-soo gripes about Young storming in here and insisting she run off with him. Lady Choi points out that absconding with a royal’s fiancée equates to immediate death by dismemberment: “The queen sent me here, to knock some sense into you.”

Eun-soo says she only said she’d marry him—you know, like, using words. That’s all. To which Lady Choi takes a look around and points out all the wedding gifts she has accepted. Eun-soo makes a feeble defense, which cracks me up; she couldn’t read the letter because she’s not so good with hanja, and the gifts were just delivered here. She wonders, “Should I return them?” Lady Choi just heaves a sigh. Heh. It’s not a comic scene, but there is a nice hint of wry humor woven through it. Mostly ’cause Lady Choi’s awesome.

Eun-soo starts in on the Young complaints, wondering how he could be so reckless, just barging in and fighting off the king’s guards. She says it in the He’s so strange to act that way tone of voice, not seeing the flipside to the argument that says, Yes it’s crazy, but it’s YOU that drives him to act that way. Eun-soo says frustratedly that there’s no pleading or crying or convincing Young to be careful when he only ever says it in words (not actions). Yet at those words, a look enters Lady Choi’s eye—please tell me you’re formulating a plan!

Young accompanies Gongmin’s retainer to the throne room to deliver the king’s decree to the court. Sitting on the throne is Deok-heung, ostensibly as the king’s proxy though he’s certainly getting comfy up there, presiding like he’s already the new ruler.

The message is a surprising one, since it praises Deok-heung for his service as regent in the king’s absence. Ah, so you’re going to do this the sneaky way; I approve. The king announce his intent to resume political business and invites his council to join him at his current residence for an assembly. It also confers new duties to Young, who states his official acceptance of the decree, and announces his first task to Deok-heung: “That throne you sit upon may only be used by the king. Please step down.”

Deok-heung calls Ki Chul to see him, and I’m actually cheering up at this entrance; I missed you, crazy. He tells Ki Chul that the king has changed up his tactics, and is removing things from within the palace (from Deok-heung’s grasp) without even stepping foot in it. He sent Young to do it, and you can bet that the good doctor will be first on the list of things to be reclaimed.

Deok-heung says that there’s only one thing to do, and Ki Chul agrees. He declares, “I will attack the king.” However, he still needs a pretext to justify the action, and Deok-heung offers to rustle one up.

Ki Chul has a niggling feeling that Eun-soo hasn’t been totally honest with them, however (you think?), and finds it odd that she would offer up the fact that heaven’s door opens in two months. Especially with the wedding in one month. He deduces that the real portal date is much sooner than she let on.

Hwasuin appears outside the king’s door, having heard of his open door policy. The Woodalchi point out that she’s excluded, but she warns that escalating a confrontation will lead to a lot of injuries. And they’re in an area with a lot of innocent bystanders. Frustrated, they don’t block her way, although they do keep her at sword’s length.

Eum-ja drops in on them from the rooftop to join her and reports that the Woodalchi presence here is light today. It disappoints her; Hwasuin seems to have been itching for more confrontation. Curiously though, they just leave, without pressing for an audience with the king. Ah, this was a recon mission, not an attack.

As she exits, Hwasuin tosses something behind her, and the Woodalchi—remembering the last time she did such a thing, all hit the ground and brace for explosion. Only, today it’s just a little wooden statue, ha.

Eun-soo slips out of her room that night, not seeing that she’s got a palace guard on her tail. The guard creeps into the room after her… only to get knocked out by a fist to the face as Young swoops in, all casual as you please.

He watches Eun-soo rifle through drawers and bookshelves, clearly on a hunt for her diary. A ceramic dish falls off the shelf, and thankfully for her inept burglaring skills, Young catches it before it crashes to the ground. He informs her that the diary isn’t in this room, and she whispers that they ought to check the next one, then. As they head out, Eun-soo gasps as the fallen palace guard starts to stir, only to get clubbed unconscious again by Young. Heh.

Young leads her down the hallway and ducks into a closet-like area to avoid the patrolmen making the rounds. While they wait for the coast to clear, he asks what the diary holds other than warnings about him—does it describe dangers to herself? She says no, and he replies, “Then give up.”

She starts to protest, but he tells her that he has never once wanted to know her future knowledge: “I don’t care about when I die.” Yeah, I’m pretty sure we got that in Episode 1.

Eun-soo replies, “But then there’s nothing I can do for you.” She knows they’ll have to part ways soon, and it’s a forever kind of separation—not the kind where you can hope to run into each other coincidentally. “But on the other side of that door, knowing you’re alive, and living well—I have to be able to think that. How can I give up?”

On Young’s orders, the Woodalchi have been closely watching the king’s guard and report on who’s loyal to whom. He takes a secret meeting with a former colleague in the palace’s guard. These are men who turned on the king and were bribed heavily to do it—and yet, he asks if they would consider returning to the king’s service. They ask when.

So begins the recruiting process, of getting the army back on Gongmin’s side. Sneaky.

Or… maybe not quite as stealthy as they think, because Deok-heung supposes that this is Young’s first goal. Ki Chul decides to make his assassination sooner rather than later, before the other side get too many men to switch teams. Deok-heung has thought up the perfect cover, to coincide with his wedding. On the route back after the ceremony, the king’s party will meet with a band of robbers. In fact, Ki Chul has his men preparing lots of robbers’ disguises, as they speak.

Afterward, Queen Eun-soo will embark on a short trip—and Deok-heung can take her to the portal then. Huh, so you’re just gonna let her go then?

The date of the wedding: the day after tomorrow.

Young also feels the time pressure, though he can’t know just how pressed he really is. Lady Choi urges him to be careful, earning a hilarious outburst: “I am being careful! How can I possibly be any more careful?!” Haha. She just wants a more secure plot that’ll get Deok-heung out of the palace—say, find him guilty of treason somehow—but he argues that they don’t have that much time. Eun-soo returns to her world by the next full moon.

Lady Choi wonders whether he’s tried asking Eun-soo if she has any desire to stay. He answers that she’s got zero shred of desire to remain here.

Lady Choi’s words must have gotten Eun-soo thinking, because she wraps up all the wedding gift boxes in a curtain and drags the bundle along, throwing them into Deok-man’s room. She tells him they can both cut it out now—neither has any intention of marrying, and she knows he was using her to deal with Ki Chul.

He asks, “Do you not want to become queen?” She declares, “I told you, you’ll never be king.” He asks if she no longer needs her diary, and she answers yes—she’s given up on it. Yay!

Half-amused at this last-minute wrench in his plans, Deok-heung admits it’s a setback but asks what the diary is—perhaps he could be persuaded to give up the rest, if her case is that compelling. She answers merely that it’s her homework, left behind for her to solve. But she has decided to give up on it and spend her remaining time “stuck close by him”: “I may not know the question, but I can figure out the answer.”

Deok-heung sees that she’s serious, and tells her sternly that if she walks out of the engagement, it will bring trouble to her and Choi Young. Say, exile—and that’s a lenient punishment. She scoffs that Ki Chul won’t like that, and he points out that he could give them both to Ki Chul, as slaves. That’ll be the day, she says, since he’d never allow himself to be taken as a slave.

He rattles off the math: 50 Woodalchi versus his army of 2,000. If Gongmin’s life were at risk, Young would yield. In fact, “He seemed to place his king above his sweetheart.”

He’s got her there.

The three Suribang fighters keep a close eye on Ki Chul’s household, and when a delivery rolls up to the gate, they maneuver a theft of one of the parcels. Inside: robbers’ clothing.

In the morning, Eun-soo is given the surprise news: Get ready, ’cause there’s gonna be a wedding today. Lady Choi tries to buy time, asking for a moment to change clothing, only to find that Deok-heung has thought to make all the preparations.

Eun-soo is escorted to the main hall wearing a long face, anxious and out of tactics. She’s brought to the throne room and greeted by Deok-heung, who proposes a short walk outside.

Just then, Young comes storming in, alone. It’s Ki Chul who steps forward to stop him, placing an icy hand on his shoulder. His hand starts to frost, and Young counters by grabbing Ki Chul’s hand and shooting his lightning ki back.

Today, it’s no contest: Young easily forces his hand off, to Ki Chul’s wide-eyed shock. He casts him aside, and Eun-soo steps foward to warn him of the attack on the king. But Young already knows this, saying they have little time.

Eun-soo urges him to go. Young replies, “There’s no other way.” With that, he pulls her to him for a kiss.

Game over?

 
COMMENTS

Whee, a kiss! It’s about time, after dancing around their feelings for each other for ages. Not that I blame them for hesitating on acting on their feelings, what with the whole time-space divide and all the pesky political intrigue intruding on smoochy times. Nothing like a little murderous plotting to put the kibosh on romance.

I’m not about to complain about getting a kiss—no way—but the last scene does happen to be another unfortunate instance where I feel the execution falls flat in a way that intrudes on the emotions. We’re riding the tension of the moment, seeing Eun-soo’s panic mounting with her ambush wedding (that would be the worst, and therefore most hilarious, reality show ever), and then we sweep in with a very oddly modernistic grand gesture. I have no issues with fusion sageuks playing fast and loose with historical accuracy when in service of a good story. However, you’ve gotta admit that the romantic gesture is a bit at odds with the setting, the time, the place… When the story isn’t served by the anachronism, I can’t help but laugh when instead I really, really want to swoon.

It’s sadly my big issue with this drama, that we can see very clearly what the drama intends to be doing with a scene, and yet, it so rarely hits that emotional point. Take, for instance, the ki-off between Young and Ki Chul, which really deserved way more weight, didn’t it? It just felt like such a puny delivery of a monumental change in the tide, where Young is so overcome with the need to act—finally! No more indifference, or standing idly by!—that something that once nearly incapacitated him now just takes a mere fling of a wrist. I feel like we needed to see this moment happen, with a lot more importance—but in a different context. When Ki Chul is our main antagonist, not just the lackey for the bad guy, because then it carries such more significance.

This is similar to the earlier scene where Young knocks down the door, and that single shove somehow overcomes all that sneaking and planning enacted by the assassins. I know what they intend by these scenes, yet I don’t feel any of it (thanks, PD-nim), and therefore I’m not really all that invested in what happens. Knowing there ought to be tension doesn’t create tension, sadly.

Thankfully, in the absence of a proper buildup and payoff, we have two actors who are settling into a nice groove, with chemistry that crackles. When they’re allowed to be in a scene together, that is. (Howsabout we get some more of that, hmm?)

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He did it! He kissed his girl in front of all his sworn adversaries and sealed his claim to her once and for all, while my favorite song Carry On played in the background. This is the same Lee Min Ho, with whom I fell in love in Personal Preference.

Ah, Faith as the ultimate antidote to all the drive-by fast-food Korean dramas that litter the landscape! Faith is like an endless game of chess. Sorry, but you have to be cerebral to appreciate this drama.

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LOL. What a good reply to those who aren't into Faith

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Thank you for the recap!

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hi ivoire.. just curious ... you usually are a person to give long and in depth comments about your view after each episode recap... i enjoy them a lot.... it's a concern and disappointment for me not see much of u in the comments this time as i was looking forward to it ... hope ur well... this is just a sincere concern... pls don't think of me as snoopy or nosey

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I totally agree with. Faith has everything everyone could ask for :)

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If we were to judge a period drama by its authenticity, then doesn't even Arang Saddo fail the test?

Take, for example, how Arang the protagonist talks, rather screeches (jjongal jjongal, as described by various characters within the drama). Surely, no one spoke like that at that time. And how she so freely and openly appears in public with Ju Wal so often in broad daylight. Yet, it never diminishes my enjoyment of the drama. in fact, I don't even think about it as I wath it. And I love Arang Saddo.

Likewise, the fusionistic kiss scene in this episode of Faith registered nothing out of place until I read Javabeans' comment. Which gives me to think that there is something else, other than authenticity, that is at work.

I don't know what it is. Honestly, I find nothing wrong with Faith. Its directing, lighting, characterization and OSTs all smack of extraordinary artistry and sensibilities that cannot bother with same old, same old. Together with its thoroughly-modern OST songs, make-believe elements like sigong, time travel and door to heaven, and a hero who makes life-or-death decisions in lightening speed (in contrast, the Saddo in Arang needs at least one full episode to work his way through each new puzzle!), Faith is more like a high-brow game than a stilted, conventional period drama.

As for Faith not striking the emotional fuse, it is what makes Faith so refreshing. Here in the US, we live by the adage, Less Is More. This is why most American TV dramas allow one climax in each episode, rather than in every scene. Believe me, being called over-the-top is not a good thing here.

I get the impression that some viewers are looking for things in Faith that it never intended to give. If only they stop expecting the same old from Faith and start seeing it for what it is, maybe a few of them will change their mind.

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I'm not following Arang, so no comment on that. But do agree largely with what you wrote especially your last paragraph. For me, a good or bad show is subjective. With Faith, I just love the character-driven story and that what makes me stick with it.

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I'm a Faith fan and am loving the show~ but I'm with JB on this one ;<

This show was so amazing when it started and now it kinda seems that its slacking off in some ways~ the directing is one <.< especially the last few episodes...

This show could be so much better & honestly there is only so much an actor can do -_- Character wise i'm ok with everyone though... Ki Chul seems to have disappeared ~ with the appearance of the new BIG BAD WOLF (Deok-heung) Ki Chul seems to have been pushed aside and turned into a #2 bad guy... which is sad to see when he was such a promising bad guy with some deep dark secret~~

Baaaa this show frustrates me so much... but i still love it :/

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ur rite it's an awesome story that reaches deep into the heart.... but the story is not displayed or portrayed well... that why this drama doesn't go over the top... still i'm in love with it but that's the problem i'm only in love with it when i should be heels over head for it.... just makes me wonder how good faith would be if if is executed well... that doesn't stop me from being a faith fan... and once again lee min ho is so DAMN SMOKING HOT... (the baddies don't need to fire him up with explosives he's already hot enough to the extremes :))

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Good post, Dominque.

dunno if its because i'm from texas, but i find it intensely SEXY when a man acts quickly on a decision. i am attracted to the confident, take action, do the right thing kind of guy. it's a huge TURN ON. the loooong drawn, polite sweep under the carpet crap in most dramas bores me to tears. and although some say this is a long drawn-out romance, we see this couple developing a friendship because of the emotional bonds they build. also, this drama certainly does not lack action.

really love how the directing balanced that. show makes a point and then moves on. i.e., the freezing/lightning act between Ki Chul and Young. we are a smart group of viewers, we get the point. give us more story.

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About what you said - it's not because you're from Texas. I feel the same way. I've always liked Lee Min-ho, but I have never liked him so much as I do in this role. And it is because of that decisiveness, that making a decision and sticking by it without hesitation. Such a turn on ;-)

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yes I highly agree that the drama is cerebral, there are other dramas that I can watch here and there and can still follow, but for faith, its seems I am forced to watch ep by ep to follow the plots and storyline. Happy that the chemistry is starting to heat up!

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What more can I say? Loved. This. Episode.

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Thank you!
This episode is so hot, especially the cliffhanger. :)

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Love this drama...Thank you for your recap.

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The look in Ki Chul's face when Choi Young grab his wrist at the end?Priceless! No Ki Chul's power can stop Young...

And the kiss... When Young said "There's no other way".. I just know the kiss is gonna happen. Can we have "there's no other way" situation all the time please?

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I second that.
More "There's no other way" moments in the remaining episodes would be perfect! ^^

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Ok so I already watched the episode and read another recap on a different blog - and I'm still super excited to see the DB recap! Thanks so much...I generally (read: always) refresh a bat-sh*t-crazy amount of times every Monday and Tuesday for this show!

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where is the other blog, if i may ask??

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Scattered Joonie live recaps Faith on her blog as well with Softy from SoulsRebels, they Live recap it first and it's posted early in the morning and then she edits it during the day.

http://joonni.com/

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Not sure which sites L.Kwon go to, but I usually go to joonni and faith soompi (which is like the English epicenter of all things Faith-related).

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Softy is doing the live recap at Joonni's blog. http://www.joonni.com

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Also, could anyone enlighten me what IMJA means?
CY always mention it whenever he is with ES/
Thanks much ... same with recommended blogs.
Cheers!

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[ Imja = "you" but respectful and slightly intimate ]

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you will never be able to charge me as a traitor!!!

<---loyal dramabeans (only) recap reader.

lol.

this ad was brought to you, in part, by LOVE YOUR CAPPERS, inc.

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tbh--i really don't have time for other blogs, that's why i'm so grateful to dramabeans...but don't tell javabeans that...let her believe i'm a true loyalist.

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lol no traitor here, I adore DB!!! I just enjoy reading different people's opinions as well ;)

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thanks for IMJA meaning...
also, i appreciate all your help about other blogs.
i am just wondering what others are thinking about the
drama.
anyways, i still believe Dramabeans still have the best insights/recaps... especially grammar-wise.
Cheers!

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Thanks for the recap!

Kya! Be still my heart! We have tonight's episode... Can't wait!

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As much as I love Deok-heung (since he's so much better than Ki Chul at being a deliciously conniving smarmy bastard) sometimes I just want to kick him in the love below. He's such a little inferiority-complexed little prick. Any who, wish the kiss had been a wee bit better. I mean, come on, lay one on her LMH!!!! If not for yourself then do it for me so I can live vicariously through Kim Hee Sun keke. I kid, I kid. Sorta. (:3)

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who is playing that deok heung guy? he's way good looking...kekeke...yes im shallow

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It's Park Yun Jae, he is Chae Rim younger brother

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Wow, I had no idea! That's why he looks so familiar, it's his resemblance to Noona!

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Park Yoon Jae (His sister is the actress, Chae Rim)
http://star.koreandrama.org/?p=6657

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HOLY HELL HE IS!!!

I never noticed... LMH takes too much of my attention and really.. all the woodalchi with their delicious abs

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"kick him in the love below"????

never heard that term...

LMAO...that cracks me up!!!

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Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay~

Thanks for the recap! :)

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Thanks JB for the recap!

That kiss made my day. I saw it this morning and I think I still have a permanent smile on my face. And can I just say, Lee Min-ho in grey (not 50 shades ;) ) is sooo much better looking than him in that blue outfit :D

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The end of the episode! o.O Although, you are both mature, adult people... kiss properly. =P

Also, this was the first episode that I thought Eun Soo should just tell Young what's going on... sometimes you don't really know how thing work... especially when you are a couple of years in the past! The whole marriage thing... sigh. BUT, I liked those minutes behind doors, hiding in the palace like a couple of clandestine lovers. Awwwwww... melted my heart! =)

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about the kiss, i'm totally agree with u. 'kiss properly' from my sigh that kiss looks sooo.... fake, not like lee min ho kiss in personal taste. just hope, they can do it more real. sometime i think they will not have kiss scene because the actress already married

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i think i made a good decision of not watching it....

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I compare this drama to a car wreck. You don't want to watch because it's so messy, but you can't look away. You are drawn to it....

Honestly, these recaps are the best part of the show (thank you for the wonderful writing!). I still look forward to watching Faith every week, but I tend to smack my forehead in frustration at least three times per episode.

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I'm the same. I'm in anticipation all week over it and then it comes...and then leaves me disappointed. My love for LMH must be strong indeed....

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lol....:D

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You couldn't have said better!!! So true.

And @javabeans: your recap is great as always, but aren't you a little bit too strict ? At the very end, It's a kdrama, a soap opera. We like it exactly for that. We just want to believe it.
Especially, like you said, when those two do it in such a marvelous way.

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I am so disappointed in this drama because I had high expectation after watching all the trailers. I thought it was going to be mystical and less political. However I do enjoy reading your recaps! It sure saves time! Thankyou for the recap!

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While I do think he has strong feelings for her, I believe we will learn tomorrow that the public kiss was more political maneuvering. DH would lose face now if he married ES. So while it will probably brand them both as adulterous traitors, our beloved couple will not be separated by a shotgun wedding! It buys them time and even if they have to fight their way out, that is something CY knows how to do (even if the PD can't prove it properly...ugh!!!).

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Agreed! Not only that, now the king doesn't need to get involved in the wedding. So the kiss protects her and the king.

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Oh, I haven't thought of that. LOL. But, I liked the idea. As long as it caused him to kiss her XD

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Second that notion...the intentions of THE KISS 'began' with political maneuvering.

If you watch closely, just before THE KISS, you will hear and notice Young's intentions.

I don't speak Korean, but it sounded to me like he was saying "here goes nothing..." fully well knowing that all hell would ensue. Also, the kiss started forcefully and mechanically, lacking all romance. It actually surprised me because we know the emotional bonds they both have forged for each other.

However, if Young stayed true to "a kiss for political maneuvering', the kiss would have been a brief peck and then quick smug looks tossed to Ki Chul and DH. This kiss was no brief peck...so hehe...instead of Young being able to say "there! i did it-now whacha gonna do about it?" the kiss lingered and i do believe i saw both their jaws gyrating...meaning tongue, baby. This may be TMI for some, but I can't remember a more passionate drama kiss. It actually looked real.

and I'm sorry to javabeans, but I disagree with your take on delivery of said kiss. I'm glad show ended right then and there. I think PD got it right. BAM! ! ! KISS! ! ! GOODNITE FOLKS! ! !

one thing show does right (in addition to fab-casting/costumes) is always surprising us with 'the next move' I love that about this drama.

javabeans got it right in using a chessboard as an analogy for the storyline of this drama. love it.

thanks for recap!!

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I really love the grabbing and kissing...Can i have you CY(the character)...Love the episode!And my heart goes..thump thump thump!

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Wow, that was fast! Yay!

Look, I'm not one to complain about FINALLY getting a kiss, but the melodramatic directing is really getting to me. The constant slow-mo from different directions, the frozen moment when both actors should be into the kiss (though of course the woman just stands there), the music that seems to overpower the actually acting...it's making me crazy. I really want to love this drama, but at the end of almost every episode, I've got a Wtf? expression on my face.

But I'm glad they finally kissed, even if he'll say it was the only way to get her out of the marriage. More kisses, please! Don't make it like City Hunter where we only got one kiss and then a cramp ending!

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Lol I meant "crap ending."

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I got cramps from the ending of City Hunter! It still hurts!!!!

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Right? Ugh, bad ending.

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no it definitely wasn't a bad ending it was a very, very, bad lousy ending.... come to think of it in the past three dramas lee min ho has starred only personal taste has a perfect ending .... not blaming the actor but simply stating my own view and a fact..... i still love you lee min ho oppa!!

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still cramping over City Hunter.

such a WOW drama to end on a bed of wet, cold, slimy, bloated, wheat-based noodles.

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That bothered me too--that Eun Soo just stood there with that awkward half-squint expression after being kissed. But my first thought wasn't that it was bad acting, more like that she intended that for a reason. Eun Soo may not be sure of her feelings for Choi Young. She explained to the doctor that her heart never opened completely to anyone. I'm mad though, because I want to swoon at their first kiss and instead I'm wondering why the hell Eun Soo has that weird sort of vibe.

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LOL me too :D
In my head, I was yelling at Eun-Soo to please shut her eyes. But, I'm just thinking up an excuse for her reactions, that she kept her eyes half open because there were so many people watching them. Espeically because she's gotta watch his back in case someone tries to hurt him while he was enjoying their kiss with his eyes closed. Hahaha! :D

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"she's gotta watch his back in case someone tries to hurt him while he was enjoying their kiss with his eyes closed."

Hahah! That's hilarious! He sure wasn't watching her back.

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good reasoning... now i can finally forgive her for not responding to him... ha ha .... i hope she does not have to watch his back the next time they kiss.... if they do kiss... anyways i'm thankful that we at least got a kiss... i was doubting wether there would be one cox kim hee sun's married.

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Finally... It's here! It's here!
THE KISS :-)
Yipee!!!

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Man good thing i'm not watching this anymore. 'Cause the scenes sure look so much better in my head!

Before, I never really gave the director a thought. I just didn't understand the importance of composition and pace, stuff like that. But... after this drama, it really really really highlights the need for a good director.

Sigh. sad.

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Yes, half the time, I have to re-imagine the romantic scenes to satisfy myself, as perverse as that sounds...

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Not following the show anymore but still catching up on the story through dramabeans for quick recaps. Great work, JB and Gf! :-)

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Even when I think there are things about this drama that just don't quite work the way they should, the one thing that does consistantly work is the chemistry between the two leads. The scene where he backed her up against the wall was smokin! And the kiss has potential. We'll see where it goes tomorrow.

Thanks for the re-cap!

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Yess. And the whole epic love dramaland almost complete... Where do u go from here writers... Please oh please be genius and amazing to continue it... Be bold and awesome in developing the next rendition... This drama is an Ace
Thank you recap-ers without you we all be lost of trails from this wonderful drama journey... Although, I must say just watching them (CY and ES) minus the sub, I feel the emotion and it's gonna stay for ... hmh ... long enough I've guess 

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Game over. I liked that, javabeans.

Seems like Eun Soo's knowledge of the future should hold more clout with, well - all of the males, actually. I mean, Deok Heung ain't gonna be king. Choi Young is famous in heaven's history. So stop trying to self-terminate. And Ki Chul, you gonna die in 4 years. End of conversation.

I have an idea. Random, though. I put in my two-handed vote for a Wudalchi calendar. Like the Firefighters Calendars, yes! What say you, promo crew?

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This kiss isn't quite in the same league as the Game Over kiss. That one is just epic. I could pretty much watch it on continuious loop. But the moment sort of had the same feel.

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Game Over Kiss is still the best LMH kiss.

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agree.......the game over kiss is the best that lee minho do. this kiss is sooo.....feel awkard for me. hope they can do it better if there is one.

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Ha ha! And thats why whenever i watch a LMH drama and he has a kiss scene i spam my friend's fb wall with 'they game overed!' and she knows its time to start watching the drama lolz

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WUDALCHI CALENDARS???????

oh hell yeah!

i need to wallpaper the bathroom anyways, i'll take a box of them!!!!

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ahhhhh.... finally.... the kiss i mean... though i do agree even from just reading recaps of the show that bits of it are jarring... i dunno if i can actually watch the show... well... mayb jus for LMH.

thanks for the recap.

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I love this episode. This show, even with the mistakes and fails, the good things are much better!

I understand javabeans's good criticism but I wish you could stop complaining in every Faith recap about how bad or how dissapointed is xD!

It has problems but the show have a lot of heart ^_^

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I love Faith, I always end up watching it before it's completely subbed, and my day gets brighter because I know a new episode of Faith will come out today. So I'm always surprised when I hear other people say its boring, or that their disappointed in it, or that they don't enjoy how the actress portrays Eun Soo. I keep thinking, are we watching the same show? Eun Soo always has these funny reactions and she livened up the show for me, and I love the chemistry between Choi Young and Eun Soo. I also really like how that Suribang Ahjumma talks. (Does anyone know her name? Or what other drama she appears in?)

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Well put. I, too, often wonder if we are watching the same show.

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Yes, well put. And I always think this way when my "love" is someone else's "hate." Same show?

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Someone once commented how she feels so bad when people bash dramas that others r clearly enjoying and i remember telling her to just roll with it, people's opinions and all but now i get it. I mean theres people that have been complaining about this drama for like 17 eps straight, and theres nothing new either its just same ol complaints! Its so offputting to be honest, if u gonna criticise atleast give valid reasons not 'the original trailer was so good' complaint over and over!
Oh btw that ahjumma was in 'Tales of a gisaeng' coincidentally with mr flute killer! Funny how she was so evil there and he was, well an ass to begin with but totally stole my heart by the end!

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The suribang ajumma was the evil stepmother in New Tales of Gisaeng, which incidentally had Sung Hoon ( the silver haired killer-flute-player here ) as the main lead. Love that drama Gisaeng, it had a certain vibe that's quite memorable......the love protrayed by the 2 young leads there are quite something.

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I think it's only fair that JB points out the weaknesses as she also points out the good points for us to evaluate...I appreciate that. A show can be bad but we like it or very good but not to our liking.

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Well said!!!

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JB is also pointing out the good points. To be fair, she has to point out the flaws as they are quite glaring in each episode. It is not like she is the odd one out. Many here also see them.There are some sites like Faith soompi thread where fans congregate, you know.

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"I understand javabeans’s good criticism but I wish you could stop complaining in every Faith recap about how bad or how dissapointed is xD!"

Misha, your words above sound rather harsh and are highly inappropriate because this IS Javabeans' blog site and so she has every right to say whatever she wants...but you, as a visitor, has no right to do so the same, most especially if you criticise Javabeans...

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I second that!..:)

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i third that

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But I'm not criticizing her so your reply is invalid. I think you jumped too quickly in a pointless defense againts an non-existent atack.

Every recap had good points, I agree. I come here filled with joy after watching a nice episode but then I read the recap and after that I feel like a deflated ballon.

So please, there's no need to be so stressed, is not my intention to give commands to the owner of this blog. And definitly I did not criticize her.

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Thank you, excellent point , was thinking the exact same thing.

Loving this drama! Was actually happy to see KC , he's such a great bad guy. I almost died laughing when he got zapped too Bzzzzzzz lol. I hate flute boy and fire girl though, can CY zap them like lightning strike force already?

As for DH, he's cute but i hope he gets slapped up again with a side order of extra strength poison.

Loved the scenes with CY and ES, great intensity. Aunt Choi was great too, need some more Dr Jang though.

Keep up the good work Faith, woot!

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I want to bazooka the PD for making the supposedly daring brave kiss from Young ending up a lame limpy kiss on wood!
I am pretty sure Eunsoo is ready to go all in!

And for the backing-to-the-pole scene, do you notice how Eunsoo's big hair extension suddenly disappears when they shoot the scene from behind her to catch Young's face. It is utterly jarring.

Some scenes really leave much more to be desired!
Such a waste of good actors. Everyone are performing so well -- the king, princess noguk, lady choi, young, eunsoo, kichul, deuk-heung,....even the wooldachi boys are good actors...

Their costumes are very nice too. I love Eunsoo's dress in this episode.
Please change the PD!!!!!

Other than that, the story keeps me on my toes. I love the strategizing and how everyone (except the scholars boooo) have backbone!
There is no distraught princess to rescue. Everyone fights with what they have. Love. Love. Love.

One question: why Young says there is no other way? Is it that at that period time, one kiss means that lady is taken by the kisser and not pure enough to be a royalty's wife??

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*wood....i mean metaphorically. Eunsoo keeps her lips harden and eye wide open (after a short period of closing it and relaxes into the kiss). I bet Eunsoo wants to kiss Young and the PD shouts "cut...and be a wood" to her.
sigh.

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Bwahaha... reminds me of Gu Jun Pyo & Jandi at the ski resort. The PD scream cut the scene because GJP open his mouth and suddenly the kiss seemed to be bordering erotica, highly inappropriate for teenage viewers...

How lucky can these girls be and yet they can only be woods to his hot kisses...oh my, need to fan myself here!!

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The kiss between Eun-Soo and Young made my day!!! :)
When they kissed, I just started laughing so hard that I almost fell off my chair. That's because of all the places and times that they were to share their first kiss, it was infront of everyone in the royal court while she's about to get married to Crazy Uncle. It's like Young is showing off that she's his woman and at the same time, he is expressing his true romantic feelings to her. Talk about killing two birds with one stone, huh? I was also very happy to see the kissing scene between these two at last.

Hmm... I wonder what Crazy Uncle is gonna do now? LOL. Is he gonna to have Young arrested after that kiss or he is gonna attack Young like in Personal Kiss? ROTFL. Who Knows? But, I don't think that he will physically attack Young because that's not his style.

I'm so excited for the next episode to come. Why are the PD throwing us so many cliff hangers in every episodes? It's driving me crazy!!! I hate them!!!!!!!!!!!
But I Love Faith :D

Go Choi Young and Eun-Soo!!!!!!!!!! Fighting! Fighting! XD

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I love that Game Over bit at the end xD
sudden kisses are Lee Min Ho's specialty

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I have given up watching the drama a couple of eps back and decided to just stick to reading recaps. And as much as i enjoy javabeans and girlfriday's writing, i must say it sucks for y'all who continue to go through all the pain of watching this disappointing drama. Poor Lee Min Ho baby, chose a bad project this time. :(

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Anne, I respect your opinion, but I don't feel any disappointment in continuing with this drama. In fact, I'm really enjoying it. And I know a lot of other people feel the same way I do.

No, Faith isn't perfect. But for me, the good things (the well drawn characters, the acting, the time-travel mystery) outweigh all the bad (the one-dimensional baddies, the horrible directing, the heavy-handed score).

Personally, I don't understand why people feel the need to come on these message boards and leave comments that feel like attacks towards the people who are enjoying a drama. You might not like a drama, but why put others down for liking it? I felt the same way with Big. It was not a great show in the end, but I didn't want to feel like an a**hole for trying to appreciate what was good about it.

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Sorry to read that, but I don't feel dissapointed at all. I really enjoy it.

Of course the direction and editing sucks but the other things are amazing. I saw other dramas with good editing/directing and they were boring/bad acted/bad scritped as hell. So I prefer this one.

Again, sorry for you, but not for me :D

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I don't know. Everytime I watch Minho's drama online, my husband keeps saying, "he looks like a girl". He is actually lovely or pretty, and not handsome. But there is something about him that makes women swoon. I don't know. He looks terrific on screen {and looks even better in person so I've read}. He is just plain charismatic. Love this episode. I am loving the actress, but I hope next time they give him a lead actress about his age. Well, LMH is known for getting close to her leading ladies, i.e. Hye Sun after Boys Over Flowers and Park Min Yung after City Hunter. He is a ladies' man, our hero, despite looking like a girl. His smile is priceless. Love the scenes when the High Doctor sees him smiling. Anyhow, looking forward to Episode 18.

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took the words right out of my mouth!!! so agree with you

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Thanks for the recap!
I loved the "game over" reference, it is actually the first thing that came to mind when I saw this scene. The soundtrack from that scene in "Personal taste" is now stuck in my head!

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Thank you, JB, for the super quick recap.

I love ES with her practicality sooo much. Hehehe. Saying that she only say ""yes" and intent to call off the wedding as soon as the coast clear, thinking that she is still in a modern day Korea, not in the 14th century Goryeo. and the wedding gift!! the girl despises the groom, but she sure loves the wedding gift.

I am too obsessed to this drama to be able to see the glowering laughable weakness that are the low substandard directing, editing, etc. I love the characters, the OTPs, the bromance, and the fact that Faith never lost its comedic touches here and there, even in this episode, like CY knocking of the palace guard following ES, ES and Lady Choi about the wedding gift, and CY and lady Choi asking him to be careful.

Faith fighting!!!

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Yayy thanks! decided to just put my eye-rolling and face-palming into a halt and let all the grudges for poor execution go and watch this with my bitch mode off all because of my freaky fondness for LMH (though it took a lethal amount of bitching about the director, even more than ki chuls annoying face,mind you)

on the other hand, i found that wall-cornering and hard-hugging more intense than the "theres no other way" kiss.. though of course deuk heung's reaction was priceless xDD

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Kissing in the olden times especially in public is a big No-No...now that she was kissed, meaning she belonged to him? Something like that.

"Eun-soo says frustratedly that there’s no pleading or crying or convincing Young to be careful when he only ever says it in words (not actions). Yet at those words, a look enters Lady Choi’s eye—please tell me you’re formulating a plan!"

That was the plan! That was the "action"..I think so..teehee

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If you look carefully, Lady Choi expressed shock at the kiss, and so I think 'the plan', if any, does not mean the kiss...

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Could the look in Lady Choi's eyes be the dawn of the realization that Eun-soo cares as much about Choi Young as he does about her?

That was how I interpreted it...

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Especially that in Lady Choi's subsequent conversation with Young, she asked if he'd asked her to stay... Perhaps she realized that he has a chance with her?

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At first I couldn't figure out that look on Aunt Choi's face, but then came to the same conclusion as you...she is beginning to realize Eun Soo is as smitten with Choi Young as he is about her.

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Thanks so much for this recap, JB.

I can't agree with you more on everything you said in the recap and comments esp in the 1st para of your comments, esp with the following :

"However, you’ve gotta admit that the romantic gesture is a bit at odds with the setting, the time, the place… When the story isn’t served by the anachronism, I can’t help but laugh when instead I really, really want to swoon."

The kiss felt so jarringly-inappropriate that instead of feeling YAAAYYY!!!! I literally flinched so uncomfortably!!

I mean I LOVE the kissing part BUT not in this context. Contrast how I felt watching this kiss, with watching LMH kissed Son Ye Jin in the unforgettable 'Game Over' kiss...and I think you can understand how I felt.

Considering the era, such outward and blatant expressions of emotions just do not sit well with me. Which is why I LOVE and appreciate the restrained and subtle ways Gongmin and Noguk, the King and Queen, expressed their burning, smouldering love for each other, just through carefully-chosen-timed-and-expressed words and deeply meaningful looks. Soooo HOT!!!! And soooo appropriate!

I have always been an advocate of the LESS IS MORE style and it is so much a part of the era Choi Young exists in, so this kiss really makes me grit my teeth watching it. Sad but true, esp since it is LEE MIN HO kissing!!! Aaaarrrggghhhhh!!!!

Makes me wonder the same thing after watching the ‘Game Over’ kiss – is the kiss just a tool to draaaag viewers' waning attention back to the drama? I wonder...

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I was thinking about that kiss too after I was done fangirling. But I think like some comments above, to kiss in public like that means ES can't get married to DH anymore because she's a marked woman now in the eyes of those officials.

Also considering the circumstances: ES is about to get married in mere hours; CY has to go save the King soon; there's no way for ES and CY to break off the marriage without being punished to slavery like DH mentioned and Lady Choi explained; and they are pressed for time. So all in all, a kiss like that (or something outrageous) to show that ES is CY's possession would effectively stop the wedding in no time.

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I understand the urgency of the situation to warrant a grand, dramatic and outrageous act on CY's part so as not to lose ES.

But bear in mind...this is CY we are talking about...someone who does not seem to have had much experience with women except for the girl who killed herself in his past...and it IS the imperial period...where such OPEN expressions of the baser human emotions are almost always non-existent...

I think the writer/PD could have thought of something else that does not feel out of place to achieve the same desired dramatic effect...oh, I don't know...something like using his super-ki to knock ES unconscious and kidnapping her, all the while effortlessly fighting off the enemies?? Any ideas?? ;)

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Do you need experience to express love though? Even though the kiss is a political move, for so many episodes now we've seen his emotions and feelings bubbling to the surface so it's only a matter of time that such a grand gesture would be taken by CY.

Someone at soompi translated the kiss part in the script, which described Young at that moment to feel "frustrated" and "impatience," that sounds like a guy falling hard for a forbidden lover.

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Ahhh correction: it was described as CY felt at that moment a sense of "urgency" then "impatience".

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To address the issue of anachronism of that kiss: I didn't think it was a problem. Sure this is 14th century Korea, but we know all along that there are modern components to this show in the form of Eun-soo and all that characterized and attached with her. Her bag; her phone; her medical tools; her heavenly language; her way of interacting with people. Those are really out of place in the context of the surrounding.Though the kiss is initiated by Young, I find it compatible with who they are, a warrior who like using simple and effective ways to deal with problems aka his "frontal attack", and she a modern woman who is not confined by the 14th century customary boundary.

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Sorry, I just don't agree the idea " The kiss just a tool to drag viewer's waning attention back to the drama". If they want to use it to improve the rating, why do they wait until episode 17? Do you remember the end of epiode 5 when Young stormed in Ki Chul's house to rescue Eun Soo? the situation was similar, why didn't they let him kiss her then? Actually, I think when their romance gradually grows since episode 12 , there were a lot of chances for them to set a kiss without destroying the storyline but they didn't. And the kiss in this episode is just in time.
Different from the lovesick and longing hug in previous scene, the kiss is an urgent method to prevent her wedding. It's significant that the kiss isn't for romantic reason because he tells her " there're no other way".

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i think your comments are right.

what bothers me about the kiss is that ES comes from the future and she's not young too even in the future so having thoughts of a modern woman, she should be shocked for a while i guess but should kiss back passionately like a modern woman!

we from modern world should be cheering her like "go girl!" but my reaction was LOL!!! yes the kiss doesn't fit the era, my imagination would be:
' CY would kiss ES ok, grabbing a little to be near him and an attempt to kiss... maybe breathing with emotions and ES, as a modern girl, would kiss aggressively and CY to respond even torridly!!!'

what do you think people?

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Omg KDL...wow I finally found you...!!!!!!!! :-)

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Oh hello there, Sumee!!! Long time no chat, yeah? So glad to find you here too! ;)

How r u? Hope life's good for you and your loved ones. ;)

Enjoying Faith with Lee Min Hot? ;)

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ha ha ha ...long long time..I missed our wild imaginations ! :-)
hope you are doing all fine ..I was so so so busy was lurking here often but was super slow/lazy in commenting & then I was gng through the recap & spotted you !
claps for myself**
I am watching ..but kinda on & off ..still on ep #12, its pretty slow ...Probably I will fast forward all the EPS when the drama is done !

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Criticism or no, this show rocks for me! I still look forward to watching Faith every week, while I abandoned Arang around ep. 8. The story works, and Lee Min Ho is captivating!!! Oh, my heart! :) I just need to gawk at him whether in ancient civilian clothes or in uniform.

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Oh, I just adore Arang. I watch Faith every week and although I make fun of it, I do enjoy it. But Arang is wonderful. Love the direction, the fight scenes are killer and LJK is acting his booty off!

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Thanks for your recap, Javabeans.
I see you're not really into the drama. I do agree with you that the directing and editing are not as good as expected. But I'm happy to see the drama is better in all sides through each episode.
About the wedding scene which leads to the kiss, I don't see it's odd at all. I have no idea about traditional wedding in Goryeo time, but I don't think the setting is too modern or sth like that. I see nothing wrong with the royal wedding starts in the royal court in front of the ministers, then the groom & bride are lead by the monks to the temple. Moreover, thanks to her walking down the aisle, I see how suffering Eun Soo is, which builds a lot tension.
Ah, one more thing about the ki-off between Young and Ki- Chul. I wouldn't like if it takes longer or looks more powerful. Thanks to the power of love, Young is stronger. That's enough. I'd like to pay attention to his eyes still sticking to Eun Soo rather than spending a few more seconds to watch uneccesary fight.

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I agree with your comment, especially about the ki-off between CY and KC. Others may see it as cheesy, but that is the power of love working. His eyes do not leave his beloved. Let's get rid of this hindrance quickly and let me get to my woman.

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Lol! Game over! That is so "Personal Taste"

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Wrist grab on a guy, finally!

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And one more: although I was laughing crazy on :"Game over" lines of javabeans comment, I would rather call this kiss "a frontal attack kiss"....

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Haha! I like that. Consistent with CY's fighting strategy. =)

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I've been just reading the recaps and only started watching from Episode 14 or so because of Deok-heung, and now am hooked.

So, I have gone back to start watching from Episode 1, and to my surprise, it is really slow. Not just that the story is slow, but the scenes seem awkwardly slow. For example, they are climbing the hill, and she is whining, and then they are climbing, and she's still whining. Finally they are at the portal ready for her to leave, and she's griping, and griping and still griping, and then Lord Jo shows up and does his long winded bit. It takes such a long time for Choi Young to get stabbed that you almost feel relieved, yay, something finally happened.

I am now at Episode 6 and wondering whether to go on. Our heroine is such a whiny little snit. I get that she's supposed to be an anti-heroine, a money grubbing, celadon pilfering, cosmetic surgeon. Just like Choi Young, the sleepy lazy one, is the anti-hero. But whereas we see the real hero in Choi Young pretty soon, it takes a long, long time for the doctor. The whining has toned down a lot, thankfully, but she is still incredibly crass. Like agreeing to marry someone with the hope of escaping through the portal. Sneaking around a heavily guarded house at night looking for a diary.

Sigh.
The queen is worth 10 of her. Lady Choi is double that.
Why oh why does this heroine have to be so tiresome?

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I found her extremely annoying in the beginning too, I suppose now I got used to her or maybe she is not that crazy, I don't know. You have to find something you like in this show to continue watching it, because it is slow, as you said and the director is- as we all know now- a complete idiot.

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Agree. I also felt how you feel. It's boring and dragging. I even stopped watching at episode 7. It took me two weeks to watch again because I was curious what would happen next. And until then I never stopped watching it. =)
Just endure the boredom. ;p

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From the get-go, this heroine is quite hilarious and charming in her own money-grubbing way......the scene where she had her fortune told is quite priceless. In another, where she told kichul to Fcuk off and Go to Hell, hehe. Yet another, where she flirts with Young in her corny way when she thought he's in love with her. In no way is she tiresome at all.

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Germaine, I would shake your hands, in fact all shakeable body parts I would shake.
Had it not been for the general( for now he is my fantasy candy) i would have watched only 1 episode, I could not believe that the writers could possible make a woman so weak, annoying and crass, I would scream, hiss at the tv and use more wtfs in one hr than i would in 1 month and this continued for many episodes until I considered fast forwarding her scenes without the general, it settled a little after a while, but she is no shining example of a woman and i still do not like her character. This portrayal of womanhood is the trend in kdrama and i really would rather not believe that this is the general perception of women in the East, weak, winny, bubblehead and all the other bad things, that is, unless they are potrayed as sneaking, underhanding or mata harish.

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Seems like everyone talking about the kiss... but there is a hint that why CY lived till ripe old age as a general cos ES told her she must make sure he live well so at least she would be comforted when she returned to her world i.e she is going back, sigh.

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As someone who have seen a lot of KDramas, I can safely say Faith is a breath of fresh air. It totally standouts in my head when I'm mentally reviewing all the dramas I've watched. The pacing is alright, the dialogues are witty (the funniest is CY's refusal to piggyback ES. HA!), the politics is well played, the characters are wonderful like they're on the same plane - no just 2 leads - everyone's a lead, don't you notice? LMH's acting is stunning. Loads of charisma and eye-intensity, that man. Plus the time travel mystery keeps us all guessing - it's unpredictable! The love story is not everything. I actually like better the angle on Gongnim's jorney-to-being-a-king/what-makes-a-king. Though not perfect, the strength of Faith is the writing, subtlety, and the profound themes it chose to tackle. No wonder it appeals to ages 30+. It may not have the figures (ratings), or it may not halt a country (like Sandglass did to Korea each time it aired) but it will definitely go down in KDrama history as a classic and one of LMH's best. At least, in my book. :p

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Wow, that was perfect exectution of a kiss in k drama land if i've ever seen one! Not so much the kiss, as the timing of the kiss, and how it played perfectly into the plot! So, glad it did not come earlier, as it would have totally watered down the perfection/satisfaction of this moment! In your face princey!
I love this show! and can't wait til todays episode is subbed so i can watch it. thanks again for great recaps JB! And LMH for your stellar perfomances (as always)!
Not even holding on to hopes for a happy ending on this one, but totally liking the way things are progressing, and bracing myself for tears!

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(a) yay a kiss! finally!!!
(b) I can't agree with you more about the execution. The editing was even shoddier this episode.
(c) I also missed Ki Chul.
(d) The kiss scene would have been even better if we had also had some smooching when they were in the closet and he was telling her to give up the diary.
(e) I ❤ Lee Min Ho and he's doing a fabulous job.
(f) I love the court Gong Min has set up - he's also doing a fantastic job.

*sigh* I enjoy the OTP's crackling chemistry, but this drama could have been so much more fantastic. Can we please have a redo? Please?

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just wanna say......pd and director is dummy. and the actress just too awkard for him.....

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I’m not about to complain about getting a kiss—no way—but the last scene does happen to be another unfortunate instance where I feel the execution falls flat in a way that intrudes on the emotions.

THIS.

I was soooo mad/disappointed in the show in that moment. There were plenty of other opportunities for that kiss that would have been so much better, this just felt untimely and awkward (you know, with everyone staring and all). I feel like I waited 17 episodes for that and what a let down. (Not that I'm completely unhappy about it, I mean, it was about damned time, but still.)

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I don't understand why Javabeans or you thought the kiss has to be "perfect". It was meant to disrupt the ceremony and cause furor around the place. Whether it was 'romantic' or 'so much better' was besides the point, really...

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Kiss.....More we want more of it.I mean the focus on Imja couple.What will happen now the plan is already ruin. What to come new as Eun soo was waiting to gain the cimplete dairy of her.But being the doc of 2012 she shoulnt have trusted so easily thinking that DH would hand over all the pages of dairy..Seriously...Which ever century,era or epoch it is Villian outwits the HeRos...Let wait for eps18.What happens next??
Thanks for recap

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I'm waiting for today's episode to confirm this, but my first impression is that CY is utterly displeased at having to kiss her like this.
He's living in the old days, where public displays of affections are definitely off limits. As much as he loves her, he doesn't want to show it in public and let's not forget he's convinced she doesn't love him at all.

Yet, she's getting married.
His king is getting attacked.
He's running out of time.

So I get that "there's no other way" as a "I know you don't love me, but I can't let you marry that bastard, for your sake. Please forgive me."
And he kisses her to compromise her in public, so that DH can't marry her anymore without disgracing himself.
It reminds me of that moment in the first episode when he told her to forgive him just before throwing her on his shoulder like a potato sack.
CY does what he thinks he must to solve the situation.

To be honest, I see this a political move rather than a romantic one.
And I'm sure he's pretty much hating this, because it's like allowing others to see a very private part of his life. Everybody knows he's in love with her.
Yet, he's forced to turn his love into politic.

I wonder if that's how ES will see it as well. And I hope we'll get some romantic moment to make up for this one. What a waste of a much waited first kiss :P

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Totally, he is too macho and shy to show his feeling publicly & too honourable to compromise ES.

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I like your assessment, Misty. I hope ES pulls one of her "I hate this stupid world" scenes and throws herself at CY for an in-your-face kiss that blows away the wannabe king and goofy ice hand sorcerer. Lady Choi will have to restrain herself not to cheer them on! But then, restraint is her forte!

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That's what I thought too! Given the context of what is happening and the buildup of the dilemma regarding the wedding, CY is doing what he does best, going for the most literal way to stop this. We will find out today for sure (can't wait for English subs!:) Thanks to all who make it possible for this non-Korean speaker to enjoy KDramas:)

I respect other people's views and know that not everyone can enjoy/not enjoy a drama in the same way I do, but is it necessary to come on to the thread for said drama you dislike to bash it? Perhaps I shouldn't assume everyone deals with things they dislike in the same way I do, that is, remaining indifferent to them, and/or thinking enough of the people who like said drama to not act as if they are idiots for liking it when it is so obviously __________(insert degrading comment of choice). You can debate the merits/demerits of the writing/acting/directing/overall execution, sure, but some people just say the meanest things.

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Well said.

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Yes, thank you. I always feel slightly masochistic whenever I go to Faith recap posts because I know there will be comments insinuating that only idiots continue watching this piece of crap drama and how happy they are for dropping the drama.

Yes we get it you dropped this drama, but there is absolutely no need to state the same damn thing in every Faith recap posts. People who continue watching the drama don't need the reminder and we honestly could care less about who decided to drop this drama. There are actually people who enjoy the slow burning romance, the politics and the intrigues surrounding the palace despite the supposedly shoddy directing/editing etc.

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let's all agree that there are some 'debby-downers' out there.

it's kewl. rant all you want because imma just skip over your (debby-drama-downers) comments and go on to the ones that inspire me.

life's short, peeps. if you've moved on...why ya still here talking about it? also too, if you're here to read recaps because you don't watch show---then read them. we don't care that you are not watching show. we are not gonna penalize you for not watching show. mkay?

LOL

thanks mrembo, ladytron, unique--my sentiments exactly.

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For me, watching Faith has become about as exciting as watching paint dry. But I can't stop, because it's pretty. (Lee Min-ho is pretty, that is. :P ).

And the end of this episode: most anti-climactic kiss ever? Why didn't he swoop in and kiss her when the two of them were sneaking around at night behind closed doors?

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"Why didn’t he swoop in and kiss her when the two of them were sneaking around at night behind closed doors?"

This is what I was thinking too! That was the perfect time for kissing. And I feel like the fact that they didn't kiss then made the kiss at the end even more disappointing, because it made so much less sense and fell so flat in comparison.

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Because it wasn't meant to be anything more than a political move and disrupt the wedding ceremony going on?

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