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Six Flying Dragons: Episode 16

What a ride. Bang-won displays his multiple talents this episode, which range from thinking like the enemy to being a damn fine orator. The darkness that dwells within him isn’t missed by the others, but it seems to be more or less tolerated when his crazy risk-taking yields crazy good results. Whether that’ll come back to bite his enablers in the bottom remains to be seen, although history would have a point to make when it comes to giving Bang-won free rein. The ends shouldn’t always justify the means, but with a system so corrupt, who can blame our intrepid hero for using a little dynamite to make a point? (Actually, don’t answer that.)

SONG OF THE DAY

Chi Won – “이밤 (This Night)” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 16 RECAP

In the least suspicious way possible, Minister Hong acknowledges that though his impeachment was to be decided today, Elder Jo’s treason is way too important not to be investigated first. Yes, let’s all trust the man who was about to be ousted to provide a convenient reason to delay the proceedings.

And so the dodang votes to approve Elder Jo’s arrest, though Lee Seong-gye tells Minister Hong it’s because they wanted to see the matter thoroughly investigated. Hong doesn’t seem afraid of such scrutiny, and seems to be arrogantly preening more than ever.

Meanwhile, Team Joseon finds out about the supposed treason plot by Elder Jo and realize that even if it turns out to be untrue, their mission will be severely compromised. Now, Jung Do-jeon asks Bang-won how he came to the conclusion that this was all part of Minister Hong’s grand plan.

“Because Haedong Gapjok must have been Hong In-bang’s goal from the beginning,” Bang-won reasons. Despite the fact that no one’s been stupid enough to attack the noble clan in seven hundred years, Bang-won is sure that Minister Hong plans to be the first.

When asked to explain why he thinks so, Bang-won explains that it’s because he would have done the same if he were Minister Hong. He slips into character as the devious minister and voices his thoughts and his anger at being tricked out of marrying into Haedong Gapjok by Lee Seong-gye and Jung Do-jeon.

Because he still carries so much self-hatred over betraying the sadaebu under torture, why would he consider attacking the Haedong Gapjok so taboo? It all comes down to pride and arrogance, and Bang-won seems to relay that mindset of Minister Hong’s eerily well. But at least now the others have an idea as to what he could be thinking.

While Minister Hong uses one of his old torturers (the one he bludgeoned into total submission) to take over Elder Jo’s investigation and beat him silly, Bang-won’s instincts prove to be right as we get a glimpse into a conversation between Gil Tae-mi and his crazy in-law.

Though Gil Tae-mi expresses reasonable doubt over Minister Hong’s plan to go after the Haedong Gapjok, Hong points out all the times he did things that would’ve been unheard of. He’ll just do as he always does, and succeed like he always has.

Jung Do-jeon confides to Officer Nam that he believes Bang-won was right, and that he underestimated Minister Hong. “If you think lightly of your enemy, you will surely fail,” Jung Do-jeon cites the truth of all clashes, and realizes that Bang-won was the only one who didn’t sell Minister Hong’s abilities short.

If that’s true, Officer Nam concedes, then it only makes him dislike Bang-won more—the only reason he caught on when they didn’t is because he has the same mind as Minister Hong. Jung Do-jeon asks Bang-ji for his thoughts, which the warrior huffs at like a teenager asked to contribute to the family discussion.

To him, the power Minister Hong seeks in taking out the Haedong Gapjok isn’t real power, because real power comes from real strength (he uses his sword to make this point). But if Hong realizes that the power people like Jung Do-jeon and the Haedong Gapjok wield is made only of clever words, then nothing will stop him.

Minister Hong pays a visit to Daddy Min’s house and opens up with a pleasant, “Have you ever been threatened? I came to threaten you.” Hong is the very picture of a smiling devil as he tells the Haedong Gapjok clan member that he has the power to get Elder Jo to confess to whatever he wants him to—so whether he points the finger at Lee Seong-gye or back at his own clan is up to Daddy Min.

“I’m telling you to kneel before me,” Minister Hong adds, practically laughing at the thought. When Daddy Min blusters that Hong is in denial for thinking he can do something that no other politician has ever been able to do (in attacking his clan), Hong’s answer is simple: He’ll succeed because the Haedong Gapjok has no power. They’ve enjoyed the illusion of uncontested power for seven hundred years, and Hong is not afraid.

To prove his point, Minister Hong bellows that he has the power right now to order his servants to strip Daddy Min naked and hang him up by his ankles—and there’s nothing Daddy Min could do to stop him. He hands Daddy Min the petition he wants the Haedong Gapjok to deliver to the king, naming Lee Seong-gye as the conspirator behind Elder Jo’s treacherous plot.

And if he doesn’t turn that petition in, Minister Hong will end the looong reign of the Haedong Gapjok. “Do you think I can’t do it?” he challenges. “It only took me eight years to rise from the dregs of the sadaebu to the highest seat in the dodang! It doesn’t matter to me if I lose it all, but you’ll lose seven hundred years.” He has a point there.

As Jung Do-jeon tells Lee Seong-gye and Jung Mong-joo that it’s likely the Haedong Gapjok will bend to Minister Hong’s demands simply because they’re so unused to conflict, Hong tells his cohorts the same thing. After all, his goal isn’t the Haedong Gapjok at all—it’s Lee Seong-gye.

After catching up with Boon-yi over their first home-cooked meal together since their reunion, Bang-ji is called to accompany Jung Do-jeon on his visit to Daddy Min. Though his servants claim he’s not home, Yeon-hee’s intel says differently, even if she also shares the same intel with Cho-young.

While Moo-hyul trains with Master Hong (and Grandma backtracks on treating him like a household servant), Bang-won and his brothers test the newest advancement in modern warfare: gunpowder. Introduced by military commander and scientist Choe Mu-seon from a Chinese recipe, it’s the first time they’ve seen the likes of it and they’re appropriately awed.

Boon-yi steals Bang-won away to tell him that Jung Do-jeon has tasked him with finding out what it was that Minister Hong and Daddy Min discussed. She reminds Bang-won that he’s now Daddy Min’s son-in-law, so that should provide leverage—but Bang-won says the opposite is true, since his wife’s family is ready to spirit her away should things start going south.

He knows he’ll have to convince his wife if he’s to get any information, but he doesn’t have anything to entice her to give him anything. Boon-yi chuckles at this, figuring that Bang-won actually married a female version of himself. Her advice? Bang-won should use his talent for getting into other people’s heads to get into his wife’s. If he thinks like her, he’ll figure out what he could do to sway her.

Daddy Min warns his daughter to be ready to flee should they sign the petition like Minister Hong wants (since her father-in-law would then be branded a criminal), and Bang-won knows that’s exactly what she’s planning to do.

But since she hedged her bets on him and his father initially, figuring that the tide of power would turn their way, he asks for her to make a deal with him. She’ll write down everything her father said to her today, and he’ll write down his family’s biggest secret, one she can use to protect her family if need be.

She agrees, but when it comes time to switch papers, Bang-won receives only an empty page. Da-kyung, however, gets exactly what Bang-won promised, even though the contents shock her. She doesn’t understand why he’d share this kind of secret when he doesn’t trust her, but he had no other choice.

Moved by this, Da-kyung asks if he’ll really be able to stop Minister Hong if she tells him everything she knows. Bang-won replies that whether he succeeds or fails shouldn’t matter to her—with that secret in her hands, there’s no way for her clan to lose.

He takes the information she gives him straight to his father, so that he and Jung Do-jeon know about the petition Minister Hong has given them to sign. At the same time, Minister Hong informs Lee In-gyeom of his plans, which prompts the old former minister to note, “I have raised a monster.” Indeed he has, but this monster wants him to make sure General Choi is kept in line so his plot goes smoothly.

Jung Do-jeon’s first reaction is to get Lee Seong-gye out of the capital, since they’ll have no other way to protect him if the petition goes through. Neither the great general or his brother-in-arms Lee Ji-ran are for running away, despite Jung’s insistence that they’d really be tried for treason if they attacked Gil Tae-mi and Minister Hong without a reason.

“Then make a reason for us,” Lee Seong-gye tells him. “Give me a strategy.” Those are always the magic words, and Jung Do-jeon thinks of one way… but they’ll need General Choi and, more importantly, time. Bang-won promises to buy them that time by making it so that the Haedong Gapjok can’t sign that petition, since he knows where they’ll be meeting tonight.

In private, Jung Do-jeon confronts Bang-won over his promise to buy time, knowing he lied. He’s got something else planned, doesn’t he? He knows Bang-won well enough to know he’s got something in mind because he’s told no one about it, which he tends to do when he becomes sure of a plan.

But, rather than chastising him, Jung Do-jeon gives him his blessing to carry out whatever plan is in his mind. Bang-won is honored by his trust and promises that he’ll succeed.

With Lee In-gyeom’s warning that Minister Hong has already gained the Haedong Gapjok’s support in his plan to arrest Lee Seong-gye fresh in his mind, General Choi receives none other than the supposedly treacherous general himself for a late night visit.

Bang-won makes a very dangerous decision in placing one box full of actual gunpowder on a table next to another identical box he’s filled with rocks, and then by asking Boon-yi to bring him one of the two. It’s so he won’t know which he actually has, and Boon-yi doesn’t know that whichever one she chose will determine whether they live or die tonight.

Amidst all the life and death stakes, we get a nice break with Moo-hyul practicing how he’ll approach Gil Tae-mi for a fight while looking as cool and manly as possible. But when Bang-won approaches with the red box and asks for Young-kyu to gather men in secret, Moo-hyul sees a chance to add another battle to his resume.

Daddy Min presents the petition to the other Haedong Gapjok members later that night, with the option to either sign it or fight against Minister Hong and face the consequences. None of them are willing to fight since they’re so unused to conflict, and besides, what’s thirty more years of Minister Hong’s tyranny when their clan will live on forever?

But before they can sign the petition, they find themselves surrounded by Bang-won’s men. Bang-won himself walks into the center of the pavilion and unwraps the red box in front of the clan members, telling them that there’s gunpowder inside. No one’s leaving until he says everything on his mind, on pain of death.

Taking the petition in his hands, Bang-won reminds them that signing this would mean the end of a general who protected Goryeo against foreign invaders over a false accusation. Then again, nothing would change for them, and they have a long history of standing idly by during times of crisis—he even confronts them with the fact that they hid away on Ganghwa Island during the thirty years of the Mongol invasion.

And what did they do for the people who suffered? Nothing but write poetry. “Besides that, what have you done for the past seven hundred years?” Bang-won asks. “You all just sat by and watched history happen.” One of the elders finally barks that Bang-won can’t expect to say these things and get out alive, only for him to level the elder with a chilling stare: “Yes, I believe I will.”

While Bang-won acknowledges that he wouldn’t have dreamed of facing them like this even a day ago, he found the courage to do so because he learned that they planned to surrender to Minister Hong. And he won’t be the only one. If they set this precedent tonight, they’ll be setting the stage for politicians to use them and make them kneel in the future, just like Minister Hong did.

“Like tonight, you’ll probably just nod your heads powerlessly,” Bang-won argues emphatically. “Just like the past seven hundred years, that will become your next seven hundred y ears. Do you truly wish to create a history of humiliation and indignity for yourselves?” Or, he offers, they can erase that indignity by signing the document he has, and ensure a shining future for their clan.

He reads his petition aloud, which gets all the old coots’ hearts palpitating: It’s a indictment of Minister Hong, Lee In-gyeom, and Gil Tae-mi for all the legitimate crimes they have perpetrated by stealing land and taking bribes. It even calls them to be held accountable and impeached for accusing Elder Jo of treason and for throwing the country into chaos.

Speaking like a great leader, Bang-won urges them to sign his petition and work with him to clear the scum out of the dodang. “And if we can’t? What will you do if we can’t?” Daddy Min asks. “You will do it, but we don’t have a lot of time,” Bang-won returns. In order to help them make a speedy decision, he sets the long fuse leading to the gunpowder(?) alight in front of them.

He promises to pull the fuse if they sign the petition, but if not, they’ll all die together. The elders all jump up to sign as the flame gets closer and closer to the box, though Daddy Min retains his composure throughout. His is the last signature required, and he’s in no hurry as he stares his son-in-law down. This is not the best time to be playing chicken, guys.

He warns Bang-won that if he’s just bluffing, he’s going to be sorry. But Bang-won returns just as easily, “Are you willing to bet your life on my bluff?” Another long, charged moment passes. Even Bang-won starts to look nervous as he thinks only of Boon-yi, in case he really is about to die.

An anxiously high-pitched Moo-hyul intervenes to point out that Bang-won wouldn’t be shaking if he was lying—will Daddy Min kill everyone here? That’s the deciding moment for him, as he finally signs the petition.

At the last brushstroke, Bang-won takes Moo-hyul’s sword and cuts the fuse. Daddy Min immediately pulls the lid off the box, revealing nothing but rocks inside. He can’t understand how Bang-won could have looked so fearful if he knew there wasn’t actually gunpowder inside, and Bang-won admits that he kept the truth from himself in order to deceive them all—and himself—convincingly.

Officer Nam tears into Jung Do-jeon for allowing Bang-won to take a box of gunpowder(!) to the Haedong Gapjok assembly, only for Boon-yi to gently intervene: “It wasn’t gunpowder.”

She tells them how she’d picked up on Bang-won’s mood when he asked her to retrieve one of the boxes, and had checked their contents. She wasn’t sure what he was planning to do, but since gunpowder would be dangerous, she gave him the box of rocks instead.

Young-kyu wonders if Bang-won will really be able to just walk away from this without punishment, but Bang-won banked on the Haedong Gapjok covering the whole incident up. To admit that they signed because they were threatened would be shameful otherwise. Moo-hyul just looks at Bang-won with awe: “He’s really amazing!”

Spies for Cho-young and Minister Hong set off to inform their masters, while Moo-hyul comments on the coming of the morning to Bang-won, who just smiles. “Hong In-bang, this will be your last morning.”

 
COMMENTS

Phew, that was tense. Even knowing that Bang-won wasn’t going to blow himself up (because history), that scene was convincing enough to put us right in his shoes and feel his anxiety. Was the box filled with rocks, or gunpowder? Would he live long enough to find out?

And the best part about it was that you could see all that playing on his face, since he was juggling way too many unknowns for such a dangerous gamble. At first, I thought he was saying Boon-yi’s name in those last critical moments because he loves her and thought he was going to die—and while that may have played a tiny part, it seems more like he was hoping she’d made the right decision. Then again, he would’ve been in real trouble if Daddy Min hadn’t called his bluff and let the fuse burn out, since he wouldn’t have had anything to threaten them with in the first place. I wonder if he would’ve preferred the gunpowder in that case.

But Bang-won took what can only be described as an absolutely insane risk nonetheless, and while I can’t see why giving himself a fifty-fifty shot would’ve helped him deceive himself into being fearful more than just taking the actual box of gunpowder, it was a fun device to see played out anyway. The questions his self-deception raises are interesting, since we could point to any number of reasons why he didn’t want to know what was in the box—maybe he didn’t want to be wholly responsible for what happened, maybe he wanted to give himself at least half a chance to live, or maybe he wanted to absolve himself of the weight of knowingly threatening a whole bunch of people with death by half.

Or, and this is the explanation that seems to resonate the most with me, maybe he couldn’t have allowed himself to take the box of gunpowder because he couldn’t trust himself that completely. I’m sure Bang-won was fully prepared to die, but he did add a good deal of uncertainty by not knowing which box Boon-yi brought him. And maybe if he had known for sure that what was inside would kill him, he might’ve given in during that frightening game of chicken he and Daddy Min played. I wouldn’t doubt for one second that Bang-won thought of all these possibilities, which is why he used chance and sheer force of will to make sure that his alternate petition was signed in time.

It really was a flawless plan if you take out everything that could’ve gone wrong (which was everything), and the fact that he persevered despite all the risks is part of what makes Bang-won so formidable and such a treat to watch. But lest we lay the praise on too heavily, it’s important to note that he may have met his match in Da-kyung, since he seems to have married the female version of himself. Because if she managed to pull one on Bang-won with that letter now, I doubt there’ll be a shortage of high stakes shenanigans to come. As for me, I can’t wait.

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great recap - love your comments at the end

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Im curious about content of the letter. What could be so shocking that made Min Dakyung to react that way? I have like thousands of theories which doesnt make sense.

Bangwon is really crazy, in an amazing way! Only he could pull that kind of stunt. BTW when he called Boonyi's name, am I the only one felt touched? It showed how much he trusted her, although he was wrong when he thought Boonyi didnt see the content in the box. It seems only Boonyi can level Bangwon's craziness *not sure if Im making any sense*

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I'm curious about the letter also. Since it's suppose to be a family secret, I'm thinking that its about how they are going to overthrow Goryeo and for his family to establish Joeseon

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That's the only big secret that they are keeping so I totally agree with you.

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Well I thought the secret content that make Da Kyung so surprised is when Bang Won father renegade his own brother from long-long time ago...
I think they need that big secret to make Da Kyung clan save if anything happen....

But it also a dead end if he didn't know about that clan meeting So actually he have nothing to lose either...
Imagine if Bang Won didn't know about the meeting
His whole Family will be a executed by The King for a treason

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In-gyeom tried to threaten Seong-gye (when he returned to the capital the 2nd time) with the betrayal incident with Jo So-Saeng but it didn't work this time so I don't think that's it.

( In history Seong-gye and his father were rewarded for it and that's why they all end up in Hamju. It's being twisted here by the writers).

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I don't think that's it either.

The secret has to be something that's possibly devastating to the Lee family if leaked out from the looks of DaKyeong's face but useful in protecting her family.

Revealing that they killed Jo SoSaeng may cause Lee SeongGye and sons to lose their reputation (I think not their lives/power though) but that would serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever for the Min Clan (or the Haedong Gapjok).

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Right. It wasn't meant to darnish their reputation anyway (because history said so lol). Seong-gye earned his reputation by protecting the Northern border from countless invasions without losing a battle.

I thought it was interesting that before Jo SoSaeng died he told Seong-gye that he will end up betraying Goryeo too. The dirty fate of dogs who betrayed their master.

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I also think Bang-won was pretty smart by revealing the big secret to Lady Min. She is not stupid. If the Lee family will go down for it, she will go down with them too. Eventually she will have no choice but to help them.

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@Kiara; According to some, the hanja reads as 'dynastic revolution' so revealing an act of treason to Goryeo to Lady Min effectively ensures she WILL help because she might go down with Bangwon and his family if it fails.
But as the lady counterpart to Bangwon, it's not her style to get nothing out of the aid she will be providing so I'm looking forward to their future scenes together as well as Lady Min with the people on JDJ's side.

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I can't read hanja. I'm just guessing based on how the story is unfolding. It's moving forward not backward and the revolution should be the main focus right now.

Lady Min is pretty sharp when it comes to politics and she is protective of her family on top of that. She thinks before she act. Bang-won is more compulsive and unpredictable with his action.

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I think it's his father's secret about betraying his good friend and opening the doors to let Goryeo in.

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my thought as well.

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Spoiler (ish). Sorry!

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Managed to zoom in to the underside of the letter and read:
易名革命, which means dynastic revolution. Other fans online concurred as well

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Oh, so it was that! Now it makes sense if the content is about the revolution. The only way for her family to be safe now is by making sure the revolution succeed! She can no longer turns her back on her husband's family. Quite a shocker indeed.

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I've re-watched the scene many times and can't find anything written on Bangwon's paper. How did you manage to find see?

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the paper lady min gave bangwon has nothing written on it - she didn't want to indulge any information before making sure what she gets is worth it.

the paper bangwon gave lady min has 易名革命 written on it, you can see the black ink through the paper.

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You people must have sharp eyes, cos all I saw DK opening a white piece of paper too. That's why I originally thot that he did not write anything.

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This drama must have some hard core fans. It must've taken a few tries to freeze that part perfectly and then zoom in on it in order to read it backward because you can only see it from the back.

It's hard to see but it's there.

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@Kiara, @crazyahjummafan; haha i couldn't read the hanja but i definitely saw the black ink through the paper. i trusted others who saw them - and what other bigger secrets could BW's family have other than the act of treason to the current kingdom and dynasty?

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I can see why the betrayal should still matter in regards to Lee Seong-gye's honor among his fellow comrades and politicians but he, now realized (when Bang-won was imprisoned) that honor is being able to protect his family and his people. So I think that doesn't matter to him anymore. He's done so much for his country that it won't matter much if it came out later. Jo So-Saeng lived and died as a traitor to Goryeo. No one in Goryeo would give a crap about the guy.

It may still make Seong-gye's character questionable to some especially now that he is involved in the revolution. If words of this revolution comes out, they are all going to die as traitors.

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oops, it's 易姓革命. My bad, but still means dynastic revolution.

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I mean, seriously, Bang-won, WOW.
And props to Yoo Ah-in, he is killing it.

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Exactly!! That scene!! I enjoyed watching every bit of it. Can't wait for the next episode. I hope the writers will keep this up. I know the actors will..

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I have just one question and I could be wayy off. Won't there be weight differences between the 2 boxes that bangwon had asked boon yi to choose from. Won't gun power and the rocks weight different and when he moved, won't the material inside have moved differently?

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Not really, if:

1) He put the rocks such that both boxes have the same weight. (Possible since he was the one preparing them anyway.)

2) He stabilized all the rocks and filled the rocks to the brim (on picture it seems like it) so they never moved at all.

and since he wants so desperately to bluff himself, I feel like he'll purposely dull his senses and ignore those minor differences.

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I'm thinking he made sure that the rocks would weigh as much as the powder.

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This was the episode that introduced me to this show in moving form! Previously I'd just read the recaps but dang, I could not have chosen a better episode to get into this show.

Loved BangWon's balls of steel, though I was a little thrown off at how shocked he was when his wife gave him a blank piece of paper. I totally expected that. I guess he was just too desperate.

I agree with you regarding the most why BangWon chose that 50/50 chance method. Even if he had taken that gunpowder knowingly, I'm not sure whether he would have chickened out (not his style, but then again, desperately wanting to live at the moment of probable death is an instinct) or gone ahead with it (because he's crazy and it's die if those old croaks signed Minister Hong's document and doomed if he went ahead and bombed them all (at least his dad and Jung DoJeon will still live)). And he really doesn't know what BoonYi would have chosen, because even if she had seen the contents, he never told her what he was going to do with the box AND she's the girl who burned an entire shed of harvest down. She's no strawberry either.

I love it! I think I shall backtrack and watch from episode 1 now.

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Yes, join the club. As good as the recaps are, this is one drama that's visually exceptional.

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"Phew, that was tense. Even knowing that Bang-won wasn’t going to blow himself up (because history)"

Lol that's right, everything comes down to history and the writers. He can't die yet because history said so.

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My Honey walked into that meeting like he owned everything and everyone. Talk about "fake it until you make it". I can't wait for Yoo Ah-In to play Bang-Won as the king.

Also, I hope Moo-Hyul doesn't lose any of his silliness when he finally becomes a dragon. His character is too adorkable.

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He's still a dork in Tree so you don't have to worry about that. :)

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Lovable as ever too! "I WARRIOR MOO-HYUL"

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I think it's his dad's secret about friend the "traitor" they talked about in the first episode

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Such a good episode. I love the way the writers are portraying Bang-won as simultaneously engaging and terrifying. It would be easy to make him a traditional hero or villain, but it's so much more interesting to give him elements of both.

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"...maybe he couldn’t have allowed himself to take the box of gunpowder because he couldn’t trust himself that completely"
Yes, I agree with you. And probably, part of him didn't want to die just yet.

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The music is beautiful and the visuals are stunning. I haven't really liked any drama since 'Last' but this one has me utterly hooked.

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I swear by the end of this 50 episodes drama, Hong In Bang eye shadow would have outmatched Gil Tae Mi's.

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Hahaha! I think it would outdo the guy from the temple too! Sorry, can't remember his name - starts with a J.

Interesting to note that the move evil HIB becomes, the heavier his eye-shadow! Either that, or Gil taemi and him buy the eye-shadow in bulk - them being in-laws and all. They probably share it with the temple guy too.

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I like the way the temple guy is hedging his bets since it's obvious to him that Hong In Bang is off his rocker. I see him ready to switch sides the moment he realizes he is on the losing side. It'll be interesting to see how things pan out.

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Well our handsome young sociopath proves he knows how to play the game.

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Thanks for the recaps, Heads! I can't wait for tomorrow's episode!

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Can't wait to watch the next episode where Bang ji will fight Gil Tae Mi again but I don't want GTM to die his character is do entertaining , may be he should switch sides ... or better change career become a personal stylist and design new uniforms for the new nation ?

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I find myself rating every episode 5 stars.

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This episode was so good, actually all of the episodes so far but this was especially good! I found myself falling for Yoo Ah In. Such a great actor. In fact this whole casts are so on point. I've cried with them, cheered with them, laugh with them, never have Ive been so involve in a drama. This is one special historical drama. I am excited for the plans to follow thru in the next episode!

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This episode is so intense!! Love Yoo Ah In's acting. Thanks for the recap, Heads

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Bang-won gives me the chills in his dedication to his cause. He lets NOTHING and NO ONE deter him. Not even the love of his life, Boon Yi.

I could see how important Boon Yi was to him, as he mentally cried out her name when he thought he was facing certain death. Yet, love for Boon Yi didn't deter him from making a political marriage, or for trying to consummate it either. Anyway, it's just sex, right?

I am awed by this drama. It's not often a drama manages to keep me at the edge of my seat way past the first few episodes, but the momentum of the drama keeps me in its thrall and I am becoming hopelessly addicted to Mondays and Tuesdays :-). Please drama, keep going full speed ahead.

I do hope Gil Mi Tae doesn't get killed along with Hong In Bang and Lee In Gyeom. Underneath all that makeup is the heart of a softie, and I would hate to lose him. :-(

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Bong Yi's character is in the mercy of the writers and the fans. If her fans make enough demands about the lack of romance between Bong Yi and Bang-won, Kim Young-Hyun (writer) may give in. She is famous for being a fan pleaser.

I'm not a fan of fictional romance in sageuks because it's unrealistic and the purpose is usually to gain or keep viewers interested in the show.

SSK could've been Lady Min and the romance would fit perfectly. She would still be a dragon and his wife.
Bang-won and Lady Min had many children together. They must have had feelings for each other at some point. It's hard to image producing all those offsprings as a result of a palace's schedule sex lol.

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*imagine* instead of image

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Let's hope that the excitement in the drama is enough for the fans to NOT request a "love triangle" *shudder*.

It would be nice if we can avoid that kdrama cliche in this drama.

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Ikr? The politics alone is interesting because the alliances kept shifting and it will continue to in the future and the ladies here can hold their own.
Yeon Hee is playing double agent and protecting a man.
Bong Yi can lead the weak, strong, poor, rich etc and can get by with her brain and strong will.
Cho Young is running a spy agency that serves the powerful politicians in Goryeo.
Lady Min is a force to be reckon with.

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I would really love it if the writer will just make Boon-yi a great adviser to Bang-won instead of a lover, like Soo-yi to the King in Tree. And make her fall for Moo-hyul instead, just because Moo-hyul is so adorable. ;)

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Tree is an example of a successful sageuk without the cheesy love triangle romance. Soo-yi would be the dragon for hangul. She stuck with her purpose/goal from beginning to end. No man would stand in her way.

I love the chemistry between Soo-yi, King Sejong and Kang Chae-Yoon. There was no love triangle, they both love her in their own way. (Han Suk-Kyu,Jang Hyuk and Shin Se-Kyung worked well together in Tree).

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NOOO -
i dont want BY to change and to force a love triangle without reason will ruin our strong determined dragon and make her petty
and i dont want the queen who is known to be smart and logical reduced to a conniving woman

i didnt know that these writers catered to fans wants
i cant believe it

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You and me both!

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i dont think BY would allow BW to deter from their common cause
the first - to me - "contract" they made was that BW asked that she would be on his side like he was on hers
and BY in turn told him he has to take responsibility
for her the cause is more important
part of BW probably knows that "deterring" from it will cause him to lose BY
as for her as well nothing is more important

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just wanted to add that in this episode BW again promises to create a better world and rid this one of the Ddodang
this is the most romantic gesture
he is literally giving her the world
BW is an absolute romantic in my eyes - and his love does motivates him

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So what is Bong Yi actually getting out of this deal? He will have his crown and Goryeo in his hands but what about her?

Bang-ji may seems like a sourpuss most of the time but he is the most realistic. He gets what these nobles/politicians are about. They use people then cast them aside when they are no longer useful. Hardly any of them keep their words when they get into a position of power.

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BY will get what she wanted all along a country full of "normal" ppl and BW will try to make sure she gets what she wants

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Well, she is a dragon, she works for it. It's not something for him to give her.

Is she going to just love him and expect nothing in return? She doesn't want to be his concubine and being his mistress is worse. This kind of romance is pretty confusing.

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very - and now they embark on a new arc - i just hoe they have the whole story planned out

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Boon yi and Bangwon are soul mates, kindred spirits. The reason why BW fell in love with her is because they share the same principles and values...justice. He killed 3 wicked bullies in the name of justice, she burnt a warehouse, close to the magistrate's office in the name of justice too. Both took huge risks. But in Kdrama, soul mates are usually not meant to be together...

Dakyung matches BW's scheming and intelligent mind, but I don't think that she'll take the kind of risks that BY will to achieve justice.

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I think they are confusing justice and revenge. If everyone follow this method than there is no need for rules/laws. It would be a free for all, an eye for an eye chaos.
It's like if someone bullies you then just go and kill that person. That's revenge not justice imo.

I do understand to a point why they feel that what they are doing is justice. The government is corrupted run by corrupted ministers and their chance of getting a fair trial or compensation doesn't look good.

Then we go back to the beginning and ask. What is evil and what is good? So complicated.

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Bang Won is dangerously genius!

About the Lady Min, I don't think she's jealous with BY-BW "lovey dovey" relationship, but rather she seems jealous with both of them having political discussions. She loves that kinda convo and she wants to have one like they do.

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I missed a lot of episodes to the point I didn't even know that Min Dakyung is actually Bangwon's wife. I thought she was his younger sister. Or Dakyung is actually Bangwon's brother's wife? Idk. I missed that episode where Dakyung made her first appearance. I first seen her was when Lee Sunggye prepared to attack Dohwajeon and his family was taken to some place that has those secret passage. Yeah that was the first time I saw Dakyung. And there it said that they were Lee Sunggye's family so I thought she was his daughter lol. It turns out that she is actually Bangwon's wife.

I came to the latest episode on tv now which Idk what episode was that. It didn't show which episode that was showing. But the episode revolved a lot around the new reformation and New Joseon also that secret movement by the name Moo Myeol? I couldn't remember. But it ended at Boonyi saying the secret code to this one man in black 'one that has name won't disappear' or something along those line and the man was shocked momentarily before saying the line back to her indicated that he knows what she meant. And I can't wait to know what happens next! But that also shows how Boonyi is somehow a step ahead compared to those other guys by accident. She is so lucky. I want to know what happens next but I couldn't find which episode was that! Can someone tell me?

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Honestly, @Luna, you are missing out on one of the most exquisite, beautifully filmed, awesomely acted and well-written historical dramas ever!!!!! This is the very first sageuk I've watched where i can't look away from the screen and the subtitles for even one minute during "filler" scenes - and believe me, I've tried. Every single scene is loaded with meaning and substance. Do yourself a favor, give your brain a rest from trying to figure things out the hard way. Give your heart and soul a lift and go back to watch this incredible drama from episode 1. It's hard to understand how truly brilliant this drama is. It's worth a full watch. You are worth the joy of the immersion. Just do it.

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