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Six Flying Dragons: Episode 26

Someone just seeing this drama through these images might think that the entire thing takes place in the dead of night, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But I suppose daylight wouldn’t be to your advantage when you’re all about secrets and subterfuge, though it would be nice to see these characters get some vitamin D once in a while. (I still love you even if you’re a vampire, Dragons.)

Darkness aside though, this is a great hour of moves and countermoves, some much more devastating and potentially mind-blowing than others. That’s all I can say without giving it away—I know, I know, dramas are a cruel mistress.

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EPISODE 26 RECAP

After a refresher course on the history of the Red Seal as it applies to our dragons’ lives (mostly through Boon-yi and Bang-ji’s mysterious mother, Yeon-hyang), we return to Biguk Temple, where Gil Sun-mi and Jukryong try to process what the Red Seal Grandma has told them.

Since their master plans to support neither Lee Seong-gye or General Jo, he’s sent an assassin named Pyung to Dohwa Manor. Likely, Pyung’s job will be to kill the victor of the battle already taking place there, so as to make it seem like Lee and Jo killed each other. Which would leave a huge power gap just waiting to be filled…

As General Jo is escorted in ropes out of the manor, one of the supposedly dead assassins jumps up with a dagger in his hand, ready to kill Lee Seong-gye. Bang-won acts swiftly and shoots him in the back with an arrow, though after a murmured “I’ve failed,” the assassin slits his own throat. Was that Pyung?

Since justice is swift in Goryeo, we next find General Jo strapped to a torture chair all bloody and bruised. Officer Nam and Bang-gwa act as his interrogators, though he puts up no fight and admits to everything proudly. He tried to kill Lee Seong-gye because he knew if he didn’t, Lee would kill him.

He’d do it all over again, he adds, but there is one question still burning in his mind: Why did his plan fail? How did a fight break out in the courtyard that ruined all his plans?

Moo-hyul thinks he’s in trouble when Bang-won and Jung Do-jeon ask him why he started the courtyard fight, at least until Jung tells him that were it not for him flipping the table over, everyone could’ve died before Lee Seong-gye’s army arrived. They all have him to thank for saving their lives, however wounded some of them may be.

But when Moo-hyul still hesitates to say, Bang-ji steps in to save him by telling half of the truth, claiming that Moo-hyul recognized one of General Jo’s servants who cruelly stole land from Bang-ji and Boon-yi’s hometown at the banquet.

He leaves out the more intimate details, which Moo-hyul is grateful for. And it’s enough of an answer for Jung Do-jeon and Bang-won, who congratulate Moo-hyul for his bravery. Moo-hyul gives them a smile, but sends a concerned look Bang-ji’s way. D’aww.

Outside, Gab-boon tries to ease Boon-yi’s concern for her brother, noting cheerily that Bang-ji’s sustained plenty of wounds in the past and has recovered quickly from them all.

Boon-yi thinks Gab-boon’s dedication to her brother is cute and thanks her for it, though Gab-boon is quick to say that it wasn’t she who stayed by Bang-ji’s side, but Bang-ji who stayed by hers.

Inside, Bang-ji asks Moo-hyul how he knew about Yeon-hee, and it doesn’t take any pressure at all for Moo-hyul to crack and admit he overheard her talking about it the night Bang-ji got drunk. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on purpose!” he frets, before telling him the rest of what she said.

He thinks Bang-ji’s going to scold him, but he says instead, “From what I saw last night, you’re stronger when you’re protecting someone.” It’s adorable how Moo-hyul lights up like a firecracker at the compliment, all, “Really? Right? I’m like that, aren’t I?” Yes, yes you are.

When Boon-yi brings Bang-ji food (along with a chestnut added by Gab-boon), he tells her the story of the night he tried to kill the other man who was with Yeon-hee’s rapist, and how he couldn’t bring himself to do it when the man told his crying mother to take his daughter inside.

“I was in a daze. That evil man was also just a human trying to survive in these turbulent times. I couldn’t kill him,” he adds. In the end, he explains, he found a weird sort of sympathy for the man, who he saw as being part of the underprivileged like them. Weak, like them.

“Weak people like him are the worst,” Boon-yi interjects, not buying his line of argument. “They’re weak men who seek to crush those weaker than them.” She sniffs back her tears before bringing herself back to reality, if only to tell Bang-ji that he did well.

Yeon-hee hovers outside with a package of medicine for Bang-ji, but as soon as she sees Boon-yi emerge, she asks her to give it to him. But Boon-yi pulls her into a hug to say, “Unni, you did well.” For killing that bastard who killed so many of their villagers and stole their land, Boon-yi earnestly thanks her.

You can see Yeon-hee coming to peace with all that’s happened as she warms to Boon-yi’s hug, and even puts a hand on her back as they share in that moment. Which puts Boon-yi in the perfect spot to ask Yeon-hee for a favor: “I’d like for you to give him this medicine personally.” Hah, well she can’t very well refuse now.

Yeon-hee finds Bang-ji lying down, and urges him to stay that way as she takes a seat by his bed. “I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve slept as soundly as I did last night,” she ventures, which likely brings Bang-ji more relief than that medicine ever could.

“So you should get some sleep too,” she adds. “I’ll watch over you until you fall asleep.” I bet Bang-ji’s gonna sleep like he hasn’t in a long, long time too.

Everyone’s recovering from their wounds, but no one’s as vocal about it as Young-kyu, who groans that he’s surely dying from all the pain. Ji-ran tells him to shut up and man up already, even though he himself can’t get up from his sick bed just yet.

It’s a testament to Ji-ran’s mettle and unwavering loyalty that he actually apologizes to Lee Seong-gye for not doing enough to fight off fifty men at once, so deep is his love for his sworn brother.

But of greater importance is the assassin who killed himself in front of them, because it may signify that there was someone else besides General Jo who wanted to kill Lee Seong-gye.

While Bang-won goes to investigate, Jung Do-jeon and Lee Seong-gye talk about their options, since they’d like to keep the public from knowing about the open war between him and General Jo. Jung Do-jeon thinks the answer lies with Jung Mong-joo, and advises that Lee Seong-gye make a request to him. Of what, we don’t know.

When General Jo finds out that his plan failed because Bang-ji had a personal vendetta against one of his servants, he can’t get over the shock. “So all this happened out of sheer coincidence?” he asks unbelievingly.

But Bang-won, there with elder brother Bang-gwa, says it shouldn’t come as such a surprise that out of the endless number of people he’s made to suffer, one of them would be at that banquet. As for the unknown assassin, General Jo doesn’t have any more information than they do.

Jung Mong-joo’s advice for how to deal with General Jo is to not execute him for staging a coup, which would only cause more public unease. Jung Do-jeon agrees with him on not making enemies out of everyone, so he pleads with him to help turn Lee Saek over to their cause.

To sweeten the deal, they’d support Lee Saek to become the next minister of state affairs, but it all depends on whether Jung Mong-joo can persuade him. If he can’t, Jung Do-jeon only asks that he at least arrange a meeting between them so they can talk their views out.

Jung Mong-joo takes this information to Lee Saek, and though Minister Woo is firmly against the idea of joining hands with Lee Seong-gye, Jung’s powers of persuasion work. Lee Saek agrees to negotiate with Lee Seong-gye, with Jung organizing the meeting himself.

It all comes down to land and where Jung Do-jeon’s team will draw the line, which seems to be at 500 gyeol rather than 1,000 now. It’s a harder deal than it was before, which has people like Officer Nam nervous about the outcome.

What’s certain is that Lee Saek will make demands at tomorrow’s meeting, and if he makes the demands Jung Do-jeon predicts, they’ll actually come out on top. But of course, Jung has proven that he’s not always the best when it comes to reading people.

Bang-won reports his findings to Jung Do-jeon, which is only that General Jo wasn’t behind the secret assassin at the banquet. It concerns Jung that they have an enemy they don’t know, so he tasks Bang-won with finding out who it is at any cost.

It then becomes clear that Bang-won’s not happy about his father going to the negotiating table with Lee Saek, since he believes that General Jo’s mutiny provides them a perfect opportunity to retaliate with force and thus get everything they want the easy way.

Jung Do-jeon agrees that they would be able to achieve their goals with force, but that his plan for revolution was based off his Confucian ideals of saving lives, not ending them. More importantly though, this negotiation has a greater meaning to him, in that it’s the only way he can think of to keep Jung Mong-joo on board: “He is the one who will justify our revolution.”

Jung Mong-joo also moderates the meeting, where Lee Saek wastes no time in presenting his demand to bring the deposed King Woo back to the capital. Jung Do-jeon acquiesces to this almost too easily before presenting his demand: immediate enforcement of Jo Joon’s land reform plan in its original, unaltered state. Lee Saek asks for a recess to discuss this with his side, but he’s of the mind to agree to it. They can always repeal it once King Woo is back on the throne.

Luckily, this is exactly how Jung Do-jeon predicted it would go down, though of course they can’t actually allow King Woo to retake the throne. He’s also not surprised when Lee Saek comes back and agrees to their conditions, on the condition that the measurements for the reform be done in an official governmental capacity.

In that way, they’re throwing out Jo Joon’s five years of research while attempting to stall on the reform, since it’d take at least five years for new measurements to be taken. Jung Do-jeon amicably agrees to this, but it means that they’ll only agree to let King Woo come as close as Yeoju and not the capital. At least until the land reform is fully passed.

Likewise, General Jo will be prosecuted for illegal land dealings instead of inciting a massacre, and everyone wins! Kind of. Lee Saek’s side thinks they’ve come out with the better deal, but he knows something was up with Jung Do-jeon’s easygoing smile.

And he’s right, since Jung Do-jeon has alternate plans of his own. Lee Saek’s side thinks they’ve bought themselves five years, but Jung has no intention of letting it go that long. If they use Jo Joon’s plan, the land reform can be finished in two.

He relays this plan to Jung Mong-joo, but it arouses suspicion in his favorite colleague that he’s in such a rush. Is he really in this for land reform or does he want to get rid of the noble elite? It’s likely that Ha Ryun’s words have taken root in his mind, though he seems content still to believe Jung Do-jeon rather than the rumors floating around.

Bang-won takes Boon-yi and Moo-hyul with him to get a look at the mysterious assassin’s face before he’s taken of to be cremated. They recognize him as the man who stole Jo Joon’s research before they got to it, which raises Bang-won’s suspicion that Ha Ryun could’ve sent the assassin to kill his father.

But when “monks” come to take the body, Boon-yi notices something off-putting about them: they’re wearing leather shoes, which are forbidden for monks. That and the fact that the men looked too young sends the trio out to follow them for answers.

Red Seal Grandma explains to Jukryong and Gil Sun-mi that while their master had planned to kill the victor of the Battle of Dohwa Manor, Lee Seong-gye had heaven’s luck on his side. She has no patience for them asking if that means their master will choose Lee Seong-gye after all, and says in her slooow manner, “Why are you trying to decipher his plans?”

It’s cute that Boon-yi says she noticed the non-monks’ shoes because she has a sensitivity to shoes, calling back the time Bang-won bought her a pair. They follow the monks into a forest, where Ha Ryun appears to take a look at the body himself.

At first, this seems to confirm Bang-won’s suspicion that Ha Ryun tried to kill his father, but when Ha Ryun seems surprised to see the man’s face, all that changes. He still confronts Ha Ryun over whether he did plot to kill Lee Seong-gye, and uses Moo-hyul to make quick work of the two bodyguard-monks.

While Red Seal Grandma gives Jukryong and Gil Sun-mi three letters to deliver, Ha Ryun protests his innocence to Bang-won. He provides a likeness of the dead man and explains that he’s been looking for him on Lee In-gyeom’s behalf for over a decade.

He also tells them about the mysterious organization that helped Lee In-gyeom during critical moments, and how he’s sure this man has the telltale symbol of the organization to prove it. Bang-won rolls up the man’s sleeve and finds the Red Seal tattooed on his arm (except in black).

Bang-won recognizes the seal from his younger days, but he’d always thought the spy with the seal had been sent by Lee In-gyeom. Ha Ryun tells him that’s not so, which is why he’s spent all this time investigating on his behalf.

Of course, Boon-yi also recognizes the symbol, having believed as a child that the organization behind it had kidnapped her mother. She’s not as keen to give this information to Jung Do-jeon though, likely because of the warning she received about associating herself with her infamous mother.

So Bang-won takes it to Jung Do-jeon instead, telling him that the tattoo was found on his father’s would-be assassin. But Bang-ji’s face darkens when he sees the symbol, prompting him to unsheathe his sword in front of everyone gathered—and there, on the base of the blade, is the same symbol.

“Who are you?” Bang-won asks, eyes wide. “Why is that on your sword?” Bang-ji explains that his mother was kidnapped by a mysterious organization, but he’d known they operated with that seal. So he carved it into his sword so he’d never forget it.

As for Gil Sun-mi’s involvement with it, Bang-ji knows little more than they do. But when he shares that Gil Sun-mi told him to stop looking for his mother since she killed Princess Noguk, it sparks something in Jung Do-jeon.

“‘Nameless,’” he calls the organization in a grave tone. “I didn’t believe it for a long time,” he adds, going on to say how King Gongmin was so convinced Princess Noguk’s death wasn’t an accident that he claimed an organization called “Moomyung,” (or “Nameless”) was behind it.

The king had ordered an investigation into all the palace maids as a result, which supposedly caused Yeon-hyang to commit suicide. “If your mother is really Yeon-hyang,” he says to Bang-ji, “then she didn’t actually kill herself back then, but escaped out of the palace.” The question remains, why is Nameless targeting them?

Since Jung Do-jeon sends all his young dragons out to find everything they can on Nameless, Yeon-hee goes to Cho-young first to see what she knows. Cho-young’s expression says it all when Yeon-hee shows her the symbol, yet she claims she’s never seen it before. For being a professional spy, she sure could use a better poker face.

The three Red Seal/Nameless letters are delivered to Boon-yi, Bang-won, and Jung Do-jeon, all claiming to be from Jo Joon and of an urgent nature. But Jung Do-jeon finds something off about the letter instantly, since Jo Joon always refers to the New Joseon Cave in code, but didn’t here.

Bang-won doesn’t know it’s a trap and rushes over, unaware that he’s being followed. Jung Do-jeon finds Jo Joon first, and together they realize that whoever forged this letter must’ve forged more than one in the hopes of following at least one of its recipients to the cave.

Boon-yi’s the first to arrive, with Bang-won and Moo-hyul close behind. It’s then that Bang-won realizes it’s a trap, and Jung Do-jeon’s arrival confirms it. The information is still safely stored inside, but they don’t know who could’ve followed them here to try and take it.

That’s when the outer door opens, and footsteps can be heard in the darkness. Moo-hyul draws his sword as they all turn toward the sight of the inner door creaking open…

Cut to Gil Sun-mi and Jukryong, as the latter tells the former that they’ve discovered the location of the cave, and thus Jo Joon’s research. Gil Sun-mi says it’s about more than that now though. “It’s a counterattack. A most fatal counterattack. And the person most fatal [to their plans] will travel there.” All this according to His wish.

Back in the cave, everyone waits with bated breath as a figure emerges from the shadows, and it’s…

…Jung Mong-joo?! He looks just as surprised to see them as they are to see them, explaining that a strange letter brought him here. But Jung Do-jeon knows how badly this will end for them the second Jung Mong-joo turns his attention to the large map on the wall.

“New Joseon?” he reads in disbelief. Then, turning to Jung Do-jeon, he asks, “What is this?”

 
COMMENTS

Yeah, just what is this? I feel some small measure of comfort from the fact that this isn’t the Big Reveal I thought it’d be when it came to the man behind Nameless, since I realized only after seeing Jung Mong-joo walk through that door that I would’ve been terribly disappointed if it turned out to be him. Not for any reason I can actually put my finger on, but just… it wouldn’t have worked.

Luckily though, he’s not the one running the show over at Nameless, and by all accounts seems to have been just another pawn used in their game. If so, it was a damn fine move on their part, and one that speaks volumes about the true breadth of this most mysterious organization. For one, it’d mean that whoever’s behind it must have a deep understanding of Jung Do-jeon, enough to prey on his worst fears and, ultimately, exploit them.

It’d also mean that the mind behind Nameless had to have known about Jung Do-jeon’s ultimate plan, enough to know that it would be a “fatal” blow indeed to have Jung Mong-joo find out the way he did. He might not have known the exact location of the cave, which is why he needed one of the dragons to lead his people there, but he must’ve already known what was inside. It’s all so eerie when you think about it, especially considering how Jung Do-jeon only had ONE great concern holding his plan back. And now, his chances to convince the stalwart Jung Mong-joo have all but disappeared.

I realize that I keep using male pronouns to refer to the mind behind Nameless, when all the talk of Yeon-hyang this week leaves the possibility open that it very well could be her. Or, she was just acting under orders—but either way, the plot has definitely thickened. All the shrouded mysterious machinations remind me of Tree With Deep Roots in the best of ways, while also reminding me that I was absolutely terrible when it came to unwinding all the clandestine intrigue therein. So I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m totally wrong when it comes to Jung Mong-joo’s involvement, but I doubt the show was banking on us thinking Jung Mong-joo was involved in Nameless in the first place. Orrrr was it?

But if sending Jung Mong-joo to ruin Jung Do-jeon’s day was really a counterattack like Gil Sun-mi put it, then it had to have been a result of the dodang meeting and his negotiations with Lee Saek. If Nameless is seeking retaliation for that, it must mean that they have some stake in Lee Saek’s side of things, which could narrow down the choices a bit. I don’t know, I still think it’s Ha Ryun. He acts too out of the loop for someone trying to get into the business of rigging loops.

 
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thanks for recap... this great

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Awesome!!

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Bang-ji and Moo-hyul's budding bromance is just so awesome to watch. I really can't bear to see them falling out in the future..
Is it too late to change the script from historical based to pure fiction?

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Bang-ji and Moo-hyul are both fictional characters

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I know they're fictional. But we know that the man they're serving now will eventually fall out, so they will definitely stand against one another :(

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They were both in TWDR, so I think they are not gonna fight each other.. At first I want to see fighting scene between them but now after see them bonding like this I don't think I can watch them fighting each other.

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If we go by what Moo-hyul said in Tree, Bang Ji did beat him when he was young. He asked Bang Ji to kill him but he let him live (in shame according to Moo-hyul).
They also didn't know each other well at all like they do here.

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Wait... wasn't Pyung assassin in TWDR too?

Are we sure he's dead here? Maybe he's a vampire... who walks the night.

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I believe that Pyung belongs to Milbon and he was also Bang-ji's student.

This Pyung belongs to this nameless organization and he is already dead.

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Oh I forgot that Pyung was pre-Gwi for Lee Soo-Hyuk lol.

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Hehehe so many drama worlds colliding XD

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I laughed more than I was supposed to.

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Banji comes up with this logic that the rapists are good too because he wanted to protect his mother and child. While I'm glad Banji did not kill the man in front of his child, I would have been totally okay with him dragging the POS around the corner out of sight and offing him. I see so many commenters on dramas suddenly cutting bad people slack because of a touching scene with their mothers. EVERYBODY loves their mothers (in general). I can tell you that growing up in a high crime area, criminals that mug old ladies (sometimes pushing them down violently or breaking their arms to get their purse) never stop to think "would I like it for somebody to do that to my mother or sister", etc.

So thank goodness for Bong Yi's wisdom to know when a rabid dog needs putting down.

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I don't think he thought the rapist was good per se, but it was more of that specific moment which pulled him back from killing him. Which I thought was pretty expected considering he was just a child. I would like to believe that he would do otherwise if he were to meet with that same situation in his present days. But I definitely do agree with Boon Yi.

I saw the scene more of a sibling bonding moment when they both got to understand how each other thought of a specific situation.

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I watched on Viki and the subs had Banji say "he was good, too", which I knew it didn't mean Banji thought the guy was completely a good guy but that he had SOME good in him. I still stand by what I said about just because someone is capable of loving and being tender to their own family doesn't mean squat if they're raping and pillaging others and that the guy needed to be gone long before HanYee took care of him.

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Bang Ji probably meant that he is also a victim of this turbulent time just like them. Problem is he is a rider not a fighter. He is just riding along with it, taking advantage of the the poor,weak and the helpless (like young Yeon Hee).
Bong Yi believes that these kind of people are the worst and I agree with her.

The fighters, like the dragons and Bong Yi's people are trying to create a new world during this time of chaos. They give hope to their people instead of stepping over them to survive or get ahead.

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Bang Yi and Boon Yi have different ways of seeing the same situation and that shows their different characters. Bang yi, despite gaining awesome fighting skills, is still the sweet and peace-loving boy he was in his younger days. Remember how he didn't want to help JDJ cos he thought that there would be too much bloodshed? Boon-yi on the other hand, is a lot like Bang-won. She seeks justice, even if its at a price.

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Good point.

It's good to see the siblings disagree, even if it was done peacefully.

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Very well said!

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And at the risk if sounding too harsh, let me add that killing this guy results in saving future young girls whose paths he may cross and, while heartbreaking for his son, I'm sure the son will learn better from his mother/grandmother than his father teaching him to rape and joke about it afterwards.

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Beez: I agree with you in everything you wrote here!

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Me too. Not only did he commit the crime, he also bragged about it as dinner time amusement! It's appalling, but I often have to remind myself that modern day values and standards are not the same as in Goryeo times where such a thing would've just proved you were manly or something, ugh! I make myself watch the drama with that lens - still wrong is wrong and right is right, whatever action hurts another person is NOT cool...

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This was definitely a slower episode compared to the previous bloody one but definitely not a lacklustre one. It is to a show's credit that it can switch between all out battles and quiet thinking and deliberation so seamlessly without any loss in intrigue. Love it.

This episode made me feel dumb when I didn't know what to expect during Jung DoJeon and Lee Saek's negotiations, lol. But I totally expected Jung MongJoo to show up the moment Gil SunMi said that they would sent the most lethal person.

I know someone talked about structure, women's rights and confusianism in (New) Joseon in the previous reacp and I'd like to maybe shed some light on it. Confusianism is the ideology that everything has its place in the world and the order according to Heaven's Will must be adhered to for harmony to take place (basically, respect is to be maintained where defined and uprisings are not encouraged). But of course, "Heaven's Will" just ended up being "Confucius' order" of the King being the one to be the most respected, then the ministers and so on and so forth. And Confucious dictated that women are to be behind men (there was a scene in Empress Ki where SeungNyang was reciting something from confucius about the virtuous woman staying at home and keeping quiet to which I retorted about whether they's like a vase but that's TMI). Sure, confusianism existed during Goryeo but it was tempered by Mencius' ideology and the official religion being Buddism. And Jung DoJeon actually hated Buddism so much he wrote a book about why it's hippocritical.

So paired that with Jung DoJeon being a disciple of confucius, when you have a man designing a new nation like this, it's no surprise (New) Joseon's mentality ended up so oppresive (especially in the later years when the idealogy has become so deep-rooted and become second nature... plus that ever famous human tendency to follow the mob mentality makes things a little worse).

To be fair, confucius didnt mean for it to be so pressurising (I think. I've never met the guy) but you know... people... when something's to their advantage...

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Oh my argh...

1)It is always Confucius or Confucianism never whatever variation of spellings I use above.

2) ...I retorted about whether they’d like a vase...

3) Buddhism not Buddism.

4) Hypocritical not hippocritical. Buddhism ain't a hippo.

I generally don't bother correcting comments of mine since I think it's good enough for the internet that my ideas get across but this is a new record.

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Well said! Trying to explain with my poor English is very hard.

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Thanks, Peeps, that's really interesting. It's another example where these philosophies are quite easily co-opted by whomever is in power, and used to their advantage to justify the status quo. I've heard Confucianism touted many a time, as the rationale for authoritarian government rather than allowing democratic change. As for feminism/women's rights, history has shown men use all sorts of religion, philosophy, science (with skewed interpretation) etc to suggest the patriarchal order is natural.

By the way, I'd steal that line about the vase, if you don't mind - if anyone ever suggests a woman's place is in the home. Or if someone says something about Asian women supposedly being demure and docile - would they like a bonsai tree?

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I know this is kinda out of topic, but I was interested in the fact that JDJ hated Buddhism. Why was that? Because he thought that Buddhism was hypocritical? In what way? Would you please enlighten me please? Because I know I shouldn't, but I am actually curious. :D

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You're lucky I came back, hur.

Anyways, it's not that difficult to find information on the internet and this page should help you understand at least the basics of it: http://somachristoupaul.blogspot.sg/2011/12/jung-dojeons-critique-of-14th-century.html

The basic reasoning is that as with all religions (and ideologies), people take whatever aspects they can of it and twist it to fit/justify their needs/actions and at Jung DoJeon's time, Buddhism was rife with corruption. For example, people believed that doing good (where good is of course defined by humans again, whatever they say) in this life will secure one a place in Heaven (or wherever it is Buddhists go). And of course again, some people take that to mean that statues of Buddha must be made in gold etc etc. Which means that temples were lined with gold paint on the walls and filled with treasures at the expense of people dying from hunger because they were robbed/taxed unfairly and whatever it is. I'm pretty sure you get the idea of how ridiculous that is.

Anyway, the system was failing and Jung DoJeon decided that Buddhism was (part of) the problem.

Mencius' ideas were also not perfect but, having learnt it all, Jung DoJeon decided to use the parts that he thought were good and practical (unlike his other cohorts like PoEun Jeong MongJu who took it whole) - for example, he recognizes the important place that military power has in politics instead of falling to the "let's all dance to the Kumbaya" way of thinking. And since he didn't like Buddhism and identified as a Confucian/ Neo-Confucian scholar, the just replaced the corrupt Buddhism with Confucianism as the national "religion". Anyway, the whole idea of "why" is because people are people.

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Er, I mean that PoEun took Confucianism/Neo-Confucianism as a whole. Anyway, they're so intertwined I can't differentiate one from the other. You're free to dig further.

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I think Sambong's main criticisms towards the end of Goryeo was more to do with the national finances and vast amount of land that was wasted in building Buddhist temples, Buddhist services etc.

"Mencius’ ideas were also not perfect but, having learnt it all, Jung DoJeon decided to use the parts that he thought were good and practical (unlike his other cohorts like PoEun Jeong MongJu who took it whole)"

This was the cause of their fallout in the end and we might get to see in the next few episodes.

Radical reformist: Sambong, Ji Joon, Nam Eun, Gwon Geun (not shown in the drama) VS Moderate reformist: Poeun, Mogeun (Lee Saek) etc.

(Spoiler video from "Tears of the Dragon") Thanks to Korea's history channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TMqSNiqCjY

Cunning and a perverse genius lol. Poor Sambong.

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The Radicals aka Goryeo traitors (including our dragons) were in favor of creating a new nation.

The Moderates aka Goryeo loyalists wanted to reform the current government.

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He has moved on to join another organisation of neighbourhood watch ?

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Hopefully he won't be a blood thirsty assassin in that organisation as well ??

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- Wait, is Pyung a new person or is it Kim Nae Pyung? If it was mentioned in the drama, then argh, I guess I haven't been paying much attention. ;)

- When did Gil Sunmi become associated with Jukryong and the whole Moomyung business?

- And when Boonyi said that the rapist deserved to die determinedly, I thought at that moment she resembled Bangwon.

- If I'm not mistaken, it seems that now only Yeonhee calls Bangji "Ddang-sae"? :)

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I think Pyung is also Kim Nae Pyung. They look the same, at least to me.

I'd assume that Gil Seonmi has been with Nameless for a while now since he seemed to know what happened to Yeon Hyang but it could be too early to tell.

Yes! I thought that at that moment, she is totally like Bang Won.

I like that detail of her still calling him Ddang Sae no matter what. To her, he didn't change. Still the same Ddang Sae she knew and loves.

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Yes,there is only one Pyung in this drama and that is Kim Nae Pyung. There was another Pyung in TWDR but he is different person.

It would have been weird if she calls him Bang Ji. Ddang Sae is the name that she's known him since he was a child so there's closeness between them and they've known each other for a long time.

The writers couldn't avoid making obvious changes to Bang Ji and Moo-hyul's relationship so maybe they 'll do the same with Yeon Hee and Bang Ji.
She doesn't have to be Sambong's woman/wife in this drama. They already showed Sambong's son in earlier episode so we'll just assume that his real wife is somewhere. He was a one woman man without a concubine in history anyway.

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I believe Pyung is Kim Nae Pyung, because Kim Nae Pyung was the only name associated with the Nameless organization, and GSM and Jukryong saying that He (whoever he may be) sent Pyung to the DoHwa Mansion was like an indicator to the viewers that He was the leader of the organization.

Jukryong was a part of the organization, I didn't remember which episode but when he was prisoned and the old lady came to him pretending as his mother, that was when the viewers got to know that Jukryong was connected to the organization. And GSM was naturally a part of the organization since it was revealed in last week's episode when he came face to face with Bang Ji and Boon Yi during their conquest to retrieve the research data.

So I guess it was natural that they knew each other as a part of the same organization.

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Oh and btw someone fan-made a sixth dragon credit for Moohyul! Which looks a lot like the official ones:
https://youtu.be/QgmYFESiw50

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Woah... That is a sixth dragon worthy clip! Even though it's fanmade, it is super good! Thanks for sharing!

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Just shows how much people wanted that Sixth Dragon Title for Moohyul. "If SBS won't give it to him, I will!"

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Ikr? I'll be in a grumpy mood again until he gets his dragon title lol.

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If TWDR's Moohyul is the same MH in SFD, then would it mean that MH is at least 20++ years older than King Sejong? Since he's the 3rd son and all? It's just that in TWDR, MH and King Sejong looked about the same age. King Sejong was also almost 50 when Hangul was introduced right?

Then again, Moohyul is the best swordman in Joseon. So I guess everything adds up, lol.

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He's a vampire,..a giant vampire & he doesn't age. ;)

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They probably just didnt care about the age?? I mean in tree, moohyul and bangji didnt even seem as close as they are know

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And the viewers didn't care about the age because it was meant to be a fictional sageuk.

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Fiction or not, they should get their ages and the timeline correct, so that it makes sense.

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Which episode was it that talked about the history of the Red Seal ? Did i miss it out or it has not been talked about yet ? Im lost hahaha

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I believe the history behind the Red Seal is still clouded in mystery lol. In fact this episode might be the first one that gave us a little hint about it when JDJ talked about Nameless.

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They've given hints here and there since eps 1 but nothing major.

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Here comes the heartbreak. Seriously, I heard my heart drop to the ground when I saw Po Eun emerge from the door. No! I don't want this! Noooooooooooo. Even when he was talking to Sam Bong about whether he has other motives for rushing the reform only to brush it off because he believe is Sam Bong, my heart was already breaking. Po Eun ㅠㅠ

"I think you are stronger when you're protecting someone." /slow claps WELL SAID, BANG JI! My baby looked so adorably proud this episode. He looked extra healthy and handsome. I don't know why. Kyaaaaa

The mystery surrounding Nameless really gives me Tree feels. Of course, they'd have to call the assassin "Pyung" if you know what I mean. I'm guessing that if the leader of Nameless is not Yeon Hyang, then it's probably Hong Dae Hong! The guy's screen time has been suspiciously increasing and he's been getting a lot of close-ups lately. He has his own name title on the screen even though he rarely appears to teach Moo Hyul anything. After the reveal of who Jung Do Jeon is in Tree, I stopped trusting anyone.

Thank you for the recaps, Heads! Another long week of waiting ahead. See you all next year, beanies!

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*I mean Jeong Gi Joon!!!

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I was like oh shit when Poeun came in. He is going to feel so so betrayed... :(

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Interesting earthna, I never once thought of Hong Dae Hong as a suspect. I would add him to my suspect list if we know more about his back story beside being the Gil twins teacher.

Right now there is only 2 people on my suspect list:

1.Yeon Hyang: Bang Ji and Bong Yi's mom.
2.Teacher Yooksan: who has not made an appearance yet.

I believe they have not made an appearance for a reason.

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thank you for recap

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I watched TWDR. So I think that the teacher of Gil Tae Mil and Muhyul is not ordinary man. May be he is not the leader of Nameless. But he is someone important.

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What if the leader of the red seal was a woman? Say like, Bang-yi and Boon-yi's mother? I had this thought when I watched the intro to this episode. All the scenes, I think, had something to do with their mother.

It makes sense doesn't it? She murdered the princess, and somehow managed to escape and Gil soon mi tells Ddang sae to forget her and she seems to be an important person in the organisation.

I also think that there's a mole in JDJ's organisation. How else would the red seal know that he's planning on starting a new dynasty and so cleverly send Po-eun?

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I'd go for Ha Ryun as well at the moment. He's acting way too informative for a clever schemer at the moment. Makes me suspicious.. But then again, this drama makes everything suspicious :D

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Love that last line in the commentary.

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I feel completely stupid and lost throughout this episode lol
Although they are the main, supposedly protagonist characters, in reality JDJ and the gank are rebellion who wants to dethrone the dynasty. I keep reminding myself that fact to keep up with this (and probably next) episode. This is making me dizzy haha

And Teacher Lee Saek, why??? I am kinda annoyed by him though. He is SKK teacher and part of Do Dang, but he supports Lee Ingyeom. But then Jung Moo Joo (and even JDJ) still put him in such a high regard. Gosh being unfamiliar with historical background (and cultural stufs i guess) is really affecting my understanding of this drama >.<

I keep wondering why yeonhee is said to be JDJ's woman because their chemistry is not romantic at all, it's not even friendly. It seems more like yeonhee wants something and she thinks he can give her that something so they work together. It's only mutual respect, understanding and goal.

Anyway, love the broship between bangji and moohyul, i want moaaaaaar!!

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Having so many characters makes it hard for the writers to give background informations on all of them especially with the important and well known historical figures. They just showed up and sometimes we are expected to use our imagination or fill in the blanks. At least they do it one at a time.

I don't remember Teacher Lee Saek taking In Gyeom's side. If he ever did, it must have been something to do with Goryeo. He wasn't a fan of In Gyeom just like his students Sambong and Poeun.

No one knows Sambong more than his teacher Lee Saek. He often made remarks about Sambong being rebellious and cunning. He doesn't trust him and he knows something is up but he's not sure.
I don't think he will be surprise to hear from Poeun later that Sambong has been planning a revolution for a long time.

"I keep wondering why yeonhee is said to be JDJ's woman"

Watch episode 17 of Tree with Deep Root or read Heads recap here.
http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/12/tree-with-deep-roots-episode-17/

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Thank you, Kiara.
I do think that it must be interesting to know beforehand the background information before watching this drama, which eventually makes me sad, every character is actually interesting. Too bad tv can't give all haha :p

I remember in few eps back, Lee Saek together with General Jo and Queen got the letter sent by Lee In Gyeom (although it's actually from Ha Ryun) which makes me think Lee Saek supports Lee In Gyeom.

Thanks for the link. Wow now you make me want to watch Tree huhu. Six being the prequel of Tree kinda ends my wish for Bangji and Yeonhee end up together. But i still think it's weird to make them an item especially because here they don't have any hint for relationship future. Maybe Yeonhee is JDJ woman because she truly believes the world he is building and give her all for that world? Well, still have 20+ episodes i'll wait patiently (or not, haha)

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i'm in awe of how artfully this drama is written.

from previous episodes especially when ha ryun went to tell jung mong joo that jung do jeon was probably planning to put lee seong gye as king, i suspected the red seal was going to be behind driving jung dojeon and jung mongjoo apart.

but at the end of this episode i was first thrown off when i saw the letters red seal wanted to deliver were to boon yi and bang won (i thought it was to lee saek or some other politician) so that move really surprised me. and i was so caught up worrying about what assassins and army red seal would send behind them to get the documents that even when gil seon mi said he would send the most fatal person, i thought it was some high level assassin.

but when jung mong joo walked through the doors wow. the feeling of being manipulated into falling for a twist is such a strangely amazing feeling.

props to the writers! this is one amazing show.

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My thought exactly!

And it has been this way since episode 1.

Hopefully, the ending will be done well. Considering korean dramas, even the sageuk one *cough*EK*cough* often has its 'craziest' twist at the finale -__-

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Really wonder why Lee Saek who is supposed to be a good and upright man, is listening to the advice of the corrupt politicians who used to be in cahoots with LIG and HIB?

I'm also surprised that JDJ actually went into the cave, knowing tt it was a trap. Thought tt he would bring Nam Eun or someone who could fight (since BJ is temporarily out of action) with him, and wait outside the cave to see what was happening first.

Even in side the cave, when they knew that it was a trap, I was yelling at them to tear down the map of New Joseon, especially ehen they heard the foot steps! Can't have anyone finding out their big secret!

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(Spoiler)
Lee Saek did oppose Lee Seong-gye and Sambong's revolution plan and he refused to work with them. In Gyeom's minions happens to be on the same side. Things didn't end well for him either and anyone else who stood in the way.

Poeun was meant to find out that they are planning a revolution. I guess it's more dramatic for him to find out this way?

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I'm guessing that Poeun will confirm the revolution plan and Lee Saek will decline the Prime Minister position like he did in history.

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A somewhat slow episode, after the epic bloodbath in the last episode. Fell asleep in some parts of the episode. More excitement and actions (not the silly, levitation kung fu stuffs), dudes!

It is already episode 26 and both are yet to become kings. I would like to see some actions after both become kings, including palace intrigues among the ladies, e.g., Ban Won's wife and Boon Yi where she becomes his concubine.

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hope not...palace intrigues were already shown in the Great King Sejong drama.lady hyobin and prince kyoungnyeoung were already there.. i'm tired of seeing them again.. .so i hope they will make this another story .centered King Taejong and how he ruled as the iron fisted king and improve the commoner's lives... i'm hoping for King Taejong to fall in love with his wife.. I really cried hard when he cried after his wife's death.. so i hope they will make it like the story of Jang Ok Jung , Live in love where they portray Jang Ok JUng as a victim and a woman in love with her king....so i hope there will be like that in SFD, king Taejong fell in love with his queen..

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I got a feeling Nameless is jung mungjoo since the old lady told jukryong and sunmi to deliver the 3 letters( which will be received by jeong dojeon, bangwon and boonyi). However jungmung joo entered the cave saying that he came here following the letter but there were only 3 letters that have been delivered to the 3 dragons. Unless Nameless gave one letter to jungmungjoo himself without the help of jukryong and sunmi

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The thing is Jung Mong-ju is upright, loyal and straightforward. I can not picture him getting involved in a secret organization unless the writers are taking liberty here to throw us off.

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because he received that letter after they knew the place of the cave by sending the 3 letters ;)

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great ep as usual and thanx for the recap heads
congratulations to all SFD winners it was their night even GSY won (for a different drama but still proud)

i think that at the head their would be more than one and one of them is BY & LBJ mother which will add more conflict to the characters add another layer

anyways Happy New Year keep your fire at all times

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Why does everyone keep saying BJ and MH are fictional? They're real historical figures, people. Out of the dragons, only BY is fake.

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They are fictional. Bang Ji, Moo-hyul and Bong Yi, all 3 of them.

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Bang ji and Moo haul's bromance is just lovely.

Can't believe I was able to catch up with the recent episodes. I hate Monday but then the thought of watching another episode of this epic series will probably help lessen that hate hahahaha

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My theory is that Nameless is another heir to the throne. Princess Noguk died in childbirth and then her maid Yeonhyang went missing and presumed dead. What if the baby survived. King Gongmin was not stable after his wife died so maybe they raised the baby in secret. Nameless wanted to create a power vacuum which would be an opportunity to place a new heir on the throne.

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Great episode. It's of course should slower because they are talking about politics here, yo! Ratings-wise, episodes political convos are higher than the action episodes. I guess Koreans pay better attention to it because it is something they can relate.

Anyways, Happy New Year!

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*should be

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I hope they will get into the main course soon! It's past 25 eps already and I still didn't see the main conflict: Sambong vs Bangwon. Hurry, hurry!

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