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Moonlight Drawn By Clouds: Episode 18 (Final)

We’re at the end of the line, and that means it’s time to resolve conflicts, wrap up loose ends, answer our questions, give us a satisfying resolution, and leave us with a uplifting feeling of hope that while the drama is over, the characters live on, in that we can be happy with even when we don’t get to witness it ourselves. That’s a fairly tall order, and the big question is whether the drama managed to pull all that off in its final hour. There’s no way to answer that without spoiling everything up front, so let’s just get right to the point, shall we?

 

 
EPISODE 18: “Moonlight drawn by clouds”

Late at night at Teacher Dasan’s home, Byung-yeon prepares to leave and peers inside to see Ra-on alone, dozing. He sets off, thinking, “It may be a long journey. But I promise you: I will return to you and the prince.”

Ra-on’s sleep turns fitful as she dreams of that night she’d held a knife to Yeong, which he’d used to cut off his bracelet.

In the palace, Yeong drinks his tonic and thinks of that same moment, when his bracelet fell apart and scattered. The poison hits him, and he falls over.

Ra-on calls out to Yeong in her sleep, and wakes feeling heavy-hearted. She chooses to consider the dream as a happy one, just as she’d once described dreaming of losing her mother: “Because at least I could see you.”

A frantic pounding sounds at the front gate, and it’s Young Master Jung with an urgent summons to bring Teacher Dasan to the palace. Ra-on hears that Yeong has been poisoned and falls to the ground, overcome.

Teacher Dasan and Ra-on (disguised as his assistant) hurry to the palace, where the gate guard asks Ra-on to remove her face mask. She’s saved from discovery by Eunuch Jang, who arrives in a panic to usher them in.

They’re taken to the prince’s chamber, where Yeong lies unconscious, looking like death. Ra-on kneels at his bedside and reaches for his hand, the sight of him bringing her to tears.

Teacher Dasan gets to work and spoons medicine into Yeong’s mouth. Perhaps it works, because Yeong’s eyes flutter open soon thereafter, and they breathe a sigh to see that he’s regained consciousness.

Through his tired eyes, Yeong just barely makes out the blurry image of Ra-on hovering above.

Just then, Ha-yeon is announced, and Ra-on quickly steps aside. Ha-yeon looks at her curiously, but she’s more concerned with the prince’s condition at the moment and hurries to his bedside.

Yeong’s blurry vision sharpens into focus as he makes out Ha-yeon’s face, and is that disappointment on his face? From a distance, Ra-on watches the two of them with sad eyes, and then the door closes in her face, leaving her on the outside.

The queen is worrying over having her baby daughter in Ha-yeon’s care when a court lady informs her that the prince has collapsed from poisoning. Her shock suggests she was unaware of the plan.

Teacher Dasan informs Yeong that the tonic he drank wasn’t poisoned, which is why the court lady who tasted it didn’t fall ill. Instead, the poison had been applied to the surface of the bowl, which is why the princess’s silver ring darkened upon contact. Because Yeong only drank a small amount, he should be able to recover fully. Yeong asks Teacher Dasan to keep his recovery a secret—he looks forward to seeing how happy people will be at his return from the brink.

The tactic has the desired effect, because Eunuch Sung reports to Prime Minister Kim that the palace is swirling with rumors that the prince is dying by the minute.

Ha-yeon thinks back to the masked aide attending to Yeong, unable to shake the suspicion that it was Ra-on. She tells herself that it can’t be, but without much conviction.

Ra-on tends to Yeong as he sleeps, and just as she moves away, his hand reaches out to pull her back. He reaches up to pull off her mask, then smiles to see her face, saying, “So I didn’t see wrong.”

She starts to explain why she’s here, but he just says, “When I opened my eyes, do you know how much I worried that it would not be you here? When I grabbed you, I hesitated for a long while, in case it might not be you.”

Ra-on tells him that she promised Teacher Dasan that she would only stay a few days, and take utmost care to not be recognized, not even by the prince. So now, she requests that he pretend not to know her for just a little while.

Yeong reaches for her hand and draws her sleeve back—revealing that she wears his bracelet, put back together. It makes him smile and hold on tighter, and he agrees, “I will pretend not to know you for a long, long while, so stay by my side. Even if it is just until I am recovered.”

He grasps her hand in his, and reaches up with the other to cradle her face.

And that’s the scene Ha-yeon witnesses from the door, which she quietly closes while holding back tears.

Yeong receives a visit from little Princess Yeongeun and her mother, Royal Consort Park. He asks if Consort Park recalls the day his mother died, recalling how she’d collapsed after taking her medicine, but no poison had been found in it. The incident was suspicious, but ultimately buried.

Yeong finds his poisoning similar to his mother’s death, and believes the same culprit to be behind both incidents. He views this incident as a good opportunity to get to the bottom of his mother’s death, though he sighs that he doesn’t have any proof.

At that, little Yeongeun flicks up her eyes nervously, looking conflicted. (Yasssssss.)

The queen orders Eunuch Sung to sneak her (discarded) baby back to her, and then she accompanies him to hand off the baby to a henchman. The queen warns the eunuch to do a proper job of it this time (as in, disposing of the child).

And then, Yeong’s voice orders them to halt. He turns scathing eyes on the queen, asking if she has ordered the child killed, and orders them to set the baby down, saying that even criminals are full of defenses and protests when accused of crimes. The least they can do is to let the baby do the only thing it knows how to do, cry, before it dies: “In front of the mother who is trying to get rid of her in such a terrible way.”

The queen looks conflicted, but steels herself and tells him to do as he wishes. Yeong warns that this is the last chance he will give her—that it’s the one way that everyone will be able to live.

He asks her to reveal that truth that this is her child, rather than the boy she has claimed. The queen’s face twists with emotion, but she smooths it out before facing the prince, lying, “I have no idea what you are saying.”

Yeong looks shocked at her coldness as she just walks away. But the baby begins to cry, and the queen struggles with herself, trying to ignore the cries.

Princess Yeongeun thinks back to that traumatizing day when she’d seen the court lady killed, and recalls seeing an envelope in the woman’s hands. Ra-on comes upon her and pauses in concern to see her looking distressed.

Ra-on quietly identifies herself, and Yeongeun writes a note asking if Ra-on is here as a doctor’s aide because of the sick prince. Ra-on says she will stay until the prince recovers, and asks if the princess is struggling with something.

Yeongeun asks for a favor, then leads Ra-on to that room where she’d once hidden, now dusty with disuse. She starts looking around for something, remembering that the lady stuffed the envelope underneath the a loose floorboard moments before being killed.

The memory makes Yeongeun tremble and cry, but she forces herself to point a finger toward the floor and eke out a word: “T-there…”

Ra-on feels for the loose floorboard, and finds that long-forgotten letter tucked underneath it. Behind them, a pair of feet quietly leave. Uh-oh.

It’s the prime minister’s underling, who reports back that he saw Ra-on fetching something from underneath the floor. The prime minister orders him to bring Ra-on, dead or alive, and at that, Yoon-sung offers himself for the task.

The prime minister points out that he can’t trust Yoon-sung when he knows he cares for the girl, but Yoon-sung replies that he’d like to test himself and see how strong his feelings are. He admits to feeling upset about her remaining close to the prince, and says that the clan must be powerful in order for him to have what he wants. Please tell me you’re just making the argument your grandfather wants to hear—because on that score, it works, and the prime minister agrees to let Yoon-sung bring her in.

Yeong delivers the old letter to the king, explaining Ra-on’s part in its recovery. The king recognizes the handkerchief inside, stained with blood, and reads the letter before showing it to Yeong.

The letter is from Yeong’s mother, addressed to him, and it sounds as though she expects to die; she tells Yeong that she hopes he will have overcome his sadness when he reads the letter. She also writes, “I have staked my life to protect your seat, not for my son’s power, but for the hope of Joseon—do not forget that.”

Ra-on returns to her old building late that night, and Yoon-sung finds her there. He looks at her with cold eyes and says she must come with him, just as he’s joined by masked assassins. Ra-on registers the threat, but they grab her before she can do anything.

Yoon-sung keeps his face stony, though it flickers when he hears Ra-on cry out in pain. At that, he draws his sword and holds it up to Ra-on’s scared face… and then whirls on his masked assassins.

He grabs Ra-on protectively and turns on his grandfather’s men, dispatching several in quick succession, not stopping even when he’s slashed across the abdomen. Then Ra-on sees that he’s in the direct line of danger, and darts in to block his body with hers.

But Yoon-sung can’t have her hurt, so he whirls them around, keeping Ra-on out of harm’s way… and getting stabbed in the chest instead. He spits up a mouthful of blood.

Still, he has enough strength to resume fighting when the remaining assassins charge him. One aims for Ra-on, and Yoon-sung blocks the sword’s path—by placing his body directly in its path.

The sword digs into his shoulder, and then Yoon-sung grabs the blade with his bare hand and slides his body along the length of the blade, toward the hilt, until he can knock the sword away. Goddamn it Yoon-sung, you’re a badass mofo but you’re hard to watch.

Yoon-sung takes down the last assassin, but by now his body has been battered with multiple injuries, and he collapses. Ra-on rushes to his side and cradles his head in her lap, scared to see that he’s seeping blood at an alarming rate.

Yoon-sung manages to smile as he tells her not to cry: “I do not wish to be remembered as a small man who would make a woman cry.” She can’t believe he’d joke at a time like this, but he continues, “Do not be sad, either.”

She sobs that she’s sorry for always hurting him when he always made her smile. He shakes his head and says, “You are the picture I always wanted to draw.” He says that it’s enough that she is happy in the moment he draws her, and urges her to be happy.

His eyes slowly close, and he falls limp. As the reality of his death sinks in, she sobs over his body.

The queen must have been moved by her crying child after all, because she admits everything to her father, subdued for once rather than agitated. She says she wanted to give birth to a boy, even if through faking it, and had a reason other than the obvious one of providing an heir: She wanted her father’s acknowledgement.

“Even if you weren’t satisfied with me, I am still your blood kin,” she says.

She asks if he ever thought of her as his child, to which he replies that she’s in no place to ask that after trying to kill her own child to protect her position.

She can only laugh at that: “Yes, hearing that, we are indeed related. Able to throw away anyone who becomes a hindrance, or kill. I am just like you.”

The prime minister says coolly that her desire for his approval is not within her reach, as the lowly child of a gisaeng—she ought to just be content with the queen’s seat he created for her. Her face falls, disappointed once more.

Without warning, her doors fly open and the king walks in, followed by Yeong and several soldiers. The king faces the prime minister and demands to know if everything is true. The queen hangs her head, thinking they’re speaking of her baby—but Yeong holds out the recently discovered letter, and the prime minister recognizes it.

A flashback takes us back ten years: The previous queen, Yeong’s mother, faces the prime minister, who warns her of the dangers of being too interested in Western learning. He confronts her with a book that he calls dangerous and heretical, which the queen says she read purely out of curiosity.

The prime minister accuses her of teaching the prince about ruling without accounting for class and rank. She argues that she was merely instructing him to regard every one of his citizens as important, but the prime minister is clearly capable of twisting that around to make it seem she’s inciting an upheaval of social order. So he gives her the choice: be dethroned and make the crown prince the son of a criminal, or to remain blameless and step down of her own accord.

This must all be in the queen’s letter, which the prime minister now reads. But then, a eunuch bursts in with terrible news of Yoon-sung.

A short time later, the prime minister is brought before the court as a criminal. Yeong reads the charges: contempt of royalty in falsifying the queen’s identity, poisoning the prince, and assassinating the former queen and covering it up. He is sentenced, along with the other two Kim ministers, to execution by beheading. The queen, meanwhile, is dethroned for passing off another child as the prince.

As the prime minister is escorted out of his home to meet his fate, he requests one last look at Yoon-sung’s room. As he sits in the empty room, he flashes back to that day long ago, when Yoon-sung and Yeong were boys. He’d watched as they changed back after trading clothes and Yoon-sung had asked if wearing the prince’s robes would make him the prince.

Little Yeong, now wearing the egret-adorned hat, replies no—but it allows them to understand each other better. Little Yoon-sung asks Yeong how he’d felt wearing his clothes, and Yeong says that his friend’s clothes had felt just as heavy as his own. So it was Yoon-sung who would die young all along, and Yeong who bore the traits of a good king.

The prime minister finds a pistol among Yoon-sung’s things. Moments later, a gunshot rings out.

Yeong carries his mother’s handkerchief out to the field, remembering how she had wished for him to see the people in lower classes, and to protect each and every citizen as his own. She’d asked him then to promise to be that kind of king, and he reaffirms that vow now.

Next, it’s Ra-on who is brought before the court as a criminal, kneeling before Yeong as he reads out her charge—which he follows by acknowledging her contribution to restoring honor to the royal family. He pardons her for all of her crimes.

Ha-yeon makes a request of the king, which he finds difficult to understand: She wishes to step down as crown princess, even if, according to law, she is prohibited from marrying for the rest of her life. Ha-yeon explains that she knew Yeong didn’t care for her, but had hoped he might open his heart to her eventually.

“However, I was unable to offer the least bit of comfort to the prince’s weary heart,” she says, “and I blamed myself and hated myself for it. I realized how foolish I had been. Rather than being a foolish princess who is a burden to the prince, so that I may live alone but honestly, please grant your permission.”

A short while later, Ha-yeon makes her way through the city streets, on her way to the ferry. She flings off her head covering and breathes in the air.

We hear the king’s voice delivering his decision: He will revoke the entire princess selection, thereby freeing her of the requirement to remain unmarried for the rest of her life. He hopes she will find a man who will treasure her and urges her to live happily.

One year later.

The king is announced, and a red-robed figure makes his way into the throne room—Yeong, now king, taking his position before his council. Among the lesser officials is Young Master Jung, while Teacher Dasan is there in minister’s robes.

Yeong makes his way to the throne, but pauses in front of the lofty seat. Changing his mind, he turns and sits down right on the top step, in front of the throne, butt on floor. The ministers murmur amongst themselves and Teacher Dasan asks why he is sitting there.

Yeong replies that he will continue to do so: “The highs and lows between me and my people, the distance between me and you—I hope that you will understand my wish to be one step closer.”

Eunuch Jang beams with pride, Teacher Dasan quirks up a smile, and the rest of the ministers bow a bit uncertainly.

Over in the eunuch department, Head Eunuch Jang delivers the speech about responsibility and honor to the newest class of rookies. Do Ki and Sung-yeol observe the new faces… and take a closer look at one of the rookies. Wait, is that…?

Pwahaha, it’s Kim Seul-gi, looking suspiciously pretty and delicate-featured in the sea of male faces. (Best cameo reference ever.) They both feel that strange sense of déjà vu, and then Kim Seul-gi looks over and shoots them a wink.

As Princess Myeongeun takes a walk, a eunuch hands her a red rose, which she takes with some confusion. More eunuchs line her path, as do court ladies, each holding out a rose.

Once she’s amassed a large bouquet, she comes to Young Master Jung at the end of the line, who kneels before her and starts to say that she now has ninety-nine flowers. Myeongeun cuts him off to get to the punchline first, that she’s the last flower. Aw, Young Master Jung drops the rose he’d been holding behind his back—his punchline had been different—and tells her she’s right, and asks her to marry him.

She’s touched, but concerned that marrying her would prevent his career from reaching its full heights (a princess’s husband would find himself restricted in many ways). He tells her that walking with her would make every path flower-lined, and outshining any path to career success.

“All I need is you,” he says, “Myeongeun-ah.” He kisses her, and their audience cheers.

Out in the city, Byung-yeon and Hong Kyung-rae watch from a distance as Yeong, disguised as a simple nobleman, walks among the people and gets invited to play a game.

Byung-yeon references a saying about drawing clouds to make the moonlight shine, and smiles as he watches Yeong among his people. He says, “Rather than a sun that shines alone, he’s a ruler who shines brightly when among his people, like the moonlight—I believe the king is that kind of person.”

Hong Kyung-rae notes, “So you will remain as a cloud, on behalf of the king. Is that what you mean?” They smile.

In a bookshop, Ra-on puts out a new book on display: The cover bears a face that looks like Yeong, and the title is “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds.” It’s snatched off its perch immediately, and Yeong sighs that she’s been so busy writing her supposed masterpiece that he’s barely seen her.

She’s a bit sheepish about putting his face on the cover, but asks for his understanding, since a book’s cover can affect its sales. Yeong leans down to meet her at eye level, and warns that he’ll be seeking repayment, and Ra-on shyly covers her lips with her hands and asks, “Here?” Hee.

He laughs at her assumption, saying that he meant a percentage of the sale price. Ha.

Holding hands as they walk through a field of flowers, Yeong asks what the book is about. Ra-on describes a prince of a far-off land, with beautiful looks and a bad temper. He pouts at that, but she continues that the prince undergoes all sorts of trials to emerge as a good king.

“Have you written of your hopes?” he asks. Ra-on shakes her head, saying, “No. I have merely taken a peek at the world you are making.”

He takes her hands, and asks, “Then who are you?” Ra-on guesses, “In the nation you will make, that first citizen?” Yeong shakes his head; that’s not what he’s thinking of.

Ra-on thinks again. “The one who came to you in the appearance of a eunuch, your first sweetheart?” That’s not it either, so she asks, “Then who am I?”

He replies, “You are the Ra-on who filled my world to the brim.”

She smiles happily, and he swoops in to kiss her.

 
COMMENTS

Ahh, so we get our happy ending after all, and everything worked out, more or less, with ends tied neatly and history blatantly flouted. (That giant disclaimer at the top of the episode about this show being different from history was a pretty big tip-off that the ending would be upbeat, but I wasn’t expecting a tragedy, so I didn’t mind not having that element of surprise.) Not everything was happy, of course, considering how Yoon-sung died, but on the whole the episode fulfilled its role as a finale and provided closure to most of the big plot conflicts. It even managed to tie in points from early episodes, which contributed to the feeling of an ending that had been set up well in advance, so that it felt like an extension of logic and not like a late-game attempt to make everything end happily.

I’m fine with having Yoon-sung die at the end, and if he had to go, then it makes sense that he would go down to protect Ra-on. I appreciate that his good nature won out—perhaps he was lying to his grandfather about testing his feelings, or perhaps he really was testing himself, but in either scenario Yoon-sung was true to himself and died fighting for his convictions, which eases the sting a bit. It was also the least the show could do to have him die in Ra-on’s arms, able to confess a bit of his heart while wishing her well.

It’s just, that stupid fight. That stupid, needless fight that didn’t have to happen, that didn’t make sense in the context of the plot, that felt like it was choreographed and shot and edited before it was properly written. COME ON, those men are under his command! Even if they wouldn’t have acted against the prime minister’s orders, there were a gajillion ways Yoon-sung could have taken advantage of the situation, could have sent them away, could have thwarted them on a goose chase, could have brought a horse and run away with Ra-on, could have warned her ahead of time, et ceteraaaa. And that was the best you could do? The last time I saw a death that pointless was when that dude in Moon/Sun literally threw himself in the path of an incoming spear because of fate or whatever. I get that narratively, the death makes sense, and may even be a necessity. I just really wish the writing had actually done that necessity justice. I thought Yoon-sung deserved better.

But as for things I loved: While it was convenient for Ha-yeon to be the one to bow out of the marriage and free Yeong without making anybody a bad guy, I appreciate that she wasn’t shown to be doing it out of a broken heart, or a sense of selflessness or martyrdom. Ultimately it was a choice to honor herself above a one-sided love that she saw was never going to be returned, to allow herself to live with a freer heart, even if that would limit the life she could lead as an unmarriageable young woman. Heck, at least it would be better than being locked into a miserable life as an unhappy married woman, to be able to choose herself. Kelly Taylor would approve. Of course, this show does love to have cakes and eat them too, so she ended up even freer than she’d hoped, with the king releasing her from the princess trappings entirely.

Also: Yeong became king! Obviously we’re in total fantasyland by this point, because he never made it to kinghood in real life, but it’s gratifying to see him actually rule, because the great tragedy was that we knew he’d be an awesome ruler but wouldn’t get the chance. I’m presuming that the whole “fake his death to live with Ra-on while history believes the prince dead” plotline was a popular speculation for the finale, and I was half-expecting to see it in play here—but what would have disappointed about that ending is that Yeong would have had to give up his hopes of being a good king and treasuring his people and turning around Joseon from its path of puppet kings and corrupt puppetmasters. And that idealism and integrity was such a huge part of his character that I didn’t quite want that to be the solution.

Truth be told, I can’t shake my niggling sense of disappointment that the show so thoroughly ignored history, even as I’m glad for the characters’ sake that everything worked out well for them. It’s not enough to anger me or sour my opinion of the show, but it is a distinct disappointment to have the show take all this care to establish the historical basis, work in real-life figures, and then just kind of shrug and say, “Never mind, none of the rest happens in this world.” I’m certainly fine with fantasy sageuks taking liberties with trufax, and don’t expect—or even want—them to be completely accurate. But one of the huge draws of watching sageuks is understanding the broad strokes of history and knowing that there are certain constraints we have to work with—so as we watch the show, it becomes a source of enjoyable angst to worry about how a show will manage to pull out a satisfactory solution when we already know the punchline.

I wanted this show to pull out a clever twist to show us how historical record came to be, while still delivering a happy ending. One way to do that is to fake his death, but they could have also played with the swapped-babies theme and made Yoon-sung the real prince. Or something cleverer that I was hoping really hard the show could figure out. Part of my excitement about this drama was the anticipation about how the drama would accomplish this feat—and then we got there and the drama just decided that the constraint of reality didn’t matter anymore. Maybe that’s my fault for getting my hopes up, but the show was so winning and compelling that I really did believe it had that answer. If they were going to go with this ending, I wish they’d have invented an entirely fictional world from the start, the way The Moon That Embraces the Sun did, because in that case there are no expectations of boundaries, and no disappointments.

But I expect that this will bother different people to differing extents, and some people not at all. If delivering a happy resolution was the main concern, then Moonlight Drawn By Clouds delivered that, and left off at a nice place in the story—there are some open ends, but I feel confident that everyone I care about (except Yoon-sung, sniff) is in a good place and on a good trajectory, so that we can step out of this world feeling contented and hopeful. I don’t have to see Yeong and Ra-on married, for instance, because it’s enough that they’ve cleared out all their obstacles and are in a place where they can openly love. And with Yeong on the throne, we can rest easy that there may never be another peasant’s rebellion, especially with Byung-yeon and Hong Kyung-rae leading the rebels and believing in him to make a better nation.

Moonlight Drawn By Clouds wasn’t a perfect drama, but what I felt at the outset still stands: that this drama was elevated by every one of its parts to feel truly special, even if each of the individual parts might not feel quite as special on their own. Park Bo-gum was one of its biggest assets—and Kim Yoo-jung, of course, because their connection sold that romance, although I do really think Park Bo-gum gave it an extra magic, inhabiting the prince from head to toe and never wasting a moment onscreen. He’s always been a good actor, but he was so consistently and relentlessly wonderful in this show that he’s bound for superstardom now, deservedly.

I’m most grateful to the director for having such a cohesive, well-thought-out approach and knowing how to build emotion through both content and style—this drama was really enhanced by all of its tools, whether it was a well-placed OST track or a beautifully shot scene or a sense of pacing that somehow always knew when to grab my heart, and when to let it breathe again. (I did think it flagged a bit in that last regard toward the end, but its best scenes were so well-crafted that even now they make my breath catch in the same places, every time.) Dramas like this feel like an experience, more than just an entertaining story, and it’s always a joy to come across those, so we can hug them a little tighter while we have them, then let them go feeling full-hearted and contented.

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Stopped watching a few eps back just recaps. Still beautiful. bo gum great. Etc

1. Disappointed Ra On damsel in distress all the time and only men machinations at play. Lost spunk/ personality of first eps. Their relationship lost my interest. More on her. Although think actress is great overall just not much to work w / young

2. disappointed Yoon Sung death scene. Just seems like doing a lot of deep sacrifice for Yeong / Ra On w nothing in return. Smarter than what provided. Death seemed like a waste and never supported by yeong.

3. Seems like could have done more w chae Soo bin and her role.

4. seems if truth on moms death came sooner just getting rid of Kim would have enabled prince pardon etc. rebellion done. Etc. I may have missed when the rebellion stopped being a threat w it being led by teacher / yeong friend But that may be when I lost interest.

Good show overall. Pbg fan and the other male leads shined.

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I agree with you on point number 1. I think that's partly why I lost interest - I stopped watching around episode 10, but continued to read the recaps too.

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I am actually surprised more people didn't feel this way! While pretty I think Ra On spent most of the time being a kid for the guys to be courageous around etc. I began to wonder what's so worth the sacrifice? I mean all the guys were clever, had sword injuries and she was playing / grew up as a guy! Blah.

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Ra On was bright, joyful, full of laughter and kindness. She went out of her way to help people, even those who weren't kind to her. She was gentle with the little Princess, and she's just a sweet and warm person through and through. Why wouldn't they risk their lives to protect someone like her?

Ra On didn't do anything amazing physically or politically because she neither had the skills or the political clout to do them. What she could do, however, was try to help in the little things, which are just as important, in my opinion. When she was being held hostage by the assassins, she really couldn't do anything to help CP and YS with the fight because nothing in her character background says she can hold a sword. However, she still managed to do the only thing she could, which was to throw Yeong's sword back at him. Same thing with YS in that last episode, even though she couldn't do anything to assist in the fight itself, she was still willing to protect him.

If you mean her spunk/spiritedness, I don't think she lost it, it was just she was in an environment that does not allow that at all, and even sees those traits as punishable in servants. But when she was with Yeong and BY and YS, you can still see her sassiness shine through.

I'm all for girl power and everything but looking back at the first episodes, I realised that Ra On's first choice was to always AVOID confrontation, especially in situations she wouldn't be able to win. She was raised to hide, to always take the path of least resistance, and it's not surprising that when she was in trouble with Queens and Ministers, she wouldn't know what to do.

I also noticed that the servants in palace who were also in trouble wouldn't have been able to save themselves. Even Byung Yeon was relatively stifled in doing things by his superiors. It was just their culture back then. The only ones who could actually do anything in the way of saving people in trouble were Yeong and YS and other people in power. Even Ha Yeon could have acted out more and be safe because she's a noblewoman.

Which is precisely one of the aspects of that world that Yeong wanted to change, because he sensed it so well, watching Ra On, watching the commoners. At the ending, there, I wouldn't be surprised if Ra On was more free with her actions and personality now that she can, although that's really just the teasing/rolling-of-the-eyes dynamic between her and Yeong.

I'm not saying that Ra On didn't take a bit of a backseat because she did, and they gave her foolish choices, but that her character has mostly been true since the beginning. They could have done more, because writers can always do more to help women create better images, but personally I still think Ra On was wonderful and she made me want to be her friend.

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@ C-Chan. Thanks for the helpful perspective and insight. I did think character was likable. Rethinking based upon your comment as it's all true. I did lose interest in the show though w all of the damsel in distress vs a partner....She was fun flouting / doing things like helping the other eunuch even at risk to herself early on. If the other guy characters can change couldn't she too (beyond hiding)? Anyhow glad for the chat!

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----- "Ra On’s first choice was to always AVOID confrontation, especially in situations she wouldn’t be able to win. She was raised to hide, to always take the path of least resistance,..."

I guess this part is highly emphasized with those flashbacks where her mother is strictly prohibiting her to expose herself as a woman in any aspects without any proper explanations. How traumatizing it is for a little girl who can barely understand why she needs to become someone else. But despite those, she grew up with a awarm heart and perhaps trying live on his father's hope for her--- to live a life full of enjoyment.

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Your analysis of Raon as someone who is not one to confront and takes the path of least resistance is enlightening especially in how she acted e.g. leaving the palace without telling Yeong or hiding away. She was forced to be a boy and was not given an explanation as to why and she merely followed that even when she was already grown up.

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I also would like to add to what C-Chan said:

We have always known Ra-on to be the cheerful and resourceful girl from her carefree attitude in the early episodes, even when she didn't know the reason why she had to suppress herself and lived as a boy, she was able to come into term with that fact and lived on on a positive note. But we can chalk that off to ignorance is a bliss, back then, she didn't know she was the daughter of a traitor, and her mother had spared her the pain of growing up knowing that fact, in a way, her mother protected her from the emotional pain of having had to live as a criminal, so she was clueless but still happy.

I believe the reason she became so depressed and mellow in the latter episodes wasn't just because of her status as the daughter of a traitor, but also because she fell in love with someone she shouldn't have, which is why she said to her mom she should have kept the secret till the end or let her know earlier. Teacher Dasan echoed the same sentiment when he said to Yeong, he and Ra-on could live happily together if he buried the truth (even though he didn't know the truth yet at that time). So essentially, the truth is the thing that weighed Ra-on down, it doesn't affect Yeong as much because he's always been in the higher position, without his life in direct threat (because even if he was found to be intimate with the daughter of a traitor, the worst thing that could happen to him is only exile), Ra-on on the other hand faced a greater threat. And her affection for Yeong further weighed her down because she didn't want to bring him down by being associated to her. Though Yeong is understanding, he hasn't been in Ra-on shoes, he didn't go through the rough life that Ra-on went through, he couldn't exactly feel what she feels. So in that sense, the burden of the truth is heavier on Ra-on's end.

I totally get why she would be so depressed and helpless, I would have too, had I been the one in her shoes. What I find issue with her character, is not the depression or sadness, because she needed to mourn for her lost love for us to be convinced that the situation is too dire to be salvaged. I had issue with her lack of faith, she promised Yeong she wouldn't let go, and she did tell Yeong her love wouldn't disappear simply because she couldn't stay by his side as a woman. I kind of wish she'd find courage to hold onto Yeong, one way or another. She didn't have to stay by his side, but she could assure him the love remain and separation would be temporary if they were meant to be. The separation itself doesn't have to be painful for him to feel less guilty about marrying another girl, she could have given him the comfort of knowing she'd wait.

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Which is why I was upset they didn't include Ra-on's monologue in Ep.17 preview, because she said, "Even if that day never comes, I will be waiting." This is what I've been waiting to see in Ra-on since the day of separation, or even before the separation was imminent. She didn't have to do anything grand or badass, because that wasn’t in her character.

I didn’t like the fact that she’s often thrown into damsel of distress situations, but I was able to accept it because it’s very much in her character, and situations in which she had no control since she’s essentially powerless as a woman, a lowborn and a criminal. The men machinations at play, as you put it, is unavoidable since the men in the story are the strong ones, fighters, and even higher in position, so it makes sense that they would be the one protecting her.

We could write a long essay to argue the point, but at the end of the day, what's done is done. Ra-on's character could have been written better, but even if she was, there's bound to be something you feel the need to nitpick, you either accept her or you don't.

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@maryxiah Are you me? LOL Because we have the same thoughts in almost everything especially about Raon. hahaha! We have the same issues when it comes to her character. Other than those, she's great and I understood her situation.

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I think the setting of this show is a dead giveaway why Ra-on couldn't be freer with her thoughts and action, a woman in Joseon period isn't in liberty to express their own opinions. The men in this drama understood that well and tried to protect her because of their love for her, also because they knew she was powerless against the royal, the kingdom, and the social status and hierarchy. That being said, I do wish the writer gives more depth into Ra-on's character in the latter part of the story, because some of her actions didn't resonate to me as well, but I was willing to cut her some slack because I absolutely adore her, and Yeong's love for her convinced me that I either embrace her or leave her, and leaving isn't a choice.

I don't wish more to be done with Chae Soo-bin's character, no offense, but she isn't the main focus of this drama and she isn't the driving force of the male lead either, so I see no reason why they need to develop her character more, in fact, I think they've given her enough respect by allowing her to be freed from the crown princess selection, and subsequently erased all traces of it from her record as well, now she's free to love another man and find someone worthy of her love.

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Our main characters were amazingly well-rounded, weren't they? We got to see their hopes and dreams, their fears and joy, and we got to see them face their problems in different ways. I'm going to miss this show so much!

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I had this weird thought a while back that what if instead of a eunuch, Raon pretended to be a royal guard then she'd be physically badass and will not have to be saved most of the time (kinda like Mulan)! LOL but then I picture KYJ and she is just so small and probably will not pass the test. Just a random fun thought because I read comments about Raon being saved a lot of times and wanting her to be able to do more.

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Yeah, that sounds good actually, if Ra-on was badass, she could be Yeong's personal bodyguard since Kim Hyung was always absent. And Yeong would have a strong reason to keep Ra-on by his side 24/7, like he needed super tight protection so she can't leave him alone, lol. I'd love to see if they have role reversal, where Ra-on is the badass, and Yeong is the damsel in distress.

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Fun thought, right? I like it. A bodyguard Raon. One of the things I like about this story is the use of eunuch because it gives all the right reasons why they'd be together all the time rather than, say, a scholar. A bodyguard is good choice too, but makes the character more badass. However, to make it believable, KYJ can't play the part. Kim Jiwon probably... KYJ is feminine and petite. We need someone opposite.

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Oooo, I love Kim Ji-won, totally wouldn't mind her playing opposite Park Bo-gum. Kim Yoo-jung can be boyish if she wants, it's just that she's too petite for that kind of role. Which is why the PD chose her really, because she has the petite body they were looking for in Ra-on.

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I will miss this drama. It was very good and deserved the high ratings. Park Bo Gum was awesome....same for the rest of the cast!

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Good job to all actors and staff. It was a joy watching Park Bo Gum and Kim Yoo Jung on my screen and I hope they come back with equally good projects in the future.

I understand Javabean's disappointment on the fictional turn the story took in this last episode but I thought the show made it clear few episodes back when the marriage between the Crown Prince and Ha Yeon kept getting delayed and the fact that Hong Gyung Nae is still alive. So I am personally not too bothered by it.

I am, however, puzzled as ever that ever since Hong Kyung Nae's back, Ra On is shown living in hiding, but I don't think that her hiding places look like a hiding place at all - they look like other normal houses in the middle of the city. It's hard to believe that the guards did not look hard enough for her in Teacher Dasan's house as well. Well, maybe the White Clouds are actually protecting her in Teacher Dasan's house, just that it was not shown in the drama.

I think Kim Yoo Jung looks gorgeous in that final scene, and the scene itself was so beautiful and dreamy. I have been happy, drama. Thank you.

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Same reason why they never caught Hong Kyung-rae all those years, I guess--incompetency. I think teacher Dasan's house is the safest because they're not linked or have any familial ties, plus everyone thought teacher Dasan was crazy, no one would have thought of looking for her there.

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I was almost always the silent reader of ALL your comments, how you would intelligently argue over different opinions, how how you amazingly articulate my thoughts that I couldnt quite translate to words, how you would wonderfully support each other's hypotheses and would virtually high-five each other when it's revealed that you were right all along. Moonlighters, I may have not made my presence strongly recognized in the threads, but I was with you since day 1. Huhuhu Couldnt count the many times that I go to JB, refresh the browser, and digest your opinions to bits. all these feels are rewarding. <3

Also, loved it that the writers somehow recycled dialogues in the final episode. It was nostalgic but necessary to really connect to the audience that MDBC is really coming down to wrap up everything nicely. It was like that with Reply 1988 too! huhuhuhu

How would I have survived those moments when I seemingly couldnt breathe everytime PBG cries I wished my laptop screen is a portal so I could rush to side, cradle him and fill his entire world with MYSELF hihi, when I wailed and wailed and wailed for who knows until when over the beads that had gone scattered on the floor, when BY's death choked me like I was gonna die in anguish too. huhuhu. I want you to know that you brought me back to sanity. You kept my balance thru all the feels that our leads have so successfully and damn gorgeously conveyed across our small screens. It was a beautiful journey with y'all! Thank you! :)

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Welcome to the farewell party :D
May you survive from the drama withdrawal as I am kinda struggling atm.

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no need to say you are late , , , ,
we're in here together just like @Ahn said
and thanks for commenting,
happy final episode!!!

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Hahaha, I love reading stories how Moonlight brings out all the lurkers, I was a lurker myself until Ep. 6 or 7 when I broke my silence and commented, it's a great reward to be able to share this watching experience with everyone. <3

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Me too! I love seeing new commenters on the recaps! Our new beanies have so much feels for Moonlight that they just had to post comments. I hope they keep commenting on DB from now on. :)

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I'm with you, @JavaBeans - it would have been more satisfying to see the show stick to history. They could have done it in a magnificent way - so easily! Yeong dying in Ra-On's arms, the Crown Princess standing by (still unmarried) but holding the Queen's baby daughter in her arms. History shows the young prince died at 20 but he had a daughter. We could have established that the thrown-away child from the Queen was his adopted "daughter" and that would have satisfied the fluffiness of the show to prove that Yeong never ever slept with the crown princess - oh no - just Ra-on! I really wanted a beautiful, dramatic finish and was holding my breath - so that was the only disappointing bit. This last episode seemed rushed and not well -edited but it was OK. Kudos to the entire production crew and cast. Everyone must be exhausted!!! I love you all!

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haha I think they have problem with the actual history since they changed a lot, including Yoon Sung who isn't even there,

The drama also unexpectedly become very successful than what they imagined so the viewer gonna complaint a lot if Yeong dies,
the story never have another good leader so it's hard to take the ending if yeong doesn't becomes King imo

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The thing that made me happiest of all - NO - downright dancing with joy - was that this drama has propelled Park Bo Gum to super-stardom. I had already loved him in Reply 1988 because I was firmly team Taek all the way, but I didn't really remember him from Gaksital (just about my favorite drama ever!) I loved him in Reply 1988 but fell in love with him during the Youth over Flowers episode in Africa where I saw the magnificence of his real personality. Ever since then, and throughout Moonlight, I have searched out all his roles and videos. I re-watched I Remember You and loved him on Music Bank. So what I love the absolute most about Moonlight is that Park Bo Gum deserves his stardom now - SO VERY MUCH. And how joyful it is that such a kind, good, sweet, gentle, beloved young man is now an influence on fans around the world and on the K-entertainment industry. If he is at the top now, everyone will be influenced by him. Standards will be raised all around and the "Bo Gum magic" will perfume the air. Goodness wins over all. THAT's my happy ending.

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Amen, sister!

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I love how PBG worked his way up slowly through supporting characters first. He improved his craft in every project he worked in. He said in an interview that he does not consider his supporting roles before as "small" because those allowed him to grow as an actor. I'm just so happy and proud of him that he is now who people are talking about for the right reasons. He is not only a handsome young man, but he is a very good actor well beyond his years and has a wonderful personality to boot.

I'm just worried for his health though. He's been filming the drama and CFs simultaneously It feels like he has at least one new commercial every week. It's insane. I know how much he loves sleep and believes in getting a good sleep, but I doubt he even got to rest properly since the drama started. On the other hand, I am happy for him and Yoojung too because they are so in demand right now and their faces are everywhere. I took a look at gmarket website and I was greeted by their banner. LOL I look forward to PBG's next project. I hope it'll be another amazing character. Something he has not done before.

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I'm so glad that the CF deals are pouring in right now, and I think it's good that they do it while they're still at the top, who knows when they will have this chance again. I'm not worried about Park Bo-gum because Moonlight has brought his fame to another level, but I want Yoo-jung to receive the same amount of love too, she's an amazing actress for her age. Hopefully Yoo-jung gets to be in a drama where she'll be the breakout star.

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I wish the same for KYJ. PBG has been a star since Reply 1988. That was his breakout role and Moonlight just put him on a whole new level of popularity. On the other hand, KYJ is mainly known in Korea only. I hope she gets recognized in other parts of the world as well and I think Moonlight is a very good start to that. From what I've read in the articles, they still focus on PBG as the star of the drama. It's always praises for PBG, which of course he deserves, but I wish KYJ's given just as much credit as well.

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Exactly my thought. If the writers had given more depth into her character, Yoo-jung would have shine more, Moonlight is a big hit of course and she's a part of it, only she didn't shine on her own. The writer herself felt regrets with the way she handled Ra-on's character. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to Yoo-jung's future projects.

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That was a very heartfelt note and I feel the same! I pretty much have the same story as you when it comes to being his fan. I'm so glad Moonlight showcased his talents and he's more popular and loved now more than ever. After he gets his much needed rest, I'm now looking forward again for his next project.

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Thank you javabeans for your super fast recaps and poignant, thoughtful comments. It was through your healer recaps that I discovered dramabeans. I watched healer a few months back and the first episode was kind of hard for me to follow, so that's how I looked for recaps and found yours. I loved it so much that everytime I finished an episode, I read your recap. I loved your writing so much that when I decided to watch another drama, I tried to find one that was recapped by you. Only from w, did I start watching dramas as it airs and now I am watching too many dramas for my own good. In my healer days, I didn't even know about the commenting section but now I am an addicted commenter. So, what I am basically trting to say is thank you for cteating this awesome site. I don't even check my social media accounts as much as I check dramabeans. Now I love all the recappers' writing. Everybody has their own style.

About the drama, I ll just point out three things that I loved most about this drama:
1. Yeong (of course) and also park bo gum for living as this character (i love him so much right now i really want to check out reply88). I don't even know whether people like him exist in real life but that just made it even more special to see characters like him live in dramaland. My favourite drama lead ever.
2. The symbolisms, parallelisms and the music. ( that's three things in itself, lol)
3. I haven't watched a saguek before primarily because I never thought I would be able to relate to it considering the huge difference between the world now and the world then. But, this drama proved me wrong. The external circumstances maybe different but the people and their struggles were relatable. Like ha yeon's and yoon sung's unrequited love, at some point I may not have liked the choices they made but I could totally understand why they made them. Like the little princess's inability to overcome her trauma but how satisfying it felt when she eventually did. Like yeong maybe born a prince and had everything anybody could ever want for but couldn't find happiness until he met ra on who is rich in heart. Byung yeon's struggle between friendship and being loyal to a cause. Ra on's ability to see the silver lining in all situations and to stay happy and optimistic despite life continuously throwing curveballs at her. The queen's conflict between wanting power and being a terrible mother. The conflicts in this drama transcends time.

One minor petty disappointment is not being able to see ra on In female hanboks much (even though kim yoo jung rocked the male hanboks) and even if we did they never gave her a hairdo like ha yeon's with all those pretty hairclips.

And thank you to all the beanies for this ride, this drama wouldn't have been this much fun live watching if not for you guys! <3

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I agree that it's a pity RO couldn't wear more beautiful hanbok and accessories, but I guess they have to stay true to her character, she's a commoner so she probably like something more simple

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I'm mourning for the lack of pretty hanbok on this very pretty young lady. However, like you said, it's true to her character. This is why Season 2 is needed! LOL Five new pretty hanboks on Raon every episode.

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Satisfying ending, except sad for Yoon-sung. I think the writer wanted to show an end to the corrupt Lee line in the finale, paving the way for the new rule. Changing the tradition to just strengthening your families through marriage; King Yeong will change the nation by marrying a commoner; and one that's the daughter of a rebel for the people!

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I stopped watching a while back (maybe around ep 10?) but continued to read the recaps. I liked the beginning, but once we got into all of the king/queen/minister marriage subplots I felt like the show went downhill. (maybe because the tone changed? People were crying all the time, especially Ra On). I scrolled through some of the recaps quickly - just to look at the pictures - and it seemed at least one person (or more!) was crying every episode. I think it was getting to sad for me...

I did like the character of Byung-yeon, though. I look forward to seeing that actor in more dramas!

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You should give it a try, if you change your mind! It really is a lovely, lovely, lovely drama. I'm not gonna say that you won't feel sad or hurt, because you will, ESPECIALLY if you love the characters, but amidst the sadness there are always happy tears!

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I might give it a try one day! I think I was just getting fed up with some of the characters... but I may revisit when I'm bored/can't find another drama to watch hehe.

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In the end.
How do we freeze time.

Learning from our Kamsa boy I want to thank you all for making this Moonlit ride a memorable one, I havent enjoyed a drama thread like this since Secret Love Affair thread on soompi forums.
There was many comments I remember with glee, among them:

The contemplations of sabotage of our heroine:
The How-to-be-Ra-On playbook in comment 7.5 thread of episode 12, offering many doubtful advice like jumping into water during a solar eclipse to time travel and meet the Prince before RaOn does, as well as a convoluted historical timeline strategy by sancheezy that is much more practical than reading The Art of Seduction -- if we can manage to go back in time that is.

The funny:
Quite a few of Sancheezy's comments gave me bellyache - with laughter! I had to hunt them down again to mention them
1) Her fanfic title suggestions for Yeong/Byung yeon Bromance (brackets are my reaction)
- Moonlight is setting (hee)
- The wind (Byeong yeonie?) that blows the cloud (ra on ah? lol)
- God of Lee
- Moonlight behind the clouds (bwahahahah)
- The secret of Repentance Hall (someone. please. write. this.)
(comment 23.2.1 episode 12)
2) "I should have left with Byeong yeon"
(comment 10.4.2, on episode 12)
3) "Is this the real meaning of Foggy Road?"
(comment 2.2.5.1, episode 14)
Also this comment 16.2 by balafama in ep 14 recap
"Don't forget our little gymnastic 'chicken' that jumped at the right time so raon could fall in yoons arms"
Hilarious.

The freudian slips:
"THANK YOU show for PBG’s nekkid backside" - Ira, comment 8, episode 12 recap
And the replies
"Alas, no backside — just his back. But it is quite lovely." - MichinMari, 8.1.1

The resort to biblical(?) language:
"The prince haveth what he want..eth?"
Cookiecuttr in ep 14, comment 2.2.7

The word "lust" & episode 12 recap:
This was supposed to be a youth sageuk. YOUTH SAGEUK. But alas the existence of comment 10 thread + the sprinkling around of the word "lust" like fairy dust ... the MDBC PD clearly achieved something else
In comment 33 TrueBlue was trying valiantly to be the voice of wisdom but ... things turned to imaginations once again as " the 'lust' continues to build... " through the comment 33 thread.
And all that demonstration of how a certain scene must have went down in comment 10.1.3.3.5 and beyond...
I think TrueBlue summed up our OTP well when s(he) said
"They keep it chaste despite being so suggestive" in comment 91.3

End of exposé.

It could have been worse. I could have exposed the BROMANCE SQUAD from comment 40.4 thread of ep 12 recap

Honourable Mentions:
1. "The Tales of Ugly Crying Because of Moonlight" in ep 13 recap comment 27 thread. Leading to neener's comment @ 27.1.2.2 "A family that cries together, stays together"
2. Ira's epic bawling in comment 20 of ep 13 recap
3. Sancheezy's table flipping emojis coming to the rescue as needed in...

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Continued...

4. Pinkfluff99's Bogumsick in episode 15 recap
5. Silvermists' " #Stopstabbingthepuppy " in ep 12 comment 1.1.1.1.9

Special Thanks:
Im thankful to translaytors like Anh in comment 1.4 & 106 of episode 14 recap. Very thankful to Michykdrama for all of her bombastic gifs, case in point ep 13's submissions in comment 78.1. I love you Javabeans for recapping MDBC and doing it so awesomely, thank you also Girlfriday for "jumping at the chance to recap some buckets of cute" (re. ep 3 recap), you rock! I love love you PBG thanks to this drama, I caught the Bogum-magic big time and admit to falling prey to Bogumsick, and do solemnly promise to tune into Bogum-genre foreva! I love love love you all of the crew & actors of MDBC, what kind of serendipitous synergy and epic show of heart you've all created! I want to make a emoji heart but alas I am no sancheezy. Imagine my hands are making a huge heart shape on top of my head instead.

You guys, moonlighters, are awesome

PS. Though we may disperse now to discover new dramas & obsessions but we all damn well better congregate when its time to vote/support our Best Couple - Kim Yoo Jung & Park Bo Gum!
YeongOn couple warning us not to forget:
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa324/girlfridaydb/drama/2016/Moonlight/moonlight03/moonlight03-00568a.jpg

PPS. MDBC fans on DB & Soompi have become my favorite right next to SLA fandom on Soompi, but I think I said that already. Moonlighters, I will remember you.

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** truncated by word limit from first post**

3. Sancheezy’s table flipping emojis coming to the rescue as needed in several instances eg 18.2.1.1.1 ep 13 recap

===========

And how could I forget Riss! Who started his/her kdrama experience with this drama! comment 64 ep 14 recap.

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you mentiin my comment, thank you for your effort...
I just found.your comment and sorry if I answer this late.you are the.best Ah In
(≧∇≦)b

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Thanks for the shoutout @Ah In!

Glad you enjoyed them because I had an awesome time doing the gifs too :) Going to miss this show a lot!

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Great dedication you have here, Ah In. You even marked which comment and which recap, lol! Thanks for sharing.

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You mentioned my comments! I'm so honored. I have not been able to keep with up the comments for the last few episodes. My toddler boy got sick and the husband keeps urging me to go to bed early. I feel like if I can't post my comment within 30 mins of the drama recap being posted, there is no hope :) I will miss this community!

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Ive been very happy with this series overall but.....

I cannot accept YS death! BY was alive, why can't YS?!

IMMA GO CRY A RIVER(A LAKE/AN OCEAN) IN A CORNER NOW. </3

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i feel like something is missing from this final episode but i don't exactly know what :/ lol

Anyways i'm just super satisfied that our puppies got a happy ending. stay happy yhh kids!

Thanks a lot Javabeans for all the recaps.

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I love a happy ending as much as anyone, really. But I am actually disappointed in this too happy, let's completely throw history out the window ending. It felt way too easy, lazy and childish. And poor Yoon Sung who everyone happily forgets.

I had this whole ending built up in my mind where in spite of his best efforts, the crown prince just couldn't beat the Kims so he was going to get replaced and probably killed no matter what. So he fakes his own death with help of his friends and the White Clouds and then goes off to live with Ra On and becomes the new rebel leader helping the people of Joseon fight tyranny.

I mean, the real prince died before taking the throne, and Joseon became more corrupt and oppressive at this time under the Kims NOT more enlightened. So I guess the writer went with creating an alternate universe instead where the enlightenment happened in the early 19th century and all of Korean history was changed dramatically. I'm ok with that, but still seems a bit too much unicorns and rainbows.

Plus, no matter how you play it out, he will still have to marry a suitable queen and father an heir. Ra On is a commoner. He can't make her queen. So, what, is she just going to be his hookup that lives outside the palace and then when she has kids they will be illegitimate? Or he can make her a really lowly concubine I guess? Whole ending is just rife with problems.

Maybe they are all actually dead at the end and this was just heaven...the Hong Il Dong ending I'll call it.

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This is more inspired by the novel than history, you know. And the novel already faked out Yeong death (and novel Yeong is completely different to drama Yeong) and he ended up alive with kids so it already taken a lot of liberty to history.

It does not make sense for drama Yeong to rebel against his own father. He wants to solve problems with wits, and lawful punishment aka kill them with honey. He thrive for change and improvement, not winning the battle.

In this new Joseon that Yeong is creating, everyone is equal and free to be who they are, he wants to close the gaps between commoners and noble/royal, and he is already succeeding that, so it is possible for Raon to be Yeong's queen. Maybe not at the time of drama end, but another 5 years? And who will stop Yeong anyway? Now that he's king and he has his supportive people in court.

I guess this is why PD Kim wanted to use a fictional name for Yeong, because people will be disappointed that drama did not follow history. But Im glad novel author and PBG pushed through with keeping the name, because I love the sound of Yeong xD

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Honestly I love big changes to history through fiction in whatever medium! Making everything fit plot-wise to real events would be more logical, it wouldn't be as satisfying to us who've become emotionally attached to these characters. I've thought about what would happen if the show had ended it the way it should have, and honestly I'd be bitterly disappointed.

I've also noticed that Yeong doesn't agree with torture and senseless deaths. He's definitely my kind of ruler.

Knowing Yeong, he'd either find a precedent for marrying a commoner or set that precedent himself.

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I think this is the reason why the director was full of apologies in those articles, this pressure to be worthy the ratings & people's love & expectations, because the ending and the script by itself is not radically original or ingenious, neither follows history, and will most likely not follow people's imaginations of how it should end. This is bound to disappoint some. Not many dramas ending get rave reviews. For me I'm very glad that MDBC ended in a way that allowed me to still love the drama. Nothing ruined for me. Whoo hoo

"And poor Yoon Sung who everyone happily forgets."

Isnt it realistic that someone should die after all the 'danger' in the drama. I had my money on YS so I was not surprised. If I had to choose I prefer YS too than KH or the Prince.

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I'm ok with Yoon Sung dying. I expected it too. I just felt like it was an empty death (see my next comment). I am actually surprised they brought Byung Yeon back. It would have made sense for him to die too or instead.

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YS's character has always been one of sacrifice, to me. He wanted to be a painter but decided to follow his grandfather. He wanted to be friends with CP and BY, and when he couldn't, he didn't hold a grudge or ask BY to be his friend more than the CP's. He couldn't have Ra On, so he'd settle for Ra On being happy.

So yeah, it really wasn't a surprise he died, though it was still sad.

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*Hong Gil Dong (spelling)

And I agree with javabeans too that when I saw Yoon Sung's death it was so reminiscent of Jung Il Woo's in Moon/Sun. It was a tiny bit better because he didn't actually just commit suicide. But it still felt so avoidable and like a "kill the spare" moment just to get him out of the way. He deserved better.

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Favorite lines party!! I'll start -

"Byung yeon, is that you?"

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not meant to be a reply here sorry!

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Wrong place comment wins! Lol.

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LOlz, gee

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I don't know if you'll be coming back to read this, but I'm going to reply anyway...

I may be one of the few who felt that the writer didn't decide on this ending from the beginning, hence why the prophecy took place early in the episodes, seeing how they've tried to tie in the story as close as they can to the history, by linking Hong Kyung-rae's rebellion and the Kim clan's power in the court, I'm thinking the framework of the story could end both ways, it's either Yeong fakes his death (in line with history) or Yeong gets to rule (depart completely from history).

Now, the thing is, the story has been build up on Yeong's character growth, which is what Kim PD wanted ever since he started the project, he thought the novel version of Yeong was too perfect, so he wanted the novel version of Yeong to go through growth so we can relate to him more. I also think, Kim PD wanted to change Yeong's name so that the story won't get backlash if they decided not to follow through with the common route--Yeong's death. When Moonlight was starting to gain recognition and everyone became invested in Yeong's future, or possible tragic future, the production probably felt the need to change the history for him, hence why the interviews came out explaining that Yeong isn't based on the real Crown Prince Hyomyeong after all.

We have seen some of the drama differ from history, so it makes sense to assume this story would be going on a different route, but when you inspire a character from historical figure and basically take his whole background, people will have expectation on how the ending will tie to history. I think this is why the writing or the story took a dip in the latter part of the stories, because they were basically paddling toward fantasy land at this point, i.e bringing Hong Kyung-rae back into the story.

By the end, we can see that Yeong isn't a king that would differentiate between social status, he intended to live among his people like he is one of them, which is what a leader should be according to Hong Kyung-rae and Yeong did tell him the nation they dreamed of is the same. He can still make Ra-on his queen, even if she is a commoner. I don't think the Yeong that we came to root for is the kind that would make Ra-on his mistress and settle with that. But I'm thinking he's fulfilling his promise to her, where she could live in his nation as a woman, without restriction, plus the drama is set to give contemporary feel, so they needn't to go through with a wedding at this point, they're still young by modern standard, and they have a whole life ahead of them. The open end is to tell us, life is but a journey.

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Poor Yoon-sung didn't get happily forgotten, you can see most comments here in Dramabeans lamented over his death, it's just that we have a delayed reaction here because we were expecting him to live anyway.

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** truncated by word limit**

3. Sancheezy's table flipping emojis coming to the rescue as needed in several instances eg 18.2.1.1.1 ep 13 recap

===========

And how could I forget Riss! Who started his/her kdrama experience with this drama! comment 64 ep 14 recap.

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When it comes to our three musketeers it was always 1. CP, 2. BY, 3. YS for me, i.e. I cared about Yoon-sung the least but even so I'm a bit disappointed how they handled his death.

After they revived Byung-yeon last episode I expected Yoon-sung to die in the final (also now knowing that they did indeed switch clothes) but I can't believe they gave us a much more grand fake death scene in the previous episode compared to the real one of the second lead. Throughout the whole run I never really felt sorry for him... until now.
Poor guy literally lost everything but we don't even get a chance to mourn for him since there're still too many loose ends that had to be tied. And is it too much to ask for a scene showing how his friends mourn for him after that previous episode full of bromance? Even if it's not the remaining two musketeers grieving together, just give us a short scene of them individually reminiscing about him or something like that. I mean this is not the drama where stuff like that happens off screen and I dunno, I just think he deserved a better closure.

Aside from that I'm satisfied with the finale even though it did feel a bit rushed imo (and funny how they were really like "screw you history" lol and think it would've been better if they made it a fictional world from the beginning).

But I totally cracked up at Kim Seul-gi's cameo, that was very unexpected. I wonder who had the idea, SSL was on a different station and afaik she's also not connected to either cast or production team. Anyway, absolutely loved it.

Now I'll probably be spending the rest of the week trying to read all the comments here (and I can already tell I'm gonna fail lol).

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It is a fictional Yeong since the beginning, his Hanja name is different, and the director stated in interview that he wanted Yeong to have different name to real CP, but original novel author and PBG wanted to keep the name Lee Yeong. I think the production has already planned for the ending to be like this from the very beginning. Maybe that's why they didn't expect such rating and high expectation for the drama.

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Loved Kim Seul-gi's cameo. I checked Dramawiki ... KSG acted in "Discovery of Love" which was directed by Kim Sung Yoon (1st director of MDBC).

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I was so annoyed at Yoonsung's death. If he had to die so needlessly like that at least they should have showed Yeong mourning over him. Cut down the prolonged awkward kissing scenes and we'll have at least 10 seconds for Yeong to stare at his grave or something. GAHHHH! If he was given a proper closure I think this drama would have been perfect for me.

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Sad yet relieved this beautiful drama ends.
My two cents on our leads pperformance :

PBG : From now on, whenever I watch any sageuk with crown prince blue robes, I'm darn sure the image of Yeong will pop up in my mind, with RaOn three steps behind. That's how good he was in this show, he gave a totally fresh, unseen-before, mischievous yet courtly prince and made the role totally his. I will be waiting for his next drama eagerly to see what type of role he will next conquer. I just realize how similar he is to Ji Sung, in the way he absolutely commands the screen, and made any roles into unforgettable roles.

KYJ: At 17, she is so good and acted in so many dramas and variety of roles , I do think films should be her next conquest.

JY: Of all the leads I am most anticipating hi s next act. This is the first time see his drama, and I'm impressed with his tragic hero role and would like to see him again, preferably as a pining, tragic chaebol.

CSB: A subtle and lovely performance, she did her best to bring interest to an otherwise boring pining princess role. I prefer her performance in Sassy Go Go, and again looking forward to her next role.

KDY:Not as solid as other leads, nevertheless at 19, it is a strong performance and he will have much time to improve.

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Kim Yoo Jung film is coming out soon, she will be high school student, playing love match maker with Cha Tae Hyun

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This show = magic, from beginning to end. My heart is full. For me, Moonlight joins Shut Up: Flower Boy Band at the top of the list of dramas with perfect endings.

It wrung me dry of all my tears, but it also left the way it began, with much laughter and a huge smile on my face. I will miss these people so, so much, but I am completely satisfied with their send-offs.

On Yoon-sung, I get why many feel his death was unnecessary -- and I felt so as well in the moment -- but I can totally buy that in his mind, it was necessary. I think he was, to some extent, testing himself. I doubt he ever intended to let her be hurt, but he also couldn't bring himself to overtly betray his family. I think he hoped he could come up with some way of preventing both -- but I also wonder if maybe he knew that only his death could ever really stop his grandfather. His grandfather told him repeatedly that all his plans hinged on Yoon-sung alone, after all. So I think he went into that fight prepared for it to be his last effort to protect the people he loved: both Ra-on and Yeong. It killed me that Yeong and Byeong-yeon weren't there like he was there for them when they each almost died, but it's fitting for his death, like everything else he did to help Yeong and Ra-on, to be performed in the shadows.

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"It killed me that Yeong and Byeong-yeon weren’t there like he was there for them when they each almost died, but it’s fitting for his death, like everything else he did to help Yeong and Ra-on, to be performed in the shadows."

I love this! Your thoughts on Yoon Sung are spot on and so eloquent. This detail made me feel for his character more than ever. Poor Yoon Sung, he was born into a tragic fate that he couldn't escape. But he sure shined his brightest during his short time by following his pure heart.

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cute cast

but I still don't buy why YS had to die
quite a waste ! he is from rich powerful family but nice , smart ,
able to deal with bad powerful people
he will be great help to the new King building new world for corrupted country .

and why HY is there .
she is from powerful family , again nice and smart
she should be with YS , both of them will be helping
the young King to .. .. IT,S GOOD IF THEY LOVE EACH OTHER OR JUST BE GOOD FRIEND , SHARING THE SAME DREAM

The problem with K drama is always having love triangle
, getting boring .

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Favorite lines party!! I'll start -

"Byung yeon, is that you?"

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ohgosh this is sooooo difficult... but okay here's mine

"Raon-ah"

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*squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees*

omg your choice is absolute perfection, every time he said it

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So, stay by my side....naegataesura

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There are so many! But this made by heart beat faster, so I am going for this:
"I mean to give it a try, this bad love"

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Mine:

"From now on, I will treat you as the most beautiful woman in the world. May I do that?"

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"I won't let it. [he] is my person"

"Cry. I won't hope or delude myself"

"In the last moment, I hope we can still be friend"

“Your stomach may never have been hungry, but it seems your heart may have been hungry often.” "I'm rich in heart"

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Favorite?! I couldn't choose! So many to choose from!

But if I have to:

"How impertinent. There is no one who can take your happiness away without my permission. So don't cry. I will never let go of this hand."

That words are a testament to Yeong's love, he never let go even when he cut off the bracelet as a mean of cutting off their ties/love. And most importantly, even in the ending, he strives to give Ra-on her happiness, which is living freely as a woman and a writer, like her initial character was in the beginning.

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That is also my favourite line. It sealed my love for the OTP.

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"No matter where we are as long as our hearts are the same, just like the moon."

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"My wish is for your wish to come true."

I was genuinely surprised when his wish was revealed. Who wouldn't fall in love with that?!

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This! Awwww And he was not even in love with Raon then though he's having confusing feelings. He really empathized with her after seeing her dream of her mom.

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Oh my God, yes! I honestly let out a scream of shock at that one because that was so unexpected but also not, because we know he's a good friend. I think that's really special too because that's such a great sign of friendship, right?

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THIS IS SO HARD. DEM. Im torn between these two:

"Even if I cannot stay with you as a woman, it does not mean I will stop loving you."

"Do you think I'm at peace without you?"

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How can you ask this of us???

'I didn't ask to be the Crown Prince, but I can decide what kind of Crown Prince I will be.'

That's when I decided he was my favourite, the one!

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'Lee Yeong. That's my name."

I love that scene when Yeong was hiding behind the books and was covering the silver dragon on his robe. LOL And Raon was just hilarious confiding in the Crown Prince himself that she was nervous that the Crown Prince could be in the library somewhere. LMAO

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That was such a grand moment, mixed with comical reaction. All the stuff we love about YeongOn. So perfectly done!

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There was another comical moment I like, it's when Yeong carried Ra-on on his back and commented "How can you be as light as feather?" And Ra-on shot back "I can feel your hands trembling." LOL

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“Several times a day, I imagine what might have been if we had met in different circumstances. At least while we are here right now, where nobody knows, let’s look at each other without thinking about it. Ra-on-ah.”

And then they stared at each other with eyes full of longing and love. Yeong broke into a soft smile and said, “Tonight, I think I will sleep deeply for the first time in a long while.”

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I need to add this:

"There are thousands of things I can and want to do for you."

The succeeding lines of Yeong after that quote are also beautiful except that they are sad.

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Even his sad lines move me, but that's because I love depressing things, which is why I find myself odd for hating the Love is Over so much, because I love depressing heartbreak ballad, but that one just the odd one out, lol. Maybe it's my love for the OTP too overpowering.

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that's because love is never going to be over for our YeongOn!
when I listen to the OST, I almost always skip over this song.

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That reminds me, everytime the song came on some of the scenes, I found myself telling Baek Ji-young to shut it, lol.

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Because I just cannot get enough LOL here's another one of my favorites.

"I shall ask for more than that. When you love someone, you naturally become greedy."

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Me too! I'm gonna add another:

Yeong painted a dot on Ra-on's forehead, laughed and said "It's my heart. I've marked you [mine] for a long time, like that."

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I love how that scene played out because as it turned out PBG had a hard time reigning in his laughter. And then Raon was all like, "Dude, really? I'm not impressed." And of course he'd say it's his heart. /melts ahhh cutee

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It was so so cute! He was laughing heartily and shut up when he saw that she wasn't impressed, I died when he tried to hold in the laughter. Didn't he look like he was afraid of her? Lol.

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Bracelet scene Ep.8

I told you I have someone.
A woman that I am in love with - right in front of me.

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To add to the already crazy comment count, here is another favourite:

"To put to bed this impossible chaos, every night i have questioned myself endlessly, and i found the answer. That before I am the crown prince, I am a person, and a man. That I love you – that is my answer."

<3

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And then in the sign language scene he went and said, "I like you... no LOVE you."

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And another:

"If you’re happy, I’m happy too."

<3

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Best line ever! And I am convinced when he said he'll be happy as long as she is. He even told Byung-yeon in Ep.17 that after all that, he wanted to maker her happy and smile again. Damn boy, why so perfect?

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And yet another:

"I would like for children to live as children, and for women to be able to live happily as women. Until I make that kind of nation for you—can you wait? In the new Joseon that I make, you will be my first person"

<3

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This conversation is why any other kind of ending is intolerable, even the webtoon's ending. This is the Yeong we know, he wont abdicate his duty to go live as an unknown for love. Rather he has a wish which he will earnestly work on from a position where he CAN and IS actually effecting change and progress. There is nothing more swoonworthy than a man like this tbh.

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Aaaaand still another:

"I don’t like the story you’ve told me. I will change that story. Those two lived happily together for a long, long time. Like us."

<3

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Awww makes me realize that this is indeed their ending. We may not have seen what happened through the years, but surely YeongOn will do whatever to be together and be happy. They've been through shit-storm already before and they came out triumphant.

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late to the comments party as usual but I just HAD to add this:-

the scene where RaOn's mom told her that they had to leave and she insisted that she had to return,
"he's waiting for me...he doesn't know..."

my heart totally broke at that scene...
thinking back now still brings tears to my eyes....

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broke into a zillion pieces!!!

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The most amazing heartbreaking moment in the entire show. I was crying so hard when she said that. It beats Byung-yeon's fake death because Ra-on was so heartbroken when she said he was waiting for her, like she couldn't stand to hurt him like that. Thinking of that bring tears to my eyes too.

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Ughhh yes that scene! Those words! So heartbreaking yet so sweet. She's worried about him. She knew he's waiting for her... /cries And KYJ delivered those lines perfectly.

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KYJ was electrifying in this scene. The writers, both the webtoon & script writer, I don't really know who was responsible for what, should also be thanked to infinity for penning so many touching conversations.

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So happy you posted this one @suegarbaby! No sea foam here!

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No sea foam! Just YeongOn kissing in fields and fields of purple flowers

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for me one of the best lines was yeong telling raona at the end that she is the raoni (joy) that filled his entire life .

yeong was crazily in love with her . she literally meant everything to him . its such a turn on to see a cute guy go all senseless in love with his lady.

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Yeong fell so hard, so deep the first time. There's no rescuing him. No turning back. I truly enjoyed seeing him wear his heart on his sleeve and just pour all the love he has for Raon (and for all other the people he cares about).

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love that about Yeong, his addiction to his Ra On made us addicted to him

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Again!

Ra-on: Have you ever loved a woman?
Yeong: Yes.
Ra-on: When, and what kind of woman?
Yeong: Right now. A very beautiful woman.
Ra-on: Why did you do all of those things then? Many times in one day, I feel happy, and angry, and pained, and it has been difficult. I don’t know what feelings you have toward me—am I not able to ask? Even though I may be a eunuch in the palace of the crown prince, you do not own even my heart.

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Park Bo-gum thinks his most memorable line would be :

"I won't allow it, (s)he's my person."

Kim Yoo-jung feels that this line strikes a chord with her:

"When yesterday seems like today and today seems like yesterday, even the smallest things become very special if you think of it as the last time."

Jinyoung says this line leaves the deepest impression on him:

"Cry. I won't hope or expect anything."

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Reading through all the replies I feel like I'm rolling in a field of cotton candy

so many sweet sweet glorious memorable lines

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Aaaah. What a warm send off to our couple. And I love that, it isn't simply a love story. It's the Crown Prince's story, where we see him grow and realize the people's hope and dreams.

I actually felt a little disconnected through all the angst, truth be told, but I understand why it had to happen, but I feel like I can't take it too seriously.

Maybe I miss the Prince's cheery ways, because the end feels like home, and I miss the two leads being cheeky and happy. And how much do I love the CP's choice to sit at the stairs, determined to close the gap between him and the people, my heart soared and I too felt like a proud mother :')

And poor Ha Yeon, I love that we don't hate her, and I love that the King is that kind to give all the rule change for her. She deserves it #rolemodel.

And does anyone notice the little Princess looks like Byung Yeon? :D She's really impressive in her scenes, too!

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'Maybe I miss the Prince’s cheery ways, because the end feels like home, and I miss the two leads being cheeky and happy. And how much do I love the CP’s choice to sit at the stairs, determined to close the gap between him and the people, my heart soared and I too felt like a proud mother :’)'

Oh yes, you said it right, it was like coming back home to them being like their happy, cheeky selves again.

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I felt so sad for Hayeon when she saw Yeong cradling her face...

but nothing is worse than seeing Yoonsung die. Rather pointlessly too. Like WHY?! Even the happy ending isn't enough for me to just overlook Yoonsung's death. I'm hating PM Kim not for what he did to the royal family, but for causing his own grandson's death. Argh!

Also, I thought Byungyeon, Yeong + Raon are supposed to sit at the repentance hall together, like once before... T_T

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"Also, I thought Byungyeon, Yeong + Raon are supposed to sit at the repentance hall together, like once before…"

Am not sure if this is a slight consolation but right before episode 18 started, there was a front-picture of the 3 of them lying on the wooden table outside Repentance Hall and looking at the stars. Ra On had her head on Yeong's outstretched arm and was in her eunuch sleeping garments. A sweet little picture. ^^

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If it's any consolation for you guys, they actually filmed the part where the three reunited and drink and eat boiled chicken in front of Jahyeondang, I thought that was the same scene in previous episode, but Yeong was in his royal garb instead of the red hanbok he don in the past, so my guess is they couldn't fit it into the story with the time constraint, so they had to just put the picture at the start of the episode.

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I did see those pictures! But am a tiny bit disappointed it didn't make it to the final cut cause I thought that it'll be a better ending scene than the kiss. Oh well but none of this amounts to my disappointment about Yoonsung's closure T.T

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They have it in the special, lol. Watch that. They were in fits of laughter filming that, I'm so happy to see any happy moments of their filming.

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yesterday l left with disappointed feeling knowing the last 3 eps did not quit meet my own expectation. but after this finale and looking back, I realize that the drama is already perfect as it is. and I am glad I've followed this drama through the end. i accidentally watched this drama by eps 3 and have been hooked up since. the story is light and simple. while the plot is still stereotype rom-com, the representation of the story is far from cliche. the writers really put their creativity by making a seemingly predictable plot into little surprises. i can't help but amuse. i like being indulged by this little surprises. yes, little but unforgettable.
in most drama, the writers tend to end each episode with creating mystery or unsolved conflict. in mdbc, they ended each episode with hope, which i found it is brilliant, not to mention more effective in keeping viewers curiosity. because of these thoughtful ideas from the writers, has made this drama a simple piece of art that I can easily appreciate and adore. it represents the drama at its best nature, to entertain and to amuse people. which i think they have pulled it off by this show. kudos for the drama production team.

last not least, thank you for all the recaps. see you again in other drama that hopefully as good as MDBC has been.

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Aww Junah, I'm glad you give Moonlight a chance til the end and I know the journey hasn't been smooth sailing for Moonlight but they wrapped up pretty nicely and it's mostly happy ending for everyone. *hugs* See you in a another drama soon!

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Thank you.i saw your reply post in last preview. Kinda making me to give it one last try. And i am glad i did. Watching the finale is like revisit your past relationship. You can only remembering the good times. yeah, it's lame, i know. Can't help it. Drama lover here.

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I feel the same way. I may have some issues with some of the recent episodes, but overall MDBC delivered well. I realized that the writer's forte seem to be really youth romance/story because episodes 1-12 were near perfect because it's about the blossoming friendship and love of the lead. I read that this is her first sageuk, so that kind of explains why the political aspect and the angst seem to be a bit off compared to the tightness in the first twelve episodes.

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Very satisfying ending, glad CP + Ra-On are together and CP managed to resolve all the political problems. Ra-On looks so beautiful in female hanbok. Especially loved when CP + Ra-On reunited and CP found out that ra-on pieced together the bracelet.

Very sad for Yoonsung, he deserved better. But at least his sacrifice was for Ra-On. Wished they showed other characters at least grieving for him a bit. Overall what a great journey this drama has been. Definitely one of the best series I've watched in a while, enjoyed reading all the comments + insights from everyone. Hope another drama like this one comes along

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I don't normally comment on these posts but I just feel like I have so much to say about this episode (Yoonsung in particular) and the drama overall. I've been thinking about it all day and I just need somewhere to let it all out.

Ahh Yoonsung, you gorgeous, charming man. I knew he was going to die after reading the webtoon writer say that her one wish from the drama was to have Yoonsung die. To my surprise I'm not mad at the way he died. I understand why some may feel like it was a slight cop out but I don't. Premier Kim knew he was done from the moment he found out Raon found that letter. He knew all his plans were ruined and that he would be punished. He knew that his lies about the queen and the queen's baby were on the brink of being exposed, it was game over for him. However I feel he wanted some retribution by having Raon killed in that moment before his own life and his own clan were caught. So although he cherished Yoonsung (deep down) he may have told his assassins no matter what to bring Raon to him dead or alive, and he knew Yoonsung would most likely try to save Raon. So I feel the argument that the assassins are Yoonsung's people so they should do whatever he says is weak because they're technically Premier Kim's and Premier Kim only had one motive at that time, which was to kill Raon. Also would you expect the assassins to just stand there and let Yoonsung kill them without putting up a fight? They're people too and like EVERYONE their instinct is to save themselves. So I feel that fight was executed nicely and it did make sense. Yoonsung knew that nobody would be there to save Raon when Premier Kim's men came to kill her so he sacrificed himself and he accepted that. He lived a pitiful life and he died a pitiful death that still managed to be heroic and... charming. Yoonsung sadly never got to live his life happiness and Raon was a "thunderbolt" that gave him some so I think he was really thankful towards her and that's why he loved her so much. As much as I love the bromance trio it felt fitting to only have Raon be there at the time of his death, as he was always the ONE person there for her in many times of need.

The dialogue between the two as he lay in her arms was short and brief but it stayed true to the types of dialogue they always had sitting beside the tree. My emotions didn't fully hit me until they played Ben's Foggy Road... especially seeing how Jinyoung was the producer. Ahh it really got me teary. The cinematography was beautiful with all the mist so it was just an added effect.

What I WAS annoyed about in regards to Yoonsung's death was the lack of mourning or tribute there was after. It would have been nice to have a short scene of BY and CP remembering him. Or just something. But then again it just further emphasised how lonely and pitiful Yoonsung really was. I feel emotional again writing this up whilst listening to Foggy Road haha.

Overall though I really loved the drama. The...

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cast was spectacular and really carried the script at times. It was nice to see a drama where none of the main leads were antagonists. Although at times it felt like the writer could have easily made BY, YS or HY evil, they didn't and I'm so thankful for that. Having the Kim family be evil was enough because that gaze the Queen would give always gave me shivers.

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If anyone knows/has the link for PBG's behind the scenes My Person OST recording, please share. I think someone mentioned it was emotional. He cried. I can't seem to find it in my searches. Thanks!

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I always feel compelled to note that hybrid tea roses of the type Master Jung presented to the princess were not developed until the last half of the 19th century and did not become popular until the early 20th century. But, then again, this was a fantasy sageuk.

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Also, proposals like that are a thoroughly modern thing but still I grinned at their utter cuteness!

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Wahh , i'm having a terrible withdrawal symptom from this drama. Had been stalking the internet like crazy since i watched the last episode. Even when i close my eyes, all i see is PBG's face looking and smiling at me. I think i'm going crazy. ???

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As usual with most Kdramas, the ending was a total let down. You get that feeling after sex with a person you don't love, a forlorn sense of dejection after climaxing. Rushed endings, stupid scenes, storyline not related to reality; at least some resemblance would have been nice.

More importantly, why are Korean men being consistently portrayed as pussies? Yoon Sung could have died a hero, bringing his own father to justice, instead of a senseless death over a woman who does not even love him.

I am beginning to think Korean society has some psychological malady over male dominance; perhaps this is a way to get back at their men. Or perhaps, this is the is the real Korea where dominant mothers have repressed the masculinity of their men.

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I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree with

Rushed endings, stupid scenes, storyline not related to reality

I think the finale tied up most of the loose strings pretty neat, the pace was quick, but not rushed. I don't think any scenes of the final eps were stupid, they all contribute in tying up the story. And from the start, this drama is not related to real history, production has made plenty of head up and hint to address that.

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couldnt agree more, the pace was quick, and i didnt feel the rushed some people complain about, lol

it has it flaws for sure, but i totally enjoy it, a looot!!

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lmao, the hate is real....
why so salty gurl.... ?

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Ouch.... been hurt before?

Unrequited love is one of the most deep, but revered emotions in dramas and in real life.

Who hasn't been jilted, jaded or otherwise dumped. Worse yet, who has experienced the fear of confronting someone whom you pine for, but cannot approach? How about when you actually have the courage to ask, but was rebuffed?

These are the themes that the YS/RO relationship address. And the writers did so magnificently. It was touching, frustrating, and satisfying all at the same time. You certainly feel for YS.

Are you a wiener if you pine for a woman? No. You would be a wiener if you hid your feelings and did something to hurt her instead. (Those would be stalkers, etc.).

A man is a man when he treats a woman right. Any other perspective would make him the adjective you used.

There's an old saying that all men respect:

"A man is only as good as his word."

It says two things. One, a man has to have honor in all his words and actions, otherwise he's not a man.

Second, a man is actually a useless being, because his word is the only thing he has of value. He cannot create life and his deeds are often destructive.

So, are Korean men (place your adjective here) because they know or can learn how to love and feel?

If so, then maybe that's exactly the kind of world that the Crown Prince dreamed of in his new Joseon. That's the kind world this drama is trying to portray.

The other kind of world is the kind that many would not want to live in, and in fact is the neurotic society that you speak of.

Which kind of world you choose is yours. But, I think many of us would choose the kind where a man really Loves a woman. Not just lust, but Love.

That's a hard feeling to describe. But this drama attempts it eloquently. Love is unconditional, requited or not. Neither CP, YS or HY ever asked RO for anything in return. They just simply cared for and loved RO. That is true love.

Have you ever felt that innocent love for that boy or girl in grade school? That is pure love, because there is absolutely no strings attached. Have you ever had a child of your own? That is pure love because you would die for it. In both cases, love exists simply because the other one is there. It is unconditional.

So, YS loved RO unconditionally. You can ask any woman. There is no man stronger than that.

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I know I am late to the party. I totally enjoyed moonlight drawn by clouds. The cast and crew did a fantastic job. Beanies and soompiers also made the experience more enjoyable for me. There many wonderful things about the drama. But on of the things that stood for me was what an awesome big brother Lee Yeong was to his sisters. I really loved about him.

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That's the first thing I liked about him, he was so caring to Princess Myung-eun and fed her and looked for better match for her so she wouldn't be heartbroken, I thought how sweet!

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TBH I don't think I've loved the drama as much as everyone else did. I sure liked it, but imo it got really boring for several episodes and it only picked up the story for the ending. It wasn't perfect but not bad either.
I guess the main couple was pretty cute, but I'm not huge on the female lead (kudos to the really young actess though!)
In the beginning RaOn seemed to be really spunky and fun but gradually just ended up jerked around by the prince's whims or crying over just about anything.
That said PGB in his role as the prince was what made the drama a true hit, but my favourite remains the ever loyal BY.
Also super sad about Yoonsung, but if he had been miraculously brought back to life like the prince and BY it just would've been too ridiculous I guess.

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Late to the party! I'm in Seoul and have been busy. All I can say is WHEW! WHAT A SHOW!!!

I can honestly say now that I have never felt this obsessed and enthralled with a drama before. Yes, not even with my beloved Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I feel so empty now that the show has ended, but all good things must come to an end. I am feeling the urge for a rewatch right now.

Okay, now thoughts on the finale:

-I have to agree with the assessment that it was rushed. The final two episodes were. I wish the politics had been better paced with the romance, because there were places in the earlier episodes that could have done with plot movement on the political front. Both episodes were also a tad plotholey.

-I did read the new interview with the writer Kim Min-jung where she admits the writing for HRO could have been done better, and that she could have done better, near the end of the show's run. The writing flagged a bit, but this kind of self-awareness is very refreshing. I am looking forward to her next work and cheering her on.

-BUT DAMN IT WAS MAGIC. I swear, I acknowledge this finale's flaws. Objectively, I should have mixed feelings about everything. BUT I AM ON CLOUD NINE. I've been rewatching the finale for a third time now (counting the first time I watched it on TV in Seoul), and I still can't get over it. But that's the greatest thing with this show: where the writing flagged, the rest of the elements more than make up for it. The experience is just simply magical.

-King Lee Yeong and our happily ever after was written in the cards, especially after the PD's reveal that the character is based on Hyomyeong but isn't the same person. I am very happy because KING YEONG. Fuck history. I'm in for a happily ever after.

-I am very happy about the epilogue scenes, with many characters well on their way to their happily ever afters (except Yoon-sung *sob*). I missed the flirty banter, and I am happy it returned even if it's only for a little while.

-THE FINAL SCENE WAS EVERYTHING. I also love how this time, they were openly walking on a field of flowers. Such a beautiful contrast to all those times they had to hide their relationship in the constricting palace. Also ZE KISS. I melted.

-I swear my mind went to the gutter when Yeong bent to look Ra-on in the face as he demanded his payback, and Ra-on covered his lips and asked "Here?" What have you been doing in your alone time, you naughty, naughty puppies?

Show, I love you. I will always love you. And now I'm desperately missing you. Farewell. We'll always have our 18 episodes.

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Oh, and the fansign. God, there were SO MANY PEOPLE. I was able to get into Gyeongbokgung, and I was one of the many, many people milling just outside of the corded area where the fansign was held. I heard their voices when they introduced themselves, but that was pretty much it. There were too much people standing up (and on tiptoes, with their cameras) for poor, short me (I'm 5'1) to see them. There were only supposed to be 200 people, but the police estimates 5000 people attended the fansign.

It's great for the cast and crew of this wonderful show, but FML.

I might add a comment later with pictures of people's heads and the general fansign area, but I was kind of depressed after the fanmeet. To be so close to Bo-gum, Yoo-jung, Jin-yeong, and Dong-yeon, but still be so far...

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the fansign was insane...
Moonlight popularity is no joke. WOW

Korea really loves this drama, and i'm happy for the entire young casts, casts, production team...

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It was! We all thought they were going to pass through the center aisle but they passed through the side instead! The fans were screaming "Ottoke! Ottoke!" when they realized they weren't going to see the cast at all!

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lol, i watched the live streaming on facebook yday..
and so amazed with all the screaming, me like lol calm down kfans.... im so scared someone will get hurt...

i think yday fansign was bigger than R88 fansign...

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The fansign was delayed by like 30 minutes for additional crowd control. I don't think they expected that so many people would come! As bummed out as I am that I didn't see my puppies, I'm also happy they're so well loved.

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Aww Elle, at least you got to hear their voices! I could only stare at their pictures online. FML for not being born a Korean, lol.

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Well, in such instance, I'd say at least you were breathing the same air as our lovelies! hihi! Happy you managed to at least hear their voices. They looked all wonderful and PBG is just so damn regal. Looking at him now, I feel that he is indeed royalty. lol

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That's so amazing you were there but so sad you couldn't see them! At least you heard their voices!

I am so fascinated by how the Koreans react to PBG and the drama. I saw a talk show of some sort on YouTube discussing the upcoming ep 18 and I don't even know how many times they mentioned PBG's name! He's Korea's sweetheart for the moment but I hope it'll last much, much longer than that!

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"I did read the new interview with the writer Kim Min-jung where she admits the writing for HRO could have been done better, and that she could have done better, near the end of the show’s run. The writing flagged a bit, but this kind of self-awareness is very refreshing. I am looking forward to her next work and cheering her on."

That's interesting news! Thanks for sharing this. The pacing of the show could definitely be improved, and so could Ra On's characterisation and actions in the later parts of the show, agree!

And double agree that in spite of the flaws of the show, it was still MAGIC, and we are all here hyperventilating over the happy ending and wishing there was more.

Thanks also for sharing about your experience at the fan-sign event venue. It does sound like the place was an absolute crush. Am glad for it for the sake of PBG, KYJ, KDY and JJY, but was sorry you could not see them. >_<

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Thanks for the link, Elle.

Part of me was kind of upset to see Ra-on not being crowned a queen, but I do feel it's consistent with the story and Yeong's dream for Ra-on to live as woman, he wouldn't want to restrict her freedom after she gained her life back as a woman through all that hardships. I wish to see though how he drops hint here and there about wanting her to be his queen.

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Ra-on will become queen eventually, but she has to enjoy her freedom as an unmarried woman first. Yeong will never marry anyone else.

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A very insightful piece from the writer. Thank you, @Elle, for sharing this.

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I knew it when I didn't see any posts of you, must be in Korea now. I wish I'm there too. Did you get stuck in some hotel watching re-run? Go out and have fun!

I agree, they should have paced the politics with the romance so it wouldn't feel so rushed and crammed into the finale, but I love the way everything was resolved in one full swift, a lot of what ifs and could have beens, but I still love Moonlight in itself, enjoyed it through and through!

I think the writer did a great job, considering this is live-shoot and she probably had to do a lot of revision on the spot, the main frame is still there, but she had to do a lot of readjustment just to fit the time constraints. And I think she had the biggest burden on her shoulder, because ultimately everyone was invested in the story, other than the characters themselves, so she had to do one hell of a convincing job to tie up all loose ends. I feel some regrets for Ra-on's character, but I think what's done is done, Ra-on will still be my ultimate bias, after Yeong of course.

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Politics and romance well-paced together. That's what I'm thinking too because the first twelve episodes focused on romance peppered with political issues here and there but the characters especially Yeong did not really dig deeper (because he was busy wooing Raon LMAO). There were small steps taken, but considering how huge the issues were, those small steps weren't enough especially when we got all the political stuff front and center in the latter episodes that we thought, "Oh wow! So many stuff to resolve. How will the writer do it?"

However, I'm also thinking, would I exchange the awesomeness of the first twelve episodes and have some of those scenes removed to insert more political stuff? I am not sure how to answer that. lol

I've resigned myself to the fact that the writer opted to have the political issues come together in the latter episodes to really establish the conflict related to OTP and what stood between them being together, so I saw it is as more for dramatic and bigger impact.

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I would never trade those 12 magical episodes for more plot because in a way, would our characters have grown up the way they did if the conflict came in sooner? I'm one of the few who didn't mind the pacing of the show and actually prefer it, because I've always thought the focus of the story was the friendship and love and family. Besides, it was like, the bad guys didn't really see Yeong as much of a threat that's why they didn't up the danger and antics until suddenly Yeong already had evidence against them. Even in the earlier episodes, Yeong had already started his move slowly and stealthily.

But yeah, even I can say that the conflict of the last 2 episodes could have been stretched out from ep 15 and up ;P

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True. I wouldn't trade those 12 episodes for anything else, but we're only complaining because the grass is always greener on the other side, we tend to wonder what would have been if they've done this or that.

I do think we needed to establish their love connection and their growth, some beanies mentioned this is a coming of age drama too, so we have to take all of that into account, that being said, the whole plot needed to focus MORE on their growth, instead of them against the world. If we didn't take time on Yeong's character establishment, would we come to love him and root for him? I think not! The biggest part of the story is their journey of self-discovery, growth and love, so I think they were right for pushing off all politics till the end.

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And for someone who prefers character over plot, what I hate the most is when the characters don't get fleshed out or there's not enough development in them. I felt that in this drama we really saw how the characters developed and how they went through each of their struggles. As long as the plot is not downright confusing or bad, I'm all for characters, so yeah, me too, I'm fine with all the political stuff converged at the end.

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Oh, I would never trade more plot at the expense of character development. But looking back, I think the show could have had so much of one without sacrificing too much of the other.

Still, minor quibbles like this does not diminish my love for the show. It's my top favorite, and I doubt any other drama will engage me as much for a long while.

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I caught the live airing of the last two episodes in my hotel. I think this made the experience even more magical!

Agree with everything you said.

I felt that the takedown of the Kims could have been integrated earlier into the story without sacrificing the romance, but how the writer did it works as well.

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Me too! I keep on re-watching the last scene of YeongOn. Such a beautiful scene. And they were back to cutely bickering which I think we all missed. And because I was just so glad that Yeong became King, I also keep re-watching him strutting into the court in his red robe.

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That scene was glorious, and also sexy. It's only been a few days, and I'm still thirsty for more Bogummy!

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Girl, I couldn't agree with you more! Fucking history is one of the best things about reading/watching fiction, and especially with a CP you can just absolutely love with all your heart!

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It's been established early on in the show is completely AU, and the PD confirmed it. I wish JB had translated that PD interview where he basically said Lee Yeong is not Hyomyeong and so will have a different destiny. The tail end of the comments section basically erupted into squeals of excitement (WE CAN HAVE IT ALL!!!) when that interview was released.

So yeah. FUCK HISTORY!!!!

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I think it was only a few of us who read the tail end of the comments, lol.

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That's unfortunate, isn't it? lol

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Hahaha, yes, we were having our own little party at that tail end! I remember it was started by @Anh, our bearer of good news!

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My parting thoughts as a way to hopefully get myself over the slump/sadness that this is over. What a great drama. I haven't encountered this type of contentment and love for a drama in a long time. I haven't watched a drama almost faithfully like this in real time in a long time as well. I had just finished sungkyukwan scandal a couple months earlier (due to my song joong ki obsession at the time) and although I loved that drama it was bad timing to watch it given yoochun's scandal and me falling in love with yoo ah in. Second lead syndrome at its best. Then this drama came along and gave me a redo, a breath of fresh air.

Park Bo Gum, I didn't see this hype for him before. Partly bitter from 1988. But now I am won over. He seems like the perfect gentleman and overall nice guy. Plus, he must have charisma to be able to dance like that in the promo!

Kim Yoo Jung beautiful as always

Jinyoung's character was so BA. Watching his fight scenes I kept thinking where did he learn to fight like that?! He gets hit, stabbed, cut and still takes down everyone?! and purposely lets himself get injured to take down his opponent. I secretly think he is more skilled in fighting than the prince. (*shhh. I still love you Yeong!)

Kwak Dong Yeon I knew I was attracted to you in modern farmer for some reason. I didn't keep up with it, but I am glad I got to fully see you and your beautiful hair all the way through here. :)

Sighs. I am waiting for the day I can rematch this again.

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I watched Sungkyunkwan Scandal a long time ago, but now I cannot re-watch it after Yoochun's scandal.

I'm definitely going to monitor all of Moonlight leads' future project, they're so endearing here I'm sure I'll come to love them in any project they're in.

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It's really a shame about SKKS. That was my all-time favorite before Moonlight came along. I still love it, but it's going to take a while for me to be able to rewatch it in light of the scandal.

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fansign news on KBS ent...

https://youtu.be/xu1VmWtBmb4

lucky fans... wish i was there, lol...

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I am filled with sadness that this drama has ended. It was my happy pill every Tues and Wed night. Both Lee Young and Ra On's love was so pure, you cannot help to see them reunited at the end. The ending was lighthearted and innocent.

I will always remember this drama for its potrayal of love, humour, family honour and loyalty. Yoon Sung and Byeong Yun are your ultimate heroes who stayed true to their beliefs till the end.

Thank you for this drama! Three cheers to the actors and production team!

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it's the best drama with perfect ending :) :)

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I love it! Any show that garners this much comments (some pole opposites) is a winner in my book. MDBC being my first ever kdrama and a sageuk at that is saying something and has caught my friends by surprise. For reference, I'm an NCIS, Criminal Minds, CSI type. So this was the most refreshing and welcome change for me.

For comparison, I've tried watching Scarlet Heart and Flower in Prison (I know they don't really compare) but no there really is no comparing. Scarlet is too erratic and the story telling wasn't convincing. I often had icky feelings because they invested too much on selling me one romance and now tries to convince me no it was actually something else. Prison is just not me. So there you go. Nothing to compare because it is incomparable. I may have to dig deeper and farther back for a more scientific approach :) suggestions welcome.

The show was not perfect or flawless, but it was charming and endearing and completely lovable. The show knew how to grab you at the heart strings then slowly release it so that you can breathe a little, then tug again. I just started breathing normally again.

Now, I wonder about others looking for "reality" in a fictional drama. Granted the basis for this story was borrowed from historical facts, but if you wanted a real ending, there's always the history channel with their documentaries. That's as close to a reenactment as you can get, I suppose.

I'm not being facetious here. I'm just saying that MDBC and the wonderful people behind this are genius and put out a tremendously satisfying show. After I finish the K2 and Shopping King Louie, this may be the end of my kdrama obsession. But one thing is for sure. I am so much happier to have gotten hooked on Moonlight.

My only gripe, I guess: Did anyone notice the aesthetic difference between Byung Yeon and Yoon Sung's death scenes? BY was gory mouthful of blood spit fest, while SY had but one trickle of blood. SY was so pretty to the bloody end. Maybe that's why BY's scene ripped my heart to shreds, while Sy's scene just made me fondly understand why he did what he did and made us think his death was senseless. He was a beautiful tormented soul, but in the end "drew" his own path. He died doing what he did best. Protecting those he cared about in his own way. It may not be to our liking, but it was HIS way.

The whole show, if some of you who left it after the fluff faded missed it, is about chivalry, idealism, and love. Sometimes you just have to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride and not over think things or give it any other meaning than what's on the surface. This show has been about what's good about humanity, nothing more nothing less. We're perfectly flawed. The ending is reminiscent of most fairy tales. And all you need to know is that after that sweet kiss, they lived happily ever after...

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If you like crime/thriller genre, maybe check out I Remember You (Seo In Guk, PBG), or OCN dramas such as Vampire Prosecutors series, Bad Guys, Police Unit 38

And happy that you enjoyed MDBC as your first kdrama as well as the sageuk genre :)

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Since I like both actors I may look that up. Thank you :)

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and if you want a sageuk that is similar to moonlight for comparison, maybe try sungkyunkwan scandal (song joong ki, yoo ah in, park yoochun), that drama bromance kill me too (jongki x ah in)

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I've been meaning to check that out simply for SJK ?

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"Did anyone notice the aesthetic difference between Byung Yeon and Yoon Sung’s death scenes?"

Raises hand. I actually appreciated how toned down the gore was for Yoon Sung's pretty face. It was quite fitting with his cheeky-turned-artsy last words. Boy went out in style! Joking aside, the blood gushing from his body should have tipped me off that there would be no miracle for him. I got spoiled and blinded with Yeong and Byung Yeong repeatedly defying death, it didn't really hit me until later that he actually died. I was touched by the brief scene of Ra On trying to slow the bleeding with her own little hand. That and her urge for him to get up, the ground is cold. Sigh. It's such a quiet, understated moment compared to the dramatic heights of the previous near death scenes. It's like the show is holding a respectful moment of silence for the passing of a beautiful character.

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"It’s like the show is holding a respectful moment of silence for the passing of a beautiful character."

That last sentence gave me chills, it's spot on.

I think I was too angry and wanted to rail against fate for him dying to mourn him appropriately.

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I keep thinking about the clothes swap/face reader prophecy. Was the prime minister also unsure about who the prophecy refer to hence the need to plot and put Yoon Sung on the throne? It was do or die, a grand destiny or a short end for his beloved grandson.

While I really hated him and doesn't justify his actions, it makes the story all the more compelling and you can understand his motivations.

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I suggest you to read comment 9.1 on page 1 as suegarbaby shared her thought on PM Kim

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Thanks for the recap, JB!

What a heart-wrenching hour! But it was good to see all the emotional beats played out first, and then back to the cute. It felt good to see that RO had kept the bracelet after putting it back together, and for her to tend to Yeong. Those sweet moments have been delayed too long after spending these recent ep's apart.

YS making the ultimate sacrifice yet being with RO in his final moment. Perhaps it's a solace knowing that she would've put her life in danger to save him when she saw those people going after him with their swords. I felt he stayed true to himself till the end, no longer willing to be the Kim family's puppet and being able to guard the one he loves.

HY got her freedom, which was unexpected but nice. The queen finally confronted her dad and they all got what they deserved. Good to note that the prime minister had been wrong all along with the two boys' fates and I thought the clothing switch was a good surprise.

Little princess finally overcame her fear and could speak again! Yay! And glad that RO helped retrieve that letter. Yeong becoming king and ruling the way he dreamed! Cloud BY and RO's dad watching over Moonlight Yeong and how he mingles with his people. And with RO back to selling books again, it was just great. The last scene walking through the field of flowers and the kiss was just perfect.

I am very satisfied with the ending and though it was sad that YS couldn't stay with us till the end (thumps heart *sobs*), I'm glad that Yeong and RO got to be together. Everything was resolved well, and it's one instance when I didn't mind the deviation from history. I agree that if they went the pretend death fought, it would've been too predictable and unsatisfactory for this show, which has been fantastic for the most part. PBG, KYJ, Jinyoung, and KDY all did a phenomenal job in bringing us this touching drama. I'm gonna miss this a lot!

P.S. I love their fansign pics! So handsome and pretty in their character outfits.

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I was cheering for little Princess Yeongeun. The child actress did so well in that scene when she was trembling and struggling to speak.

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Yes!! That conflict was very well acted! She did a fine job to show those emotional struggles, which have taunted her all these years, yet she knew she had to help Yeong unveil the truth!!

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The show presented solid performers all round, I was clapping for the princess in that scene, that fear and trauma were very well-acted!

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Thank you JB and all beanies for this awesome ride. I may not have comments much but have love reading everyone thoughts for this show.

Thank you to the whole MDBC production team and actors. I will miss you!

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hmm a little sad that they didn't touch on ra-on's adopted dad too.. it seemed like he really cared for her.. but i guess there were too many people to cover..
i'm gonna miss all of them so much.. lee young, ra-on, kim hyung (and his pretty hair).. ra-on looked so pretty in the hanbok..
when will i get to see bo-gum againnn

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I was also worried about her adoptive dad ever since Kim hyung talked to him. And we got to see Ra On's dad but not her mom. After all the pain and shock Mom's been through, I was hoping to see at least a scene of her smiling in relief.

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I'm really glad we got the happy ending, but I had the same reaction as you when I saw Yeong became king. They totally changed history! I burst out laughing at your "fantasyland" comment because that is so true. And the fact that the Crown Prince and Princess essentially annulled their marriage? Probably unheard of at that point in time. I am happy with the modern ending but I remember just blinking incredulously at the screen as the ending enfolded.

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It's a "youth sageuk" loosely based on history. I kind of laughed, too, but between this ending and one where the CP fakes his death to live outside the palace with RO (as some people had theorized) would not be satisfying either. Actually, the most realistic ending is one where CP remains married to HY and uses her father's political power to consolidate his own political stand (without necessarily becoming king) and oust the PM and his minions, and have RO as his second wife. But 95% of fans, under today's moral standards, would not accept the CP being able to love RO and married to another woman at the same time.

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The ending may not have been perfect but MDBC was such a fun & refreshing drama to watch. It made me laugh, cried & fall in love all over again.
A big bear hug to all the beanies here for making my drama watching experience so enjoyable. I love reading your comments & hopefully there will another drama as good as MDBC to bring us back together.

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Commenting to thank, first and foremost Javabeans (and Girlfriday for taking over the recaps for week 2), for the awesome recaps and comments. Reading the recaps is such a joy because of the little comments you guys insert which pretty much mirror our comments too. Also, I've said it before, I just love how you guys word your thoughts so clearly. I love reading your thoughts whether they are the same with mine or not. It fascinates me to see different opinions.

To the Moonlight community we've created here, thank you so much to each and everyone for making the experience of watching Moonlight Drawn by Clouds such a wonderful experience. I'm glad that, generally, there was no unnecessary argument in the comments. We all had our different opinions, but we agree to disagree and the conversations were civil and were in fact truly fun. It's nice to be with others who love the same show and are willing to share their thoughts.

I don't know when I'll see a drama that hooked me the way MDBC did. I hope to see everyone again in another recap of a great drama.

Cheers!

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I think the watching experience is enhanced when we have a group of people to share the excitement with, which this community so great at. From sharing thoughts and insights, to information and interviews, trivia and history, and even conjuring up theories. Even when we don't see eye to eye, our discussion are always civil and polite. I could feel so much love from our community here. #Moonlighterismyfamily

I won't be watching any new drama soon, but I hope to see and read you guys in another thread.

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The Fansign Event on KBS World [00:00-01:33] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYV0ApUaGCo

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O M G all the feels!!!!!!
The last scene at the flower field is sooooooo pretty. So sad it's over. Its been an amazing ride. Such a lovely endearing fairytale wrapped up beautifully. What's better than the satisfaction you get from a good show? Thankyou Moonlight teams, crew and actor!! <3

Also I'm officially infected by Bogumsick @.@

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I'm BoYoo couple sick, tempted to download every video of them just to make fan videos, lol.

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Javabeans,thank you for the recaps and comments. Been reading them for many years but never commented till now. I read the recaps esp when I can't bear to watch certain episodes fearing what's going to happen. And also for my favourite episodes.

Btw,the last show I watched and liked a lot was Dots and now I got to watch mdbc. Imagine my surprise to learn both male leads are from the same agency. Didn't think I'll like another show as much as dots until this. And didn't think I'll like another male lead as much as Yoo Shijin/sjk until I saw Lee Yeong/pbg. Lol

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Just wanted to say that I stand in awe at some of you dedicated Beanies who have been able to give your time and effort to comment on so many (gosh, so so so many!) posts here.

How do you all do it?! I am drowning trying to keep up with everyone (I can barely make it out of Page 1, help meee~~!). I'm going to try and slowly make my way up and down this entire thread over the next several days, hope some of you will still be around... Am hoping the Moonlight addiction will keep most of us coming back here to check every now and then. *LOL*

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Tell me about it. Yesterday I spent like 4 hours just to wade through page 1 and 2, I didn't even make it into half page 2 because I was super sleepy, lol. I'm trying my hardest to keep up, but the comment count is starting to scare me out of my wits, lol.

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Uhhhh I thought Yoon-sung would be the king after the main guys son :S
Instead they rewrote the history. I mean, why not :)
I wish they kept Yoon-sung alive though. He could have left and lived a free life doing arts and what not...

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more than 800 comments and still continues....
how great everyone is in love with this drama.
I think even DOTS did not get that much comments (maybe 600-700???)

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DOTS was a great drama with great acting and chemistry amongst all the cast, but most people (even myself, an ardent fan) had to admit that the plot was not the most intelligent and the story line did not necessarily make the viewers think deeply. Whereas, if you can get past PBG's and KYJ's charms and the romance that drives the show, the plot of this drama actually very complex. It could be executed more sharply, but I think the reason could be because ultimately it's a "youth sageuk" so the writers can't go too heavy, but it's a fairly tightly woven plot, with a lot for the viewers to think about.

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Not a fan of DOTS but I admit it had that magic spell in its execution. I'm really thankful to the dramagods for putting some of the great people behind DOTS here in Moonlight because we got a drama that was delivered with style and finesse. I can't help but think of all the what ifs if Moonlight was a pre-produced drama because the team behind truly knew what they're doing. But as it is, Moonlight definitely delivered.

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The only good thing about Descendants of the Sun is Seo Dae-young and Yoon Myeong-ju. Oh and also the eye candy, Daniel.

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OMG, I can't read through all the comments. There are just too many fans here! It's probably been said multiple times, but I have to say it myself so I heart won't be at peace -

1. Each episode is less than 1 hour long, but each one always, without fail, take me at least 2 hours to get through, because there are just too many beautiful and memorable scenes.

2. I love KJY to pieces, but I have to add one more superfluous praise to PBG's acting: how does a person convey so much feelings with just a glance or a stare? He does this throughout the drama but the best examples of this is the beginning of episode 17 when RO and her father are being led away, with a sword pointed to his neck, CP looks on, whispers RO's name and looks on with simultaneously a look of longing, regret, love, desperation, resignation, worry...The second example of PBG's nuanced acting is the poisoning scene. His eyes go from sad, to shock, to pain seamlessly. I can't imagine how PBG will mature as an actor in future projects. With this much talent, I really hope his agency picks good projects for him.

3. Yoon-sung's death: I have been musing over this and I have come to the conclusion that his death must happen in the drama. First, YS is already caught between a rock and a boulder. I don't think that YS chooses his friendship with CP over his grandfather. Instead, I believe that YS is an upright court officer who choose right over wrong. Yet, he cannot brush aside his grandfather on mere principle. The only way for YS to escape this predicament is death. I think YS knew that he would die (while saving RO) but for him, it's better to die than to stand by and see his grandfather being captured and punished by the king for all his wrongdoings.

4. I actually really like HY's character. I hope that she is able to find happiness.

OMG, why do I care so much for these fake characters?

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Yoonsung's character is indeed pitiful. I don't blame him for wanting to protect his family despite their wrongdoings. Family loyalty runs deep in their culture. We've seen how much he restrained from truly going against them and he even gave his aunt a chance to do what is right. /sigh/

I also love that scene when Raon was being led away during the interrogation scene. No words between YeongOn. Eyes did all the talking.

And yes, why do we care so much for these characters that we right essays upon essays of love, frustration, and analysis of them? hihi

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another scene were pbg floored me was during the attempted assassination when he asks ''is that you byeong ''

that momentary look of pain, betrayal ,confusion and angst all in one look raised him to another level of excellence for me

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