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Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo: Episode 20 (Final)

by HeadsNo2

We must not have wished hard enough for an ending that would magically solve the issues endemic to this production, since I can think of no other reason why this happened. It could’ve been worse (they all can be worse), but it’s certainly not what we would’ve hoped to see at the end of this sometimes rewarding, sometimes grueling journey through a modern girl’s integration into a time far from her own. Which leaves us to wonder, was it all about love? Altering history? Fate working in very mysterious ways? Who knows.

…No, really, does anyone know?

 
FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Su arrives at Jung’s secondary home, and finds herself thinking of So when Jung outstretches his hand to help her out of her palanquin. But since they’ve been forbidden from marrying by the king, Jung’s prepared a more secret ceremony, though he tells her not to worry—even married, he’ll just consider them as friends.

He explains how she’ll be set up nicely in this house, and that he’ll come to visit her often. She’s all smiles until he gives her back the hairpin she’d given him as a symbol of her desire to leave the palace, which carries with it the memories of So, who had given it to her.

The small box of belongings she brought with her contain the multiple copies of the poem she had So write, and she looks at them with tears in her eyes. We then cut to her married life with Jung, as Su etches a likeness of So on a stone, and Jung practices his swordsmanship.

But Jung gets the eerie feeling that they’re being watched, and suddenly leans forward as though to receive a kiss from his wife. She just smiles and dabs his sweaty forehead instead, which is when Jung gently takes her hand and tells her that he’s arranged for the recently retired royal doctor to pay her a visit.

It’s clear that Jung’s putting on a husbandly show for whoever it is that’s spying on them, but we can’t see who. Inside, the doctor feels her pulse to check on the baby in her womb—apparently this is something Su’s known about, but when the doctor first checked her, it was too early for him to tell.

However, he warns that her already shaky health will be tested with the baby, but Su is adamant that she’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the health of the child. Jung is taken by surprise with the news, and orders that the doctor stay with them for a time, since they can’t risk this secret getting out.

So receives an account of events from his spy, detailing how affectionate Jung and Su are. He’s livid since Baek-ah said the marriage would only be a formality, but this report claims anything but.

While completing her rock drawing of So, Su is suddenly overtaken by heart trouble, and So gets there in time to see Jung fret over her and carry her inside.

Adorably, Jung sleeps in a separate bed only feet away so that he can at least look at his wife. “Do you remember when we first met?” he asks. She wonders whether it was when she ran into the forest to save him, and the two reminisce over fond memories.

So can hear the two of them laughing from outside, and returns to his throne in a daze as he tells Astronomer Choi that he never wants to hear a single word spoken about Jung or Su ever again.

Meanwhile, Su imagines sitting across a table from So, both of them smiling at each other. “We have finally left the palace, and are alone together. You and I… we are the only ones left. We can forget the truths, lies, misunderstandings, and jealousy… the restless bickering over the throne and the many deaths. It is a time meant only for us, and I can love you to my heart’s content.”

Six months later.

Jung paces nervously outside the birthing room, the sounds of a crying baby coming from inside. The midwife comes out with a perfectly healthy baby girl, though Jung instructs the midwife to claim that the baby was stillborn to anyone who asks.

He goes in to find Su in a sorry state, though he reassures her that the baby’s in good hands—now all she needs to do is worry about herself. A tear snakes down Su’s cheek as she weakly hands him a letter to be delivered to So, though it’s not news of the baby. “I… want to see him,” she explains, and Jung readily agrees (though he changes the calligraphy on the front, claiming that his wife’s writing is too identical to the king’s).

Su holds her infant daughter in her arms, but is suddenly stricken by an illness that has her swaying on her feet. We don’t hear what the doctor has to say, and Su doesn’t seem to notice the letter she wrote to the king sitting on the table nearby. Or is it another letter? I can’t tell.

After discussing matters of state with Astronomer Choi regarding a plan to cut off supplies to the most powerful clans to silence their voice, So is given another letter from Su.

But since the envelope is in Jung’s handwriting, he believes it to be from his half-brother and throws it into a pile of other unread letters, all of them from Su.

Looking sicker than ever, Su wonders why So hasn’t come yet, considering how she’s sent him so many messages: “Does he hate me that much?” Jung stops himself from saying that he’s already sent messengers, instead claiming that he forgot while promising to get on that immediately. Aww. Just live happily ever after, you two.

In an effort to cheer her, he brings her outside, where he’s gathered musicians from the capital to sing for her. Su is too weak to speak, so Jung ushers the singer to sing anything she wants, and the singer opts for a song that a court lady sang which made the king fall in love with her.

Su’s eyes open a little wider at that, and the singer commences with her song. Su recognizes it as the song she did, in fact, sing at Eun’s birthday. So had overheard from a distance.

This sparks more memories to come flooding forth as Su murmurs, “Long ago, you promised that you would treat my life as if it were your own. Do you remember that?” Then she turns to Jung as she weakly tells him to protect her daughter in her stead, and to never let her go to the palace.

Jung looks like he’s trying to hold it together, but Su’s given up all hope on So ever coming to see her before she leaves this world. He pulls her in so her head rests on his shoulder, saying, “Su-ya, in your next life, you will remember me, won’t you?”

Instead, Su whispers, “I’m going to forget you. I will forget everything. Even in my dreams… I will forget all of you.” She dies in his arms, and Jung can only cry as he holds her to him.

So receives news of her death in utter shock, only now coming to realize that all those letters he ignored were from Su. He tears them open one by one and reads them, and in them, she explains that she loved him completely. She knew that she left him with hate rather than love, and wondered if he resented her for it.

He clutches the letter in his hands and sobs, only now realizing the depth of Su’s feelings for him. And too late, at that. We flash back to her writing more letters of her love for him, recognizing each time he was there for her, and each time he was there to save her.

The voiceover continues as So spurs his horse to Jung’s house as fast as he can:

“I still love you. In the rain, when you tossed everything aside and stood at my side, when you threw yourself in the path of a flying arrow for me, I became unable to forget you for the rest of my life. The opposite of ‘to love’ isn’t ‘to hate’ — it’s to throw away. That I threw you away, and that you threw me away… I’m afraid [we’ll] think that. I miss you, but I cannot be close to you. Hoping we will meet again inside a winding fence, I wait for you every day.”

Baek-ah finds Jung in mourning clothes, caressing Su’s urn. He hands him a letter, which Baek-ah begins to read with tears in his eyes. They’re interrupted by a frantic So, who comes in crying for Su to show herself.

But when his eyes come to rest on the urn, devastation hits. Jung blames him for waiting too long, but So blames him for writing his own name on the letters—he had no idea they were from Su. Jung says he did it only because her handwriting was so similar to his (again, what and why?), but he can’t believe that So wouldn’t have known Su was dying when he knows So was tracking them with spies.

Baek-ah is the one to tell Jung that So stopped receiving reports once he learned that they were getting on so well, leaving that realization to hit as So grasps Su’s urn and sobs his heart out. “Su-ya, let’s go,” he says, clutching it. “Let’s go.” Ouch.

Jung refuses to let him pass, reminding So that she was his wife. “Su may be dead, but she is still mine,” So cries, and it’s only with Baek-ah’s intervention that Jung allows So to take the urn. Baek-ah laments that Su spent her life caught between all of them, and urges Jung not to make it any harder on her, even now.

But poor Jung can only take out the hairpin he originally took from Su as he cries pitifully. Only then does Baek-ah realize that Jung actually loved Su, and embraces his half-brother in solidarity. Aww.

So takes Su’s ashes to the spot where she’d once stacked her prayer stones, thinking back to his memories of her, and how she promised she wouldn’t leave.

After what Won only describes as “a long time” has passed, he’s given a ceremonial cup of poison with which to kill himself. But before he does, Baek-ah hands him the letter Chae-ryung wrote in blood to Su, which Su had wanted delivered to Won.

While the soundtrack transports us to The Lord of the Rings, Won reads Chae-ryung’s letter and thinks back to their few scenes together. He feels a shred of remorse as the chyron tells us that he was put to death for treason. (He’s not worth the screencap, guys.)

Baek-ah finds himself shadowed by a small girl, who he recognizes as Wook’s daughter. He tells her that he’s her uncle, and is momentarily off-put by her name being Bok-soon, since that’s name Woo-hee tried to give him once (before she was promptly outed for lying). Even stranger, he recognizes the ornament that Woo-hee favored on the little girl, who claims to not know where it came from.

But in the time it takes him to flash back to his memories with Woo-hee, the little girl disappears.

An older, bearded, and seemingly ill Wook takes a walk with Baek-ah, mentioning the changes So has made since becoming king. Rather than have any aspirations for the throne himself, Wook only says that he wants to see the kind of king So becomes. “I wonder if perhaps Goryeo has its most powerful king in history,” Wook adds thoughtfully.

Baek-ah asks if he still misses Su, prompting a rueful smile from Wook. “I don’t know,” he answers. “I was always giving my heart, but I was always making mistakes. I’ve only come to realize that now.” He coughs, and you know what that means—it’s time for Wook’s obligatory flashback to the past, though he surprisingly thinks of his first wife, Lady Hae.

Yeonhwa tears into her husband for not going to see his firstborn son, Wang Ju (future King Gyeongjong), even on his birthday. She thinks he only sees his son as competition, reminding So of the royal nephews he’s killed in order to keep his reign secure. The least he can do is trust his own son.

But So basically says that he doesn’t trust Ju because he doesn’t trust Yeonhwa, and he knows the two of them will turn against him one day. Yeonhwa blames his thinking on Su, since she was the only person who ever said that all people should be treated as equals. That’s why she believes So passed a law emancipating slaves (this was a reform Gwangjong was well known for).

Claiming that she now understands why Su left, Yeonhwa is all too happy to bring that up just to hurt So. He says nothing, and goes instead to the spot where Su once set up her prayer stones.

A little girl bumps into him and makes a big fuss about it, which reminds So of how Su once did the same thing. And lo and behold, the little girl runs to the man she calls “Father.” It’s Jung, of course—and oh God, his sideburns have only gotten bigger.

Jung apologizes for breaking his exile to come to the palace, claiming that it was only because today is the anniversary of Su’s death. When So asks if the child is his, Jung says yes, though So notes that the child is too old to be from his recent marriage.

Taking this as his cue to leave, Jung turns with the girl in his arms, which is when So notices that she’s wearing the same hairpin he’d once given to Su. He orders Jung to leave the girl with him, and Jung drops to his knees to give his firmest “No.”

He confirms So’s suspicions when he says that Su never wanted her daughter to live in the palace, leaving the poor little girl clueless as to what the adults are talking about. She looks over to her real father as So looks to Jung, officially releasing him from his exile. In fact, he wants him to come visit the palace as often as he wants. Aw, that’s going to be the only way he’ll ever see his daughter, isn’t it?

Astronomer Choi decides to retire from his position, but doesn’t leave without telling So to forget Su, who was never of this world anyway. Now it’s time—wait for it—for Astronomer Choi to get his own flashback to happier times. Has anyone not gotten a flashback yet? No?

The sky darkens suddenly with an eclipse, and So looks to the sky as the light disappears. A rider rides against the darkening horizon as we get a flashback montage of Su falling into the water and ending up in Goryeo under an eclipsing sky…

…And then, Su wakes in her own bed, in her own time, with tears running down her cheeks over the mysterious man haunting her dreams. Oh no. No no no no. You are not pulling the Dream Card on us. Anything but that!

While working at her cosmetics job, Su tells her coworker that she’s been having dreams about a man dressed in ye olde clothes with a scar on his face for nearly a year. Her coworker says it’s because she almost died from drowning, spent a year in a coma, and then woke up. Thanks, Exposition Fairy.

Su overhears snippets of a presentation being given on cosmetics in the Goryeo era (which she may have had a hand in helping along?), and is approached by the presenter afterward. It’s Astronomer Choi, although, not him, and he gives her an enigmatic smile as he reads her name tag.

Seeing her name as “Go Ha-jin,” he tells her that in the Goryeo era, “Go” was known as “Hae.” She notes that it’s a funny coincidence since she’s selling makeup inspired by the era, to which Choi says, “There is no such thing as coincidence. Things only return to their rightful place.”

But when she introduces the line of makeup to him, she remembers Baek-ah’s voice mentioning Bulgarian rose oil to her—though she’s confused as to where she remembers hearing that. Choi seems to study her knowingly, though Su does her best to shake it off and introduce some BB cream, which she claims was invented in Goryeo as well.

Saying that prompts her to think of So and his scar, leaving her severely shaken and confused. She leaves work early, but finds herself drawn to an exhibit of Goryeo paintings, each reminding her of scenes she doesn’t know how she remembers.

The paintings show the rain ritual, which she remembers in vivid detail, and King Gwangjong. “It wasn’t a dream,” she thinks, as some honestly random images are put forth in paint form—scenes that literally no one would have thought to paint, like her bowing deeply to the king on their first meeting, her saving Jung in the forest, etc. But we’ll just have to go with it.

Su looks around the gallery with tears in her eyes, seeing herself in every painting. Only then does she stop at a portrait of King Gwangjong, remembering So in detail. The biography accompanying the portrait tells of his legacy as a good king, which makes Su think of the day she’d been sure that So wouldn’t go down in history as a tyrant.

“I’m sorry,” she cries. “I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

As she cries, the painting before her slowly comes into focus as we return to Goryeo during the eclipse. So looks up as though he’s heard her voice, which is when Baek-ah tells him that Wook has died, and he’ll be leaving the palace as well.

Standing alone like he was in the painting, So looks back over his shoulder, as though expecting someone. But he’s alone, and comments, “Life is fleeting.” It was the same thing his father said before he died.

He’d related what his father said to Su once, and had worried over her lost facial expression. He’d wondered what she was hiding, but Su only said that she felt anxious every day she was there.

“If we had met in another world, and in another time, I can’t help but think how great that would have been,” she said. “If only that were so, I wouldn’t fear anything. I could freely, truly, love you all I wanted.” The flashback fades, and So is left in the present (of the past) to rub the makeup off the scarred side of his face with a shaking hand.

“If you and I are not of the same world,” he thinks, “then I will find you, my Su-ya.”

Cut to: The two of them walking together in flashback, with So offering to carry Su on his back due to her hurting knees. Together and laughing, they run forward.

 
COMMENTS

Really, Moon Lovers? Not one hint that Su would find her present day So? Not even after that line? You chose to show a piece of flashback footage instead? That’s how you wanted to end this, by having So look to the future, but think of the past instead? That’s your big message?

I admit it would’ve been a cheap fix to have So appear in the present day, but I was willing to take anything. It’s not as if the show established any kind of rules when it came to Su’s time-traveling, but this ending gave me horrible Dr. Jin vibes, in that both were adaptations of much more successful foreign dramas, both protagonists woke up in the present day remembering the past, and no questions were ever answered. Ever.

While we can point to failures on many levels, it was really the execution that bogged this show down, and that was never more apparent than in the episodes leading up to this finale. Su gradually lost any sense of self she may have possessed, and we lost our eyes and ears into the strange world she’d entered into. Nothing solidified that more than when we found out she was pregnant this episode, which was something she already knew. There’s a cardinal rule for protagonists in TV, especially those whose point of view we’re seeing the show through: You can keep secrets from everybody else, but you can’t keep them from the audience.

Because at that point, we’ve lost our point of entry into the events happening on screen. At the point where Su had her own agenda that we weren’t privy to, why keep trying? Who were we following? Why did it matter? I hate how bad finales bring up existential questions, but I sat for a good five minutes after this show ended just trying to think of the why of it all. What were the resonant themes? Where was the dramatic clarity, or tension? How did Su hope to solve anything by leaving?

If her main reason was her pregnancy, then we were really cheated when it came to her realization happening off-screen. The reason why it sucks to have protagonists keep secrets is because we can’t follow them, and it would’ve been a great help for us to know whether Su was playing the noble idiot and leaving the palace because of the baby. But instead it felt like she left because she just had to, but she missed So every day because she left. So why? Why anything?

By the time we reached the end, I realized that what was missing was a central conflict. I still don’t know what we were supposed to want for this show and its characters, because I couldn’t buy into the love story between Su and So despite desperately wanting to. Unfortunately for So, he was virtually nonexistent for much too long, and we only knew he would be important later on by virtue of him being played by Lee Jun-ki. But were he a total unknown, and were this not an adaptation, we would’ve been sorely misled in the beginning with the Su/Wook loveline, the development of which seemed to outweigh the thought put in to the development of the Su/So pairing.

Which isn’t to say that they made a mistake in focusing on that loveline first, but they did make one in not laying down a better foundation for us to jump to the So ship later. It’s entirely possible that these two lovelines worked out great in the much longer original version, but there’s really no excuse for this show’s inability to tell the story it wanted to tell in the time allotted to it—and with it being pre-produced, it’s even worse. It’s not like that twentieth episode just snuck up on the writer, or that the writer didn’t have time to plan out how to adapt a longer drama into a shorter format. That’s the whole point of pre-production!

Going back to the episode, and bypassing all the WTF-ery surrounding Su’s return to the present, her year in a coma, presumably another year having dreams about the past, Astronomer Choi being back in the future (but not as a homeless man), the eclipse that somehow blurred the lines between both worlds, the paintings of scenes no one else would’ve seen or thought to paint, the fact that Su spent years in the past while only a year or so passed in the present, the fact that Su physically died in the past and all the questions that raises about whatever happened to the girl who used to inhabit Su’s body, what were we left with?

We’re left with Lee Jun-ki putting on a one-man show. And, okay, Ji-soo got his moment to shine this week, which made me desperately wish we’d focused on his love for Su rather than the tenth prince’s crush. But that’s neither here nor there at this juncture. I guess it’s the same as with any show that limps its way to its finale: I wish it had been better, because there was a good drama underneath all the nonsensicality and noise. But we can’t win ’em all.

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Tags: featured, IU, Kang Haneul, Lee Jun-ki, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

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Still contemplating whether or not to watch the final episode. My heart can't stand to see So crying... I mean LJK crying.
I am putting the blame on the director and the writer, or whomever decided to butchered this drama. You did well. *This* will forever be an ugly KDrama Time Travel Scar for me. Nope, can't cover it with BB cream.

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Not tempted to buy those Bulgarian Rose thingy. IMO, this ISOI PPL feels forced. May as well tainted their brand image with the association of troll drama.

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Hahaha yeah ISOI was actually expecting to see sales of their stupid cream or whatever? They make an ending like that, all you get is people wanting to swear st your brand.

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LET'S HOPE THEY WILL GIVE US SOME SPECIAL EPISODE TO MAKE UP!
*fingercross*

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Haha, the main screencap looks like it's LJK having a menboong (mental breakdown) while reading the final script.

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WORST. ENDING. EVER.

How many hours have I wasted (1) watching BOTH raw versions (SBS & International), (2) pouring through commentary on DB and Soompi, (3) rewatching the episodes subbed, and then (4) going onto IG, Twitter, YouTube to find out more information, (5) biting my nails because baseball threatened to cancel it??

How many comments have I written DEFENDING this show from its critics, and THAT is the ending you leave me with?! What WAS that?!

It’s not pure tragedy: faithful to the novel. It’s not bittersweet: along the same path as the Chinese adaptation. It’s not happy. It’s not sad. It’s not well made. It’s not cathartic. There is little closure. It’s just a bunch of scene snippets strung together to tie up loose ends of side characters we really don’t care about, and then CHEAT US out of a proper ending for Hae Su/Go Ha Jin and Wang So!!!

There was no epic love story ending. There was no tragic “love doesn’t survive the palace” ending. It left us with nothing!

Show, you made me love you, and then you made me your fool up to the very end. Well played, Show. Now I know what Hae Su went through with Wang So.

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Okay, after watching the ending 3 more times, I realized that the director was right: it was hopeful open-ended ending. The last scene by the lake where Hae Su says she would love WS without fear, as much as she wanted if they had met in a different time, in a different place; Wang So vowing to find HS again; Ji Mong awakening Ha Jin’s memories - all that implicitly states that reincarnated Wang So is indeed in the future (even if we don’t see him), and he WILL find her again.

Some of the things I enjoyed, and ways I would have changed the ending:

GOOD POINTS:
1. The poignancy of HS’s separation from WS, and his separation from her was deftly handled. I felt their longing for each other when HS’s imagined them together, in the way WS was on the outside looking in at her & Jung.

2. Similiarly, the scene with all three brothers: Wang So, Wang Jung, and Baek-Ah was masterfully acted. It was probably the strongest scene in the finale, not just LJK acting his heart out, but the other two held their own in the scene.

3. I rather liked Su and So actually having a daughter. This is a huge deviation from the novel and c-version, but I like its redemptive quality. There is something very healing and beautiful about their love being incarnate in a little child. It’s a cute throwback that she resembles her mother in how she bumps into her biological father.

4. Causal loop: as @kumoiwa, @cherry, and others will say, the original novel was tragic, but the heroine dies after fulfilling her role as the causal loop for Yinzhen’s rise to the throne.

I understand why the director wanted Go Ha Jin to recover her memories: she needed to know that she HAD made a positive impact in Wang So’s life. In the museum she finds that he is remembered as a wise and good king, not the fratricidal bloodthirsty king of her previous history.

BAD POINTS
5. I still find the ending a bit lacking.

6. While the causal loop has closure, the love story has not been addressed properly. I wouldn’t normally be critical, but the whole atmosphere of the show (from the eclipse, the OSTs, WS’s repeated declaration that HS is his and she can never leave him) tends to imply an epic love story where true love endures all obstacles and spans both time and space.

They are fated to be together. As @Barbrey pointed out in several previous posts, their love reenacts the founding myth of Goguryeo

But, we don’t really get any of that sense from the ending.

MY OWN TAKE
7. I’m a hopeless romantic, so whereas I understand the appeal of conforming to the novel’s tragic ending, I would have preferred a redemptive ending in modern day Korea.

8. I would have had Go Ha Jin not remember anything.
Reincarnated Wang So and Go Ha Jin would meet, not recognize each other, but invariably be drawn TO each other

9. Then, I would have them unwittingly reenact certain relational motifs

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Aw Pineapple!! I had the same reaction on first viewing, but for some reason, kept stabbing my gut on the sword again. I'll explain below.

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@Pineapplegongzhu
@Seltzerwater

Haha so much empathy with you guys! It is exactly what I felt at first and then after breathing and watching it 4 times and reading comments I finally understood.

I'll start with the conclusion: For me this was a sad beautiful ending for WangSo and HaeSoo an even though I wanted a glimpse of WangSo in the future I have to agree that not doing that was wise and original. The pain that I felt I guess was because I thought I was 100% sure that it was going to happen. It is my fault so I’ll suffer the consequences haha. I had closure for WangSo and HaeSoo but I am missing closure for many other characters. That is why personally I wouldn’t want a second season but I wouln’t mind one more episode. ☺ I would like though a complete spin off rom-com with same cast and characters in moder times. Kind of like happy spin off of Evangelion haha!

HaeSo
Personally I still think that the pregnancy revelation was intense for the viewers but not in a way for it to change HaeSoo motivation for leaving the palace. That was transmitted perfectly by IU. She said it clearly and that is what she showed. She started hating the man she loves, she starting being afraid now not because of visions but because of the reality of what he was doing. She didn't want loose that feeling. It was never because of Chaeryung and the final episode even confirms that for me. She loved him but she wasn’t bringing happiness for him and she wasn’t happy. She accepted her decision and didn’t regret it. He can finally and with peace love him even if it was only in her imagination. When she knew the ending was near, she wanted to see him as a selfish desire for her feeling to reassure her that he doesn’t still hate her. Even until the end she remains loyal to his love and to his dear princes. Until the end she loves him and she dies thinking that he hates her. :( ..
The I am sorry for leaving you alone of Ha Jin in the future I interpret it was sorry for coming back to the future and leaving you in the past. I clearly didn’t think it was like sorry for leaving the palace.

WangSo
At the end the death of HaeSoo was what made him the great Gwanjong. His realization that she still loved him but he was too late. It kills me that we don’t see and only have to imagined his development as the great and wise king of history. Even worse we get to hear from Yeonhwa that he did all those great things for HaeSoo. Great for the viewers as it is painful for Yeonhwa but terrible for us missing those years of longing and growth of Gwanjong.

Continue....

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Continue...

Some people are angry at him for reacting so cold to his daughter. Haha That it’s the most painful part for me. He doesn’t know is his daughter. And Im sure the he things that is HaeSoo and Jungs daughter. Went he goes to spy on them he clearly hears that Jung said “this is not good for the baby” and then he hears them in the room at night. It was an act of pure love to HaeSoo that he want to be with her daughter even though that he knows that is not his. I didn’t get any sign that he would know is his. It is extremely painful for me but I guess if the writer wanted to transmit that as a pure act of love she nailed it. But it is my humble request, I would have loved if Jung would have told him. But I guess it makes sense. Jung was faithful to Haesoo and only her in that triangle. He doesn’t have any reason to tell him, she never said that he should tell him so it makes sense. It just hurts.

Jung
He was amazing and it is sad but not that sad as Gwangso. I would prefer 400 times to be with the one I love, to see her happy and to protect her than for her to love me back. He was happy, he showed her love, yes he never confess but was it necessary? For me is not. Actions are more than words. He knew he wasn’t the love of her live but he also knew that she loved him in a special way and he was happy with that.

Baekha
I had the most complains about him but I guess not anymore now that some very smart beanies had enlightenment with Goryeo history. I’ve been complaining about this the most during the entire drama but I guess I just have to accept it. The writer wants us to go a read Goryeo history books haha.
I thought it was his daughter. Haha but know that I know that its her future affair and is her niece, mmm, well it is kind of creepy. No comments on that.
I do have complains about Baek-ha and WangSo relationship. In c-version he is the one that was with him when he gets the letter. He knows why he didn’t get the letters. In this version Jimong was with him. So doesn’t make sense for me to be Baek ha to tell Jung the reason WangSo didn’t read the letters.
The final scene of Baek ha telling Wang So Wook died so I am eaving the palace for me it is so unnecessary and out of place of Baekha character. I wish someone could enlighten me with a reasonable argument about this cold goodbye. He defends him with Jung, hugs Jung but for WangSo is ok Wook is dead goodbye? I would’ve prefer Ji mong in that part and Baekha in the part when WangSo read the letter.

Continue...

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Continue...

Wook
I wanted to see him die. Only for the acting opportunity for Kang Ha Neul. For one of the main characters I wanted that closure, take out the scenes of him and the Queen conversation and give me the pain, realization, growth of Wook at his final moments.

Won
I definitely wanted a more painful bloody death. As simple as that. Haha

Yeonwa
I really don’t understand what she meant when she told WangSo that is why HaeSoo left him. I don’t get it at all. And I love her for who she is, for making me hate her so much. She is amazing and she is in history a really important key and I also think it was pitiful to missed that great evil mark of her as Queen.

Jimong
What is his purpose!! Is he the true OTP?? Haha lol just kidding I don’t mean that at all. But he clearly remembers HaeSoo, he knows everything, he travceled from the past, how? Why? Then Has the real HaeSoo in the present while Ha Jin was in the past? Just like drunk Ji Mong at the park? To complicated! Haha But I just want to know. There is nothing of Ji Mong that can give me closure.

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@EliRod - I'm pretty sure So knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that Su's child is his - remember, Jung hid her existence at first by telling the midwife to put it out that the child was stillborn.

Su died not long after childbirth, which was about six months into her marriage to Jung - I think So knows how to count backwards nine months and work out just whose baby that would have been. And if we really need more convincing, he now has Su's love letters to him, written all through her marriage to Jung - even more proof against the idea that that was Jung's baby.

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..contd.

So yeah, on the balance of what So knows (Su never loved anyone but him), and the fact that a child just around the age of the one he probably heard was stillborn all those years ago, is now running around calling Jung 'dad'.... he knows that child is his. And until Jung gets down on his knees and makes it clear that her mother was the one who wanted her to stay away from the palace, So has no idea that Jung hasn't been hiding her from him out of selfishness or anger - which is why his first instinct was to tell Jung to leave Seol behind. But once he gets why Jung did it, he lets her go.

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I would have had Go Ha Jin not remember anything.
Reincarnated Wang So and Go Ha Jin would meet, not recognize each other, but invariably be drawn TO each other
OMG brilliant idea! That would give me the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind vibe. That would be epic! Oh noooo even more regrets for what could have been...

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Eternal Eclipse of the Spotless Mind?

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Total Eclipse of the Heart?

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(continued from above)

10. And maaaaybe, at the very end, they will have a date in a museum featuring Goryeo artifacts, and Go Ha Jin will remember Wang So, and realize he fulfilled his promise: he would never let her go.

THE END

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Again, the viewers has to "fill-in-the-blanks" the scenes that could have been ***sigh***

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Korean dramas are very fond of open endings. In a way, it is a fill-in-the-blanks situation, but done on purpose so that each viewer can have the ending which he/she wants or hope for.

It's great for fanfic, lol.

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I never thought korean dramas liked open endings before, normally they have a clear happy ending or a clear sad ending. This open ending thing is weird to me.

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oh well, #teampreggers got their wish LOL
and how I wish this show granted us extra 5 min to fulfill your 'maybe' theory PG *sigh*

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I was really surprised when they concentrated on beauty products for its back to civilization scenes. So, the most important thing is Goryeo, thanks to Hae Soo, had developed an advanced beauty skins formula? They should have added that to King Gwangjong's achievements. And Jimong doesn't waste any time (puns intended) benefitting from it.

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The irony when in the end dear gentle Soo who cant bear to inflict pain on anyone , who asked WS to promise her not kill his brothers sent Baek Ah to do her dirty deed. Kill off Won by messing his mind with a little bit of guilt over CR death then conveniently gave him the poison to end his suffering.Lol.

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Wait a minute. I think the order for Won to drink the poison was from Wang Soo and not Hae Su.There were royal soldiers standing guard. Only a King would have power like that. Hae Su probabaly only said goodbye to Baek-ah in the letter.

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Yes you are right.
I have watched ep20 4 x now I beginning to appreciate the ending. I like the end scene with just the 2 of them looking happy and carefree. I will freeze this picture in my heart.

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Actually, Won was sentenced to death by poison for being involved in a rebellion in the 11th year of Gwangjong's reign.

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Finally, someone caught that weasel red-handed. Or maybe everyone else just died and he had no one else to do his dirty work.

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I love finding out these tidbits of historical gossip. ;)

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Yeah at least he finally got caught. But why don't they tell is what he was being poisoned for?

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I don't mind about there's no modern scenes of So in the end, cause I'm trying to positive thinking that they already setting up for the sequel.

I read some comments above that LJG said there he actually have modern scenes. I think because it's a preproduction drama, while in the editing, they waiting for fans demands, and now they are thinking to make the sequel, so they cut the modern scene to save it for sequel. *finger cross*

But still somethings I regret from the ending :
- Soo died without knowing that So still love her (She even wonder if So hates her so much that he wouldn't visit her).
- Unknown mystery of original Haesoo (why she is in Damiwon) in 1st episode.
- YH's crimes not reveal.
- What is Haesoo purpose to keep So's writing poems. Even in the end, the meaning of the poem not reveal.
- Would be better if in the museum there are also things that Soo recognize (other than painting), such as hairpin, stone painting, arrow, etc.

Keep my finger cross...

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Would be better if Wang So transported to Modern Life (not reincarnated) and we will see his adaptation to Modern Life. Sort like Rooftop Prince maybe.

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@vip.

Somebody in previous recaps comment section had translated the poem.

As for the tie-in to the story. When Soo and Su were apart,she missed him so much so she constatntly traced the letter/poem Soo had erlier given her. So much so that her handwriting beame the same as him. In ancient time that was a nono as it could be interpreted as someone trying to forge the Kings writing. Jung knew that so he changed the envelope with him writing. Maybe if Soo had seen Su's writing then he would have opened the letter and got to know how she still loved him etc.

Such another small
thing adding to their tragedy.

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@JoyBells

Thanks for pointing that.
I must have missed that, such a huge comments here, Lol

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WANG SO DESERVED BETTER.

THE END.

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I fell in love with Kang Ha Neul because of this show, and so I was just thankful to see him even for a bit in the end. That send off with him thinking about his late wife got me thinking well okay, I'm glad he knows she's his greatest regret in the end, and that he's thinking about the best thing he had in his life til the end. There's no way you're gonna end up in the same place Lady Hae is in the afterlife though buddy LOL. Poor Wook. But I was so hoping to see his reaction immediately following Su's death. I guess there would be no point. Still, I wonder. At least I got some Wook bits in the flashbacks there as well. Also the way he's embodied Wook getting a lot older, the husky voice, demeanor, even the look in his eyes, everything, I loved. He made me feel what kind of life he lived all this time (skip).
KHN you da bomb.com
Just. I love you. I'm a fan.

Which brings me to Su's death. Or rather, what happened after So found out. (I was okay at that point Jung held So til she died) But So/LJK. Of course there were tears. So many tears.
I was even afraid the crying wouldn't stop. I just couldn't help it. And then bam time skip and suddenly we had to move on to other scenes. I wanted to cry and mourn a bit more but suddenly I couldn't feel sad anymore.

Also wanted more from that So-daughter revelation. It had to be more than cute and then sad. How could So process all that and move on to simply wanting to 'see her every now and then' in like a minute? Maybe he's just had enough of all the shit that's happened and this kind of surprise just doesn't even affect him anymore.

I don't love the ending, but don't hate it either. Wouldn't really make a difference what that last sequence was gonna be if the whole final hour, heck even the entire final week, had a cohesive purpose and was executed well. I agree with Heads on that. Oh and thank you Headsno2 for your recaps! Please accept this virtual hug!

LJK did admirable work here and I'm glad I stayed for him.
Again I'm grateful the show made me fall in love with KHN.
Court Lady Oh and Lady Hae are the ones I'll treasure forever.
The rest were very beautiful to look at indeed, especially up close.

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Jung is half-brother of Wang So? Is this a typo?

Thank you so much for all the recaps! I cried three straight hours.... =((((

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yeah, Jung is So's full brother - I was confused for a sec there.

Though they hated each other enough by that point, they may as well not have been brothers at all.

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The ending is perfect, how it was executed is worst finale ever. The dialogue, plot, the act, narrative basically summarizes my biggest frustration to this show. They made GJ the most pathetic king shown in television. They made a king stalked on his past lover, made him nagged about her, and ended it with made him a lunatic over her dead (LJK act just too much for my taste). Epic ? Not so much. Melodramatic ? Definitely. Is GJ deserves the end ? If solely based on this production, no. Too many flaws in the editing and writing that don't do GJ character any justice. goryeo paintings were a joke. I'd rather see HS get hit in her head to get her memory back. The only thing i admire is the open ending that suit to the show vibe. And, that little cutie kid that i just want to hug and kiss, albeit misplace in this finale.

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October n April

She was like April sky
Sunrise in her eyes
Child of light, shining star
Fire in her heart
Brightest day, melting snow
Breaking through the chill
October and April

He was like frozen sky
In October night
Darkest cloud endless storm
Raining from his heart
Coldest moon, deepest blue
Tearing down the spring
October and April

Chorus:

Like hate and love
World's apart
This fatal love was like poison right from the start
Like light and Dark
World's apart

This fatal love was like poison right from the start
We were like loaded guns
Sacrificed our lives
We were like love undone
Craving to entwine

Fatal torch
Final thrill
Love was bound to Kill
October and April

[Chorus]
Hate and love
World's apart
This fatal love was like poison right from the start

Light and Dark
World's apart
This fatal love was like poison right from the start
October and April
October and April
October and April

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jCg-ISzpmQ

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I feel what So said (because of what Su said by the lake with him) at the end does signify a possible sequel......

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I expected Game of Thrones, I got Reign on acid.

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I laughed really hard with the painting part of your summary because wtf, I had the same reaction! lols

Though I hate how they made the ending so horrible to watch, I sincerely loved some of the scenes in this finale episode such as..

- when Wang So is showing how much he doesn't like Yeon Wha and their son
- Wang So's scene with his daughter and Jung
- Baek-ah, Jung and Wang So's scene when Su died.
- And Wang So, saying that he'll find Hae Soo.

LJG is such a great actor. He can even communicate with just his eyes and for the life of me, I don't know how he makes his acting so real, effortless and remarkable. Hays

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I dropped this show a long time ago, but I tuned in last night because I was curious about the ending. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it continued to be disappointing even til the end. I guess my problem with the show, Heads, is just like what you described.

By the time we reached the end, I realized that what was missing was a central conflict. I still don’t know what we were supposed to want for this show and its characters, because I couldn’t buy into the love story between Su and So despite desperately wanting to.

Their supposed epic story is centered around the romance, but they didn't even manage to sell the romance to me, and I'm like a romance junkie. I don't buy into their whole love story, nor was I ever invested in their loveline. I do, however, felt bad for Jung's one-sided love and wished we have gotten to see more of this in the beginning. In the end, I just wanted to hug Jung and myself for even caring for this crap show, even just the tiniest bit.

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Since you dropped the show a long time ago, just wondering how they were supposed to sell the romance to you? This story is not just about the OTP's romance. If it was, the show wouldn't have spent more than half of its episodes on the Soo-Wook romance.

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To be fair, I stayed with this show for almost half of its run, it seems a long time ago for me because that'd be approximately 5 weeks ago. They had plenty of time to sell the romance, heck even the friendship, to me during the 10 episodes, but they didn't. If this show isn't all about the romance, then I must have misunderstood it then, because when I was watching the ending, that's how it seems to me. Again, still not buying the romance.

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Their supposed epic story is centered around the romance, but they didn’t even manage to sell the romance to me

They really didn't. Wang So didn't love her - he needed her. He climbed on her like a drowning man on a raft & clung on tight. Which, ok, if Hae Su felt the same, but dude. I felt like they showed her slowly suffocating from the weight of his desperation.

Even at the end, I felt like the epic love story was between Hae Su & Wang Wook. Kind of echoed Romeo & Juliet, in that Hae Su was the one who suffered for Wook's actions (and Romeo is a completely useless idiot, so...that fits, too.)

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The piggy-back ride was awkward the first time I saw it in screencaps, but after watching with sub, even that made me cry. When So looked around and was sure they were alone, he let go, carried her and run happily with her on his back. It's poignant how this could have been how happy they would be if not for the many eyes around them, how they could freely love each other without any ill consequences.

I cried a lot in this last episode. A lot of questions were left unanswered but I am satisfied enough that at least So realized that Su loved him, we learned of Su's feelings and motivations and that they loved each other until the end. It filled the gap that made me frustrated with Su for so long. Being with very little expectation from the finale, I'm glad with how it ended.

We could have been saved from the miserable journey had Su talked more, oh well, but at least finally knew.

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@banini You have captured my feelings entirely. Honestly I wouldn't want there to be a sequel. Given how flawed the story telling choices are in this show, I think that So says will he find her is enough.. The suggestion that they will be happy ultimately is bittersweet but beautiful. I don't need to see them in the future trying to get to know each other again. (I am also more than a little scared that aspects of his personality that are understandable for the goryeo context, and all of the shit he has gone through in life, ie mother issues, will not translate well in modern times.. namely his possessive tendencies.... Unless I get scenes of him in therapy or something haha.) The piggyback scene when they can just be enjoying each other's company, away from prying eyes and expectations, as the very last thing we see, says, to me - they will be ultimately be happy together. I personally am content with this ending.

Shifting gears,

1) thank you to heads for the diligent, detailed and witty recaps and commentary. You have been a godsend.

2) also a godsend - everyone on these comment boards. These discussions have helped me through this emotional and messy whirlwind..

3) ultimately I enjoyed this show very much despite being super frustrated with its storytelling flaws. I will miss the characters and the breathtaking imagery, settings, and the music. Thank goodness the OST includes the actual musical scores! The music was top notch absolutely amazing probably my favorite thing about this project alongside the wonderful cast. I might have to write out an entire blog post about how much I appreciate the music.

(Ps It's on Spotify!)

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I think that one of the most major problems of this drama is the scriptwriter and PD's tendency to leave ALOT to the audience's imagination. It's almost as if they don't want us to have any definite answers. This works sometimes but this time it didn't.

When the imperial doctor confirmed Su's pregnancy, I immediately knew why Su had such a sudden turnabout with regards to So.

Su likely realised that she was pregnant shortly before the -YeonHwa-queen fiasco broke up and decided not to tell So because she knew it would solidify his decision not to marry YeonHwa. She knew that she would never become queen, had no powerful family connections to back her, was repeatedly used as a pawn to threaten So and then witnessed Chae Ryung's torture (justified, but she was essentially made to shoulder all the blame because she was powerless to defend herself and could be conveniently killed off without any severe political ramifications. Killing Won would have led to uproar). This all led to her realising, without a shadow of doubt, that their continued presence in the palace would only lead to further tragedy - she would have no power to defend her daughter and would even become pawns to be used against So in the future (Yeon Hwa explicitly warned So that this would happen if Su continued to stay by his side). I shudder to think what YeonHwa might do if she found out about the child. This was what spurred her seemingly sudden decision to leave the palace. The whole Chae Ryung thing just served as a convenient reason to hide her true intentions.

I understand this on an intellectual level and I can see how this would work really well on paper. But I wished that her internal struggle, her emotional turmoil would be shown to us. Seeing her tussle between staying and leaving, telling So and not telling So, would have endeared viewers to Su and engaged us in her pain. Keeping us out of the loop just increased our frustration with Su's flip-flopping and pushed us away from her. This really took the emotional punch out of Su's death. I wanted to be sad that she she tore herself away from her beloved and essentially chose to die in order to protect So's daughter but I couldn't. If not for LJK's wonderful emoting, the actual narrative would have been stripped of the deep emotions it so clearly wanted to elicit from their viewers...

That said, I loved Scarlet Heart. It's been a while since I was so attached with a K-drama. The source novel and original adaptation were wonderful and helped me understand alot of what was supposed to be happening in the Korean drama. Also, Lee Jun Ki. He was the one emotional anchor that gave this drama life (Kudos to Kang Ha Neul, Ji Soo and the actress who played Lady Oh too).

It saddens me to think about how much better this drama could have been, how it could have been more deserving of LJK's acting prowess had the writing and editing been better.

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this is masochist in me talking, but sometimes I wonder if HS's love was purposely kept obscure from the audience so that we have this BIG reveal in the finale that not only did she love WS, that she gave her life to have his child. I mean, that's not a move I agree with because it pooches the audiences' chance of feeling HS's struggle, which has always been the number issue with the show. But I can see how dumbass studio head could talk you into making that choice.

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Yea, I get that too! I can see how that could have had the potential to deliver this huge emotional punch right at the end... but something fell flat for me. Maybe Su needed to be more misunderstood, maybe she needed to try reconciling with So only to fail multiple times, maybe maybe maybe...

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@Seltzerwater sigh.. Your probably right I can see it happening too..

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This! Including the love scenes. amp. >.<

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Thanks for the recap, Heads!

Not surprised about how the whole letter thing played out or that Jung was with Su in her last moments. What I was glad to see was that Su seemed truly happy and free after leaving the palace. She no longer needs to feel anxious as if tiptoeing on ice all the time. She can be herself and feel at ease with Jung's company and do whatever she wants. She can daydream about So and do her own drawings/calligraphy, and Jung wouldn't interfere or forbid any of that.

I really liked the role of 14th prince from the original, who was only played by rookie actor, Lin Gengxin, becoming a household face and name. By this ep, I thought Jisoo did this character justice cuz he finally got the necessary screen time! He has a deep love for Su, which he has always kept hidden. At first, maybe it was just puppy love cuz she saved him and it must have left a deep impression on him since no girl would be that brave. But as time passed, you can see he really enjoys her company and came to fall in love with her. That's why he thought of this marriage "reward" for his accomplishments. I wouldn't say that he's a saint and he doesn't have personal intentions. He probably would've loved for Su to willingly marry him. But he never used the decree for any other purpose other than to free Su. That's why I believe that he did it as a back-up plan for Su. If she never expresses that "I want it" for the rest of her life, he would have kept quiet about this decree to his death.

Jung's love for Su was also evident in that he did things that put her first. He got the retired physician to check her health because he was concerned about her well-being, knowing what she's been through. He knew Su wanted to have her letters delivered and he did it, even asking if she wanted So to see their daughter. He even held back from any arguments to make her happy, saying he forgot and will send someone with the letters when he has already done so. He always asked her what she wanted and what her wishes were so that he can do his best to fulfill them. He might not like those wishes personally, but he never said no to her or show any anger at her for continuing to love So. This is because in his heart, he's always known this fact and her love for So will not change. He just cares too deeply for her to see her sad and that's why he constantly tries to cheer her up and make her happy. You can see Su smiling more just chatting with Jung. When was the last time we even saw her smile in the palace? She was miserable. Contrast how she looked when singing at Eun's birthday to how she looks now... So, I felt that it was good that she didn't have to pass away in the palace and someone who truly cherishes her was with her till the end.

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I was actually anticipating some dialogue though it didn't occur in this adaptation. It's just the part when Jung asked if Su would remember him in her next life and she says she'd forget them all. I was expecting him to respond with a "yes, just forget us all and be happy."

Regarding the letters, this is probably a point that I feel many would be divided over... If someone were to be blamed, is it Jung's fault or is it So's fault? I would say both, though since this is my second time around watching an adaptation from the source, now I think it is more So's fault. Believe me, I was quite upset at 14th prince in the C-drama because I was thinking of all the "if only's" and was totally on 4th prince's side. Then again, it was just one letter. That's why this time around, it made me rethink things. Yes, Jung did cover up Su's envelope with his own handwriting, and since So no longer cares to hear from him, it caused So to disregard the letters. But here's the thing, it wasn't just one letter; there were supposedly multiple letters. So, when you really think about it, this is something that Jung had to do to protect Su, and to a certain extent, So. Not even considering that Su is now Jung's wife, but can you imagine that there is someone with the same handwriting as the king, what that could mean or what problems will arise? Even though So's position on the throne is quite secure now, one can never anticipate if people are still looking to tear him down and replace him when there is such an opportunity (look at Wook's mom's ambitions despite all that's happened). If people notices that Su can write the same way, rumours can easily start that the king's decrees are fake and not written by him. That would endanger Su's life (likely put to death for forgery) and ultimately harm So. I don't know how much thought Jung gave to the whole thing, I'm just saying that his worries are warranted in this situation.

In terms of not reading the letters, I think that is mostly So's fault. Sure, Jung has been pissing him off since So's people have reported that Jung and Su are close, and even So witnessed this for himself. But the thing is, when you really love someone, most of the time, you'd let your pride get in the way at first, especially in front of an audience. But eventually, you tend to swallow your pride so you care enough. In this case, I'd think that So would be angry when the eunuch delivers the letter and will vehemently deny any interest in reading it. But in actuality, he'd sneak it to his room and read it there in private because he would love Su enough to see if there are any updates about her in the contents of the letter.

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@Lisa_wackycashew

regarding the letters, in the chinese novel and the chinese bbjx, there was some background to why the emperor did not open the letter as the 14th prince (rather immaturely) was sending mocking letters to the emperor, so he got fed up and decided not to read anymore of the letters from the 14th prince...

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Hi darkheart! Thanks for pointing that out. I remember that. So, I think that's probably why I attributed it more to his fault in the C-drama. My one letter comment was referring to the one that Ruoxi wrote and he only did the envelope in his writing once. I wrote so much and didn't articulate properly. Haha...

On the other hand, there was no indication of this immaturity for Jung in this version (and all the letters were from Su with Jung's writing on the envelope, not just once). Rather, So assumed the letters were probably full of resentment from Jung to So and decided to not open them. And in that sense, he ultimately causes himself to be unable to see Su before she passed...

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(A similar analogy is like a friend who forgets your birthday when you've been waiting for a card and gift. When you finally get it belatedly, you're still upset and refuses to read the card and open the gift, even saying you'll toss them in the garbage--only angry words in the heat of the moment. But after a while, your anger subsides and you're just curious what your friend wrote in the card and got you as a gift. So, you care enough to read and check. You'd never truly throw both away cuz this is a good friend.)

Anyway, when So refuses to do that continuously, even when Jung has sent someone to receive a response, I just don't get it. OK, you might be angry, but do you not suspect anything wrong that can be happening, not even a little??? You already know Su's health is not good. You don't need other eyes and ears to tell you that because you saw her feeling short of breath and pounding her chest yourself. In fact, you were pained to see her sufferings. So, you can't possibly tell me you're not aware of Su's deterioration in health (not to mention, you know she's sick from the doctor's last diagnosis). And since more than one letter was sent, with a messenger to boot this time, can he not recognize the difference or the urgency? Did it not ring any bells? Would Jung really go to all this trouble just to jab at him? I really don't think so. The way I see it, Jung did what he could to get So's attention. But So was too unforgiving, and again, just had too little faith in Su's love. Did he really believe Su would just forget all about him and live happily ever after with Jung? How fickle is Su's love in your eyes, So??? It's almost like he never truly believed it till she was gone and he finally has all her feelings spelled out for him in her letter... Just too late. =(

On a brighter note... How cute is the little girl?! I love that she bumped into So the way Su did and had the exact same pretend reaction. I'm glad that So figured out this must be her daughter and that he decided to put an end to Jung's exile so he could bring the little girl to visit him.

It's good to see some parts of history being shown, such as So emancipating slaves, officials leaving So, and that Wook's son will be a future monarch.

JM being back in the future timeline wasn't surprising. I thought it was neat that he pointed out to Su that "Go" is actually modernization of the last name "Hae." That was an interesting connection along with the make-up... Rose oil and BB cream. XD

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I've got mixed feelings about the Goryeo paintings. Some seem to make sense whilst others don't. Wouldn't painters back then only do pieces that were records of history? I don't really know how it works with Goryeo, but with Qing dynasty, the major events would be documented. This would mean the usual: coronations, royal marriages/births/deaths, or royal family gatherings, that sorta thing. What I was stumped by was how come there are paintings of really personal moments? For example, Su walking in the snow with Wook or Lady Hae dying on Wook's back or Jung in the forest with Su? The gatherings with the princes like that battle game or the rain ceremony, I can understand. Those were major and involved a lot of people. The bowing to the king scene is a bit of a stretch. But the private moments, I really don't get how that would be possible or realistic...

The last 45 seconds felt like a tease since it was a mere flashback to the main couple's happy moments. More to appease viewers, if anything.

Likes that deviated from source or C-drama:
- Su was able to deliver a healthy baby girl instead of miscarry, which is a consolation that there is a visible representation of her and So's love

Disappointments that deviated from source or C-drama:
- The scene of the king sending Ruoxi off when she left the palace was very heart-wrenching; here, we just had So visiting Su's room and reminiscing the robe, which feels underwhelming
- Was cremation a common thing or an existent thing in Goryeo? But this wasn't the case in Qing Dynasty and the king finding a jar of ashes instead of a coffin caused him to throw a big fit. Here, it seemed like a natural thing when So saw the jar. I don't know any Goryeo history, so please enlighten me.
- The artifacts of love kept by Su were wasted. Honestly, this was the classic scene that I was most looking forward to seeing the Korean interpretation of and it completely got skipped over. The numerous sheets of calligraphy (written by Ruoxi and not the 4th prince) and the arrow were supposed to mean something significant in symbolizing Su's love for So. I was really hoping to see Joon Gi acting that out and giving his own spin on the performance since the original broke my heart with Nicky Wu's sobs.
- Showing So's thought that Su might be from a different world at the end but not showing a modern version of him in Su's time period

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-Baek Ah says to Wang So right after they cut from Go Ha Jin looking at Wang So’s lonely painting -> dissolve to Wang So.

Baek Ah – “There’s no more people to meet, so I will go now.”

This could be an indication that WS commissioned Baek Ah to talk to all the people who were close to HS so that he could record all moments in Hae Su’s life. Because there were moments in the paintings that WS or BA were not privy too (like Myung Hee’s death). The style of the painting was definitely Baek Ah – as seen in the earlier episodes. This again is the show being very frustratingly obscure, why not just tell us this and give us the satisfaction that WS was determined to show Hae Su that he loved her, no matter the millennia that separated them.

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Wow, that is amazing insight! I definitely didn't think about this possibility, but I think you are right. So asking for BA to help document these moments makes so much more sense. I think I was too influenced by historical dramas in general when the important events would be recorded but not these daily life moments. Also, contrasting with the C-drama when Ruoxi had to desperately search for herself in the paintings to find evidence that she did exist in that era. So, I like your theory, and I also wish they had made this point more obvious. I was actually a bit confused by what BA meant when he said he's done meeting with people.

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@Seltzerwater regarding the paintings, you and I are definitely on the same wavelength. Especially seeing the one of Soo and Wook in the snow, maybe the little flip book he had made was found amongst her belongings...

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Overall comments:
It was a good wrap-up to the series. Nothing earth-shattering since I loved the source and C-drama. But I felt that everyone put in his/her utmost effort for this finale; therefore, it was great, whether it was So, Su, Jung, BA, Wook, etc. I think it gave the story closure with just enough openness for one to hope for a happily-ever-after for So-Su. I guess I'm hesitant to think what would happen next because it's obvious the production left room for a potential sequel. However, ratings for this show was relatively poor domestically, so the chance for a sequel seems bleak. On the other hand, this show was no. 1 in several countries that obtained rights to broadcast simultaneously, so maybe a sequel is not completely out of the question. Then again, they would need to secure most of the current cast for people to stay interested and be on board, especially the leads... Guess I'll hold my breath and see what happens. The C-drama did have three years in between; the only thing was that the sequel wasn't as good and was not penned by the original source's author. Another reason I'm a little weary of a sequel if there isn't a solid plot. *sigh* All in all, I was so fond of the novel and C-drama that I was incredibly excited when I first heard about the K-drama adaptation. Alas, what kept me going was Lee Joon Gi and the scraps of Jisoo they managed to toss in now and then, with most on the editing floor in the SBS version. Just can't be satisfied, but at least I made it to the end.

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Oh you pointed out another parallel in the story.
When So went to Hae Su's room and held her wedding dress is just like Wook going to her room and picking up her blanket or pillow and wailing upon his realization that she had been sent away from the palace to the laundries. Unfortunately when comparing these 2 scenes, the one with Wook was much more heartrending (yet ironic since at that point of the story, I didn't feel he had the right to so much grief because he was a big part of the cause of her being cast out).
With So, it was just very depressing.
This drama was full of some awesome parallels as several posters have noted.

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I suppose if they were trying to do the parallel between Wook and So, then the piece of clothing may be relevant. But like you said, I agree that Wook brought on his own misery since he was constantly passive. I guess I expected something much more heart-wrenching with So since with BA already ditching him, Su leaving would've been the last thing that he can handle without breaking down... Not to mention, the same robe was utilized in two scenes with So when he was in Su'a room, which didn't seem to make one more distinct than another for me in terms of significance.

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I think having the wedding robe in both scenes when he's in Su's room alone after she's decided to leave him is suppose to hammer home that he really had a missed opportunity. Though I agree with you, seeing it twice didn't do the intended purpose.

After all, there was that heartbreaking moment when Hae Su puts on the wedding robe as the royal wedding to Yeon Hwa was happening. It's a moment of impossible wishing, knowing that her wedding to Wang So cannot happen, yet yearning to see herself as "his Queen" nevertheless.

For Wang So, the wedding robe is the missed opportunity. He could have married her, damn the consequences. Or he could have done what he did, which was to make the pragmatic smart move of marrying Yeon Hwa, effectively breaking Hae Su's heart and set her on the path to leaving him. I feel like LJK conveyed this sense of huge regret when he was clutching her robe. Idk, I find it so heartbreaking for character to hold their beloved's clothing, because clothes are NOTHING without the person that inhabits them. In this case, he is mourning the future that he could have had with Hae Su, but threw away.

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@Seltzerwater I like your interpretation of the robe being the missed opportunity. I think So recognized that he was just like Wook... This wasn't driven home here, unlike the C-drama. But basically, because of So's thirst for the throne, he ultimately lost Su, just like Wook did. I hope So realized in the end that he was equally (or even more) responsible for their separation...

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All I know is that now I have a great breakup line:
“If we had met in another world, and in another time, I can’t help but think how great that would have been...If only that were so, I wouldn’t fear anything. I could freely, truly, love you all I wanted.”

Definitely poetic enough to send over text. It's like a twist on "It's not you; it's me" line but instead, "It's not you or me. It's the century we live in." (Hint: It's still you).

Thank you, DB for the recaps. Looks like you saved me 10 hrs of torture since I gave up on this drama halfway through.

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+1 Lol.

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I'm just so happy that we reach the end finally. I'm exhausted...but love love love LJK anyway.

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I got a huge headache after crying so hard during this episode. When Wang So rushed to Jung's house then saw Hae Soo's urn, it just about broke me. The scene between the three brothers was also so heart wrenching. Poor Jung. He was so devoted but never got out of the friend zone.

Old, worn out Wook became just a sad little footnote in this saga. I almost pitied him. Almost.

Won should have been hanged or decapitated or rolled up in a mat then beaten to death like his lying sidekick Ch. Poison is too good for him.

I suspected Hae Soo was pregnant because it would give her a stronger motivation to leave the palace. Of course the pregnancy was another plot point that wasn't clearly shown or mentioned in previous episodes. I swear this show is like a family reunion where people just drop hints about secrets and you're supposed to fill in the blanks.

Am I the only one disappointed that YH's life isn't that miserable? I wanted her to suffer, suffer and suffer some more. So Wang So doesn't trust her, ignores her ass and doesn't seem to care one whit about their oldest kid. But she is still the queen and very much alive. Just go away bruha.

I apologize for what will come next but I must vent or I will explode. I am furious at this director who promised a happy ending. This is not a happy ending you buffoon! Did Wang So manage to find Hae Soo after 1,000 years? Well where is he then? He sure as hell isn't hanging around her makeup counter or zipping through streets in his 4-wheeled steel steed looking for the love of his life.

You, Mr. Director, had the astronomer's current incarnation jogging the heroine's memories. You then used those hand drawn scenes from the show (paintings from Goryeo era my ass) to remind her of her life in Goryeo. She just cries her eyes out. We the long-suffering viewers get no So, no resolution, just more crying. Oh and a promise by Wang So that he will find her.

Am I supposed to be happy with that and the flashback piggyback scene? I hate endings that are open-ended.

This was the first Kdrama I watched on my own volition and not because my aunt, the Kdrama fanatic, forced me to watch it with her. And I sat through many shows including the over-rated excruciating "Moon Embracing the Sun" where the lead actor just cried or yelled during the entire series.
How that show got huge ratings in Korea shall remain a mystery to me.

Despite its many flaws, I liked "Moonlovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo" because it had several actors and actresses who did justice to their roles. I cared about their characters. The show also had great cinematography and featured a few good background music. I was willing to overlook plot holes, clunky dialogue, some bad acting (the exiled princess was really bad), terrible editing and an excess of closeups. Then I get this ending.

Where is a convenient watery time portal that I could send this director through?

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Unfortunately, you have to wait for the next eclipse.

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Poor Wong So, staying without anyone!
Poor Hae Soo, leaving with regret!
Poor IU, being criticized from top to bottom & from left to right!

Even though it is sad, this is still 1 of my favorite.

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During the entire run of this show, I keep asking myself why I am still watching it. But like Headsno2 said, I think I kept watching waiting for the show to somehow become what it could have been. I liked that all the characters were fallible. I liked that, unlike other dramas, I could not predict when a character might might go astray. But alas!! it was not meant to be. Oh! for what this show could have been but was not falls nothing short of a tragedy.

Shout out to LJK and KHN who made this tragedy bearable.

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Don't understand the ending. So says "I will find you", but he doesn't when Hae Soo is back in the future. The ending left more questions than answers. At least, in the Chinese version, Nicky Wu reappears in the future.
Also, it seem like Hae Soo was doing a CF and PPL for makeup in the this last episode.
Don't understand why So takes off the Goryeo BB cream makeup and exposed his scar again. Does it mean he wished he wasn't king?
Will miss all the princes, especially Baek Ah and Jung. They were my favorites.
Hope LJK does another drama soon.

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Let's see, watched the raw this morning and I was already full of emotions. But watched the Dramafever version during lunch. As last episodes go, I wish more storylines could have been wrapped up, but I think this is a really good episode! There were such huge emotional growth for our characters.

1. Hae Su - we finally understand HS's actions within the palace! Because the writer decided to withhold the info about the baby until the finale, we were left to guess at her motives. I still think she left because GJ was no longer someone she loved but that her child was the symbol of her perfect love with Wang So, so she protected what she must. That's been Hae Su all along. When you protect what you want, you must pay a price. For Hae Su, the price was leaving WS and dying without her true love. Oof, heavy price to pay for her baby, but also a worthy price.

2. GJ/WS - I think the separation for them was the best of times and the worst of times. Separation meant that he had a chance to cool down and think about what HS meant to him. That he couldn't figure it out until it was too late, well alas, death waits for no one. I think when he lost HS, he did loose a huge part of himself that was emotional, loving, and empathetic. While he does enact important reforms for the good of Goryeo--I think in part because he wants to create the world that HS will be born in where we're all equal--he also enacts a purge which is incredibly bloody and ruthless, which Hae Su would have been against. But you win some you lose some. That's okay though, because that's how growth happens. I LOVE that he made up with Jung. Jung has been such sticking point for WS, that Jung has both Hae Su and Queen Yoo's affections without working for it as hard as WS has. But that he was able to forgive his brother in the end (the way that Hae Su always told him to, to have forgiveness to not have hate in your heart) that was a real moment for me where I realized how much HS has really changed him. And her death really drove it home for WS. We've talked a lot about how much sacrifice WS has made for HS, saving her life time and again. But we can see now that Hae Su saved his soul. That's really beautiful. Even in her death, she was able to motivate him to do better, to try to be the man she sees him as. *tears*

That very last shot of him wiping off his makeup, trying to connect back to the WS who loved HS without limitations was heartbreaking for me. Ugly crying all the way. I love that they brought back the significance of the scar at the end. I've been missing it's symbolic and emotional importance in their relationship and I'm very happy it was one of the last shots.

The very last scene is WS in a flashback in conversation with HS, which I WISH we had gotten earlier. In this conversation, HS is still honest with him. She feels uncomfortable in the palace she is nervous and he is not enough. I don't know WHY they left this convo for the end. This convo...

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This convo essentially wipes out all of their communication issues from earlier episodes. IDK, unless they had this conversation and then forgot about it. The flashback was there probably because it follows the scene with Jimong when he insinuates that HS was from the future. And this flashback cements this as verified fact because HS tells him that she wishes they would meet in another time. For all the HS love deniers, how do you like them apples? HS says to him: "I wish to love you as freely as I want." And that's been their central problem in Goryeo, that she cannot freely love him because he belongs to the people once he ascended to the throne.

3. Wook - Wow, Wook's last thought is of Myung Hee? I was shocked. I guess he wasn't really lying when he said that he loved her. Which of course, makes his affair with Hae Su all that more complicated. This means that Hae Su was not Wook's love, but that the affair was an emotional one charged by sexual attraction. But in the end, Wook loved Myung Hee as he died.

4. Jung - He has matured the most. He put himself aside to watch Hae Su die in peace. He's raising her child. He's protecting the child from the palace, which is Hae Su's dying wish. I mean, what did Jung NOT do this episode. He was great. Just the standard of a strong decent man, in love with a woman who can't love him back. :'(

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Here's my wishlist of stuff I wish happened:

1. YH - a stronger comeuppance. I think GJ's emotional abandonment of his son is pretty terrible and while it hurts YH, it does not hurt her directly.

2. Won - BLOODIER DEATH

3. The poems - Where the heck were the poems? Why didn't we see them? What about the box of arrows, letters, etc?

4. Longer flashbacks - We actually got a longer flashback in episode 16 when they broke up for the first time. Why not a longer flashback for WS as he's remember her. There are so many great moments that were left out of the flashback: her eating with him in the mountains, the bath, the jail cell, the laundry scene, the time she embraces him from behind. SO MANY - why just 2 measly flashbacks?? I wanted to sob my heart out watching those earlier scenes. GIMME catharsis SHOW.

5. Hae Su's daughter - I mentioned this earlier, but I would love a moment when WS realizes that HS's daughter is his daughter and that HS left not because she wanted to abandon him, but because she wanted to save their child. *mic drop* *I'm at my own funeral*

6. The hint of a future reunion - I don't need to see them reunite, but a hint would be amazing.

7. One point I'm confused by: YH says to WS "Now I know why Hae Su left you." What do you think her reason is?

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#7 - I am also lost about that too. But my guess is that per YH Hae Su left him because all those times for So people can be classified as (1) HaeSu and (2) Everyone Else. He loved her, was good too her and she was the center of his world. However to those against him (which is most people then) he could be very cold, cruel and calculating. He could be an angel to HaeSu but also the devil to enemies. He was not consistently good as how Hae Su would have prefered, the bad persona still resided inside him. Such would be suffocating and scary to someone like her. I came to this based on how YH paralled how he treated their son badly since he was on the enemy's camp even if he was just a child, versus freeing the slaves because doing so has strong association with Hae Su.

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@Selzerwater in regards to you wish list:
All I can imagine is a sweating, frazzled editor in the editing room with snippets of film covering the floor (old school technology). Standing over him is a giant white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and holding a stop watch in his hand. He's muttering, " Oh dear, oh dear, we're going to be late. We cant fit it all in. There's going to be hate."

We are Alice and we can't help but follow him down the rabbit hole known as Scarlet Heart, Goryeo.

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Instead of a rabbit, it's a KBS executive threatening to fire the editor so he never works in Kdrama ever again. which frankly, that might be a good thing. I would die for a 24 episode version of this show. It would be crazy expensive to recut the whole thing, but the potential would be stunning.

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I say release all the unused footage to the internet and let the fans put together their best versions of Scarlet Heart.
And make it a competition since kdramas love competitions.

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re: #5 - I think So did realise just whose child she was, those were pretty pointed questions he was asking Jung about how old she was.

And I doubt he'd have actually gone so far as to tell Jung to leave the child with him if he wasn't sure she was actually his own (only he can't say so in as many words, not even to Jung - putting their relationship in the open/speaking it out loud puts the child at risk)

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Yeah I rewatched the scene later and realized that WS was pretty meticulous about his question. Especially after he sees Hae Su's hairpin in her daughter's hair. I'm just fan girling and wishing for a scene to play out when he realizes that HS must have left him to protect their child.

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can I ever shut up? Not apparently.

THE BEBE: I was so surprised they had Hae Su survive childbirth. It makes me deeply mad the way the script was written, cause the baby was clearly a key part of why Hae Su left the palace. She would have been missing her period for about 2 months now (she had the baby 6 months after leaving the palace) Hae Su left the palace for her safety, but also to ensure that her baby would be born. Her baby and Wang So’s baby. *sniff sniff* the one he wanted so badly. And she couldn’t tell him that she was pregnant because he would only make her stay. Making her stay in environment where YH was accusing her of killing all the princes, where danger is around every turn, no wonder HS took the most drastic measures possible by marrying Jung. I always said she was incredibly goal focused in episode 19, but I had no idea it was to protect her baby. BAD WRITER giving us out of sequence events that would make us UNDERSTAND her motivations and make that parting scene even more PAINFUL than it already is. (Turn up my pain quotient to 10). It is also insanely tragic that Hae Su left her daughter to the two men who would miss her the most: Wang So and Jung. They both shared Hae Su, but the daughter is a symbol of what they both lost. I dunno if that’s a blessing or a curse. Probably both. I also loved that she’s a daughter, a basically useless person in the palace because if she were a son, then she might have claims to the throne. She’s only Jung’s daughter (probably according to official records) and with no rights to Wang So at all. So I think in his way, WS could cherish the last remainder of HS (the bebe) without dragging in the palace which killed her in the first place. I really wish they had played this out better.

WANG SO: Ugh, he gutted me this episode. A few things I don’t understand is when he was spying on HS and Jung didn’t he see her clutching her chest and keeling over? Or did overhearing about the baby make him think that it was Jung’s baby? It doesn’t make sense for So to be “enh, she’s over me even tho she’s clearly ill, I’mma peace out.” Hae Su looked like she was dying the entire time she was at Jung’s house. This is his stubbornness and inability to see things when it comes to Hae Su in shades other than “you’re with me or you’re against me.” When she left for Jung’s house, she squarely fell into the camp of you’re against me and he couldn’t see that she still loved him but had VERY GOOD reasons for leaving.

That eclipse scene at the end was so gorgeous. Sometimes, the cinematography on this show is just stunning, and one of the reasons I started really getting into it. I loved all the palace ground shots, just wide beautiful composition. WS saying that he will find "Hae Su, his dear" is breath taking to me. Once he understood that Hae Su loved him, more than he ever could let himself believe, that's going to be his driving force for the rest of his life. I really believe he will find her.

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THEMES: Over all the show is really about living for the present. When you neglect focus on the present, you cannot appreciate all that is around you. Like when WS was too busying governing to see that HS was in danger and ill. Or that Hae Su was too worried about him killing everyone so she kept him at arms length. We all have a limited time on this earth, and especially HS because she’s on borrowed time. If you don’t make the best of the time you have, then you are doomed to heartache and tragedy.

All that cool theory I have about women in history is still valid, but complimentary piece to that is: when you seek power, you lose people and you lose yourself. It’s the women that have the high body count in the drama, but it’s the rulers and kings that are alive but alone.

Overall, the show had some deep mechanical flaws. But I gotta say whatever it is they did to keep me glued to the screen and comment board is black magic. I cared about every character. Everyone had their turn to be sympathetic and to have their POV be understood. It really is a show with so much that would have been amazing with more time.

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Seltzerwater! I never want you "to shut up"!! I've enjoyed all of your posts, especially those that defended Hae Su, because I think you were spot on all the time!

...but that her child was the symbol of her perfect love with Wang So, so she protected what she must. That’s been Hae Su all along. When you protect what you want, you must pay a price. For Hae Su, the price was leaving WS and dying without her true love.

I love your analysis here, so heartbreaking, yet beautiful. It isn't noble idiocy, HS is operating entirely within her inner-logic as a character to protect who she loves: and she loves Wang So; but being unable to be what he needs, she protects the child that symbolizes their love.

But that he was able to forgive his brother in the end (the way that Hae Su always told him to, to have forgiveness to not have hate in your heart) that was a real moment for me where I realized how much HS has really changed him.

Completely agree! It's wonderful for the audience to see how much Wang So has changed because it validates Go Ha Jin's sacrifice when she receives her memories back and sees from the museum portrait description how Gwangjong was a wise and just ruler.

We’ve talked a lot about how much sacrifice WS has made for HS, saving her life time and again. But we can see now that Hae Su saved his soul.

Okay, now you're going to make me cry. You said exactly what I have been feeling this whole time but couldn't put into words. They both saved each other, just different aspects of one another: Wang So risked his life time and again for Hae Su's life; and Hae Su gave up her life to save Wang So's soul. This is epic love.

And that’s been their central problem in Goryeo, that she cannot freely love him because he belongs to the people once he ascended to the throne.

Love this. That is all.

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Thanks @pineapplegongzhu! You're definitely one of the people who helped me enjoy the show and see it from all different perspectives. The show was such a bumpy ride, but I appreciate it's ability to surprise me. It operated in such shades of grey, amazing scenes followed by unexplained motivation. I dunno if it was intention for the writer and PD, but they seemed to want the audience to do lots of searching to understand the show, which in turn made me obsessed with the show. If it's their intention, then kudos to the clever bastards. I remember I really got into the show because I thought that horse meet-cute was spectacular and I stuck around for the cinematography before I got drawn into the love story.

I like to think of this show as Hae Su, love it and don't have hate in your heart for the PD or editor. Overall, there were devastating emotional highs and lows for me and I have to give them props for that.

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Have you joined the Moon Lovers Rehab Google Hangout yet?! We haven't seen you and want to continue chatting!

https://hangouts.google.com/?authuser=1

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Uhh I feel dumb because I clicked on the link and it took me to hangouts but nowhere else?

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@Seltzerwater: Here's the link

https://hangouts.google.com/group/qXftsQivEgW4EGfp1

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@kumoiwa to the rescue!

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Whew, I'm super glad you didn't shut up. I teared up reading your thoughts and analysis the whole scenes of this finale.
HS did safe WS's soul and that's her biggest role in Goryeo imo. AND your thoughts on The bebe is on point. WHY did the writers and PD "let" us know the pregnancy until this last moment??? The biggest force to drive HS left the palace, the reason to make us understand her action...I'm sorry HS for misunderstanding you.

This drama will stay with me for a long time despite its huge flaws. I will remember it as the first drama to make me analyze each scenes, let my imagination run wild, google the history, religiously reading the recap here and all the comments (which was fun! thanks, peeps).

I'm also in the minority that I love the ending...the way WS as Gwangjong showed his scar and promised to find HS in another life/world/time is powerful *cries* and the flashback at the end showing what could have been for them *sobs*
As Jimong in 2016 said "There is no such thing as coincidence. Thing only return to their rightful place." I really believe they will reunited again, hopefully this era treat them better and give them the happiness they are so deserved.

Thank you to Heads to deliver quick recaps. Thank you @Seltzerwater and the rest of this community for all your dedication, I enjoy and will miss reading yours.

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That scar scene gutted more than anything else in the scene! The longing for the past, the memories of Hae Su and what the scar meant to the both of them, and him wiping up that make up to touch himself again at the moments when he wasn't Gwangjong and was just Wang So, the wolf-prince that HS loved. Sigh. Gonna make myself cry at work so I'll stop. Yeah, I loved the ending.

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I am a big fan of Lee Jun Ki, IU and the Chinese Scarlet Heart. I had high hopes for the Koreans to do an even better job and so I watched till the end at the same time hoping for a miracle.

First of all I heard the drama has a huge budget to work with and I wonder where the money went to. Hiring people like Seohyun must have been because it was free labour because not only she can't act at all, she does not even look good with the traditional hair style.

I don't know where the script writer and producers left their thinking caps. Every drama viewer want to see closures, whether bad or good and we always like to think that every dog would have its day and that the good will always triumphed over evil. However, here we are led to believe that it is alright to be malicious and wicked; a person whom you would poisoned without blinking your eyes would make you his queen and even make your wish come through by fulfilling your desire By sharing your bed. That wan't much of a bargain; she still has her mother and brother and she even got Wook to hurt the King by telling him about his affair with Hae Soo. The bad witch was never found out about all the bad deeds she did to Hae So and therefore went unpunished.

Argh! The ending is frustrating and totally unsatisfyimg. When I read that caption that the drama is taking a creative route with history I was always hoping for a happier ending that the Chinese version. If the scriptwriter is going to butcher the story so badly I would have rather they followed the book or the Chinese drama version faithfully. I felt especially sorry for IU for playing such a watered down role with a bit of a simplicity personality. Lee Jun Ki is still well loved in his role though I wish he would have revenged on his bitchy queen for Hae Soo's sake. He would have been the hero in most viewer's eyes.

Sorry for my rant. My first actually, after watching more than 200 Korean drama.

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Wow, so I was up to episode 12 ..... but I think I'm going to make the decision to stop watching this.

It's unfortunate because Lee Jun-ki has been fantastic.

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no, finish it... just don't think too hard and enjoy LJK's ride... he was fabulous from beginning till the end...
<3

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I also read on Soompi this theory why Korean audiences have not embraced the show (I mean yes obvious flaws, but there are shows with the same flaws which get MUCH higher ratings). It was explained to me that the Korean used in the show was very off-putting to the Saguek genre audience (i.e. too many modern words, not enough traditional Korean). I can't verify this b/c I don't speak Korean, but that sounds like a pretty good argument for why the national audience didn't buy it.

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I will be back to comment in more detail. There is one thing I'd like to say: What I hate the most is a tale that doesn't tell me what it was all about. Love? Fate? The invention of BB cream? It's like the show could not make up its mind, but all the pretty and make up in the world doesn't hide the fact that it was scarred to the heart. I feel cheated.

Hae Su's death encapsulated one of the problems of this drama: bad music choices. They could have had it be a completely silent moment. Or have the singer sing her song. Or play Hae Soo's birthday song. Or have the Death Song (I will be back). The mash up of 3 different tracks made for a horrible mess.

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Finally its ended. The ORIGINAL DEATH NOTE.

So we all watched this show just for a piggy back ride by a king for his lover?All those deaths, just for this piggy back ride? What? Seriously? For what purpose did Hae Soo time traveled?

I never much expected to have a grand magical ending. But still, i hoped for at-least a glimpse of Su and So meeting in the end at the present day. All that would be worth for watching this poorly executed , rushed drama.

The ending was so sad. I literally cried buckets watching this. Her death, So's regret, Jung's losing his wife and crush, Baek ah's lonely soul without Woo hee, Wook's lost empty soul. None got their happy ending. None. No one gained anything.

Su , the girl who was chirpy and happy at the beginning got consumed by the dark politics of the palace and all left was a painful death. We never actually got to see her happy old self again. i so missed that part. Despite her character being flawed, i just loved that never-giving-up attitude and full of happiness and hope.

Actually, Su and So got reverted back to their old original self. Su when we first saw her in the modern world, she was crying, being cheated by the love of he life. She was in pain. Su, at the end, was empty inside, miserable, barely hanging there and ended in a painful sad death.
So was the same at the start and the end. He was lonely, at the beginning, and the end, all the people near to him, left him, leaving him alone, in that empty cold dark palace.

Overall this show started with grandeur, happiness, friendliness, enemies, powerful and hungry to the throne, and sweet romances, but at the end, all that left was regrets, bitterness, sadness, lost souls, and emptiness. They kind of made the joke of the throne, which was supposed to be powerful and full of emotions. At the end, the throne was just a chair. It felt empty despite having a king. It was just a mere chair.

Time to say goodby to this drama. I wish i havent watched this show. Really. I had so so much expectations for this drama, the beginning, and it just faded out. The spark it ignited in the beginning fizzled out. have never watched the Chinese version. All i know is that, this show actually neither had a head nor a tail. It was messy, it was rushed and squeezed all the parts just for name sake.

I loved the actors thought. No one comes to the same level as Lee jun Ki in saeguk dramas. His micro mini emotions and that voice, just perfect. I watched this show just for this person. Kang hanuel was great too. The screen presence and the emotions were spot on. Ji Soo should never do saeguk dramas,but he did so well in this episode. IU , was good in some scenes, and some scenes she just could not show the right emotion, but i think i will always remember her this character. HAE SOO.

Thanks dramabeans for recapping this drama. I think this is the only show,where there is tons of arguments over the characters in every episode, and here...

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I wish they had the daughter look like Lee Jun Ki instead of IU haha.

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Great actor Great writer and great drama. I enjoy from beginning to last. Thank you

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A Tribute to You, Show

I See the Light (to the tune of Disney’s ‘Tangled’)

All those days hunched over my laptop
All those weeks staring at the screen
All that time spent wailing and sobbing
God how stressed I've been

Now I'm here blinking at the ending
Now I'm here suddenly I see
Drained from crying it's all so clear
I’m glum as glum as can be

And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see my eyes
And they’re swollen shut and glued

And my nose is blocked so tight
And my tissue box is empty
All at once everything seems different
Know that I’ll miss you

All those days soaking in this drama
All those weeks living in a blur
All that time never truly seeing
Things, the way they were

Now I’m here staring at the blank screen
Now I’m here suddenly I know
The end is here it's crystal clear
I freakin’ loved you show

And at last it ends tonight
I can finally stop this crying
And at last it ends tonight
And my sinuses will stop running

And it’s warm and real and bright
Yet I feel this emptiness deep within
All at once everything looks different
Know that I’ll miss you
Know that I’ll miss you

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*clapping hard*

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Sooooo saaaaadddddddd

Why am I watching this? Oh yeah right, LJK.

But the atmosphere and sceneries are beautiful, and to tell you the truth, those are what keeping me watching, even if the story can be better. I think this drama would have one of the most beautiful cinematography, if it werent for the director's over fascination towards close up shots.

Although Su didnt meet the king until the very end, I am glad that at least on the very last days of her life, she is with someone who truly loves her. This last ep makes me want to hug Jung. He loves till the very end, and he is the only one who didnt betray her while loving her. I have 2 favorite scenes. First is when Jung welcomes Su in his house, and second is then Jung hold Su's daughter in Gwangjong's presence. Good dad, good dad. Su is very lucky.

Watching this last episode, I cant help but wonder if the writer has a sequel in mind.

In BBJX, they showed the king's reincarnation albeit only a few moments. They had sequel as well, albeit forced and not as good as the first one. Showing the king's reincarnation in the modern world works better, but of course, perhaps LJK is not interested in acting in its sequel, thus they kept it hanging like that. Or perhaps the writer simply didnt think it through.

Whyyyyy???? You have stellar actors/actresses! Why didnt you think it throuuuugghhhhhhhhhh??????

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Well I just want to follow up on my original water maiden post - Hae Su as a reincarnation of Yuhwa, founding goddess of Korea, because the show on a mythological and imagery level managed to remain consistent throughout.

The founding myth: Just substitute Wang So for Hae Mo Su and Hae Su for Yuhwa as our star crossed lovers.

Hae Mo Su (So), the son (sun) of Heaven (the Royal Court), sees Yuhwa (Su), the daughter of the Lord of Water, while she's bathing and determines to marry her (So finds Su in the bath). He tries to force her to marry him (you will be MINE) and lays out lines of gold, which become a house that traps her (think the palace). In order to win her, he has to go through a series of "transformations" (So becomes a better person). But Yuhwa is an earth entity (water is an emblem of earth) and does not belong in Heaven (the Royal Court). Thus when he goes to take her to the Heavenly Court (marry her and keep her in the palace) she uses a hairpin to escape. (Ringing any bells? Sending the hairpin to Jung?). She finds refuge with another king (Jung), who marries her, but she gives birth to Hae Mo Su's child (So's child), Jumong (little Su), who eventually goes on to found Gogoryo.

In this case, little Su won't be founding anything but I imagine because she's a daughter she continues the legacy of her mother - the women that history neglects to mention, the "water maidens" who choose the kings and transform history anyway either themselves or through their descendants.

Wang So as the sun, of the sky, and Hae Su as water are portrayed throughout the drama in two very powerful images - rain (sky + water), and sunlight on water whenever they're in harmony. This is why they're always portrayed on boats and by So's waterside home or by the sea, with sunlight licking the waves or ripples. Rain is the "mandate of heaven" for So, only possible because Su hid his scar, that allows him to become a candidate for king.

The marriage of Hae Mo Su and Yuhwa is a marriage of heaven and earth, equating to sun and water, but also equating to royalty and commoner. There is no foundation for a nation without this "marriage", which brings order out of chaos.

Hae Su, as a divine representative of the people (as opposed to royalty) is their champion in the founding of the nation. We are told point blank that it was Hae Su's influence on So that made him free the slaves in his time period. This is the heaven-earth, sun-water, royalty-commoner partnership working. This is why she defends Chae Ryung. This is her purpose in going to the past - modern ideas of liberty didn't exist then, she planted a seed that not only changed Wang So but changed Korea of the future - JiMong is not a begger but a professor when she gets back.

I've explained much of the imagery elsewhere, but I did want to relay this information. Because it does make sense of so many of the writer's choices even if they weren't effected...

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So fascinating!

Thank you for this!

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You're welcome!

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Thank you Barbrey. As someone who is entirely ignorant of Korean founding myths, your posts have helped me make sense of the show. What is your interpretation of the title then: Moon Lovers? I haven't found an explanation for this, but then again there are too many comments to comb through!

Also, I just wonder what role Jimong had in this, as if he were the one who could control time. I mean, he walked out during an eclipse and ended up in the present.

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\^o^/

Thanks for re-posting and summarizing your founding myth/water imagery information, @Barbrey! Always a joy to read, and gives the story such velvety richness, I am overcome!

Will miss chatting with you in the forum. :( Why must all good things come to an end?

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Thanks for always taking an interest in this mythology angle. This is so basic, there are so many strands of discussion that branch out from it, but I would have to write an essay and I'm not prepared to do that for a drama so flawed, despite how much I loved it at core.

I do think the story was pulled in too many directions. It's astonishing to me how consistent the water imagery is, how consistently the story follows its myth foundation, while in terms of the actual scenes and events of story it is so amazingly inconsistent. The director or editor sometimes seems to have even privileged the imagery at the expense of the story, because those scenes are never cut, whereas scenes that would make more logical sense of the story are cut all the time.

I have loved your analyses, Pineapplegongzhu. I think of everyone I have agreed with you almost the most. If I haven't always replied it's because unless I have a lot of time, I don't tend to post when I agree, but only if I've seen a different angle than the poster. Anyway, we still have the chat group! Don't disappear yet!

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Barbrey, I love this. I read what you wrote early in the drama about the water theory and its significance to Hae Su. It was so illuminating, and helped me understand the drama so much more. I'm going to miss your analyses.

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And I'm going to miss your songs, your poetry, your jokes, and your dead-on understanding of the show! I sure hope we both end up posting on another crack drama together!

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Yes, I hope so too...I just can't think of any show I'd like as much, though...sigh.

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you should write a fanfic @Barbrey I bet it will come out better than *cough*the-ones-writing-this-supposedly-epic-show*cough*

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Thanks happychou. I do write mysteries! I think the writing experience is what makes me sympathetic to the writer of this drama. It was a heavy task to intertwine BBJX, original material, Goryeo history, foundation myth and she was "almost" there. Such an interesting story. I guess we'll never know though how much she was responsible for the flaws or how much was due to the editing/directing. I put at least 75% blame on the production crew though. Too much evidence to gainsay it.

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Hah, I knew we had something in common Barbrey because the way you looked at the story is so similar to how writer usually construct stories from both the emotional development to physical plot movements. I'm a screenwriter so I devote a lot of my time to plotting too. I primarily write comedies, so I watch Kdrama as a way to escape the the very brutal work of trying to make everything funny! In case anyone is wondering why my name is Seltzerwater, it's because sparkling water is in every writers room in the US.

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That is indeed a compliment, seltzerwater, because I found your own analyses absolutely BRILLIANT. I just read them going 'right on' all through. Did you ever get the feeling you and I and a few others were watching quite a different drama from the majority? I know I did, probably because I was always curious about the writer's choices, particularly when they were unpredictable, and that pushed me to look up Goryeo history, the founding myth, the Go-Hae connection, and then this light switch came on.

But not knowing these things...I mean take Baek Ah meeting his niece, for instance. What's obvious to an audience that hasn't read up on these things? Baek Ah meets his niece who reminds him of Woo Hee. Did Woo Hee have a secret daughter? Or is she somehow a reincarnation? The analysis stops there.

But if you draw in the reincarnation theme - and we should since we know Su is inhabiting a previous incarnation of herself - you settle on the reincarnation explanation. Also, if you know the history (courtesy of kumoiwa in this case), you know that Baek Ah will have an affair with this girl when she grows up, and it is their child that becomes the father in direct line of all the kings that follow.

So why does Baek Ah get to meet a reincarnation of his particular 'moon' lover so soon when So does not? Because he was a good guy. After So kills the monks, General Park tells him it will be a thousand years before he is forgiven. So we know he can't meet up with Su again for at least a thousand years (which just happens to be close to the time spread between Goryeo and Korea time in the drama). Baek Ah doesn't have to wait because he never did something so atrocious. He and that little girl/Woo Hee are another fated pairing, two halves of a whole, just as So and Su are.

What's unforgivable is that this is not made more explicit, particularly for international viewers who don't have easy access to translated historical material. Some of the Korean audience might get it, but very few of them were watching. Why was the audience just expected to 'get it'. The whole incest part of this drama must have been particularly troubling for a modern audience, but we have a modern viewer - in Goryeo - who could have questioned, then accepted it as a difference in cultural norms, so the audience could have done the same, but instead Su never questions it at all.

Filling in the blanks was a big part of the appeal for me, but there was far too much to fill in, and the vast majority of viewers wouldn't have the same curiosity - who can blame them? Even when the thematic and historical underpinnings are revealed, the drama lost even more logical progression with its unfathomable editing decisions.

All in all, I gained a great deal of knowledge from my research into Korean history, with some answers - such as why the hairpin? - or why Su's holding back, from the myth, and a much deeper experience from following the imagery. BUT...

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What’s unforgivable is that this is not made more explicit, particularly for international viewers who don’t have easy access to translated historical material. Some of the Korean audience might get it, but very few of them were watching. Why was the audience just expected to ‘get it’. The whole incest part of this drama must have been particularly troubling for a modern audience, but we have a modern viewer – in Goryeo – who could have questioned, then accepted it as a difference in cultural norms, so the audience could have done the same, but instead Su never questions it at all.

Filling in the blanks was a big part of the appeal for me, but there was far too much to fill in, and the vast majority of viewers wouldn’t have the same curiosity – who can blame them? Even when the thematic and historical underpinnings are revealed, the drama lost even more logical progression with its unfathomable editing decisions.

YES. THIS. Thank you!

As a semi-lurker who reads all the comments here, I find that the scenario and motivations presented by some convincing beanies like Seltzerwater are really admirable. But I feel like it's also not fair to expect or even feel superior to other audiences for not getting the connection, because let's admit it, the production+writing of ML is shit.

I feel like it's W all over again, where you're not sure if your awesome theories and points make sense because you unearthed the writer's intention, or because you're a better writer than the actual writer of the show.

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@Barbrey! I did have that feeling like I was a totally different show from the a lot of the core audience of the drama. It's like they wrote a show for writers who enjoy figuring out stuff instead of a show meant to entertain a wider audience. I doubt that many people are interested in digging for that much information and fulfilling their own theories. The only american show I can think of which does that is LOST (a mystery represented as scifi) or Game of Thrones which is similar to Moonlovers b/c there's already a text out there. I appreciated that when I really dug in, I found so much complexity and richness in the characters. I still feel like many of my theories hold water b/c it's sustained subtly in the show, and your water maiden visual imagery was sustained throughout that I can't think any of it was a mistake. It's too bad they didn't clarify some BASIC character motivation and still allows the viewers who come from a writing background to enjoy their own theories. Ultimately, the show still drew me in, apropos of nothing. I always drop a show when I loose interest and this one never made me loose interest.

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@ Mary, while I agree that both W and ML failed, I do think there was a huge difference in ambition to begin with in these shows. I read a lot of sci-fi: W would have been a satisfying but mediocre contribution to the field even if it succeeded, and it didn't. ML, on the other hand, could have been an outstanding contribution to the genre of epic love stories. The myth and imagery subtext is testament to that. And while not everyone noticed the mythical/imagery undercurrent, subtext is not meant primarily to be noticed but to be FELT, and the drama succeeded spectacularly in that regard. No other drama, kdrama or otherwise, has made me cry falling asleep two nights in a row with an OST of death music I can't get out of my head.

In other words, Moon Lovers succeeded as a flawed piece of art.

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@selzerwater, so funny you mention Lost and Game of Thrones. They're the only tv shows I ever posted on forums for aside from Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sixth season. I should have learned from Lost not to invest too much time in speculation cause look where that got me! I have more hope for GoT because Martin's had a consistent vision for the ending since he started writing the books, and even though it diverts a lot (4th and 5th books), he's coming back around now so it should make a consistent whole.

I agreed with almost every post you made about character motivation and development, or when we had to string together plot development from isolated scenes telling us little. I think your analysis was almost always spot on; no need to feel it was wasted at all or they you were barking up the wrong tree. We all did that a bit but for the most part I thought you explained and elaborated on this drama better than anyone I've seen.

Are you kdramawriter at Soompi, btw? I just read short bits sometimes of that forum, but I always notice this writer's posts, and it occurs to me in terms of thought and writing style, this could be you? Sorry if I'm wrong!

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LMAO, YES to Buffy S6! I was so into that majorly problematic season. It's probably my favorite. I know that S5 is considered to be the best, but there's something so heartbreaking about s6 that I love: the affair with spike, dealing with being alive again. Not to mention some of the best episodes were that season: Conversations with Dead People, Once More with Feeling. I even love Doublemeat Palace b/c I'm into some problematic shit.

Yeah that's me (kdramawriter) over a soompi, yelling at everyone to not bash HS for her self-determination. Don't mind me!

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SO GOOD Barbrey!! Love this mythological underpinning.

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@Barbrey: 'General Park tells him it will be a thousand years before he is forgiven. So we know he can’t meet up with Su again for at least a thousand years (which just happens to be close to the time spread between Goryeo and Korea time in the drama). '

Nice. That way the whole monk massacre episode makes much more sense. It seemed like nothing more than a hint of So's future cruelty to me, but now it actually makes narrative sense.

In the hands of a more skillful editing team, I wish we had had flashbacks to important moments like General Park's warning, or Lady Oh's last words, or even Lady Hae... but these characters just dropped out and nobody seemed to remember them. Wasted opportunities.

I have never been so dedicated in following recaps and the comment section. It's been frustrating and fun at the same time. Group hug to all the scarred hearts out there.

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Couldn't agree more that flashbacks and voice overs would do so much to enhance and clarify the show's intentions. Big hug to you, my fellow scarred heart!

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@Barbey

This is a beautiful and satisfying analysis. I am glad I came back to read it. Thanks for sharing it with us!

So far as not explaining the reincarnation thing: it's an intrinsic part of the culture (i.e. a common thing to say about a recipient of great good luck, "She must have saved the nation in a past lifetime!"), so I doubt it would have occurred to the writers to have to explain it to the audience. I imagine they write primarily for a Korean audience (even if ratings are low); plus it is hard to know what other cultures don't understand about yours, especially something so fundamental.

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@Barbrey, I mean--sorry for messing up your name!

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Barbrey: That was one of the most fascinating and insightful comments I've read here!! I had zero knowledge of this myth and it's really wonderful to see how things connected to it through the So-Su relationship. Thank you!!

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@barbrey, is this myth the same myth that they were using as the background for Bride of the Water God manhwa?

They're adapting Bride of the water god into a drama and if the producers change their minds and set the story into Saguek-fantasy instead of modern day Seoul, hopefully they cast Lee Junki for the role of Habaek, the water God, too. The feels of it but I hope they stay away from the same prod staff again.

On the other note, only now can I appreciate the brilliance of casting IU as Hae Soo, with all these 5 princes plying for her attention, IU never looked to young beside Lee Junki or Kang Haneul. She doesn't look too old beside Ji Soo or BaekHyun. She appears as same age with Nam Joo Hyuk too. Her appearance is complimenting all the 5 prince so I can overlook her wide-eye doe acting most of the time.

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BIG HUG and KISS for Headsno2 recaps!

We survive the whole drama thing just to get this ambiguous ending, I feel cheated! BIG TIME!

Dearest KIM "POOP" PD & team,

I wrote this because we obviously need to talk about your recent saeguk "Moon Lovers : Scarlet Heart Ryeo". You have done several great job for the show, I can make list for this :

1. Great casting : Lee Joon Gi, Lee Ji Eun (IU), Kang Ha Neul, Ji Soo, Nam Joo Hyuk, Hong Jong Hyun, and many others.

2. Great cinematography : Dong Ji Lake, Festival, Palace, Wishing tower, and some other places. I love it how you potray time slip in ep 16

3. Close up : to be honest, I love when you close up LJG face! Can never get enough of him on my screen!

4. Oh wait....there's only 3. Whoops! Sorry for not so sorry :P

What you lack of :

Your biggest problem is your editing team! They should be the one who delivered story plot in a way how we fans want it. It's exhausting to keep up with double or maybe triple editing along 20 episodes (minor differences in the last 3 episode). It's frustrating to guessing whether time loops is happening or not. It's hurting my brain when I have to overthinking one scenes after another because obviously you like to mislead people with your crappy/shitty editing style. You really like to torture us didn't you? All of those great work goes in vain with all this shitty editing.

Well, good for you! You have just won the award of BEST CRAPPY/SHITTY EDITING! You should celebrate this show by marching all over South Korea!

As for this is my first and last letter for you, I make pledge that I will never watch any of your drama again.

XOXO

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I love that the final screencaps of yesterday and today's recaps are so very representative of my feelings towards this show.

Thanks, Heads!!

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I can only say:
I felt so cheated. So empty. It's like I'm in mourning for the death of epic love that will never find closure.

If I have to choose who gets the worst deal, I'd say Su did.
So can cure his loneliness by cherishing memories that they made together - visiting the places, reading Su's letters, having all of the things that Su has ever touched or made. He spent his life building Goryeo according to what he and Su dreamed off.

I can only imagine that in the end, like King Taejo, he would find solace only in death - to be finally reunite with Su.

But Su...., she has spent almost 1 year woke up and cried every night feeling despair and sorrow for something she didn't understand; and when she finally DID remember, she can only feel regret and sadness. She remember their love, their suffering, and how she has left him all alone. But, unlike So, she can never find cure. There's no way for her to go back, no way for her to send the message to So, no way for her to reconnect wit So.

She cannot release all of her frustration and sadness. It's the modern day, if she tell anyone about it, people will call her crazy, as such she must keep it all to herself. Imagine what pain she must go through. For Go Ha Jin, the future is bleak; she either dies of sorrow or go mental. And that is just so so sad.

I can see the beauty of the last scenes, the part where So wiped out his makeup, his declaration to find Su, the reminiscence of So and Su which leads to lovely piggyback scene. Those parts, yes it's beautiful and heartbreaking.

But.. why do I still have the feeling that I'm being royally deluded here. I keep remembering the part where Su finally remember So and the past, my heart goes out for her. She has suffered so much and fate has not been kind.

How is that an open ending? It's a TRAGIC ending.

Overall, I love the drama, but generally especially the ending, it's just sucks. If this is supposed to be a love story, then it's done haphazardly. The whole story is choppy and assuming too much, lots of details missing, lots of stories untold.

It only left me feeling bereft and depressed. I'm in mourning.

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I loved the c-version, which was the main reason why i started watching the k-version (apart from the other obvious reason being LJK and KHN). I have to say that the base set out for the k-version was nicely structured. They included all key elements of the original story (for example, CR's deception, people thinking 4th prince stole the seat etc) with only minor changes to suit the history of Goryeo. That i was very happy with. But the big issue here is really the story telling. I would not have understood much of the events that occurred and the rationale behind them if i hadn't watched the c-version. They had the same elements but did such a good job in explaining the motive behind each character's actions. One glaring example was Haesoo (Ruoxi)'s anger towards the King for killing Chaeryung (Yutan). In the k version, we got to see HS persistantly being upset and angry with So even when So explained how HR was spying on them and that she was actually given a chance etc. Makes HS looks really stubborn and unreasonable. However, why Ruoxi did the same thing in the C-version, the story telling made it such that viewers could understand that Ruoxi was upset because she felt that Yutan was only a pawn in the games that the princes were playing. And that she felt that the 4th prince probably wasn't really giving Yutan a 'chance' by keeping her alive and near. But that he was just really trying to keep a known opponent's spy near so that the opponent (in this case, the 9th prince) would not think of planting more spies that the 4th prince may not know about. So in a way, Yutan was used by both the 9th prince and the 4th prince in their battle of wits and was cruelly sacrificed in the end. Even her death was used as a tool to serve as a warning to all other servants, maids and eunuchs. That was why Ruoxi was angry with both the 4th and 9th prince - for treating Yutan's life so carelessly.

I cried at the last episode too, especially when HS died and Gwangjong expressed regret. And, too, when present day Go Ha-jin recalled her time as Soo. Because there's something very heartwrenching about the regret she felt. She can't betray who she really is and try to conform to palace life. But when she realises how lonely a life she left Gwangjong with, she couldn't bear it as well. And now, there's the fact that they're present in two different times. She couldn't even do anything to change the hurt even if she wanted to.

But - I don't know if this was because of the shortened episode counts, but it felt really unsatisfying despite all the emotions I came to feel in the last episode. Am just thinking of all the could have beens.

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To fans of Lee Joon Gi, I have a question to ask... Does he normally wear circle lenses in real life? I've been noticing while watching some of his V app videos that it looks like his pupils were slightly bigger and more brown. His latest V app video, it doesn't look like circle lens but it looks like he's wearing a slightly grey/hazel contact lens? I'm not complaining, it looks amazing on him and makes him look much younger (plus makes his eyes look bigger too), it's just something I noticed :)

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Hates the ending? Loathe the ending? Crappy ending? F#%*ing bad ending? Fixed the ending ? Fixed the ending please ? Fixed the ending pleeeaaasseee ??

Although... that scene when So, Jung and Baek Ha all gathered and sobs for Su's urn was an epic... they've all shown terrific acting skills through this sad aching traumatizing stories ??

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Everyime I feel like there are details that I missed or misunderstood, I always head to dramabeans to shed some light to it. I wasn't surprised to see the recap and review like this, however I needed someone to answer my question. There was one main thing that has been bothering me all this time, and you said out loud that bothering thing in my mind which is the main reason why I wasn't satisfied.
What's the purpose of this drama? I can't quite figure it out. -I desperately want to ask the writers of the story what they were thinking of at the beginning of the production as to how they wanted to end it, to know if either the director is at fault or the script in its core is as fault to all the confusion that has happened. There are things that shouldn't be explicitly said or given away in shows as not to spoil the audience and keep them thinking. when there's something you want to share but don't want to openly say ot you leave bits and pieces to get your message across to the viewers without actually giving them a play by play. But they added so many flashbacks and added alot of time jumps that probably weren't as necessary compared to closing the loop and giving each of its characters the justice it deserves.
-I'm not entirely happy, with the ending, but as you've said, it could have been worse. But there were many questions that I wanted answered and there were answered questions that I didn't need answered. I didn't need to know what Won's fate is and I didn't care about Wook's mother's new plot. What I cared for whas finding out why this story came to be. Is it about changing history? I assumed she couldn't cause she was always locked into the idea that she couldn't then we find out in the present that she could? I thought all this time she was the trigger of the chain of events... But wait did she just change history? Is it about love, where tbh both So and Wook lost and kinda gave Jung the chance to get the girl... and got the girl. Jung got burried at the back for being a relatively silent and go with the flow type of character and at the last few episodes he suddenly becomes the man who got the girl? I love Jung and everything that he's done for soo but WTF happened there. Since it all led to So being King then all this time the storyline was about politics... so again what is Soo's purpose for being there? No need for her to time jump if it was politics that triggered everything after all.
-In short, it didn't have a clear ending. I didn't mind the open ending, I didn't mind leaving some details to my imagination, what I minded was what they wanted to show to the audience. It doesnt feel like either the director nor the scriptwriter was able to fully give us that, and that's what makes this show frustrating. I'm the type of girl who watches shows cause it's cast, but I continue shows based on the storyline, execution, editing, Creativity and ability to entice the audience. I'm also particular with the...

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Really, Moon Lovers? --> I know ☹️️ what is goin on ?
Not one hint that Su would find her present day So? ---> this is just soo wrong... I can't comprehend this
Not even after that line? ----> agree ? That line was so perfect... It should follows another perfect scenes...
You chose to show a piece of flashback footage instead? ----> un-be-lievable ??
That’s how you wanted to end this, by having So look to the future, but think of the past instead? ----> that wouldn't be so bad with the right/full amount of meet-cute perhaps...
That’s your big message? ----> please redeem it by making us an amazing second season already... for the sake of all holy kdrama story ?

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The show left me with a lot of question to and no answer for it
But still I love it very much thank u guys for a wonderful drama and thank u dramabeans for a wonderful recap
Hope to watch your next movie
?????

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I feel the final episode is so rushed :( It's like while I wasn't done crying and pondering at some scenes, they immediately moved on to another kind of mood! That was kinda frustrating!!
I am quite satisfied with how Wang So and Soo still love each other til the end, and the part where he says he will find her!
But... then what? Hae soo had a baby and now she's gonna live her life without him and her baby? :(((((( omg i'd go nuts waking up in the future like this.

And how is ji mong a homeless man in the beginning to this? I guess he uses the eclipse to time travel a lot

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I m going to imagine these actors in the Chinese version now that will b a satisfying story.

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I kept crying the entire episode.

1. Su smiling at So, seeing him beside her, seeing him smile at her, as she dies a little every day. So heartbreaking. I cried.

3. Jung putting on a cheerful face in front of Su, then crying silently as she dies in his arms....so sad. I cried.

4. Proud Jung kneeling in front of GJ, he who has never knelt in front of him ever before, and he's kneeling because he's begging GJ not to take Su's child. So moving, I cried.

5. The piggyback ride...the ring of their laughter in a brief moment of happiness, frozen in time, it made me cry.

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I bawled like a baby from beginning to end. I am going to re-watch the entire thing soon. I've found watching a second time is the key to loving this drama. You adjust to the editing and flow problems when you see it the first time, so they don't jar you when you see it the second, you can just sit back and laugh or cry, mainly cry the second half.

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Oh, I didn't know that was Jung's first time to humble himself in front of So. His love for Su is really pure, I'm ;____;

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