Arthdal Chronicles: Episode 18 (Final)

202 September 26, 2019September 3, 2023

by LollyPip

All of Arthdal is in turmoil – with its leadership up in the air, the people desperate to cling to any available glimmer of hope. Some will put their faith in a false god, while others see the future in a man who isn’t sure of his own place in the world. Yet others know the truth behind the lies, and use that knowledge to feed their own greed.

EPISODE 18 RECAP

After learning the secret of bronzeworking from Mihol, Taealha gives him poison to put him out of his misery. Tagon walks in just as Mihol is gasping his last breath. Taealha informs Tagon that not only is she now the only living person who knows how to work bronze, she’s also pregnant with his child.

She sails regally from the room, head high, but as soon as she’s alone she slumps against the wall, fighting back tears. Once she collects herself, she informs Hae Tuak and Yeobi that Mihol died at her hands.

Seeing Tagon’s shock, Saya asks Tagon what Taealha said to him, and why he let her go without argument. Tagon just says they’ll talk later and goes into a meeting, but Saya senses something is terribly wrong.

Tagon hears a report that the people are too scared to go into the market after he destroyed the statue of Mihaje, the Bato tribe’s god, and that some are even leaving Arthdal for their home villages. Moobaek says that there was no opposition when they torched the Batu’s sacred mountain, though a few Bato tribespeople jumped into the fire.

Tagon’s only comment on that is that they were foolish. He’s equally unconcerned that the Myo clan from the Ago tribe raided Doldambul and freed the slaves. He’s told that the Bato and Ggachinol tribes have been conducting suspicious activities, but he says that it’s all unfolding as he expected.

He leaves, and the others worry that the Bato tribe may be planning something and that other tribes might join them. Moobaek thinks that Tagon seem to already have a solution, and wonders what it could be.

Tagon’s scribe, Dae-dae, warns Tagon that Arthdal could fall apart if he doesn’t take action soon. Tagon reminds him about Red Claw, a spy Tagon planted in the Ago tribe, and he says that the storm sweeping across Arthdal will be consumed by a greater storm.

Only once he’s alone does Tagon finally let himself think about Taealha’s claim to be pregnant with his child. He thinks that the child will continue his bloodline, a god’s bloodline. Saya is also worried about Taealha — he doesn’t know what she said but he saw how Tagon changed.

Chaeeun and Nunbyeol are still hiding in a cave after their parents’ murders, and Nunbyeol resists Chaeeun’s urging to sever her lineages again. In fact she asks Chaeeun to reconnect them so she can be a full Neanthal, but Chaeeun has never done it and she’s scared it will kill Nunbyeol. Nunbyeol says she wants to get revenge, and her eyes glow blue as she growls, “Tagon, Taealha — I will destroy them.”

Seuchun takes Doti to Tanya to tell her about Harim and his wife’s deaths. Tanya is concerned, but she forgets everything else when Seuchun tells her that he’s seen Eunseom.

Eunseom tells the freed slaves that they can return to their tribes, and they ask him what he wants in return. He says that those who aren’t Ago don’t owe them anything, but he wants two things from the freed Ago tribe members, the first being to go home and free other Ago slaves.

They ask what happens after they send them home, and Eunseom says sheepishly, “That’s all. Just free them and send them home.” One man, TAE DACHI, gets angry, believing this is some kind of trick. He says he ended up in Doldambul because he was captured and sold there by the Myo clan, so he can’t believe that same clan would now free him and want nothing in return.

He asks what Eunseom’s second condition is, so Eunseom says he wants them to spread the word. He and the Myo warriors take turns reciting:

He who lowers himself despite knowing his sublimity,
He who protects darkness despite knowing his brilliance,
He who endures indignity despite knowing his dignity,
Tell everyone about the second coming of Inaishingi, the one spat out by the God of the Waterfall.

Pasa the Myo chief, swears by the Ago guardian spirits that Eunseom is Inaishingi, who survived the waterfall. He announces a tribal meeting to be held on Myo land, asking the chief of each clan to come before Inaishingi, and the Myo warriors take up the chant, “Come before Inaishingi!”

As they walk home, Tae Dachi and his friend, Tae Nima, wonder if Eunseom really is Inaishingi and if they’re truly bound to spread his message. Tae Dachi tells Tae Nima that he’s convinced — they’re going home, so it must be Inaishingi’s magic.

At the Tae clan’s village, the chief, TAE APDOK (Go Chang-seok), argues with SOOHANA (Kim Jung-young), one of the elders, over whether to ally with the Byeok clan. They’re interrupted by a loud outcry caused by Tae Dachi and Tae Nima’s return, and Tae Apdok greets them with tears and bear hugs, then awe when they pass on Inaishingi’s message.

At Mihol’s funeral, Taealha catches and holds Tagon’s gaze, and he looks down first. She looks back at an older man — Hae Alyeong, whom Mihol told Taealha to ask about the “Fruit of Hae Detu,” which had turned out to be a sword of pure steel, made with something found by chance in a kiln. Hae Alyeong had promised Taealha to find out who made it and how.

After the funeral Tagon apologizes to Taealha that she couldn’t tell him of her pregnancy with joy. She says he should be apologizing for torturing her father without telling her, but he counters that a king needn’t apologize for his authority.

Taealha asks why she felt so much pity, seeing Tagon standing alone in front of Asa Ron. Tagon says that what bothered him most while standing alone was that Asa Ron showed up just when he was venting to his father and filled with self-pity. He says that was when he decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and begging for acknowledgment, and to just start doing what he wanted.

Taealha says that was the moment Tagon became a king, and she sarcastically apologizes for not reading his mind and getting pregnant. Tagon says he wants her and their baby, and proposes marriage. He accepts her refusal to tell him the secret of bronzeworking, and her demand that he share his power with her, but she insists on getting it all in writing before marrying him.

She says wryly that it’s just like them to get engaged on the day of her father’s funeral, since their hatred for their fathers drew them together, and because they both killed their fathers. She sneers, “We’re probably meant to be together, right?”

Tagon informs Saya that he and Taealha will marry on the day of his coronation, and that no one is to speak of the secret of the bronze from now on. Saya asks if he’s giving up on becoming a king, since Taealha’s whisper was enough to change his mind about owning everything.

Tagon says he wants Saya to find out the secret of the bronze, and to take care not to let Taealha find out. Saya asks again what Taealha said to Tagon, but Tagon refuses to share that information. On the subject of the bronzeworking secret, Saya says he needs someone smart but not crafty to help him, so Tagon suggests Yeonbal for the job.

Meanwhile, Taealha goes to the Great Shrine’s dungeon to ask Asa Sakan for a favor. Asa Sakan grabs her and croons, “The gods’ will is truly…”

Saya is growing obsessed with whatever Tagon and Taealha are hiding from him. Tanya’s attendant reports that Tanya cried for a long time after speaking to Doti and Seuchun, who used to work for Harim and came to tell her about Chaeeun being missing.

She finds it strange that Tanya would cry so much over Chaeeun, and she’s right — Seuchun also told Tanya that Moongtae betrayed the Wahan slaves, Teodae killed himself, and later Eunseom led a successful revolt at Doldambul.

Tanya sits in the ceremonial chamber, and she tells Yangcha that she feels like she’s crying from determination. She’s summoned to see Saya, and on the way she asks her attendant to find a place where there are a lot of people who are suffering.

Saya tells Tanya about Tagon’s request that she come up with the name for his new kingdom. She says that what Tagon wants is a name that will make the tribes succumb to him, and Saya objects to her phrasing, saying that the people of the Union have agreed to this because they need protection in case the Ago or another tribe attacks. Tanya argues that it just proves that a kingdom is a bad thing.

Reining in his temper, Saya asks what Tanya was talking about with Moobaek. She says they only discussed the ollimsani for Moogwang. He asks why she met with Seuchun, and she says she wants to find Chaeeun. When he sees that she’s wearing her stone necklace, Saya assumes it’s the one he gave her and backs off.

The “place where people are suffering” that Tanya visits turns out to be the building where children are forced to make the smooth stones for decorating Arthdal’s monuments. Taking in the children’s shackles and bleeding feet, Tanya instructs Yangcha to give each child a pair of straw shoes.

The man who runs the factory says that they don’t need shoes because they never walk or run, but Tanya says that they will soon, because she forbids him to shackle them any longer. She also commands him to feed them three times a day with food provided by the Great Shrine, then begins removing one child’s shackles herself.

The child thanks her tearfully for giving them hope. Tanya says that she should be thanking them, and even Yangcha looks moved as all the children start crying for their mothers.

As she leaves, Tanya worries that her kind actions could put the slaves in danger. Yangcha wonders why she would do something so unnecessary, and Tanya replies out loud that it’s not unnecessary, startling him again by hearing his thoughts. She says that the children will wear those shoes to run around the marketplace and tell everyone how kind she is.

Saya shows up at Harim’s apothecary to speak to Seuchun, who thinks he’s Eunseom until he remembers Doti telling him that there’s someone who looks exactly like Eunseom. Moongtae is with Saya, and he spots Seuchun’s expression and quickly introduces Saya.

Saya asks Seuchun why he met with Tanya, and Seuchun says the same thing Tanya did — that they’re hoping to find Chaeeun. Saya asks how Seuchun knew that Chaeeun and Tanya know each other, pinning him to the wall by the throat, and Seuchun gasps that Doti told him. Saya snarls that that’s not the answer he’s looking for, and Moongtae slams Seuchun to the ground and orders him to tell the truth.

Seuchun stammers that they talked about the Wahan people who escaped Doldambul. He says he was at Doldambul on Chaeeun’s orders, but he doesn’t know why she sent him, all he knows is that there was a riot and Tanya was worried her people may have died. He says he told Tanya they ran away, so Saya assumes that’s why she cried.

Saya puts the clues together, that Chaeeun sent Seuchun way before Tanya became High Priestess, and he recalls hearing Kitoha saying something about an Igutu from Doldambul who looks like him. He slams angrily into his chambers, where Yeonbal is waiting for him.

This time when Yeonbal is caught staring, Saya asks if he was thinking he looks like the Igutu. Yeonbal quickly says he was mistaken, but Saya says it’s the same Igutu who killed Sanung and names Eunseom. He orders Yeonbal to tell him everything he knows.

Yeonbal confesses that the man they threw in the boiling water wasn’t Eunseom, but adds that he’s sure Eunseom is dead after Moobaek stabbed him and he fell into the river. Saya is skeptical, since there were no witnesses.

Eunseom is worried that the Ago leaders may not attend the meeting. Ipsaeng is also concerned, saying that the Tae chief is particularly uncooperative. Sure enough, Tae Apdok whines that they haven’t had such a meeting since Inaishingi died, and he refuses to obey any orders issued by the Myo clan.

He tells his people that the Myo clan is lying, but Soohana says that’s all the more reason for him to attend the meeting and test their honesty. She flatters Tae Apdok by saying that giving his people what they want will earn even more of their love and trust, so he’s persuaded to go.

Tanya personally feeds the slave children a meal, and when one little girl asks for seconds, Tanya asks how she became a slave as she dishes up the food. The girl says that Arthdal attacked her tribe and killed her parents, and she asks if she’ll be a slave until she dies. Oh, my heart.

Her question reminds Tanya of a night when she was young, and she’d asked Mother Choseol if she had to grow up to the the next Great Mother. Mother Choseol had told her she could be anything she wanted in addition to being the Great Mother.

Tanya tells the little girl that she can be anything she wants, and just as her mother told her, she points to the night sky and tells the slave children that when they complete their life missions, they will each become a star. Looking around at the smiling children, she thinks, “Eunseom-ah, I’ll do everything I can. I won’t give up, just like you.”

Practically the entire Tae clan follows Tae Apdok and Soohana to the meeting, wanting to see Inaishingi for themselves. The Sul clan chief also brings most of his people with him, making Eunseom worry that they may have weapons, but Ipsaeng says they don’t seem armed.

Ipsaeng avoids eye contact and leaves when Tae Apdok enters the council lodge. Tae Apdok laughs at the sight of Eunseom, but Pasa insists that he survived the Judgment of the Waterfall and Tachoogan snaps at him to be respectful. Tae Apdok asks Eunseom with sarcastic formality to tell them what Inaishingi said to him.

Eunseom says, “Be first to show generosity. Save those of other clans who were sold as slaves in Arthdal and return them to their families. Those who have been blessed will repay the favor by saving other clans. Go against my words, and excruciating pain will fall upon you before you perish.”

Tae Apdok bellows that the Sul chief sold off two of his nephews, and the Sul chief spits back that the Tae clan started it. The Sul chief storms out, declaring that this plan will never happen, and Tae Apdok leaves moments later. Ipsaeng comes back in and wilts at the sight of the disappointed faces, but something he says gives Eunseom an idea.

In front of all three clans, Tae Apdok accuses the Myo clan of lying about Eunseom being Inaishingi. Eunseom comes out to say that supposedly the Ago tribe were once all brothers, and that their infighting has only been happening for ten years (since Tagon laid down his rules).

He admits that he doesn’t know if he’s Inaishingi, though it’s true he survived the waterfall. Tae Apdok crows that he was right, but Eunseom declares that if Inaishingi did choose him, then Tae Apdok will die before sunrise, and if he’s not, then he himself will die.

In the council lodge, Tachoogan yells at Eunseom for saying something so stupid and ruining everything. Tae Maja suggests they just kill Tae Apdok, who was getting in the way anyway, but Eunseom tells them to just wait. Later Ipsaeng asks Eunseom what he was thinking, and Eunseom admits that he took a chance on something Ipsaeng said, because the thirty Ago clans need to be reunited.

Tae Maja urges Tae Apdok to rethink his stubborn stance, viewing Eunseom’s claim to be Inaishingi as their clan’s last hope for survival. Offended that his warriors don’t see him as a source of hope, Tae Apdok orders Tae Dachi whipped. But Tae Nima stands and says that he also saw Inaishingi in Eunseom, who saved him from the mines.

Tae Apdok draws his sword and strikes Tae Nima dead on the spot, then stabs his body repeatedly in his fury. He asks if there are any other objections, and his people simply kneel at his feet.

In Arthdal, Saya thinks to himself that whatever Tanya is hiding from him, he’ll discover soon on his own: “Though in a way you’ll hate.” Tanya asks him how to write the word “star,” so Saya draws the symbols and teaches her how to read them.

At the Fortress of Fire, Yeolson gets a visit from Yeonbal. Later, Yeonbal escorts Saya to a room where he’s got Yeolson and the other Wahans tied up. Tagon visits his throne room on the eve of his coronation, and Taealha secretly meets with the few remaining White Peak Mountain elders.

Tae Apdok is alone when Soohana and Tae Maja silently enter the lodge. In the morning, Ipsaeng screams for Eunseom to wake up, and Eunseom says sleepily that he had his first dream in a long time. Ipsaeng tells him that what’s happened is like a dream, and when they step outside the hut, Eunseom’s jaw drops in shock.

Moobaek tries to talk to Tanya about her role in the coronation, but she asks for privacy to study. When Saya shows up, Tanya snaps at him, annoyed. Saya tells Moobaek privately that he’s captured all the Wahans, and that unless Moobaek tells him everything he knows about himself, he’ll kill them all before the coronation.

During the procession to the Great Shrine for Tagon’s coronation ceremony, Tanya notices that Moobaek and Saya’s heads are bowed as if they’re having a discussion. Saya stares up at Moobaek, who looks extremely troubled, having just revealed that Eunseom is alive and is Saya’s twin.

Saya looks back at Tanya, remembering the time she asked if he was curious about his parents and siblings, and how she once said she regrets meeting him every time she sees him. The expression on Saya’s face is one of mixed anger, betrayal, and sorrow.

Eunseom and Ipsaeng, followed by the Myo tribesmen, talk to Soohana and the Tae clan. Tae Maja holds up Tae Apdok’s severed head, and Soohana announces that with his prediction confirmed, the Tae clan acknowledge Eunseom as Inaishingi’s chosen.

Tanya arrives at the Great Shrine, with Saya walking behind her carrying a golden crown. Addressing the crowd, Tanya says, “The Great Mother Asa Sin sent Aramun to this world by the wishes of Airuju, saved many clans from the war, and had them form a Union.

“Today, two hundred years later, Airuju wishes to tear down the Union he once founded and build something new with the newly-born Aramun. In front of the entire Union, I will convey the words of Airuju, the beginning and end of this world, and the one who moves all things.”

She summons Tagon forward and praises him as the new Aramun, then she crowns him king. As he stands before the people, Tagon thinks about his procession to the Great Shrine, when he’d told Taealha that he still wants her with all his heart. She’d returned the sentiment, and now she thinks, “Yes, I want it. Now, I wish to have all of Arthdal.”

Ipsaeng looks at Eunseom, impressed that he killed Tae Apdok with just his words. Eunseom tells the Ago clans that he wasn’t born as Inaishingi, but he’s become Inaishingi now. Soohana and her warriors kneel to him, but Eunseom bids them to stand, then says, “I, Wahan Eunseom, bring back Ago tribe’s glorious Inaishingi. I promise to accept you all.”

Tanya declares that the Union no longer exists, and that all Arthdal tribes will now become one country. She tells the people that this country will have a new name, and the people will be called “subjects.” Recalling Mother Choseol’s words, she thinks, “I Tanya of Arthdal, cast a spell on you all. Subjects. You may begin in this world as those of the lowest social status, but you can become anything. My fate is now entwined with yours. I hope to provide support as long as I protect you. My subjects.”

In their joy, the Ago people lift Eunseom high into the air, and he tells himself, “This passion and longing. Not just the Tae and Myo clan, but all those of Ago tribe, will share this dream and desire. Will it be able to save me, or will it lead to my demise? Will it finally lead me to Tanya, or will it divide us?”

Tagon halts the people’s cheers to issue his first royal command; for the power of Arthdal to spread to all the land of Arth. He announces his plan to conquer the East and bring all those against them to their knees, including the Ago tribe, and Tanya stares at him in shock.

Kitoha starts a chant, “Conquer the Ago tribe!” Moobaek realizes that this was Tagon’s plan — to start a war and conquer the people’s fear and discontent. Taealha smirks, but Tanya looks like she’s struggling to stifle a scream.

Tagon looks down on his people benevolently, while elsewhere, Eunseom is tossed into the air by the jubilant Ago tribe. A voice narrates: “It is unexpected… someone claiming to be Inaishingi, Ago tribe’s hero, has appeared. The return of the dead is the desire of the living. He saw through it and led Tae Apdok to his death. The entire Ago tribe is in turmoil because of him.

“He will be the most powerful enemy of Arthdal. I will wait for further instructions while aiding his quest. Red Claw blesses you, Tagon.” These words are written on a small scroll, which is tied to the leg of a hawk and sent winging to Arthdal. We see the face of Red Claw, Tagon’s spy — Soohana.

COMMENTS

So obviously, this is not the ending of Arthdal Chronicles, which came as an unpleasant shock to a lot of viewers, myself included. There are reports saying that there are to be two 18-episode seasons, and even this episode ends with a preview which claims that the story will continue, which I’d be happy for if only because I want to know how the story ends. The show’s ratings in Korea were decent, but not as high as expected, though tvN has said that “the possibility is high” that there will be a conclusion. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see if the legend of Arthdal ever reaches its intended conclusion.

Personally, I’m angry about this — it’s bad enough that we had to wait two full months for the last six episodes. But to learn after the fact that this is only half the story and that the other half may never be told… I almost feel like I’ve been tricked. I never saw any indication that these three “seasons” weren’t the full story until after Episode 18 aired. I think it was wrong of Netflix and tvN not to let viewers know what they were in for from the beginning.

But for better or for worse, this is what we have now, and I do want to talk about how I feel about the story so far. I know that not everyone feels that Arthdal Chronicles was well-written or executed, but that’s not my opinion at all. Yes, there was a lot about the storytelling that could have been done better, particularly early on when introducing the overwhelming number of characters and the complicated tribal system in Arthdal, not to mention the lore surrounding Asa Sin and Aramun Haesulla. The show let us learn all this from context as the story progressed, which would have been fine if there wasn’t so much information to try and absorb. And goodness knows, my eyes (and my screencapping) would have been grateful if someone had ever turned on the damn lights on set!

Other than those few complaints, I thoroughly enjoyed the world of Arthdal and its inhabitants. Say what you will about the characters themselves, but the acting throughout Arthdal Chronicles was top-notch in every way. From the main players down to little Wahan Doti, every actor brought their A-game and gave their characters so much life that I was emotionally invested in each and every one of them. The quick cameos were some of my favorites, giving some familiar character actors a chance to surprise us, such as Go Chang-seok’s inspired portrayal of Tae Apdok, showing a side of his acting I’ve never seen before — I’m used to him as an affable, lovable sidekick-type. I also loved Lee Mi-do’s small but pivotal turn as the Bato shaman, again revealing that she’s capable of more than we’ve seen from her. And I appreciated Nichkhyun and Song Jong-ho as the last two remaining Neanthal men, though I have a feeling that they will have a much larger impact if the story is continued.

Song Joong-ki was above it all with his portrayal of separated twins Eunseom and Saya, making each character so distinct that even without the vastly different hair and clothes, I would have known which twin he was just by his expression, speech pattern, and body language. He was so perfect at portraying Eunseom’s simpleminded determination, yet he was equally skilled at showing Saya’s tendency to feel two or three emotions at once. Also of particular note was Kim Ok-bin’s characterization of power-hungry Taealha — she’s the perfect example of a character that could have been annoying and easy to hate, yet Kim Ok-bin somehow made me feel for the woman who was raised as a bargaining chip and who only wanted to win autonomy from her controlling father. The fact that her goal was to team up with Tagon and ruthlessly take over the world never took away from my awareness that Taealha just wanted to make her own choices in a society that viewed women’s worth as nothing more than decoration, or at best a tool for men to gain power.

I also respect how much thought went into the details of the story. There are many examples, such as Tanya’s prediction of Moogwang’s death — she told him the details of how he would die months before the scene where it happened was aired. In addition to that, there were several cases in which we were given details that seemed randomly thrown out or unconnected to anything, only to have them all come together in one AHA moment. We were given information about Nunbyeol in small bursts, sometimes many episodes apart, such as how her Neanthal powers were subdued, seeing her training with a sword, and the information that Neanthals aren’t capable of using weapons. But in the moment when Nunbyeol killed Moogwang, everything came together and it all made sense how she was able to use weapons because she trained without her powers. I appreciate this so much because it allows someone like me, who’s watched way too many movies and TV shows and am rarely surprised anymore, to experience that exciting feeling of not realizing how everything fits together until the perfect moment.

All in all, I felt that Arthdal Chronicles was successful in telling the story it set out to tell. We could pick it apart, as we could with any drama, but as a whole I felt that the show was enjoyable and exciting. I just hope that it doesn’t fall prey to Korea’s reluctance to invest in second seasons, and that they’re able to convince the cast to come back and finish the story, because I very much want to know how it all ends.

202

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1 deegee

September 26, 2019 at 4:22 PM

The production says they've finished filming everything, but does "everything" include the now expected season 2? If they have not, and now have to call everyone back to film season 2, how long is it going to take? Cries.. Yes I agree, I feel cheated too, and I started Arthdal Chronicles late! I only started watching the whole series when part 3 started airing. I can't imagine how you felt when you had to wait 2 months for part 3.

Well, some of us waited a whole year between each season of Sherlock (BBC). Haha so I guess we are well trained

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2 V. Ng

September 26, 2019 at 4:28 PM

I totally agree with your comments! Everyone did such an amazing job portraying their characters. I love this series and really hope we're able to see where the story ends!

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3 Kafiyah Bello

September 26, 2019 at 4:40 PM

So although I wasn't a super fan of this show. I will watch a second season. I really liked Eunseom and his adventures. I also wanted him to reunite with Tanya. As for Arthdal and the political machinations with Tagon and Taelha, SIGH, I just lost interest. I rolled my eyes a lot. So I hope there will be a second season, plus the magic horse.

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4 princesspreets

September 26, 2019 at 4:40 PM

totally agree with your comments - the show finally picked up in Part 2 n then Part 3, great script/concept + just amazing acting from all. so for it to just end like that - count me as one of the many annoyed/pissed fans!!! (i liken it to as if the LOTR movie trilogy ended at movie 2 and producers said oops sorry we ran outta budget! so we can’t show u whether Sauron n the ring were finally defeated, the hobbits make it back home, n if Aragorn marries the elf babe... arghhh!!!!!)

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5 Barbrey

September 26, 2019 at 4:41 PM

The drama did have positive aspects and I had looked forward to continuing it after its hiatus. Unfortunately, its momentum had stalled. If Eunseom, Saya and Tanya had met them, by the end of episode 13, the show might have been saved for me. But I could tell at that point the story's pacing was going too slow to end it well. I didn't know there would be another season, I just thought this one was off, with the result I stopped watching until the last episode. I'm glad I did. The only thing I was invested in was the three of them meeting up and providing a revolution of some kind, and it didn't even happen by then. Glad I didn't waste another five hours watching set up for an unexpected second season.

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6 WishfulToki

September 26, 2019 at 5:13 PM

Thank you @lollypip and thank you beanies who went on this journey with me. We earned that bean.

Toki Statement:
I have no desire to watch a Season 2 and indeed feel that TvN and Netflix behaved dishonestly in forcing the seasons format onto their viewers. They provided vague or conflicting information when they should have confirmed that this was a story spanning multiple seasons (and it's not even confirmed yet!). We are left with an unfinished product, and my faith in both TvN and Netflix is at an all-time low.

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PakalanaPikake

September 29, 2019 at 7:14 AM

@wishfultoki,
I understand how you feel. We've live-watched and fangirled over quite a few dramas together, especially saqeuks, and I know you to be a thoughtful and well-informed Kdrama viewer. For you to be this aggravated speaks volumes.

Now that we've gotten to the non-finale and I've had a chance to let the dust settle and my own exasperation cool, I can honestly state that I would watch the remainder of this story. It has enough substance to keep me happy plot-wise even if I wasn't always thrilled with the way it was implemented.

Timing is everything, and being in the dark about the true intended length of the show seriously threw off my expectations as a viewer when it came to the unfolding of the plot. And it's not because I am addicted to 3-act structure, dang it. I appreciate kishotenketsu (4-act structure without conflict), and five-act structure, and slice-of-life character studies as much as the next Beanie. Not being able to get a handle on ARTHDAL and where and how far it was intending to go in the allotted 18 episodes was what tried my patience. Plus the hiatus stalled the forward momentum just as it felt as if the show were finally getting in gear.

All that said, I will tune in to the remaining ARTHDAL CHRONICLES if and when they are produced because I want to know how the story and character arcs play out. Only then will I be able to evaluate the drama as a complete work. I'm willing to see it through to give it a fair shake. I do think it is possible to pull the chestnuts out of the fire.

Aside: I look forward to embarking with you on the journey to MY COUNTRY when it premieres on Oct. 4. See you in Goryeo. ;-)

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WishfulToki

September 29, 2019 at 7:34 AM

Aye, see you in Goryeo!

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7 💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 5:15 PM

This show has so many technical issues, I doubt I will even begin to touch on them, but I wanted to address some of the more obvious ones that stood out to me anyway.

Probably my greatest frustration with this episode is not that it on its own is any worse than the rest of the show, but that it in its anticlimax just culminates all the frustrations of the past 18 episodes, and brings into the glaring light (ha ha) not only the ordinary storytelling and technical issues of the show, but the base level production and promotional issues that this show has.

As has been pointed out before now, Netflix’s meddling with this show has been extremely detrimental to the international fan’s enjoyment and even comprehension of the story.
Withholding important information from Netflix’s viewer base, like the fact that this was merely the teaser season if you will, to see if it did well enough to warrant more, cutting out the animation extras, and cutting even this season into three, is a terrible way to go about making a show. Particularly one that relies on worldbuilding for cohesion. I just don’t think the production crew of anywhere, of any studio involved in this really understood what this show needed.
If you are targeting such a heavy fantasy show, with so much extra potentially off screen storytelling required even just to set up the world, you should probably promote that extra material at the beginning, promote how this show is going to work better, tease the next seasons to keep your viewers entertained, not cut extra storytelling entirely from the Netflix version,and have fans in limbo about whether or not this is the only season or not for almost the entire run.

How these studios went about promoting this show is obviously a problem. Their lack adeptness at clarifying the show’s very physical nature does not help anyone making sense of the story.
But it’s not the show’s only problem.

If you’re going to plan a multi seasonal show, and if you do fail at communicating that with your audience, then at least do a good job of setting up your story within those first 18 episodes to cater for more seasons, and to make sense on their own if you don’t happen to get renewed.
This show did neither of those things.

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 5:16 PM

Whilst we might be willing to excuse a lot of unknowns in this show because of the revelation of possibly more seasons, I’m disinclined to give it total grace.
Yes, hopefully, if indeed there ARE more seasons, all the loose plot points may be tied up and be important later. But even if I DO think they will be tied up later (which I don’t), the pacing, structure and execution of this season alone is so dismal and poorly done that it doesn’t really matter if this show has more seasons or not, when the first season is fails epically at almost everything it's trying to do in the first place.

I have previously written about the direction and writing of Tagon and Taelha, and how their story could be complex and interesting, but is executed in the reverse order to have any emotional impact. I won’t talk much more on that as you can read it on the top comment of the episode 14 recap, but this continues to be an issue.
The motivations of these characters also seem to change on a whim to suit the plot, which does nothing to help the consistency of their writing. The deeper layers of their characters are only explored with tacky dialogue and said poor execution, meaning that even though with a bit of Viewer Roadside Maintenance, one can make sense of their actions and reasoning, on screen it feels like a weak shadow of what is intended by their character arcs. I should be feeling all kinds of emotions at their trajectory; perhaps sadness, perhaps pity, perhaps hope for redemption, perhaps anger at their failings, and yet I feel nothing.
This is the same for many other characters, like Saya, and many of this show’s themes as well, not just characters.
The exploration of state vs church, corruption and power, and yes even the very unsavoury topics and badly handled strokes of racism and colonialism, could be fascinating, but instead they’re heavy handed, dragging and often leave a bad taste in your mouth, when you’re not laughing at how ridiculous their execution is.
The whole thing is bogged down by bloated dialogue, that could be tolerable if it were more campy, and by badly structured subplots.

This brings me onto one of my greatest grievances with this show, and for it I will be using a bit of a strange example, so bear with me.

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 5:16 PM

The John Wick movies rely heavily on action sequences to forward everything well. The best action sequences in the movies are the ones that are written and choreographed so that they move forward with the story.
What I mean by that is that they're not just gratuitous fight scenes for flashy spectacle sakes: they have purpose. They move through not only the frame, but the setting and the story.
Of course the franchise is not by a long shot without its faults, and still has several fight scenes for spectacle only. However the best fight scenes still do the former.

Much of the plot movement in the middle episodes of Arthdal, did not move with this purpose.
There were seemingly endless episodes of the Union leaders simply moving round and round in circles, backstabbing their enemies, and their enemy’s enemies, and forming a myriad of useless alliances with each other again and again. This would often happen up to three times an episode. They were just bickering for the sake of it and nothing moved anywhere. The plot action did not move through a scene with an end goal in mind; it meandered through the woods, stopped to smell the flowers and fight a bear on the way.
Side plots would just happen to cause drama, rather than to move the overall story along, and by episode 12 our main characters had the bare minimum of character development but were two THIRDS of the way through the show. And yes, I know that this is just “the first season”, but how do you maintain your viewer’s interest when you spend so long doing nothing, and walking round in circles? The answer is: you don’t.
The plot was not choreographed with purpose or focus.
I believe that Tagon and Taelha and Eunsom’s characters have intent, but the structure of their stories leaves much to be desired in really digging into this intent, believing it, and wanting more of it.

Unfortunately, I think a lack of purpose in plot choreography is these writers’ Achilles Heel.
Because in Tree With Deep Roots, which is by the same writing crew, that I am watching right now as well, has a similar issue. Fortunately for it the overall goal of the plot is a lot more clear, and has a clear end in sight, but it still gets hung up sometimes on creating a side plot, a side inconvenience for our main characters, for the sake of drama, and extending the story out, and nothing else. TWDR is of course, the better executed show, but it still suffers from this plot dancing that doesn’t get John Wick to the other side of the Hotel, it just brings him back to the starting place, even if all the bad guys are dead. He now only has to walk to the other side, rather than moving there through well written action.

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 5:16 PM

This badly focused plot movement is not at all helped by the slow moving actual action. The first four episodes were rich in fighting and deaths, leading to a dreary 6 episodes of talking, and entire episodes of one character, and not another, which is no way to keep your audience hooked with everything going on, the odd death here and there, and then finally having an entire episode dedicated to massacre right near the end of your show/season. Putting all the fighting in such close quarters is as draining as doing nothing but talking for 8 hrs.
To keep your viewers entertained throughout the whole thing, to keep them invested in your show, and wanting to see more of everyone (Not just Magic Horse and Carrot Boy), it would, in my opinion, be better to have a more balanced structure of action and talking, Carrot Boy and the Union.
I am well aware that the Massacre of Episode 15 was supposed to indicate a change in how Tagon behaves and acts and a ruler, and was supposed to be important for character development and therefore plot, but as I have mentioned previously, Tagon’s character execution is so poor, that any good intent by this development is lost.
There are of course, more mistakes in the literal story and plot, things like Olmadae, the Green Fireflies, and the Flower Crown Cult that Saya and the healer’s family were in, not to mention the Disappearance of Magic Horse, the Cameo nature of the Neanthals, the treatment of the Neanthals as plot devices/characters in general, the introduction of two important Warrior Clans (the Momo and the Ago) quite late in the piece and others will be able to point out more. I wasn’t keeping a running track of all of them, but it is exactly the kind of thing I mean when I talk about the structure and pacing issues this show has. These things just add to the lack of cohesiveness in the execution. Whether or not any of these get resolved later on isn’t really the point; the point is that this part of the story was so poorly done.

I have to go now, and I’ll be back later to talk more about application of genre, how I would write huge swathes of this story differently and more, but I won’t leave without mentioning the lighting.
I and others have mentioned it and made fun of it numerous times throughout the run of this show, but it is quite honestly appalling. There were entire episodes in the middle third that were set and filmed ALL DURING THE NIGHT. No matter how much I turned up the brightness on my screen I couldn’t see anything. Whoever was the lighting director should be fired from the industry, because I don’t care what year this show was supposed to be set in and if it can be excused by wanting to go for that “natural lighting” effect, aesthetics are one thing; not being able to see anything is a completely other thing.

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Rumi~

September 26, 2019 at 6:15 PM

You have said almost everything I wanted to say, but more eloquently. I'll add what other things took me out of the world they were building - the costumes. How they were speaking & dressing did not line up with how developed their civilisation is supposed to be.
How am I supposed to buy a whole plot of the bronze when you're flaunting a Tanya in solitaire diamond drop earrings with fine craftsmanship?

In 18 episodes they were not able to establish any other image of Asdal other than Mean to achieve its residents supremacy.

Even a multi season fantasy epic series must have a conclusion, should achieve something in its first season. We all saw the establishment of kingship coming from episode 1 : Sanung Niruha showed signs of it when he did things on his own without consulting other tribe leaders of union, as the union leader.

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 11:46 PM

🤙🤙🤙 I just said a lot more down below which probably touches on your other issues, of which I wholeheartedly concur with.
Super ranted out now, so peace out y'all and enjoy my essay(s) ✌️ (cc: @bomibeans)

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bomibeans

September 26, 2019 at 7:40 PM

@sicarius I am starting a petition here to create a separate section on DramaBeans titled Rantings of Sicarius, The K-Drama Queen. That's all. 👏👏👏

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Rumi~

September 26, 2019 at 8:29 PM

Signed. 🤘🏻

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 8:46 PM

LMAO~!!!!!
It could be a monthly special, do you reckon. hahaha

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Rumi~

September 27, 2019 at 1:17 AM

You'll starve us, our Queenie. What will we do the rest of the other 3 weeks? It has gotta be fortnightly at least!

💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 27, 2019 at 2:54 AM

fdajshfkhjal @maybemaknae so what I have to finish a show every two weeks AND rant about it in that time??????!!!!?

Rumi~

September 29, 2019 at 11:45 AM

Well it can be a quarterly based show roast, or just 1-2 episode roast every fortnight.... But all eyes are on you. We expect great things, the mantle of caustic wood is upon you. 😃😃😃

💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 29, 2019 at 4:12 PM

"or just 1-2 episode roast every fortnight"
isn't this what I do anyway, weekly? lmao

jkdranimefan

October 3, 2019 at 10:38 AM

aside from cutting the show for the last "season", everything makes sense and the story was perfect

if i'd nitpick some executions, yes it had many but story-wise, you can't complain a thing except it being "unfinished"

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8 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)

September 26, 2019 at 5:32 PM

Go against my words, and excruciating pain will fall upon you before you perish.”

Finally, a prophet who doesn't sugarcoat things.

Tae Maja holds up Tae Apdok’s severed head

Ok, we have "perish", but what about the "excruciating"? Why don't they show the good stuff?

I think it was wrong of Netflix and tvN not to let viewers know what they were in for from the beginning.

OK, save "excruciating" for them. And the lighting guy.

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9 Trina

September 26, 2019 at 5:38 PM

If you are going to multi season, TVN and Netflix should confirm and tell us this from the beginning. By the way 18 episodes in each season is not enough. They should make all three season at least 30 because there is a lot of more stories and tribes. I am iffy with to watch season 2 because supposedly it is next year in June 2020. That is long time to wait. Netflix should air the season 2 of the other Korean dramas first.

The only thing, I like in this episode is Tanya dress at the end. The new OST at the ending. That is about it. Everything was meh to me.

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10 Ms. Rabbit 🐇

September 26, 2019 at 5:51 PM

I am definitely not a fan of multi-volume work. I remember reading Bourne Identity in one sitting (from after dinner to ~4am) and I had school the next morning. By the end of the book I was 😵.

Same with LOTR 1. But... what happen to the ring?!?! I had known it is a trilogy, but did not fully understand what it means. My first experience with trilogy.

At least for those two I am actually interested in the next installment and can't wait for the next. For Arthdal, I think I am gonna stick with recaps and the ever-so-awesome beanies comments! 👍 😀

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 8:23 PM

Technically LOTR is a single story, a single volume. But since it is published and marketed as a trilogy (presumably because the whole thing is daunting although what with an increase in excruciatingly long fantasy novels in the past 20 years this shouldn't be an issue anymore), most people don't know this, don't read it as such, and don't get all three out at the same time.

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11 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)

September 26, 2019 at 5:58 PM

Will there be a "Most Disappointing Drama" question in the year-end poll? Asking for MANY friends.

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Linda Palapala

September 26, 2019 at 6:11 PM

I'm sooooo.....glad I didn't waste my time.

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mugyuljoie is preciousss

September 26, 2019 at 6:20 PM

It wins the award for "Most to Trash" in a drama this year in my book. While that part was fun, as was laughing during the drama when I wasn't supposed to, it really wasn't worth my time.

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Trina

September 26, 2019 at 6:27 PM

This will win awards for “Top Disappointing Drama of the Year”.
Magic Lord Horse should win award too. Because, Magic Lord Horse know what is going and put everyone in their place especially Carrot Boy. Too bad, he did not put Saya in his place.

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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

September 26, 2019 at 8:24 PM

That might be easy for you guys to award but I'll be fighting five dramas in the back of Denny's at 5am with a Molotov Cocktail, a grubby jester hat and the thigh bone of Magic Horse.

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