239

Hong Gil Dong: Episode 24 (Final)

Wow.

Um, wow.

The more I think about the ending of Hong Gil Dong, the more I like it. I’ve mentioned that the series was starting to feel repetitive in recent episodes, and I’d wondered how this episode would wrap everything up to satisfaction.

Some people aren’t going to be happy, and I admit my initial impression was mixed. Though it’s not sad or tragic, it’s bittersweet, but mixed with an open-endedness and, dare I say, even hopefulness.

I didn’t expect the writers to pull out this kind of finale, but the more I consider it and the knee-jerk reaction fades, I think it achieves a kind of poignancy I didn’t think it would, or could. In fact, the finale actually brings the series up to scratch and vindicates some of the meandering plotlines for me. I like the series better for its ending, when I was actually prepared to go out on anticlimax. Although that may put me in the minority (sigh, once again).

SONG OF THE DAY

Dear Cloud – “꿈” (Dream) [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 

FINAL EPISODE RECAP

The king sends his troops to attack Hwal Bin Dang, and with no opportunity for escape and surrounded on all sides, Hwal Bin Dang prepares for confrontation.

Soon, it’s all-out battle.

Hearing that Chang Whe ordered the attack, Enok rushes to Gil Dong. Chang Whe hears of Enok’s departure with dismay, but believes that Gil Dong will send her back. Although this is exactly the scenario Chang Whe feared, both men love Enok too much to let her stay in harm’s way.

She tries to persuade Gil Dong to run away while he can — he was once on the same side as Chang Whe. Why is he fighting when he knows he’ll die?

Gil Dong tells her that he must continue — and because the king has left his side in the fight for a better world, that puts them at odds.

Chisu and Yong Jin convey a message to Hwal Bin Dang, and it’s clear that they don’t relish the idea of fighting their former allies, either. They will certainly act in loyalty to their king, but they have both seen the world inside of Hwal Bin Dang and felt wistful pangs themselves. They ask how long Hwal Bin Dang can hold out, and the rebels answer that they’ll fight till the end to protect the world they’ve created. Within their stronghold, there are no nobles and no servants — everyone is equal.

Chisu tells Yong Jin, “That place is a dream. A dream everyone wants to enter.”

Chang Whe’s message (a demand to disband Hwal Bin Dang and surrender) does nothing to alter Gil Dong’s course. But he knows he can’t hold on to Enok, and therefore sends her back with a letter, telling her that she’s the only one who can deliver his message safely to the king.

Enok: “I’m thinking carefully about where it is I want to be.”
Gil Dong: “And?”
Enok: “I thought it over, and come this far. This is my place too. This is where I want to be — where you are. So I’ll be right back.”

For him, this is goodbye, but he doesn’t contradict Enok’s belief that it’s just an errand.

Although a fight between the king and Gil Dong was what Eun Hye had intended, the swiftness of reality shocks her, and she realizes this isn’t what she wanted at all.

She tells Gil Dong of a bird she’d had whose mate had died, which she’d sent away to its freedom. She’d thought that if she got rid of Gil Dong, into whom she’d poured so much attention and emotion, she’d be freed too. But now she knows that’s not the case, and begs him to retreat and flee somewhere far — it’s okay if he doesn’t come to her. All she wants is to know he’s safe.

Gil Dong: “I’m already in a faraway land, one that’s completely different from this one. What I’m fighting for now, and my friends here, is not the king’s world. It’s a tiny but decent place we’ve built — that’s what I’m fighting for.”
Eun Hye: “That kind of place is a dream. A dream you’ll die for.”
Gil Dong: “No, the land we stand on now is that place. Because you can’t come over to our side, you can’t see it, and believe it’s merely a dream. But for me it’s reality, something I’d happily die protecting.”

As he turns to leave, Eun Hye calls out, “Then protect it through the very end. Don’t die, and keep protecting it, so that I can know that you’re still alive guarding that place.”

Enok delivers the letter to Chang Whe, who doesn’t intend to let her return to the Hwal Bin Dang he plans to destroy. Chang Whe shows her the letter — it’s blank. Gil Dong was actually sending her away.

Chang Whe: “As a king protecting my country, I may have to kill him. But to kill you along with him? You’re an irreplaceable person to me. I told you that it was because of you that I became a real person. But you want me to kill you and keep on living?”

Enok tells him, “The world I chose is Gil Dong’s, so I will go there. I’ve seen the good person in you. I believe you will be a good king.” She begs for him to let her go — and he does, defeatedly.

Rushing back and launching herself into the fray, Enok comes face to face with Chisu, and tells him the good person she saw in Chang Whe is dying — “Go back and protect him.”

Across the battlefield, Gil Dong sees her arrival, and this time he (finally!) accepts her choice to remain.

That night, Enok tends to Gil Dong’s wounds. She reminds them that they’re in this together now: “This is where I want to be. So don’t stop me from fighting to save it.”

This time, he grabs her in a hug and thanks her for sticking with him.

The next day, we have a bit of a reprieve from the fighting — Hwal Bin Dang is holding steady despite the siege — and Su Geun begs Mal Nyeo to marry him formally. Just like Gil Dong and Enok, who’ve just married. Enok now wears the wedding hair ornament her grandfather had bought for her.

Mal Nyeo agrees to the wedding, and Su Geun rejoices.

Meanwhile, Enok excitedly shows Gil Dong a bud that’s just sprouted out of the ground. But as she can’t remember what she planted there, she and Gil Dong cheerfully speculate about what it will grow to be.

Chang Whe comes to speak to Gil Dong and explains that he doesn’t consider his stance a betrayal of Gil Dong — he’s (yes we know, for the hundredth time) just a king protecting his people. He also says that he will remember Gil Dong years from now (speaking with an assurance born of knowing the outcome will favor himself) and what he’d fought for.

Gil Dong adds that he shouldn’t forget to fear him, either — because even if he dies and Hwal Bin Dang disappears, there may be a new Hong Gil Dong and a new Hwal Bin Dang that will rise up to change the world.

Gil Dong: “It may not come today, but someday that world will arrive. People will believe in that world and inch toward it. The world will change a hundred, thousand times, gradually progressing toward that place.”

Gearing up for more battle, the rebels send away a protesting Gom. Gil Dong steps in and tells him to get out and survive. He must live on and see to it that their work isn’t forgotten, and keep the fight going: “Do that for everyone, Gom. No, I mean Leader Gom.”

Yeon ushers Gom and Hae Myung out of the area, fighting off the soldiers who patrol the area. But more soldiers keep arriving, poised to shoot the escaping pair. Yeon plants himself in front of them and takes the arrows to the chest, and urges Gom to run away.

Injured but not fallen, he continues to fight the oncoming soldiers, fueled by the determination to protect Gom: “This is for Gom’s world to come.” Despite being shot with numerous arrows, he continues fighting until finally he falls.

Back at Hwal Bin Dang, Su Geun and Mal Nyeo have their wedding ceremony, with Gil Dong presiding. Enok puts freshly plucked flowers into Mal Nyeo’s hair and the couple is married. The others chant for the newlyweds to kiss, and then for Gil Dong and Enok to do likewise.

It’s a brief interlude that’s over all too soon as they gear up for more fighting. Feeling the intensity growing, Gil Dong knows that Chang Whe is anxious to finish the fight quickly, and will be increasing his attacks. Hwal Bin Dang prepares to continue holding ground, while the king’s soldiers prepare to charge in.

And then the sequence that brings everything to a head:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

First, the mood takes on an ethereal quality, helped in large part by this hauntingly beautiful traditional Norwegian song “Lær Meg Å Kjenne,” as sung by Sissel Kyrkjebø. (The actual song starts around 40 seconds in.) [ Download ]

Original lyrics:
Lær meg å kjenne dine veie
og gå dem trøstig skritt for skritt
Jeg vet at hva jeg fikk i eie,
er borget godt gods, og alt er ditt.
Men vil din sterke hånd meg lede,
jeg aldri feil på målet ser,
og for hvert håp som dør her nede,
får jeg et håp i himlen mer
English translation:
Teach me to know your ways
and to walk them trustingly step by step
I know that what I own,
are borrowed goods, and everything is yours.
But if your strong hand guides me,
I will never see the wrong goal,
and for every hope that dies
down here,
I will receive a greater hope in heaven.

As Hwal Bin Dang prepares to move out, soldiers shoot a barrage of fire-tipped arrows in. But rather than scatter or run, everyone stares, calmly transfixed, at the fire flying in the sky. For a prolonged moment, it looks like the arrows are hanging in the air, and they gaze at the sight almost peacefully.

It’s like time pauses as everyone around Gil Dong and Enok fades into black and white, and Enok remarks that the arrows look like shooting stars: “Shall we make a wish?”

Gil Dong: “In this situation?”
Enok: “It looks like they’re bidding us a nice farewell.”
Gil Dong: “We’ll be going together.”

They hold hands as the arrows start descending toward them.

Then the arrows fall, landing everywhere.

Enok: “Gil Dong. [in English] ‘I love you.’
Gil Dong: “I know.”
Enok: “You know what that means?”
Gil Dong: “Dummy. I love you. I love you… I love you…”

Alone in his palace, Chang Whe hears the report and sheds a tear. His soldiers storm the burning headquarters.

 

We don’t see any people, dead or otherwise, as the arrows land and set Hwal Bin Dong on fire. But the next morning, everything is charred and eerily empty, but for Mal Nyeo’s fallen flower and the lonely green plant, still alive in the ground.

I’m thankful that they don’t show us any bodies, because for one, it keeps the ending (and implied deaths) on a metaphorical level, which spares me the trauma of seeing the carnage. It also gives us our last image of them as whole, intact, and nobly defending their ideals. Furthermore, we don’t need to be reminded of death — that’s not the point. (More on that later.) On another level, it helps some of the more denial-stricken among us cling to the belief that maybe, just maybe, some people survived.

Chang Whe assures his men, and therefore his citizens, that Hwal Bin Dang has been subdued. He will continue to do what he must to protect his country.

 

Not unlike the first time Gil Dong “died,” Hwal Bin Dang and Gil Dong may be gone but the legend lives on.

Merchant Wang tells the other villagers that they must read Gil Dong’s story and remember him so that he never dies. Watching from the sidelines, Hae Myung tells Gom:

“He’s alive. Through them, and through you, they all live on.”

And some undisclosed number of years later, when Hae Myung is old(er) and gray(er), he comes upon a young boy crying by himself. The boy is upset that because of his poverty, he’s unable to learn anything. Only the rich are educated. Hae Myung asks, “Do you want to be Hong Gil Dong too?”

That gets the boy’s attention, and he follows the priest, asking about Hong Gil Dong.

Boy: “Do you really know Hong Gil Dong? Is he really not dead, but still alive?”
Hae Myung: “Of course. Hong Gil Dong is someone who’ll live forever.”

And then the scene transitions into modern-day Korea — subways, sidewalks, cafes, city lights.

Hae Myung: “Even in a hundred years, five hundred years, he’ll still be alive.”
Boy: “What will he be doing in such a far-off time?”
Hae Myung: “Even when much time passes and things look different on the surface, the way people live will be similar. Like we have the noble and lower classes in our world, that world will have its own strong and weak people.”
Boy: “What will Hong Gil Dong do there?”
Hae Myung: “What’s more important than what he’ll be doing is the fact that there will be someone watching and guiding the world to live properly. Don’t forget. The sword that looks the world in the face, takes stock of it, and changes it — in any world, there will be a Hong Gil Dong.”

THE END

Additionally…

First, the knee-jerk reaction: disappointment that my expectations for a goofy, giddily happy ending were thwarted. I’m guessing that I was not alone in expecting the series to come full circle and give us more of that opening sequence from Episode 1, with the happy rebels cheerfully continuing to wreak their vigilante brand of justice upon a corrupt hegemony. I feel a bit cheated out of it, even though such an ending wouldn’t quite fit in with the way the plot has been developing — because then we’d have to assume Chang Whe turned corrupt and ignored his desire to become a good ruler, which goes against everything his character has been built up to be all series long. (My interpretation of the opening sequence (Gil Dong’s hairstyle notwithstanding) is that it already happened and we just didn’t see exactly when the initial time-jump backward caught up with the “present.”)

But as I think more about the series and get used to the resolution, I love the way they wrapped things up. (And never underestimate the power of a well-chosen score, because that last song? Is pretty killer.) The series actually had a meaning beyond mere entertainment — yes, sometimes it was heavy-handed in its delivery, but at least there was some sort of depth there. Perhaps the Hong sisters’ take on egalitarianism is a little clumsy, therefore more propagandistic than needle-sharp social commentary, but hey, they’re in good company — apparently the original writer of the book Hong Gil Dong Jeon was accused of pushing anti-government propaganda.

I appreciated the surrealistic way the final battle was portrayed because, like I said, death was never the point. Starting from a few episodes back, it became increasingly obvious that Gil Dong was meant to transcend the present, and therefore his present life. His existence held more purpose than his physical lifetime, so it’s only fitting that we don’t see a definitive death scene to give his story a sense of finality it’s not meant to have.

Because it hardly matters in the big picture — and Hong Gil Dong really is about the big picture — when hundreds of years later, what’s important isn’t how long Gil Dong and Enok and everyone lived, but that their legacy continues. And that the world they dreamed of and staked so much to bring about has (more or less) come true, where people are judged equally, are not confined by the status of their births, valued on meritocracy (again, more or less — sometimes less), and are able to choose their leaders.

We might even infer that Gom carried on the legacy — after all, Gil Dong’s last words to him were “Leader Gom,” anointing him his successor. The ending of the series, with the juxtaposition of the fallen flower and the sprouting bud, shows that with their last great stand, they ushered in the beginnings of a new era.

So, happy ending? Not completely. But satisfying? For me, it was.

 
RELATED POSTS:

Tags: , , , ,

239

Required fields are marked *

the ending is hidden in the first episode, when hong gil dong's gang danced and "perform" at some ceremony... It says 7 or 8 years ago right at the beginning.. SO the ending is not that depressed! :)

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

You have a point there. However, the big guy that lifted trees died before the wedding episode. My knee jerk reaction was, "What the Freak!" I think they just needed a catchy beginning but since it already aired, they just played it by the ear and hoped the audience might have forgotten the intro.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

The big guy lifting tree was part of the gang. People might have included him and the kid in the legend if we follow this idea.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What do you mean the end is hidden in the Intro?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I watched this episode despite expecting it to be a sad ending....I do agree with you to some point I guess that Hong Gil Dong lives within all of us...but I really did think that the first episode's flashforward would be real. Since this is an open ending to whether they have died or not...I would like that to be true :)

It's sad knowing that the king actually wanted them dead, and the world there didn't change much. Like what you said in the last episode, it was really a waste of a character development. I wish they would have mad it sound more convincingly optimistic on how one could change the world, but....

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

The Prince needs his own series.

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you sososo much for including the reference to the Norwegian song that was used in this episode. I couldn't find the information anywhere else and it was driving me crazy! I think the song/the way it was used in this last eipsode was absolutely gorgeous; it really made the ending for me. Thanks again! :3

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I know I am almost 3 years late on this, but what the heck!!
I sobbed and sobbed at the ending(s).
I wanted HDG to live until old age with his sweet bride.
I wanted King Chang to marry someone as sweet as Dummy, or maybe they found out Dummy had a twin!!
I wanted the King to be able to please the nobles and keep the rebels alive.
The only way I can accept their deaths, is to say, even if they had been kept alive at the end, they never would have been happier than they were at that moment.
(Except the King, I am still sad about him being so alone...)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Soooo. I watched this drama religiously, and I. DID. NOT. KNOW. YOU. RECAPPED. IT.
Reading recaps on here is becoming a hobby(?) since they are just THAT good :)

I really love this drama for its ending. I know it totally contradicts the beginning of the series, but it fits the overall developement of the story and characters. I love the Hong Sisters and the dramas they write. This one was BRILLIANT.

Every episode kept me interested. (Always ending with a cliffhanger! wtfomgbsfu, show!) I also watched their 2010 drama My Girfriend is a Gumiho. It wasn't as awesome as this (in my point of view) And I was honestly depressed when the actors were interviewed and dropped hints about a sad ending.

I was like REALLY?! I love HGD but I want something happy! So the sistas granted our wish and made that ending happy.

So the Hong Sisters rock. period. :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was listening to the OST of this drama and thought I would share in some thoughts, even though I've watched this drama couple years back and memory don't serve well.

This is the show that I've first caught JGS and oh what-a-man! It's probably 'love' at first sight. Now, the ones who caught my eyes are always meant for great things.. hahaha...

So, of course I'm in the camp that gets a little wistful that he did not get the girl. But on other hand I'm not the kind to expect or predict how a show would end. I'll just watch as how the creative team lay out a show and then I'll just decide if I like the show as a whole. Still JGS not getting the girl simply heightens the oh-so-poor-thing element in me and root for him even more.

And now about the greatly discussed ending vs opening. There were lots of talk initially about whether the 2 leads died. Some thought they were spared because the viewer confused it with the opening scene. Came as a surprise for those comments because I thought it was clear all along. The show made it clear that Hong Gil Dong would live on as a legend. That he will live on and you'll probably find him in our society. In short, he is a spirit. The spirit of change, the spirit of freedom, the spirit of democracy. And of course, these brought hope to the people in the lower caste and therefore the story of Hong Gil Dong is passed on through generations. Stories become exaggerated this way (try the game of passing a sentence to the person next to you and get the person to pass it on and so on for about 10 persons and see the outcome). In this drama, the first scene is showing the result of such a legend. Hong Gil Dong and gang have become mighty heroes as their story spread - instead of just a group of revolutionists, they are now revolutionists with super powers. That explains why they danced in modern song, could fly etc. They are now beyond reality not because they are still alive physically but in spirit and people's hope. Neither do I think how they were in the legend is due to the writings of the rich girl. Afterall, many were aware of HGD and the group and stories are passed down a lot vocally especially in olden times (not many commoners read) so it's not surprising to see how the group was legendarised.

I like the way the show opened. It was a good way of opening a story. Can't say the ending is bad afterall that's how the story goes. Enok was meant to love HGD right from the start, it's already decided by the creative team when they first come up with the story. Even if Chang-Hyu killed himself for Enok she would not choose him (unless I'm her lol).

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

[quote]My interpretation of the opening sequence is that it already happened and we just didn’t see exactly when the initial time-jump backward caught up with the present.[/quote]

your interpretation is wrong because in the opening sequence yi nok is robbing alongside with hwal bin dang ,thing that never actually happened in the series. Having said that, the opening is just a symbolic scene.
Look,I'm NOT bothered by the fact that that scene never caught up with the present, in fact i really like the ending of the series. But what DOES bother me is that after the opening sequence they said "a few years ago". That's cheating ,lack of professionalism and a cheap trick to make us hope till the end.

At least in iljimae (jun ki version), after the opening sequence they never said "a few years ago", so at least we had the chance to expect it won't be a real scene, but only a symbolic one.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Here's my bout of silliness for the day: Who thinks that Yong Soo of City Hunter is the modern day HGD? *raises her hand*

Man, this episode had me crying my eyes out. My sister saw me and just laughed.

I really like how Chang Hui and Gil Dong were pitted against each other: idealism versus pragmatism. One is needed for sanity of the soul, one is needed to keep a society of souls together.

I also like how CH and GD didn't really like each other, but respected each other. It wasn't this ridiculous hate that we see in some K-dramas.

This series was one of the better ones. It's range of over-the-top dialogue and action scenes to the serious and poignant actually melded together better than I thought.

As a musician, the OST really hit it home for me. K-punk rock during fight scenes. F*** YA! Pardonnez moi! That Celtic (or whatever) song that played while the flaming arrows were bearing down upon them was beautiful.

Anywho, lovely drama, lovely recappers. Thank you for all your hard work!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

hey Lisa, ur comment on City Hunter - i raised both hands :D

ur comment on CH pitted against GD, i nodded humbly agreeing with you...

yup, lovely dramas, and lovely recaps. thanks so much JB

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

to be honest i didn't really like the ending...well it was more depressing then i thought it would be..like i would've liked to see gildong and yinok to actually have a life with just them being together..not getting killed my flaming arrows..
well i guess it was nice that the monk and the people were re-telling his story but the purpose of me watching this series is because its kinda like robin hood and robin hood has a happy ending and i just watched queen seondeok which had a depressing ending so this was kinda like my pick up. i honestly DONT regret watching this but the ending just made me really really sad..and i kinda hated the new king (changhui) by the end of the series...jsfiknl
i'm happy yinok and gildong were together at the end but still did they have to die...?? at least show them in heaven or something afterwards..like what they did in dong yi...
its again very bittersweet and not cliche but i really hoped for a bit more happiness for yinok+gildong and su geun+ malnyeo..
anyway love this series! even though its super old..the only thing i didnt like so much was the lack of happiness for the 2 amazing hwal bin dang couples at the end! ><

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

FINALLY a korean drama about more than just 'love'

The ending was epic. As it gave the message that death is not a bad thing if you die for your dreams..Kinda like Che-inspired.

It IS bitter that they die before they can enjoy their love.But then again their love is also beyond death.

..maybe...call me a dreamer. But I have to admit I would love to see Gil Dong to succeed against Chang Whe...
Although I know it would go against everything that this drama tried to give us.

kamsahamnida javabeans~

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Here I am, 3 years after Hong Gil Dong first air. And I just finished yesterday. It's bitter sweet ending. But yes the ending is epic. I already prepare for the death of Gil Dong when he sent Gomi away and Yoen died, but I never expect death can be so grace, beautiful and so sad also.

And I feel so so so sad about Gil Dong Death, and my head can't stop repeating the last conversation between Gil Dong and Enok when the arrows fall and landing everywhere:

Enok: “Gil Dong. [in English] ‘I love you.’”
Gil Dong: “I know.”
Enok: “You know what that means?”
Gil Dong: “Dummy. I love you. I love you… I love you…”

Because when the first time I saw Hong Gil Dong I thought it's not too good and I am not fan of Kang Ji-Hwan, So Now, I just want to say:

Anne : " Gil Dong ah, I love you"
Gil Dong: " I know."
Anne: " You know?"
Gil Dong: I know, in the end you will love me.... :)

Thank you JB, for the outstanding recaps.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

yes Anne, i agree with you.. the death was so poignant, so graceful, beautiful and so saaaaad... (am still wailing after just finished watching the finale)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yeah, the ending made for a strong story...but...waaaaah. I was hoping for it to come full circle too.

I'm now taking that opening sequence as just a manifestation of his legend rather than anything that happened.

Great show, great acting...but I wanted a happy ending, it will take me some time to get over that. :(

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was so wrought in emotion watching the finale, especially when the eerie songs started. Even after I tried to console myself by reading your recap, and some other ‘light’ after the series articles, tears keep falling down.

I’m so with Hong Gil Dong’s cause, even tho it’s from different era and different country, I felt his cause strike straight into my heart; like, once when he was ordered to be killed by his own father, oh the meta, on how your own family/lineage will see you according to the society’s lenses; then the 2nd time, when Enok stabbed him, as if to convey that the older generation’s sin won’t cease to bring bitterness and pain to the younger one, and then with the finale, how the so called monarchy/government/those 1% with the most power and money, screwed those defending the common people majorly, in order to save the minority high class group.

With that, I thanked the Hong sisters for writing a wonderful drama with so big a message conveyed, amidst the laughter, the pun, the wicked selection of actors/actresses. This is entertainment in its own class.

Thank you JB & GF as well for making me wanna watch this after your raves on Hong’s sisters fab dramas.
PS: that song by Park Wan Kyu seriously doesnlt help to stop the tears as well..

PPS: besides the bitterness on the 3 above, there;s also major positiveness i got from HGD of course.. ;) people power will live forever as HGD has been immortal, so does the pureness of faith in humanity carried by Enok until the end of the battle. it outlived literal death

PPPS: okay, now i'm off to watch another Kang Ji-Hwan drama :D i'm swooned by him totally coz of HGD

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't want to know the ending.
I am watching the Legend of Hong Gil Dong in Nairobi Kenya! I rush home to not miss it. Usually I don't like or even watch much TV... I prefer films.
However, I am addicted to Hong Gil Dong...the characters, the improbable story lines, the extreme closeup shots, the locations, setting, costumes, characters. wonderful...enchanting... I hope it never ends... but of course it will.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What the Freak!! I'm really pissed at the introduction! Throughout this whole series, despite the dark feeling towards the end, I kept picturing the 1st episode and wondered, how in the heck are they going to fit that when there was only 10 minutes left!! I kept thinking that Hong Gil Dong would still work with the Prince towards the end. More like doing the same and sniffing out the corrupt officials for him. Darn it! They could have come up with a different introduction! This just blows!

**Now I keep watching the re-run of episode 16 when the Prince's men went to train HGD's gang. It helped lighten my mood somewhat**

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

the ending is very sad but let us not forget that they did what was right.i dont think i can ever forget this story,to me it is real.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i can't remember if i already have said it but this is the best korean drama i have ever watched. plus the fact that kang ji hwan is the best korean actor for me. i begin to love jang jung seuk and sung yu ri because of this drama and besides kang ji hwan (and yoon eun hye) i always watched jang jung seuk and sung yu ri's drama too. i have watched it four times already and i still can't helped crying on episode 20. All the actors here are really credible. And i really admire the king too.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i forgot to mention i also love chisu. simple acting but really fantastic.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Waw,, I love it (:

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Just Wow! That was amazing.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love hong gildon and ru yinook

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Really awesome serial.... nice ending....... it's been something differ from other series....

korean peoples are thinking different way... i really love them......

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It's really a great and helpful piece of information. I'm happy that you shared this useful information with us.

Please stay us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Waooow thank you so much dramabeans.com ?? it's so melodramatic and so romantic drama I like and I love Chang Whe ' Jang geun Suk '

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

To me, the direction of the series and the ending was disturbing. Because Gil Dong wouldn't work with the king, many, many people had to die on both sides. In my opinion, them dying together at the end with their friends was a useless romantic idea. What was accomplished? Nothing, everyone was sad and nothing changed.
I think it could have been written better with a better ending.
Another random thought, what is this with Yi Nok running through the woods with her sword and fighting like a trained fighter. That was silly too. The basic idea of the story was good, but I had to wade through a lot of improbable story lines.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I feel that no one died. Where's the bodies.? None. No blood no nothing.. The legend lived on but Gil Dong and his wife went and led a quiet life somewhere. Their son will do great things.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It really intreasted movile keep it up gidong son of ah mo ge

But d movile it hurt in minde yinok and gidong is to much

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Just a thought about when you spoke about the when the 1st episode became the present... could it be the magnified Hong Gil Dong and Hawl Bing Dang? What I mean is: his look is too dashing compared to his normal self... plus we never really saw back that scene... so it could be the way people now tell the stories after they died... I actually went back to check the first episode after watching the end because I was a little mixed also... what do you think of that idea?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *