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Tale of the Nine Tailed: Episode 14

Things move a bit slower this hour as the stage is set for the final battle ahead. Our hero desperately searches for a way to save our heroine and comes up with a daring plan to end this once and for all. Both of our leads are determined to protect each other, but will their efforts be enough?

 
EPISODE 14: “Dead end”

Jia comes to and feels guilty for not being able to keep the imoogi from surfacing. She still feels it in her head, so she tells Yeon to hurry. Jia wants to be herself at the end.

Outside, Yoo-ri watches in shock as “Terry” brushes past people in the street, and they drop dead. He gets in the car, looking weary. Yoo-ri wonders if causing all this chaos is his idea of fun, but he says no. It’s all just to get at Yeon.

At the Snail Bride, Yeon leads Jia to the table where the others are. Rang checks that Yeon is unhurt before threatening to hurt him for lying. It looks like Yeon didn’t clue in anyone else, although Shin-joo says he could immediately tell Yeon was bluffing about the sword.

Yeon shares that he discovered the key to how the imoogi transfers bodies. Not only will he get it out of Jia, but he’ll bury it so it can never return.

Meanwhile, Taluipa threatens to strip Hyun Eui-ong of his immortality and god status if he leaves. Exhausted, he says all he wanted was his wife and son. “Spending eternity with you is the biggest punishment,” Hyun Eui-ong proclaims as he walks out.

At work, Team Leader Choi isn’t looking so good, and he now has that rash on his neck. Jia hears from Jae-hwan that the police officer died of a heart attack and his body was covered in a rash. He also threw up an egg.

Alarmed, Jia tells him and Sae-rom to get away from Team Leader Choi immediately. Rang shows Yeon an article about mysterious deaths in the city where the corpses are covered in hives. Yeon rushes off, instructing Jia to stay with the gang. In the car, Hyun Eui-ong calls and tells him about Taluipa altering Jia’s death date.

Outside, Jia recalls that the imoogi told her he’d spread a plague and kill her loved ones. She starts to panic about her parents, so Shin-joo says he’ll take care of them. That leaves Jia and Rang.

Of course, they immediately start arguing about how each other is no better than the imoogi. Jia suggests they go their separate ways and heads home alone. Rang wonders what Yeon sees in such an intense woman.

Jia reaches a crosswalk, so you know there’s going to be danger. Sure enough, a truck comes barreling down the street (the brakes aren’t working). Rang watches from across the street as it heads straight for Jia.

Jia huddles, sure she’s about to die. She looks up to see Hyun Eui-ong has stopped the truck. Rang watches concernedly, knowing that there’ll be major trouble now that the gods are interfering personally.

At the Afterlife Immigration Office, Yeon confronts Taluipa, but she’s firm in her decision. Yeon loses his cool as he asks why it’s Jia instead of the being responsible for the plague. She states that Jia needs to die to kill the imoogi inside her before they can slay “Terry.”

Yeon vows that no one gets to take Jia. He steadies himself and materializes his sword. Taluipa invites him to come at her, so Yeon walks forward.

Hyun Eui-ong fills Jia in on the situation, and she takes it calmly. She’s mostly worried to hear that Yeon went to fight Taluipa. At that moment, Yeon puts down his sword. He asks for three days to catch the imoogi. If he’s unsuccessful, Taluipa can slay him.

Taluipa coldly rejects; she can’t allow more lives to be taken in the interim. Yeon’s tears fall, and he kneels. “Please save her,” he whispers. His pleas begin to test her composure, but she remains unswayed.

Yeon asks how she could do this to him. Taluipa bitterly replies, “I lost my child and my husband. Do you think I can’t stand to lose you?” When Yeon warns that she’ll regret it, Taluipa stays silent.

Jia is wracked with guilt and thinks she never should’ve been born, but Hyun Eui-ong comfortingly assures her she’s not to blame. She shares the imoogi’s claim that she’ll end up personally killing Yeon. Hyun Eui-ong reminds her that’s why she and Yeon are fighting so hard to protect each other.

Yeon sits outside the Afterlife Immigration Office all night, but he can’t find an answer. Taluipa comes outside to smoke a pipe and shares that she’s tried everything to quit, but nothing worked. “What would you do if the ending won’t change no matter what you do?” she poses, “If only one of you can survive?” He sighs to realize the ending is set.

At home, Rang wakes up covered in stickers. Pfft. He steps on one of the toys littering his living room, and Puppy Boy offers to blow on his wound. Rang is grossed out by his runny nose and realizes the kid has been wearing the same dirty clothes for days.

He hands over his card, telling Puppy Boy to go buy new clothes. The kid just keeps following him around, even trying to follow him into the bathroom. Ha. He crouches outside the door and laughs as Rang yells when he notices the stickers.

Jia’s parents sit outside and wonder where they’ve been all this time. It doesn’t feel to them like they’ve been missing for so many years. But they’re glad Jia has grown up well. Shin-joo sits outside their house in his car, looking at the ring he bought for Yoo-ri.

Meanwhile, Rang and Puppy Boy eat cereal which is all they have. Apparently, Yoo-ri usually takes care of food. Puppy Boy asks when she’s coming back, and Rang says he’s trying to find the right time because making a move will result in Yeon losing something.

Rang thinks back to when Yeon said he needed his help. He asked Rang to finish this fight for him if he doesn’t make it, but Rang had refused. He isn’t worried about protecting Jia or the world – he just wants to save Yoo-ri and Yeon.

Now, Rang smiles wistfully and says it looks like he can’t be the good guy. He heads out and leaves Puppy Boy to look after the house.

Team Leader Choi stops by the Snail Bride. Hye-ja asks after his health, but he says he’s totally fine. At work, Jae-hwan and Sae-rom worry about him and whether they’ve been exposed.

As he eats, Team Leader Choi suddenly looks like he’s about to choke. Hye-ja finds that his skin is freezing, and he’s covered in those hives. She does the Heimlich on him, and he spits out an imoogi egg.

At the station, Jae-hwan and Sae-rom find one of their colleagues dead in his chair. Sae-rom runs out to get help and finds everyone on their floor dead. The news reports the plague is spreading rapidly throughout Seoul.

The imoogi is in a benevolent mood and encourages Yoo-ri to go see Shin-joo. Elsewhere, Jia shuts herself in the bathroom and commands the imoogi to come out. She holds a knife to her throat and threatens to kill herself. When Jia pierces her skin, the imoogi surfaces.

The imoogi says it’ll take her over completely soon, but Jia counters that it’s taking quite a while. The imoogi claims that it’s an after effect of being suppressed by the fox bead for so long. Soon though, Jia will be the one put to sleep.

Jia takes this to mean the imoogi’s condition is unstable and wonders what would happen if she died before it could take over. The imoogi doesn’t think she can do it, but Jia replies that humans can do crazy things when they have something to protect.

The imoogi tries to scare her by saying Yeon will die, but Jia just tells it to focus on its own relationships – “Terry” is going to kill them both. She shares that her death date has changed due to his actions. Jia’s dad knocks on the door, so Jia pushes the imoogi back down.

Shin-joo runs up to Yoo-ri, relieved she’s unharmed. She asks about Rang and smiles to hear he woke up, but when Shin-joo says they should go see him, she resists. Neither of them can leave. “I’m stalling you.” She thinks of the imoogi’s threat to kill Shin-joo if they cross paths.

Jia gets a call from her dad, saying her “friend” came over – the one who had him write that message on the carnation. The imoogi takes the phone and reminds Jia that he can destroy everything she loves. Her parents finally catch on that he’s decidedly not a friend.

He looks at them and issues an order: “I want to hang myself.” Jia screams, but Hyun Eui-ong stops her from leaving. In a trance, her parents walk to the prepared nooses. Right as they reach for them, Yeon comes in for the heroic last-minute save.

Yeon accuses the imoogi of getting Jia’s death date changed and wonders what he’s really after. Jia dying would hurt the imoogi too. He calls the imoogi a “cursed existence,” and suggests there could be a better way than obsessing over him and Jia. What if he could have a position higher even than a mountain god? “God of the gods.”

That gets his attention, although he’s skeptical. “Let’s attack the owner of Samdocheon [Taluipa] together,” Yeon offers. The imoogi is surprised at this betrayal, but Yeon argues he’ll do anything to save Jia. So long as the imoogi lets her go and leaves them alone, he’ll join hands with him.

Even though it looks like a trap, Yeon is confident the imoogi will agree. They’re both in danger of losing their other halves and going to hell together. “Terry” asserts he’s been hoping for that. Yeon gives him until sunrise to change his mind.

Elsewhere, Shin-joo thinks Yoo-ri has been threatened or mind-controlled, but her callous assertion that “mere humans” don’t matter angers him. He accuses her of using his feelings to lure him out. She tries to justify her actions, but Shin-joo stops her before she can say something to make him regret liking her.

Jia flings her arms around Yeon when he arrives home. He assures her that her parents are okay, and he erased their memories of meeting the imoogi (…so this can happen again?). Shin-joo hangs his head and apologizes, but Jia doesn’t blame him.

They’re shocked when Yeon says he plans to join hands with “Terry.” Hyun Eui-ong assumes it’s because Taluipa failed him, but Yeon says she unconditionally gave him two more days during which Jia will be safe. Yeon’s smile drops when he walks away, and Hyun Eui-ong seems to know something’s up.

In his room, Yeon thinks about how Taluipa said the ending won’t change. He’d decided he’d just ingest the scale and house Jia’s imoogi, and then jump into Samdocheon with “Terry.” He’ll lose his chance to reincarnate, but it will stop the imoogi from ever resurrecting.

At the Snail Bride, Hye-ja cares for a very sick Team Leader Choi and begs him to hang on until the fight is over. Hyun Eui-ong pops in and stares in shock at Team Leader Choi. He waves Hye-ja out of the room and asks if she knew he was her past life husband (Aha! I wondered…). Hye-ja is stunned.

At the police station, the CEO begs Detective Baek to take him to a hospital, but Detective Baek says it’s of no use; he’ll die either way. The CEO notes his oddly pristine shoes, and Detective Baek shifts into Rang who munches on popcorn while enjoying the CEO’s misery.

The CEO tries to convince Rang he know the imoogi best and could help if Rang frees him. That’s not enough for Rang. The CEO catches on, “That’s why you came. So your hands won’t be stained with blood.” Rang (in the form of Detective Baek) releases the CEO.

Elsewhere, Yeon and Jia go out to eat. Yeon just stares at her with hearts in his eyes the whole time. She lists several things she wants him to promise they’ll do together, and Yeon only hesitates a moment before agreeing. She whispers something to him she wants him to buy for her birthday, and he agrees to that too. Jia prompts him on how he’ll keep these promises. “Live long,” he replies, and they pinky promise.

Jae-hwan buys Sae-rom flowers and a cake for her birthday. Uh-oh, she has the rash on her neck. They both try to keep things light, but she does ask him to adopt her fish. Aw.

Over drinks, Jia laments that she only has two days left, according to the imoogi inside her. Jia thinks her dying would solve all their problems, but Yeon says he would live blaming himself for failing to protect her. Jia feels the same and says they need to protect each other.

Jae-hwan calls her about Sae-rom, and she goes running to her friend. She ignores health safety protocol and grabs her infected friend in a hug (Disclaimer: do not try at home).

In Rang’s car, the CEO pockets a gun and prepares to assassinate someone, it seems. He wonders if Rang can handle the aftermath. Rang knows Yeon won’t forgive him and might not see him anymore, but it’s worth it to save his life.

At the Snail Bride, Hye-ja cries and laments that she didn’t recognize her husband sooner. Hyun Eui-ong worries about the implications of all these interconnected people and past lives surrounding Yeon and Jia.

They set Sae-rom up at Yeon’s place, and Jae-hwan refuses to leave her side. Privately, Yeon explains to Jia that the egg Team Leader Choi vomited contains a baby serpent that eats people’s insides. Yeesh.

Jia is terrified for Sae-rom, but Yeon promises the imoogi will take the bait soon. Yeon waits anxiously by his phone all night while Jia and Jae-hwan care for Sae-rom. It’s light by the time the imoogi calls. They meet at the mansion where he agrees to join hands. They even shake on it and smirk at each other.

Rang hears Yeon’s bold plan from Shin-joo and immediately understand that his brother is going to essentially commit suicide and take the imoogi with him. The imoogi thinks to himself that Yeon will be caught in his own trap while Yeon gives a dramatic internal monologue about how they’re entering the stage now and won’t exit alive.

At Yeon’s, Jia stares down the barrel of the CEO’s gun. His hand shakes as he says she must die for him to live. We hear three shots.

We flash back to one day when Yeon picked Jia up from work. They’d walked to her place in the rain under his red umbrella and stopped for some kimbap and ramyeon, contentedly eating and talking.

He’d observed she looked happier than she had in a while. She smiles that she had him and her parents – her dreams came true. He wondered what it’d be like to be human, but Jia thought the important thing was that they were together.


 
COMMENTS

There’s no way Jia is actually dead. We’ve got a whole week to go, and that would be a massive letdown of a showdown if that wishy-washy CEO took her out. I’m expecting Yeon to burst in and work his hero magic of dramatically saving the day at the very last second, although I hope something a bit more unexpected happens. Even if she survives, this could put a serious dent in the gang’s teamwork. Rang and Jia have been at each other’s throats from the start, but this takes things to a whole other level. I’m not surprised Rang tried to get the CEO to off Jia – he’s made no secret of the fact that he finds her a liability – but Yeon is not going to be happy. Although at this point, so long as Jia lives, Yeon probably won’t have much time or energy to spare for his brother’s misdeeds.

Yeon’s plan to transfer the imoogi to himself before dragging “Terry” with him to Samdocheon is no surprise, but it seems like a really risky plan. If Yeon fails in any way, the imoogi has the body of a god which is pretty much the worst outcome here. I get that Yeon is desperate, but I hope he has some sort of failsafe in place to make sure he doesn’t accidently facilitate the destruction of the world and whatnot. I’m frustrated that Yeon is lying about his ultimate plan and shutting the others out (again). It’s not fair for Yeon to unilaterally decide given that they’ve all been affected by the imoogi and have been fighting side by side. Plus, Jia has consistently told him she wants to fight this together. But he’s a former god, and I don’t think teamwork is his strong suit. At least Rang immediately caught on to Yeon’s plan – I doubt he’ll let this slide.

Speaking of secrecy, I can’t believe they’ve kept Jia’s parents in the dark about everything! That seems unwise given that they’re in explicit danger. And why in the world would Yeon erase their memories of the imoogi? The fact that they just let him in and accepted the imoogi’s word for it that he was friends with Jia shows that they’re not exactly the overly cautious type. Even if he doesn’t come after them directly again, what if he were to mind control someone else into attacking them or something? It’d help if they knew to be vigilant. Also, I thought for sure something was weird with them, like that the imoogi had made them sleeper agents or they weren’t actually her parents. But if that’s the case, the imoogi going directly to them and ordering them to kill themselves seems like an odd move. Even so, I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right with them.

Regardless, there’s a lot more to worry about now. We’ve reached the final week of the drama, and everything has been leading to this showdown with the imoogi. With how much buildup we’ve had, I’m expecting the drama to give us something epic, and I hope it can deliver. But really, I’m more interested in how the drama handles this question of fate that’s been central to everything. Yeon and Jia have been pushing against the idea that they can’t control their own destinies and trying to fight against their fates. If they’re successful, fate is more of an influencing than determining force. If they’re not, fate determines a person’s life (or lives) completely. Rather than questioning the existence of fate, it’s more about the degree of control fate has. Fate is a frequent theme in dramas, and I’m not always fond of how it’s utilized. But I like how it’s been framed here, and I’m hoping we get a good resolution for this question that’s been driving our characters from the start.

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I really hope Yeon’s suicide mission fails because watching that scene where Jia and Yeon talk about one of them being left behind will truly be sad. It’s so much easier sacrificing yourself for the other person’s happiness but I think Jia would be scarred if that were to happen, I know I would be.

It’s a good thing we’ve got Rang who’s there to stop Yeon from his suicide mission and hopefully they come up with a better plan where the good guys win in the end.

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For whatever reason, I found this episode less compelling and harder to follow, but it was saved by Rang. Every scene he was in was joyous to watch - Puppy Boy's glee at having successfully stickered him was contagious. I'm hoping that since he now should be a major player in the final showdown - as he can see what others can't - he's going to walk out of this alive and well and continue with his bad parenting...

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I'm probably going to be hated for saying this but the episode was slow because there was too much Ji Ah (the albatross around this show's neck) and too little Lee Rang (with the resolution of the sibling rivalry storyline, they don't seem to know what to do with him).
I cannot stand psycho eyes Ji Ah. They cast an unlikable actress who, while talented performer when you look at her acting in a vacuum, cannot make up for total lack of charm and chemsitry with other actors. When Lee Yeon and Terrimoogi feel more like an actual romance (what's with Lee Yeon waiting for Terrimoogi's call like a jilted lover rather than a reluctant ally?) you know that wires crossed somewhere with Lee Yeon and Ji Ah. And it isn't his fault cause he has great chemistry with the rest of the cast especially with Lee Rang, which is why fox brothers storyline is much more compelling than romance and the real reason to watch the show. Ji Ah doesn't cut it as a girlfriend, or a daughter or a friend because she generates no sparks with anyone. And for "Helen of Troy"of the show, she completely overshadowed by in the fox bros's beauty as well as Yu Ri's (who is God-tier) and why is beautiful Sae-rom stuck in the thankless "wallflower BFF" role is beyond me. She looks like a Tolkien Elf. She should've had Terry and Jae-hwan fight over her instead of Terry lust after Ji Ah (who is too old for him anyway) just because the script wants her to be the resident Bella over whom supernaturals fight. Ji Ugh if you ask me.

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maybe its because its not all about who looks good with who

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Well, if you are trying to sell an epic romance that spans hundreds of years and is about obsession that won't die, than who has chemistry with whom should be essential as well as that the object of obsession makes sense in such role. IMO, they failed with chemistry and why Ji Ah is so special. I see many more special characters on the show that we are repeatedly told don't worth as much as Ji Ah. But then, it's in the eye of a beholder. I can't imagine how anyone can ship this turgid couple, while you likely don't understand why I find it turgid.

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To be honest after reading your thoughts I couldn’t care less about why you find it turgid. You seem to have it out for the actress from the start.

I find them to have good chemistry and I think she looks good with Dong Wook. Maybe you saw her in a different role and can’t separate her from whatever else you saw her in but I find her very likeable and the character is one I care quite a bit for.

Also, to say she is overshadowed in beauty is an extremely asinine, shallow, and silly assessment as the point is for the Nine Tailed to fall in love with a normal human, not a goddess. Even then, she is beautiful and I can see where she is special. Even in her characterization as someone who has been through a lot but never loses positivity, never gives up, and is honest and true to herself.

I find your overall analysis biased, long winded, and very very underwhelming.

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Am really wishing that our fate-crossed couple choose to die in a blaze of glory while purging the world out of Imoogi for good, TOGETHER; instead of trying to get the other to survive and live alone...

Or maybe, the whole holding hand with Imoogi and rebelling against Taluipa should be a serious undertaking instead of a ruse, because Yeon's trap feels like he's kinda winging it, like, there are so many things that can go wrong. (Have to remark again tho, the offer of working together with betrayal it the mind is very reminiscence of Running Man ><)

I do appreciate that the character consistency for Rang and Coward CEO tho, at least they never waver in their intentions and their actions brought a believable conflict. My guess is Dark Ji-ah will somehow take over and save Ji-ah from a measly death..?

And yay for Hyun Eui-ong joining the war council!

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Maybe the last twist will be Taluipa somehow concocted a plan with Yeon after kicking Hyun Eui-ong out (because he's too transparent)..?

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That would rehabilitate her character considerably in my eyes, frankly. Right now she just feels like a personified headache - just looking at her makes me want to rub my temples. I think this is the character I've been most disappointed in - they could have done so much more with her, made her more nuanced instead of her just mostly being a yelling, sour old lady.

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...our fate-crossed couple choose to die in a blaze of glory while purging the world out of Imoogi for good, TOGETHER; instead of trying to get the other to survive and live alone...

It would be sad, but this would a) make sense and b) honor the discussions and agreements about fighting together.

The only way I'd get behind any reincarnation for the OTP is if this happened. As in, they sacrificed themselves for the greater good (i.e. the world) and as a reward are reborn as a normal, boring human couple that live happily together for a long, long time.

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That would be an ending I would embrace, I mean. Both of them dying together and then waiting for the next reincarnation to live a happy life just like Grim Reaper and Sunny did.

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Or they could get reincarnated/promoted to some flavor of divinities and live happily together for a really, really long long time.

And why does every supernatural being who has a chance of a choice want to become human anyhow? Think 2020 and cling to your immortality.

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Also, it seems like the higher up you are the more useless.
Yeomra- AWOL this whole time
that fortuneteller - AWOL after the 2nd week
Taluipa - fiddling around on her computer
Hyun Eui-ong - had been following Taluipa until recently.

If Ji-ah wasn't in mortal danger, Yeon would just veg out on mint chocolate ice cream all day. Rang just gets in people's way.

I think Ji-ah

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got cut off there. I think Ji-ah and her human friends would be interested in saving the world even without needing the love of their lives put into a dangerous situation.

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Fortune Teller being King Yeomra in disguise makes the only sense. Why would any other deity that wasn't mentioned on the show come to the real world? Why would any other deity have King Yeomra's Sinslayer knife/sword? So Ocam's Razor is that Fortune Teller is King Yeomra. That's also my contribution to the Finale Bingo Card. :)

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Rang and CEO are the best actors on the show with Yu Ri as close third. I'm duly impressed what she did with her character. Such delight and yet complex enough to be well rounded as well.
Also, big props to child actors. Blacky/Soo-ho, Young Ji Ah/Ah Eum (why couldn't they cast an equally bubbly and delightful grown-up?),young Lee Rang and young Terry are fantastic.

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My thought exactly. The dark ji-ah would come out and stop the CEO. Ji-ah threatened to hurt herself to force him out. I am sure he would come out to project the body he is on. The question ,though, is that part of Rang's plan (to force him out)? I know he is no Yeon but he is also quite smart for his own right.

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There’s many plans in play at this moment and I don’t expect any of them to be completely successful. I’m hoping we at least get a reasonable ending with some degree of happiness or closure for the lead couple.

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This felt like a typical Episode 14; a somewhat slow, somewhat clunky pivot to the denouement. I actually like that this show confuses me a little - there's so much going on, and you know that there a few red herrings sprinkled in, that I'm always waiting for the next episode to see what I figured out and what I didn't.

As mentioned, Rang's consistency is remarkable. Even though he and Yeon have made up, he hasn't magically become "nice." In his desire to save Yeon no matter what, he's very similar to his brother who isn't above shady deals and risky business to save Ji-ah. So it's an interesting angle to see that Yeon and Rang, while now allies, do not have the same endgame goals.

The parents have always been a weak link in this story for me. Something is definitely off about them, but I can't tell if it's just because their storyline is weak (it is). There are already so many moving parts in this show, I don't really know that we needed them - especially because we rarely see Ji-ah with them.

@eazal mentioned in another post that Yeon is maybe not as smart as he thinks he is, and this episode felt really heavy with that to me. Earlier, I had appreciated that he and Ji-ah were more like partners in this fight, communicating and strategizing together. I find this whole "I will save the woman I love" thing getting to be a bit much. She will not thank you for your sacrifice, Yeon, and it's horribly disrespectful to keep this from her - and the wider War Council (good one, @meowingme!) who are all risking a lot for this fight and deserve to not be kept in the dark.

Finally, even if the world is coming to an end, someone needs to get Blacky into school or at least under some adult supervision.

Someone's going to die. I just can't figure out who or how and if the ending will slay me dead with disappointment, too. (I really, really hope not.) I'm way more excited for this week's finale than I ever thought I'd be.

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I read your comment after I wrote mine. I totally share your feelings about the e parents. There’s something odd about them that seems off. It’s not that I don’t trust them it’s just that I don’t know what their purpose is.

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Yes for Ji-ah's parents' weak storyline. They could've at least being shown making nooses in trance, that'd probably heighten the suspense and stop me from thinking pointless thought like, did Terrimoogi order Yoo-ri to procure ready-made ones somewhere in the middle of their ride..?

Am also getting impatient with Yeon being all secretive and sacrificial. Really appreciate how pretty he is looking all melo, but show sure laid it on thick. Crossing fingers it's a red herring!

LOL at getting Blacky into school! He'd totally refuse unless Rang told him too, I bet.

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He IS really pretty. I'd watch this show just for his facial expressions, honestly.

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You and me. Totally smitten by him.

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I started this show just for him. 😅 and
I enjoy every scene he is in.

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Well, I guess I have been quite open with my shallow, but very deep running love and appreciation for the One Fox To Rule Them All. He is gorgeous.

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I'm also looking forward to seeing how the show ends. Am heading into finale week with my fingers and toes crossed that it ends well. While I like how the show is keeping viewers guessing, I sorta have a feeling there won't be enough time to give us all the answers we want nor tie up all the loose ends. I would probably be able to overlook it if the overall ending makes sense within the rules they have outlined so far. Am ok with both leads dying in this lifetime and getting resurrected together in the next. But I have to say, as you pointed out in your comments in the Ep 13 thread, Sunny and Grim Reaper set the bar really, really high.

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Rang's obsession with Yeon is so similar to Yeon's obsession with Ji-Ah. Compare "You were never once a nice brother to me, but you shone in my eyes as if you were" to "[insert viewer statements about Ji-Ah being unlikable and not special]." Their willingness to do anything (ANYTHING!) to save the one person they love shows how alike the brothers really are.

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Except that your big brother shining in younger brother's eyes is totally normal and relatable while waiting for your girlfriend's reincarnation and forfeiting your family and duties is not. Lee Rang isn't whiny. Lee Yeon's obsession led to his abandoning Mountain God post which led to humans destroying the forest and causing Blacky's death. If you experience that as a kid, it's gonna traumatize you for life. So I'm sorry but those 2 cases are not the same. One is genuinely sympathetic (Lee Rang) while the show wants the other to be but isn't.

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Exactly, the situations are not comparable at all. Besides, the whole in my eyes, you were shining line was actually said by Yeon while pretending to be Rang, not something that Rang actually said himself. And, as I've said before, Yeon was really more of a parent than a sibling to Rang, considering the fact that he was hundreds of years older and immensely powerful when they met. And I've said this before, but that's why their interactions (pre reconciliation) always felt painful to watch, because Yeon was always acting like it was a tit for tat situation where they could trade sibling jabs and insults equally, but in actuality, Yeon was really more like a deadbeat father using his abandoned, neglected child for an emotional punching bag, which was always extremely unpleasant to watch.

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Well said!

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Completely agree!! They are actually so alike. No wonder they fight so much!

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Am I the only one who thinks Jia’s parents are weird? Too nice, too happy, very little confused or traumatised by the fact that they’ve been somewhere unknown for 20 years, their child is an adult now and they haven’t aged a day? Because I don’t understand it. Not a little bit.

And Yeon and Jia. Well, if I have to be honest I’d rather Jia being sacrificed. I know Yeon wants her to live a normal life, but that’s never gonna happen unless someone erase her memories and the memories of everyone she knows about our distracting foxes. Yeon’s obsession over Jia bothers me. At this point, si can’t root for lovers with so many people dying. This is not love.

YuRi and ShinJoo’s scene was heartbreaking. I can understand both of them. Their reasons are both valid to me, and their desperation to make the other understand so real.

Best moments of the show was cute psycho fox covered by stickers and Pupoy boy waiting outside the bathroom door. I can totally relate to the feeling of having a pet waiting outside your door, hehe.

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Agree - parents really feel like the weakest link here. They're totally too chill about absolutely everything. They're either plants (heh) or a poorly fleshed out story element - and I don't know which is worse, honestly.

As for the OTP, I do wonder if part of the problem is that the show wants us to believe this is an epic love...but I just don't feel it. There's some good camaraderie there, but I just don't understand why Yeon loves Ji-ah so much. It would perhaps be easier to stretch my sympathy if I was better able to buy into their love story. You referenced Grim Reaper & Sunny, and maybe it's unfair of me to compare them to Yeon & Ji-ah, but honestly with the former OTP I would literally have been okay with Reaper scorching the earth for Sunny, so much did I buy into their love.

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Epic love of the show is the bromance. Romance doesn't work. It's basically Twilight written by a Bella/Jacob shipper. I mean, there's even the moment where, like Edward, Terry finds out he can read all mind's but Ji Ah/Bella's. How subtle. :eyeroll: Not to mention that Lee Yeon is an animal shape shifter like a werewolf (werefox) and Terry is a vampire (drained blood and liquid out of his nannies). So yeah, that's Jake and Edward right there. And like Bella, the heroine is totally unlikable and supernatural fight over her is cringe especially since either man could do better.
That said, I hope that the showrunners won't be GOT Season 8-level stupid and sacrifice the show's best character Lee Rang for this stupid romance. I really hope so. he has already redeemed himself in Ep 9 so ordering a hit on Ji Ah that has no way of working (CEO isn't exactly the Black Widow) seems like a feeble attempt to undo his redemption. We'll find out soon enough.

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That does explain a lot - the parents have been part of the plant for so long that they have become as inanimate as their dwelling place has been for the last years.

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I agree with not feeling the the epic love - both the one that Yeon and Ji-ah supposedly have for each other and even the one between Rang and Yeon (which at times made Rang come off like a 2nd female lead in an old school drama). I think the writing tried to lay it on too thick. And how much of the past actually play into the current events if things are just repeating itself? So maybe the drama would have been stronger with the reincarnation stuff.

With Sunny and Grim Reaper, their first meeting was super memorable while Yeon and adult Ji-ah's meeting was lackluster. I can't even remember how they met.

I really like the buddy chemistry Rang, Ji-ah, and Yeon all have though. They're all likable and fun when not obsessing over someone. I think the drama could have been more fun if it had gone lighter on the romance and about a team of humans and gumihos working together to eradicate baddies while trading really glib lines.

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I mean *without* the reincarnation stuff

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I'm pretty sure that the reason for the parents being "weird" is just some lazy writing. The writer has no real interest in them anymore so he/she treats them like mere props, and that is why they come off as "odd". I could be wrong, but I doubt it - this unfortunately often happens in dramas.

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I agree with being unable to root for their love. I am very much confused as to how her life is worth the sacrifice of thousands of innocent lives. It's not like her living will somehow be for the greater good. Nope. She's just a regular shmegular woman. So when he asked for two more days, he was literally asking for about two thousand human lives. I can't get behind that.

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yesyes and Jia is human so she can only live for so long :( but is a real sad situation and story though :((

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So how pissed off would everyone be if Jia dies and Yeon has to wait another several hundred years for her to be reincarnated so they can have another go-around with the imoogi? Rather, rinse, repeat.

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I...would not watch that show. Not even for Lee Dong-wook.

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Neither would I 🙄

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Hence making WTF-ending a trend for kdrama..? ><

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I would actually only be pissed on behalf of Ji-ah. Ji-ah was traumatically affected by supernatural crap as a kid. She was given a bad lot in life, but grew up well. I would hate for her to go through that struggle only to die because the gods, who actually have the power to do stuff and should have a bunch of knowledge because they have been alive forever, don't have their crap together. Maybe instead of killing off reformed gumiho brides, they should be stopping these creepy humans with access to the supernatural powers like shaman lady and that CEO. And also upgrade their computers so they can track things better. Do they really have to function and communicate like it's the 80s?

Yeon is sort of weird to me. I like Yeon and he's fun to watch, but I actually don't care much about him. LDW is the reason why I even care a little about him. His aloofness for everything except Ji-ah makes it hard to connect with him. So I don't care much if he dies. Or if he has to wait another several hundred years again. I frankly can't imagine the relationship working out well anyways with her being a human and him never aging or figuring out how to do his own laundry.

I guess ideally, Yeon would die and save the world. Ji-ah lives till old age. And then they both get reincarnated as normal humans (and not the genius CEO kind, please).

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I don't have much to say aside from the fact that sassy Ji-ah can basically shut up bratty Rang and evil Ji-ah.

Also, Terry's "Truth be told, I actually prefer reading books" is an absolute mood. Taluipa's "Their lives are just as important as the life you wish to save" is on point. I feel bad for those who died from the the virus, the suicides, and Terry's rampage because they didn't have someone vouching for them at the Afterlife Immigration Office :(

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Funny but "I actually prefer reading books" made me go "wait, aren't we supposed to hate this guy?" :) :) :) :):)

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Ha, it's actually the opposite since I like him even more once he started unleashing chaos. xD

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He's a strange villain that I still can't figure out where they are going with. Despite the chaos (which no one treats with urgency BTW), he seems to be the empathic one out of 2 'Moogis as we've seen in Ep 13 (saves Lee Rang after ordering a hit on him, doesn't kill Yu Ri, talks about himself when giving Blacky an advice). Come to think of it, he's Lee Rang if Lee Rang didn't have a brother who cared for him. same abandonment issue ( both half-fox and the scale baby/child were abandoned by their parents and hated by those who saw monsters not children in them), same desire to be loved (by his brother, by a love interest) that led them to do bad things. It's just that loving brother's presence was crucial in righting Lee Rang's path, while there's no such figure in Terrimoogi's life (on top of that, he's an offshoot of Jimoogi). Also, it's interesting that both Lee Rang ("don't whine, stand up for yourself") and Terry ("darkness will eat you if you hide in it for too long") passed an advice based on experience, that they absolutely didn't follow, onto Blacky. An obvious "don't turn out like me" so Blacky definitely brings out the better side of supernatural villains (which Lee Rang was before his redemption in Ep 9).

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I don't think that Terry saved Rang or spared Yu-ri out of any kindness. He's made a deal with Yu-ri, and he's cast some sort of sleeper spell on Rang that he'll activate when the time is right. In both cases, he saw an opportunity that could work to his advantage, and he took it. I didn't get the feeling that he was giving Blacky advice either - it felt more like a menacing "I know you're in there and I know you're scared" (true those his words may be).

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@carlybisek

I think terry liked the fierce loyalty he saw in the russian fox for rang.. and that is what genuinely moved him to even propose that deal

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@CBme (don't see Reply option under you post for some reason)
You may well be right, but I see it in the way that I call a Severus Snape scene which means a villain does something good while appearing bad. Nothing he does in the scene is good on surface but it actually is when you scratch the surface. He changed his original plan to have Lee Rang dead, which is better than having him dead. And Yu Ri did the right thing to go to him and demand to clean up the mess he created, which he did. heroes were absolutely ineffective in reviving Lee Rang so I'm not going to scold Terry for taking little advantage while still saving him. What matters is that LR is fine now and whatever he has to do for Terry is secondary to the fact that he lives.
Sparing Yu Ri is another "villain absolutely didn't have to spare this character but did" that outweights "but you have to come with me and drive me around" in my book. he could have killed her but he didn't. And no, I don't care about blasting redshirts with red spots&snake eggs pandemic. If you spare a character I care about, you ain't that bad yet. he was very bad when he made Yu Ri stab Lee Rang but now that he undid it, not so bad. And telling a kid who was hiding in the dark closet like, he was hiding in his as a (freaky) child, is a very loud "don't turn out like me". For a character whose endgame is learning how to feel/love/be loved, he seems on good track. Also, lets not forget that the show pretty pointedly had the first nanny insult his scales, so killing her wasn't exactly a loss for humanity, and he brought the bird back to life and was friendly to a friendly little girl. So two dimensional villain he is not though they don't have enough time to dwell on added layers due to really busy plot.

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@alasecond (what's with lack of Reply button, is there a limit?)

Yes exactly. Her loyalty/feelings/love moved him (since he wants to feel) and at least in Western fantasy fiction (including movies and TV), villains who are capable of compassion/love/being moved are not beyond saving unlike those who can't feel at all (Voldemort, Emperor Palpatine). I mean, his character arc is learning to feel. He think he could feel with LY's heart but that's not how it works, you have to work for it yourself. That's the theme of the show as is abandonment issues.

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(I think there is a limit to replies on a thread.)

I think you both raise really interesting points, and it's entirely possible that I'm way too hard on Terry. I haven't considered his to be a particularly deep character, but Severus Snape is one of my top 3 HP characters, so I may need to reconsider.

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@CBme I don't think you are too hard on him or that he's a particularly deep character. I think there is certain depth to him that is either kept un-highlighted on purpose (last minute surprise) or it's not gonna add up to anything because they had many ideas but little time to resolve all of them. We'll find out which in 2-3 days.

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With only 2 episodes left, I'd like to praise underrated aspects of the show:

I love how everyone is one Samsung phone call away. Heroes and villains have each other's phone numbers, call each other all the time and overall give a feel of one big dysfunctional family. :) The big positive is this allows for the show to move at good pace and work more on characterization, which wouldn't be possible if half of the running time was dedicated to finding each other.

I also love that nobody works (even characters with jobs spend more time at the restaurant than working) but everyone has money. Lee Rang apparently has good enough credit for a credit card and enough funds to generously give the card to Blacky who I'm sure is going to swipe it totally reasonably. :) Terry is spending CEO's money on sweaters. Lee Yeon owns x number of condos because why wouldn't he? it's a convenient change of scenery that revolves around his Seoul place, CEO's mansion, AIO, Snail Bride's and PD-min's office. No wonder everyone knows where to find each other.

The pandemic! This plot point doesn't work due to complete lack of urgency but it also provides a welcome unintentional humor with everyone meeting at the restaurant ha ha and no one thinking of wearing masks or imposing quarantine, despite people literally dropping dead on the streets. :)

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Haha good points

My only counter is that the imoogi is living off the CEO so his riches make sense. The gumihos gained money by saving for the hundreds of years. I vaguely remember Yeon saying something about good investments.

I mean they're taking the pandemic about as seriously we are here XD

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Ha ha very true about pandemic XD

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Terry is spending CEO's money on sweaters.

😂 He really is such an angsty awkward teenager.

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with a crush on an older woman because he really wants/needs mommy's love but knows that ship has sailed. So he thinks that romantic love would substitute for it.

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What happens when you "eat" your possible mother figures. If only he knew, love > food.

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to be fair, his first "mother figure" was repulsed by his scales so no love lost. Didn't she say something stupid like "Eeeew, I hope it isn't contagious". So the idea is that the other nannies had the same reaction, which is terrible to say to a child, and while they didn't deserve to die like that, they weren't a big loss.

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Hahahaha. I just saw your post after leaving my own semi rant, lol. I love your humorous take. I really prefer shows were the logistics are actually a part of the plot, so I feel your frustrations. And on another light-hearted note, I desperately wanted the fashion explained? Like in Hotel del Luna (where our central character was actually well written!) we knew why Man-wol dressed the way she did, it was a part of who she was and a part of her overcompensation for her misery and lasting trauma from poverty (which also explained why she was occasionally tacky as hell lol). Same in IOTNBO, where the leading lady's clothing and hair directly related to her traumatic experiences with her mother. But here? Can I get an in character reason why Yeon's wardrobe consists of weirdly gothic and suits and why Rang dresses like a low-rent escort? I actually laughed out loud when I saw him wearing comfy sleepwear in the episode. I was like, he actually knows how to wear sweats! Because that scene where he'd been stabbed nearly to death and in the next scene, Shin-joo was buttoning him up in a clean stiff white dress shirt after treating him had me rolling! Because what deathly ill patient doesn't wear white linen shirts over bandages? 🤣😂

Lol, anyway, I know we can surmise any number of reasons for why these things happen. We can assume that Yeon's fashion was influenced by the English Victorian period or that Rang likes to spend money out of boredom but simply has bad taste, but actually writing a reason why characters do what they do is basic character building, and is an elementary part of good story telling. But alas, good storytelling was never this show's strong point, lol.

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ha ha excellent points about fashion though I find Rang fashion choices to enhance his character. As you say low-rent escort but that weirdly works for him, gives him a flavor.
I'd say that Yu Ri's fashion style is consistent and she was beyond beautiful in this episode wearing that silly bow.
I think Lee Yeon fashion choices stem from someone on the show team being a Twilight fan (with a penchant for the werewolf, er, werefox but in vampiric suits).
However, wardrobe that absolutely infuriates me is what they pick for Sae-rom. Such a beautiful girl that they are desperately trying to deglam in order to fit in the thankless "wallflower BFF" role. I'm surprised they didn't give her old-fashioned glasses.

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I am with Rang here, I do not like Yeon's suicide plan. I get he wants Jia to live a long life but not at the expense of his own!
Not for a moment is Jia dead, maybe she was put to sleep inside her body and the imoogi is controlling it now. I dont think the imoogi will allow Jia to die. So I expect that the one dead is the ex-minion CEO.

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Deep sigh...this show. I realized as I watched the scene where Jia was having a confrontation with her Imoogi in the mirror (which is seriously what I wanted out of the show, a story that centers the heroine facing her inner demons in a substantial way, and I think Jo Bo-ah is doing a nice job of it), that the potential of this show no longer feels worth the tedium of watching. There are so many filler moments in this show. And it's almost triply annoying considering how many great elements the narrative could have utilized. The whole prickly antihero becomes a parent to his reincarnated friend is a narrative gold mine, but we've had one humorous scene of their interactions after the "adoption" with no emotional arc for them, when it should have been a substantial subplot. We have the heroine (who's struggling with her evil alter ego) being reunited with her parents, which should have been another major story arc. They've been out of commission for 20 years! How are they adjusting to life again? And I want to see them actively solving the mystery of what happened, and noticing that something is off about their suddenly adult daughter. Don't they know, in the plot, that she's possessed?!? There's no way they didn't have access to her hypnotherapy sessions. And wasn't her mother actively researching reincarnation because or her daughter?! So we know that Jia's parents were proactive in getting her help when she was younger, so we can reason that they are resourceful, intelligent people. I want to see them having actual agency, taking initiative, and being a real part of Jia's story. But instead we have them as weirdly lobotomized and constantly sidelined, and having no impact on the story except to be the consistent damsels in distress (and the way memory erasure is used as a plot device with them almost feels like a parody at this point. Wanna nix some narrative tension? Just erase the memories of characters whose knowledge of events should have had an interesting impact on the story! Voila!) And we have Yu-ri and Shin-joo's romance, which has been so tertiary to the plot that it really struggles to be as compelling as it should have been. I feel like Shin-joo's love is convincing, but Yu-ri's feelings for him are so underwritten (despite the actress being one of my favorites in the show) that it does a disservice to their story arc. I feel like I'm being told that she loves him instead of being shown (which is why I fall into the camp that would have preferred to see Rang and Yuri together. I appreciate the fact that there is a loving male/female platonic relationship, which we need way more of in media in general, but in a show that is so lacking in compelling romantic relationships their obvious chemistry and clear, demonstrated mutual love for each other feels underutilized, and could have been interesting and complicated as a romantic relationship, in a way the others really aren't, for me).

And the wasted...

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And the wasted interpersonal/emotional character interactions aside, the lack of self-awareness the writer is showing by writing the current story arc in the middle of an actual global pandemic is kind of alarming. The fact that (in the show) people are literally dropping dead in the streets, and we aren't seeing any government measures being taken, no speeches from authority figures. No meaningful acknowledgement of the way this is affecting society at large. We just have news segments, and disturbing montages of Jia's co-workers literally lying dead in the hallways (!!!) intercut with our lead couple having extended coffee dates!?!? This is seriously tone deaf and bizarre, and gets back to the heart of the problem in this show. The fluffy, wheel spinning Yeon/Jia romance, which has been so thoroughly lacking in both chemistry and narrative tension, has been constantly forced into the foreground even in moments when other issues should take precedence. I'm still weirded out by how the editors/writers thought it was a good idea to have the scene were Yuri brutally stabs Rang be intercut with a scene were Yeon is getting moony eyed at the prospect of having children with Jia while shooting the world's worst placed coffee bay add. It's like every moment that has the potential to have some dramatic weight is injected with a shot of filler that consists of what is, for me, the least compelling aspect of the show.

And it doesn't help that Yeon's character development has been so non-existent, and when it has existed, only in exposition. The fact that the writers paid lip-service to the fact that Yeon could have ended the feud with his brother by being kinder long ago, by actually having Yeon say it out loud over iced coffee was just really poor storytelling. Because that should have also been a major character arc. A hero realizing that their neglect of a family member lead to a rift that they could have fixed earlier by being more sensitive and apologetic should have been a significant emotional journey stretched throughout multiple episodes. Not weirdly acknowledged in retrospect during yet another awkwardly placed add. And most annoyingly, as others have acknowledged, the fact that Yeon is so determined to shut Jia out of his plans, that will directly affect her life, is so annoying at this point. I wish he wasn't written to treat her like some kind of child who who gets no say in major life decisions.

Honestly, this show has been such a disappoinment. And unless the pace develops some consistency, I might just fast forward through the next two episodes. Thank you for your thoughtful recaps, as always.

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Great 2 posts. I want to comment on "prickly antihero becomes a parent". I absolutely agree that this should be utilized more. This is Lee Rang's chance to do by his "unwanted little brother" than Lee Yeon did by him. The set up is the same. A self-serving character reluctantly takes care of his little brother/brother figure after the boy was abandoned by his mother and abused. While irritated at first, he can't help but get charmed and begin to deeply care. Where Lee Yeon went wrong is that he allowed his toxic obsession with Ah Eum to push aside his brother who, being a child, needed him more than adult Ah Eum who made her own choices. So that's narrative goldmine for Lee Rang but since the show cannot unglue itself from the turgid romance, here we are.

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"Since the show cannot unglue itself from the turgid romance, here we are." Nicely put. And your breakdown of why the Rang/Blacky arc should have been a perfect parallel is so succinctly summarized. It's insane to me that someone would write narratives within their wider story that make perfect sense within the world they've created, and just leave those elements out to stagnate while they waste time with on this couple smiling awkwardly at each other. It almost like someone in the production team wanted the show to be pie-pan shallow, and intentionally sidestepped elements that could have delivered any kind of complexity. It's just such a waste of good potential.

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To add to this and your other post, the show, IMO of course, is focused on the wrong brother or at least that brother in the wrong relationship. Fox Bros is where Lee Yeon is actually interesting and Fox Bros is the storyline that's actually compelling and real heart of the show.
I think that Lee Yeon doesn't work as well as Lee Rang because he is rather unrelatable character. he's a God who abandoned his younger brother (who really needed him) for a love interest. There's really no particular internal struggle there. he made his choice that his paramour is his priority and all other decisions he ever makes are driven whether they are to her benefit or not. Which isn't interesting or compelling. His growth pretty much ended before the show even began. OTOH, Lee Rang has real internal conflict as a source of real character drama. An outcast in his village, abandoned by his mother, misunderstood and abused, he latched on his brother who showed him kindness and then lost him (and his precious puppy!) to that woman that the older brother prioritizes over anyone. One can understand why such character would feel love-hate for his brother (perfectly natural) and distaste for the object of his affection. I don't consider either a villainous behavior but find the character genuinely compelling and sympathetic because I understand where he comes from. Add to that acts of compassion such as saving the dog and then Soo-ho and you have a perfect anti-hero on a hero journey.
On top of that, the rest of the supporting cast is also more interesting than the dull leads. Yu Ri the abused Russian fox who learned to trust and care is terrific. Soo-ho/Blacky fits in the theme of abandonment and building a new family perfectly. Terry has some empathic layers and relatable motive (monster wants to regain humanity but goes wrong about it) that may or may not add up to the whole when all is said and done. Taluipa lives in the shadow of the family tragedy she caused which gives her internal conflict over decisions she makes ( we saw that she relented and granted 3 day delay after all), ditto her husband who is now breaking away from her dominance. And Dr Goo is just so freakin likable which the female lead is not. So yeah, I like the show which is why I comment on it but I think that they doubled down on what doesn't work (romance) instead of rebranding the show by utilizing what does.

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Yesssss!!!! Thank you!!!!! I've been saying this for weeks in the comment section! I agree with everything you said. Especially, about Yeon and why he isn't a compelling character. I do think there was some room for development with Jia and her lost parents/possessed by Imoogi narrative, but I think the potential of her narrative was also absorbed by the narrative vacuum that is Yeon's character. Not only are the choices he's made morally reprehensible and two-dimensional, but we've been given no reason as to why he's made those choices. We don't have a backstory that explains why he's so weirdly neglectful and single minded, and therefore there is no impetus to empathize with him. And ditto about Rang. It would be so much easier to have a good narrative if the show were centered around him for the reasons you discussed, because he actually had a concrete character arc that so is easy to get on board with. In fact, it would have been far more compelling to have Yeon as the antagonistic second lead to Rang's antihero, because then Yeon's two dimensional nature wouldn't be such a hindrance to the plot. And then all the writers would have to do is center the main plot around Rang's developing relationships with Yuri and Blacky (so the content from the spin off could have been extended to be part of the primary narrative), and his reconciliation with his brother. Between those three relationships (four, if we raise the stakes of his servitude to the CEO, because the fact that he went from nearly being killed by his brother to becoming the lackey of a villain is a pretty devastating development, and we only got about one episode to really explore the fact that he was essentially being kept against his will for 600 years, even though he didn't seem to want to admit that to himself, which is also interesting) there is plenty of material for a pretty meaty sixteen episodes. Throw in the rest of the characters as you mentioned and it could have been a good show with an actual beating heart beneath the surface. Then much more interesting synopsis could have been "a lonely, jaded, enslaved Gumiho slowly rediscovers the meaning of family when he rescues two equally neglected creatures" instead of "an arrogant, irresponsible Gumiho mountain god because obsessed with a human woman and places her safety above that of everyone around him for 600 years...the end" lol. I'm getting carried away but, it's just nice to see that I'm not the only person who feels this way.

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@Anon Since the site has a post limit for replies I'm not getting a Reply button under your post.
So well said! Yes agreed with everything especially that Yeon would work better as antagonist to Rang's anti-hero at the center because he is a dramatic vacuum unlike Rang. I think the reason why we have complications such as Taluipa withholding information and being stubborn, and 2 Imugis instead of 1, is that writers know Yeon can't grow as a character so they throw more and more obstacles and sidequests at him to create illusion that he's growing. For example, his team up with Terry against Taluipa is a sidequest. It isn't a character growth. He's in the exact spot character-wise he's been in the first frame, doing an extreme thing to save Ji Ah. There's nothing new here. It's just a different side adventure but he remains static. Now don't get me wrong, static characters serve their purpose because we measure character growth of dynamic characters against them. They are just much more effective as supporting characters than leads.

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Let me just say that I do love your conversation here . I have put the show on hold and I have been only following the recaps and comments. The two of you had summed up exactly why I lost interest, as i had the foreboding that this will just once again focus more on the romance, shooting for squees. I

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We all know that Ji-Ah can't die yet... but I'm pretty sure that Mr. CEO has finally met his demise. The Imoogi surfaces when it senses danger or blood, so I bet Imoogi took over, took the gun, and shot Mr. CEO. Good riddance.

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JiA can't die with the imoogi still inside her. Yeon stabbed Terry to no avail because you can't kill only "half" of it.
I still have a hard time with the concept (here and other shows) that past lives are more important than the present life. If you are reincarnated for a fresh start, why would you be burdened by past life results? TOT9T does have the hook that imoogi from the past is possessing present JiA, but present JiA should concentrate on how to rid the monster from her instead of trying to make amends for past mistakes with Yeon.
The underworld Administrator is the most annoying aspect. She can change JiA's death by whim, but she won't stop the imoogi from killing hundreds of innocent people? Her fingertips must be bloody from changing all those victims dates of death. You would think she would get mad and stop the imoogi herself.

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I think Terry can't die because he's not the heart of the imoogi. However, since Jia is the heart, she can die and would take Terry down with her. I think they want to combine the 2 only because that would get the imoogi out of Jiah. Ideally, they'll combine them in a body not Nice Tails, as much as he is determined to be a noble idiot.

That has always been the con about the idea of reincarnation. There are some theories that it's just a matter of recycling the soul, but for the most part the idea is that the next life will reap the consequences (good or bad) of the previous life.

Afterlife CEO really is the worst. I understand that hundreds of people are worth more than 1 but she could at least try to be helpful. She's setting herself and everyone else for a lose-lose situation.

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Maybe. But Terry needs Yeon's heart to combine with JiA's imoogi so she may not have one either.

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Terry wants Yeon's body just because of his gumiho powers and for revenge. I don't think it's necessarily cause he needs more of a heart. They haven't really addressed what it means for Jia to not have the imoogi part of her. I assume it is like withdrawing an extra personality and not any of her life source.

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The strength of this show and what used to set this apart from the usual gloom, doom, lost love, reincarnation fantasy was the horror week by week cases. I really enjoyed those. The love story doesn't feel authentic to me and centering it around a love story as weak as the one in this show really makes me want to give up on the show. But then there's Yuri, Rang and the side characters. Rang maybe the only reason, I am still watching this show. I honestly don't care if Jia dies and stays dead.

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So we know some important things from these last two episodes:

1. Fate is not unchangeable- because if Taluipa can change a death date then anything else can change as well. The fact that she lost her son the last time she did this apparently has not taught her anything, so now she has lost her husband too. But the key point is that things can be changed.

2. The Fortuneteller is apparently an Underworld God who has a bad habit of going AWOL and collecting things not meant to be taken out of this world, like the fox bead and, more importantly the Euireong Sword- the sword which slays sin (and can slay the Imoogi).

Hypothesis: The Fortuneteller, the Imoogi and the CEO all share one thing in common- they defy the natural order of things. Fortuneteller has no business interfering in the Living World- because that is what he is doing by 'collecting' things not meant to be collected- and should stick to his job. CEO and Imoogi wanted to defy death itself.

Frankly, it is long since time for King Yeomra to call the errant Fortuneteller out and give him a choice: Disgorge the sword or find himself deprived of god-hood- and make sure the sword is in Yeon's hand while he is at it.

Why would King Yeomra do this? To restore the natural order of things.

If he does not do this then the battle at Samdocheon will simply make things worse, not better.

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It looks as if everyone has their own idea about how to save the day by acting unilaterally: Yeon, Ji-ah, Rang, and Yu-ri, even perhaps Sinju. I'll be intrigued to see how the writer pulls that off.

I got the feeling too that Yeon is going to end up becoming an ordinary human being.

I love Blacky - he is such a puppy. I love that he covered Rang in stickers when he was asleep and even tried to follow him into the bathroom. Then Rang told him "to keep his eyes on the house". What a beautiful character that combines little boy-ness and doggy-ness LOL. It would be interesting for him to suddenly have a determining role in the outcome. But I have a feeling that love will defeat all.

The plague outbreak was uncomfortable viewing, especially when the bloody egg was vomited up - a snaky thing inside. This is a nasty outbreak. On that note, in my subs, the word "exponentially" was used. A laugh out loud moment (in a black way) for me. I wonder how often this term has been used in dramas before 2020??

I liked too that Yeon knew Ji-ah was the Imoogi because of her fishy smell. Too good.

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Love all the twists. Really good storytelling.

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Everyone keeps talking about how they want a Rang focused story. I want to know Granny's story. That is a gold mine for compelling story telling. She is a god who chose to kill her daughter-in-law to save thousands of human lives. She loses her son as a result and the love of her husband (we all know he stayed around out of fear). She becomes an angry bitter person, who no one understands. She builds a new relationship with a "son" and his choices lead to the same issue. He is in love with a woman whose life will lead to the deaths of many. She is again faced with the same choice, but it's even harder now, because she has lived through the consequences of the last one. Still she chooses to save lives. Can I watch this show from her perspective, because at this point she is the only hero in this show! Literally everyone else including Rang are fighting for their own selfish desires. I want a spin off of granny!

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me toooo everyone seems to despise her and cant understand her temper and personality... but she lost her only child and she knows deep down is bcoz of her fault, no wonder she behaves that way if i were her i would have become crazy ran amok blame everyone and everything and shouts amd screams and make peoples lives miserable ;(( but she still can keep living and doing her duties... i really really salute her 👍🏽

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why am i confused? When JiA commands the imoogi inside her to come out ( bathroom scene) her father called out from outside right? But then when she went out of the bathroom, how come it seems they are not in the same house?( Father calling her that her "friend" (Terrimoogi) visited)

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Someone said something abt Yeon erasing JiA's parents memories and its not such a good move . But i think i can understand as thats what Jia would want as she doesnt want her parents to worry abt whats happening and what their daughter is goin thru and yes i also think the parents are off, initially i thought maybe bcoz they r part of the imoogi's plan but now i think is bcoz like what some of u said, the writer-nim doesnt really developed the parents character and storyline.

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I know Yeons mission would fail but Idk how they would get out of this one unless Taluipa or someone that know Imoogi like the CEO spills the beans on how to take it down... Taluipa's duty is not an easy one tbh but they made her soo hard to stomach that I barely feel sympathetic to her predicament of basically losing the 3 people she loves due to her work. What she did made sense but it lools more and more like shes choosing to casually interfere in ways that seem arbitrary. Sure, I understand she would decide to save the world over Jia but did she really had to let Rosemarys baby Imoogi edition escalate that much instead of instructing the gang how to stop him and Jia?! many lives would have been saved if she used her arbitrariety to meddle earlier. Jia is harmed not killed I think and the imoogi took over to defend her. idk how they kept the parents in the dark knowing it did nothing good for Jia... when Yeon said he even erased their memories, I facepalmed! like, how can they alert them something is off if they dont know Terry is danger? Its beyond me how Yeon knows Imoogi is his sworn enemy but he apparently sat on his butt and didnt find ways to defeat it... I hope Rang asks the CEO how to defeat it and they go with that because neither Jia nor Yeon seem to find another solution than killing themselves.

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