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Bulgasal: Immortal Souls: Episodes 9-10 Open Thread

As all of our players start to get a little more desperate, it leads to more action on all fronts — sometimes rash, sometimes reactive — but either way, it’s pushing our characters closer to the truth about their lives, as the knot of fate continues to play out.

 
EPISODES 9-10 WEECAP

Well, we were right! Hwal’s story does begin earlier than the first lifetime we saw at the dawn of Joseon. We get a piece of his story, and the fates of all the characters around him, in a new flashback — but first we open up with the crazy scene where we left off. Sang-eon shares her new knowledge, which leaves Hwal incredulous, and Eul-tae desperate.

Ok Eul-tae lunges for Sang-eon despite the consequences to himself, but Hwal swoops in with the poison syringe and saves her. Sang-eon takes one of Hwal’s arms over her shoulders, Detective Kwon takes the other, and everyone hobbles off. I love these three. I’m firmly convinced they are all good guys, and always have been.

Now it’s time for the flashback, which takes us 1,000 years into the past. Eul-tae and Hwal are brothers (!!) to Detective Kwon (!!). Eul-tae is sickly and evil, and will lose his birthright to Hwal. In jealousy and rage, he beats Hwal to death with a boulder. (Important to note: This is witnessed by bulgasal Sang-eon.)

Wow, so fratricide is the start of this tale?! Mind blown. It’s right out of the Bible and the story of Cain and Abel, actually, how jealousy and rage and longing for a father’s love brought about the first murder on Earth. Eul-tae blames the bulgasal on his brother’s bloody death, and this is sure to be hella important later. But for now, that’s all we get.

After the present-day encounter in the field, Hwal and Eul-tae are even more at odds — Hwal desperate to confirm whether Eul-tae is indeed the murderer, and Eul-tae desperate to hide the truth (whatever that may be) from Hwal, and separate the trust that’s forming between Hwal and Sang-eon.

Hwal’s first idea is to talk to Grandma Kim — Sang-eon tells him that’s where she heard the story — but when they go to visit her, she freaks out seeing him and his scar, and they don’t get much of anywhere. His next idea is Si-ho. He nonchalantly asks her if she’s ever tried to remember her own past life, but this leads to another dead end. (Still, spot on, because confirming how Dan Sol died from her own memory would be a ticket straight to the truth.)

I can’t quite wrap my head around Hwal and Si-ho together in this timeline — I mean, I can, it’s just so interesting to see how differently he treats her compared to her sister. He’s standoffish and maybe even a little reverent around her (if that’s the right word?), and this only gets magnified when the whole household finds out that she’s pregnant.

That household has really transformed into a wonderful found family, it’s just sad that by the time they all start trusting each other, that trust gets broken. Hwal is reeling from the pregnancy news, and wants Si-ho to be able to live a happy life with her child in this lifetime… but all this talk of her child pulls Do-yoon’s story in even tighter.

Ok Eul-tae uses his psychotic gaslighting ways to get Do-yoon to bring Sang-eon to him — again, desperate to separate her from Hwal. Do-yoon goes through this whole moral dilemma, poor boy, and we learn about his past, and how he and his hyung were orphans and taken in by Eul-tae. Eul-tae even paid for their medical treatments, which included surgery for the blindness Do-yoon was born with. YES FOLKS!

I think this was the one past connection we all saw coming, but it was satisfying nonetheless, and it shakes Hwal like nothing else really has. Suddenly, the narrative shifts, and Hwal regrets banishing Do-yoon from the house, whether he was a mole for Eul-tae or not. Saving Do-yoon is now his main concern, and it becomes everyone else’s, too.

After a terrifying visit to the house from Ok Eul-tae, and Sang-eon barely saved, all of our main players wind up joining forces to save Do-yoon. He’s been captured as leverage by the still-alive duoekshini monster, who’s as ruthless as ever.

There’s something about this story that makes all of this work for me. Between the inexplicable ties that these characters feels towards one another (for those that don’t remember the past), and the love and regret that spurs them on when they do remember the past, the interconnected fate is the best way to explain everything in this story. It binds everything together. It’s why Detective Kwon will still get in the car with the terrifying Ok Eul-tae, and why Ok Eul-tae can say things like, “I will never kill you” to Detective Kwon — and have us believe him 100%. So many storytelling layers here; it’s just a joy to get sucked in.

The culmination of this week’s episodes is the search for Do-yoon, the fight with the duoekshini, and the aftermath of that. I loved Hwal and Sang-eon in the field hunting for the monster, and witnessing how they are beginning to balance each other so well.

Hwal fights fearlessly, and despite winning this battle, it still ends up as a loss for our team. Do-yoon safely escapes and he’s set to be rescued by Hwal and company when the duoekshini taunts Eul-tae. She says that she’s told Do-yoon something about him that Hwal should never know. And to protect that secret, Eul-tae finishes the duoekshini, and does the same to little Do-yoon. It’s a heart wrenching scene. Do-yoon is embraced by a teary-eyed Ok Eul-tae, and then stabbed in the back by him. Blegh!

By the time our crew finds Do-yoon it’s too far gone, and this is one show where I don’t expect to see him recover and be fine in the next episode. Interestingly, when Do-yoon is stabbed, Si-ho (who’s back at the house with Aunt Lee) feels a stabbing pain. This is hinting around that student Do-yoon was/is indeed connected to in utero Do-yoon, and I continue to love how deep this rabbit hole goes.

Jury’s out on where this story treads next week, but I’m all for more of these twists. Eventually the twists will have to untwist something, right? But until then, things are just getting twistier.

 
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Lee Joon is killing it.
This show is worth watching just for his performance.

Thank you for the recap, @missvictrix
Eul-tae and Hwal were brothers 1000 years ago?
I watched that flashback scene several times but the dead brother definitely wasn't Lee Jin-wook...
Am I missing something?

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Thank you. I watched it multiple times and it definitely didn’t show Hwal as the brother 1000 years ago.

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I think was the Brooding Hotness himself, Lee Jin-wook.

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I may be mistaken, too.. so will just wait for the next episode.

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I think the Brooding Hotness is the other Bulgasal, in the blue robe ;)

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I'm afraid of looking dumb and missing something, but that surely could have been a young adult Hwal. But looking back, I don't think we were given a clear indication that was Hwal. Come to think of it, that theory was fed to me before I even watched. Many jumping to that conclusion to satisfy some confirmation bias that we collectively have in order to make sense out of what's been put in front of us. The show elicits this out of us because it is essentially giving us NOTHING. And that can of course be frustrating as a viewer.

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Actually think that it could have been Do Yoon, personally. I just think the fact that he was so gentle with him even though he gaslighted him and used his brother to blackmail him into doing things. He's still crowd for him in the end. Also I find it interesting that he's now killed him twice or three times if you you think of him as his brother cuz once a thousand years ago, want 600 years ago and then now if you actually dies. It's almost like they've been destined to me and end.

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Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
That makes much more sense to me.
Do-yoon/A-chan's fate seems like always to die young/get killed by Eul-tae.

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I also think it was not Hwal . We did not be able to see who it was .

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I also think it is not Hwal, I paused the video at that moment and it's not him. I think the Brooding Hotness is the other Bulgasal who was with Sang Eon's Bulgasal 1000 years ago, dressed in green/blue robe (like the one who shows only his back on the Oh Eul Tae's picture)

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My husband and I had the same discussion. He swore it was Hwal as the dead older brother. I didn't see it and am waiting for further confirmation.

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Screen shots of the dead brother are out there too.
Definitely not Hwal, I mean not Lee Jin-wook.
It it possible since the dead brother had be to be younger than Lee Joon, they used some younger actor.
But then Hwal married a daughter of his reincarnated father? That's a little strange...
If the dead brother was grown-up version of Do-yoon/A-chan, that would make more sense.
Since Do-yoon/A-chan's fate is always to be killed by Eul-tae.
(I'm not sure if Do-yoon died or not, but it seems like his fate is dying young attacked by Eul-tae?)
@andey @jingbee @turka @mina00 @iremmy

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@ayalynn123 I didn't get the impression that Hwal was the brother that the general was referring to.

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These were great episodes. The scenes between Hwal and Doo-yoon were poignant and sad because even before the (unsurprising) reveal about their connection, it was crystal clear that Hwal was repeating the same mistakes he made with his son in his previous life (or lives) and it was truly heartwrenching to watch how cold and dismissive he was in the face of Doo-yoon's regret. That hurt a lot.

I was genuinely shocked that Hwal and Ok Eul-tae were brothers in another life, although I guess the fact that they are both Bulgasal should have alerted me to that fact. But their first scene together gave off more spurned lover vibes (I know the show wasn't suggesting that exactly, but that's how the scene played for me) than Cain-and-Abel rivalry, so I didn't see this coming.

I'm still not sure what to make of Hwal and Si-ho's vibe, either. He seems vaguely paternalistic with her, which makes me wonder once again what kind of marriage they had exactly. The conceived two children so clearly it wasn't completely void of romantic passion, but they were also obviously pretty miserable with each other in what we saw in the flashbacks. And who is the father of her baby?

Finally, I know I'm supposed to see him as a psychotic villain, but I can't help but feel for Ok Eul-tae. This is probably Lee Joon's fault, but I'm absolutely not rooting for this character to be vanquished. Quite the opposite, actually. In many ways, he's the best thing about the drama.

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You should watch the episodes over again. I don’t see Hwal as Ok Eul Taes brother and Hwal and Siho vibe is not important. He even stated that his whole reason for everything he’s doing was for his son. He only wants her to live a normal life and that’s that. There’s nothing to expect from their relationship at all

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Unfortunately I would say that Hwal and Si-ho SHOULDN'T be important, but show treats it otherwise. Hwal is softer when it comes to her, the lingering stares and sweeping flashbacks take up a lot of screen time. Granted, that may be due to the unreliableness of our "narrator" Hwal. And that doesn't necessarily mean we take it as devout love, but Hwal is just going off what he's been given, so all of his reactions do make sense. There is clearly a ton of info he and us viewers are missing. The issue is, you fix this narratively by giving the character who's lense we are viewing this world through more information. Otherwise we will stay as confused and conflicted as they are.

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I think that the depiction of Hwal's and Si-ho's vibe is actually pretty straightforward and believable and there is nothing weird or particularly special there to me. They were a couple in the past life who had a child, and it is obvious that there was an affection between them, which later got strained when the death of the other child made her resent him for his curse. We may see her anger as not justified, but it is understandable - grieving mothers don't need to be rational. Also, that affection between them did not necessarily need to be great love, which is actually very realistic, because most marriages, especially in that era, weren't concerned with love at all. As for the present day, Hwal spent 600 years feeling remorse for the death of his wife and child, so when he sees that woman again as a fairly happy young girl, of course he looks at her with soft affection, and with a lump in his throat - because that's the weight of his guilt and the affection he remembers. It doesn't mean that he's in love with her.

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In Ep 1, when they were fighting, SiHo said that Hwal doesn’t even have any feelings for her and Hwal said he married her because she’s a monster like him. So I don’t think there’s real affection between them in the past.

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I don’t agree with this recap of yours. It never showed Hwal as the brother 1000 years ago. Please tell me how did you come up with that?

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So Nara is the original Bulgasal? Or is there a connection even further back in time? I still can't figure out the origin story of the curse.

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huh?? did I just imagine that was Hwal?! I don't know know -- that scene where the father is looking at the dead son looks just like Hwal to me...?

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sorry guys :O I'll clarify next week when we get a clearer sense of that backstory!

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@missvictrix I don't know if this is the historical garbs or identical hairstyles, but I always have so much trouble figuring out the identities of the characters in sageuks. By the time I finally figured out half of the characters in sageuk or western historical or my personal agonizing favorite, Chinese wuxia, dramas, half of the plot has passed and I have to rewind (or turn to recaps) to make sense of it. This also reminded me of @leetennant hilarious analysis about 2021, "It has been a good year for people who just love trying to work out which is the Right Left Chief State Minster of Rites and whether Beard 1 is evil or if it’s actually Beard 5. And aren’t Beard 2 and 3 the same person? Oh no, they’re former friends turned enemies who will look sad when they inevitably have to murder each other." Indeed, lol.

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Bulgasal is the drama I look forward to the most each week. This week, the episodes were good with the angst and heartwrenching emotions, but there wasn't much progress with the plot. I was into it nonetheless. I just want MORE~~

So the story is pretty much saying that Eul Tae is the one who murdered Hwal's family. I guess there's no twist about it. The thing is... it's not clear-cut that he is the one who attacked them. His face was never shown in the flashback. Sang Eon's face wasn't shown either. Not until the end when she stabbed Hwal. It looked like there were two mysterious figures there at the time of the murders - one dressed in red moving swiftly around, crouching low at times (Sang Eon?) and the other was standing still by the trees (Eul Tae?). *replayed this scene several times* *shudders like a scaredy cat*

I thought Eul Tae's brother was someone else, not Hwal. Hwal came into the picture later, like a stepbrother.

Sometimes, the next episode preview gives us too much. I sorta wished I didn't catch it so I would be more surprised. XD

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I'm kind of hoping it isn't straight up Eul-Tae who is the big bad. I love stories with a good twist. The flashback was ambiguous. It looks like him... but in those flowy robes... it could also very well be Red Bulgalsal OR... could it be someone else altogether?

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Yup. I think I would like it if it was someone else completely.

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I don't think hwal is the brother there are 2 OG bulgasal in eultae wall, and Sangun clearly said in ep1 that all this is Hwal's doing/fault. i think showing Eultae as human show he wasn't original bulgasal so maybe Hwal the one turn him to bulgasal took his soul and born as human. the old woman said he shouldn't be born, he then met his(Eultae's) father, eultae used to target hwal but then Sangun took the soul and born again, this soul is Eultae's soul that's why he feel the pain of it. he need to kill sangun to stop the pain but can't, same he can't kill hwal before and can only kill his family

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Ooooou, this is good. I've always thought even from the beginning that Sang-un stealing Hwal's soul was to help somehow. Every interaction we've seen between them in the past was about saving him. His soul is extremely cursed and widely hunted. Which makes me wonder how he keeps going on about karma after the fact. I don't pretend to fully understand how that works, but it seems to me a heavy burden was lifted when his soul was taken. All of his misery since then arguably was brought on by himself, and we can say this is all revolving around "the soul"? Which just so happens to belong to Sang-un at the moment.

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I was thinking along the same lines. Going by the painting, the Bulgasal appeared to be some kind of deities. Now that we know Eul-tae was once human, and a sickly human at that, my theory is that Bulgasal Hwal wanted to be human (his back was turned in the painting) so sickly Eul-tae gave him his soul. Eul-tae then went on a rampage and killed everyone in his mountain village, changing the Bulgasal into something monstrous. That would explain the words Red Bulgasal said to Hwal when he killed her: “This was all your doing.” Since I think Ms. Lee’s prophesy is about Hwal, it also would explain why he’d go crazy when he remembers everything. The soul is the key to stopping Eul-tae, which is probably why Red Bulgasal took it, because Eul-tae was hunting Hwal.

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Oh this is such a good theory and it actually could be true! I hope that it is, in fact.

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I like your theory about Eul-tae and the possibility of the soul having belonged to him originally.

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I can always appreciated a revelation that neatly tied in many seemingly random or nonsensical bits of information. And Do-yun being A-chan's reincarnation is exactly that. It put his unusual (non-)reaction towards Hwal's real identity as Bulgasal under a decidedly different light. Same as how quickly he was taken in with Si-ho. Meanwhile, I think the writer could handle the revelation of Si-ho's power much better than that. Sure, we got explanation about how her power seemed to mature only recently, and that she needed more practice to wield that power reliably. But a much smoother introduction a bit earlier would be appreciated, regardless.

We slowed down a lot this week as we dove deeper into the folds of Eul-tae's lives and motivation. I guess I didn't really expect this to be about Eul-tae's very personal grudge. (I pegged him as a more opportunistic type, though this didn't remove the possibility of him being both.) I like to think that I can differentiate between Eul-tae's mock concern and his more genuine emotion. And yet, I can't really understand what emotion that ruled him whenever he interacted with Hwal, Det. Kwon, or for that matter, Do-yun.

I have a feeling that he genuinely wanted his own family, or at least people he can fully trust who would always prioritize him and accept him no matter what. And that heavily colored his interaction with the reincarnation of his past family. He seemed torn between wanting acknowledgment or acceptance from det. Kwon and itching to torture him for abandoning him all those reincarnations ago. He was clearly incensed that even now when he and Hwal are in the same state of "disgrace" living as Bulgasals, Hwal is still the one with precious human connection while he stays alone despite his wealth and power. I wonder if he somehow saw himself reflected in Do-yun and his brother's childhood: a sickly child left all alone to fend for themselves in a cruel world, and if that spurred a more genuine feelings between him and Do-yun even years later. The problem with Eul-tae is that, no matter how much he might care or wanted to care about someone, his instinct to kill the moment problems arose is much too ingrained in his brain that I don't think he is capable of making any other decision than what he chose 1.000 years ago.

Question for future eps:
- Is Eul-tae the one who spread the false rumor that started the misnomer of Bulgasal as the king of monsters then? Though the woman Bulgasal witnessing past Hwal's murder still didn't explain the cursed hole on Eul-tae's body, or why the Bulgasal bothered to take retribution on that action unless there is a connection already between her and past Hwal.

- It's interesting that det. Kwon from 1000 years ago had a decidedly different personality and moral compass than the one we know now, which was interesting. Because as we've seen from the countless reincarnation we've met, people don't really change that much no matter...

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... people don't really change that much no matter how many times they were reborn. So at what point could someone manifest a different trait? Or with what kind of trigger that could happen?

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"...det Kwon from 1000 years ago had a decidedly different personality and moral compass than the one we know now, which was interesting." I'm still not sure about that scene. He does not appear in a positive light, that's true, but we do not have the full context. And it is a memory of Eul-tae, so there is the question of reliability. I guess we'll have to wait for more revelations.

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I have a weird relation with this show. I do like the idea that what the show wants to be but I dont like what they are :) It is a great story , impressive first week . It was quite bland after that . Revelations were not surprising. I have already guessed what was coming from the beginning .I feel editing choices are not spot on. The leads are not enough to carry the drama either . I ll still keep watching tough :) My kind of story .

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This week had some reveals except they weren’t big because many already guessed that Do-yoon was A-chan and Eul-tae killed Hwal’s family. The biggest shocker this week was that the Detective was Eul-tae’s dad 1000 years ago. If it wasn’t for the painting, I’d think Hwal was the brother that Eul-tae killed. Hwal was the General’s beloved son, after all. But the painting …

I thought the scene where Eul-tae stabbed Do-yoon was good but it was a letdown when the others showed up. It should have been gut wrenching, history repeating itself, but this week was really the first where Do-yoon had any significant interaction with Hwal, so I found it underwhelming.

Am I missing something? The Detective’s sister was one of the reincarnations that Eul-tae killed, right? This happened in 1975 but the fire at that one reincarnation’s home happened 50 years ago. Two reincarnations existed at the same time? How? Or am I misunderstanding something.

My favorite moment this week was when Eul-tae told Do-yoon his brother was dead. Lee Joon’s line delivery cracked me up.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe the person who writes Eul-tae’s scenes writes the rest of the show, but Lee Joon did say he was the only actor to ad-lib some of his lines. I wouldn’t even say the writing for Eul-tae is that good, Lee Joon just makes the scenes more interesting with his line delivery and expressions. Unfortunately, Kwon Nara hasn’t been able to elevate the material, but I can’t even blame her. Sang-eon is just there to stare and be put in danger. I’m honestly angry at the writing for her, and for Sang-eon and Hwal together. It makes no sense, and the constant staring grinds the drama to a halt.

Gong Seung-yeon isn’t faring much better. Si-ho is more interesting than Sang-eon, but she’s the most underutilized character. The female characters deserve better.

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I don't think that the detective's sister was one of the reincarnations, I think that she was just a collateral victim when Bulgasal killed their psychotic monster father. She already looked weak since she was an abused child, maybe the spontaneous bleeding itself killed her.

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That makes sense. I was confused because the monster dad seemed focused on her and said he could smell her.

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Hm who knows, maybe I missed something.

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I think my favorite scene this week was when Hwal asked Sang Eon when they barely escaped from somewhere and got in the car: "Why are you in such a good mood?" For a moment, I seriously thought that she will say "'Cause I'm a real Candy!" :')))))))))
On another note, can someone please explain to me what exactly makes a person THAT PERSON, if their soul moved to another body? Isn't the soul essential to the immaterial part of the being? That is, what I really don't understand is how do the personality and memories stay in the body when the soul goes away? I find that part a bit tricky to grasp.

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I don't really believe the romance, but I'm liking the rest of the drama. Lee Joon is giving me lots of sensuality, I don't know if it is on purpose, but he is doing a great job.

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This show is lacking a good romance. The rest of the story and intrigue is pretty good otherwise.

I'm not even sure at this point if there is a OTP in this show because Hwal and Sang-eon have zero chemistry. Even the random hand-holding cutesy scenes are... completely devoid of feeling.

It is weird, because Hwal and Si-ho (past life and this life) and even Hwal and Kwon Nara-as-red-Bulgalsal have an angsty vibe, but everytime the show puts Hwal and Sang-eon together, I reach for the fast forward button.

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I do fast forward the scenes of Hwal and Sang-eon together, as well. This story does not need a romance, but if there must be, i think the better story would have been with Si-ho. It would be tragic, yes.. but still believable.

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I think the problem is how they wrote Sang-eon, they have made her a candy in a drama that doesn't need it. Her character is strangely out of place. It is why she works better as red Bulgasal and not this smiley out of place character.

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Sang-eon is hilariously helpless. Towards the ending where she was confronted by the murderous archer, I was mentally screaming "run girl, you ain't a Bulgalsal no more!!!."

But of course she needed to be a deer in the headlights and be rescued by Hwal.

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The scene with the archer is when I finally thew in the towel with her. She offered herself up as a sacrifice again and had to be rescued again all with the same wide-eyed expression she has 99 percent of the time. She's one of the biggest candy's I've seen in awhile.

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They need to give us more Bulgasal Nara and less human Nara.

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However, I think there can be more for this character. But maybe it was forgotten along the way by the writers ??
In the 3rd episode, when she was chased by a monster near the factory, she was pushed on the ground. There was a flash of light and, there was like an ellipse of her conscience with memories from a past life (view of an underground tunnel where Hwal was ?).. then when the flashback stop, we see her standing, the knife's monster in the hand, and the monster was on the ground, cover with blood and bruises.. She was alone. It seems like she was possessed by the abilities of Hwal's soul? Or maybe her body remembered her own past fighting abilities?
I don't like the way her actual past (living in hidding, learning to survive by her own) can't show in her personnality. She was more interesting in the first episodes...

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Yeah, I agree that the problem lies more with the writing than the acting. It just amazes me how they forgot to write a good characterisation for the female lead! The fact that she had a Bulgasal past makes her Candy-iteration in the present all the more frustrating. Maybe they were too busy building up the fantasy? The story is so Hwal and Black Hole-centered, that I'm scratching my head about what they plan to do with Sang-eon as a character.

I think another issue is that this story is so rooted in the past that the present relationships take a back seat. Hwal and Si-ho had a great back story, but they aren't giving us reasons why we should root for Hwal and Sang-eon.

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Hwal and Sang-eon have zero chemistry IMO. I ship Lee Joon with pretty much everyone he's shared scenes with lol.

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Yes, lol, this is me.

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@kafiyah-bello I also am not sold on the romance between the leads. I would that be omitted all together.

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I agree, it should be omitted or they should have written the characters in a way that makes the romance make sense.

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What I don't understand is why Kwon Nara is the lead and not Gong Seung-yeon. Why did GSY agree to be just a side character? I am not a fan of both but when I started watching kdramas, GSY is already playing FL roles and Kwon Nara only got noticed in IC, I think.

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Maybe Kwon Nara is more famous now? Since she was in hit dramas, My Mister, Doctor Prisoner (She won KBS best new actress) and FL in Royal Secret Agent...
But it doesn't matter, I never liked her acting.

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Lol. People try to bash Kwon Nara so hard. I am not so fan of her. But being always cheerful and weird is her role. I know GSY is great actress but she didn't have many hits like Kwon Nara. Not to mention she was already nominated Baeksang twice(search it) despite being an idol. Currently I am watching but I cannot find GSY is better than KN. Both of them are pretty simple characters. Not badass

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Kwon Nara was nominated twice for Baeksang Award as best new actress in her appearances in My Ajhussi and Itaewon Class and nominated for many other awards. I think, in Bulgasal, she was handed in a "candy" character (either intended so by writers or by the director), and so she worked with what she had. Her acting as an anguished Bulgasal during Goryeo/Joseon era is a lot more imprinted in my mind than Sang-eon of the present. I don't think she was given a lot of freedom to interpret her present-day character but who knows.

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Ummm, I disagree. Nara was chosen as the main female lead because she earned it and deserves it. That’s just how it is. GSY only had more scenes on the first episode and that was it.

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Well. U can underestimate her. Because GSY won Blue dragon award just recently. But if u look carefully their filmography, Kwon Nara had more hits under her belt even though she isn't super great actress. But she has potential. In IC she played totally opposite character and Royal Secret agent she tried comic role. She has range bro. Just admit. Don't ignore. She achieved that level because of hard work

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I agree she has range. I mean, her Bulgasal is definitely not Sang-eon. She plays two different characters and I totally see two different people. My only complain about her acting is she does not look fearful enough. Not when Hwal choked her or when Eul-tae tried to stab her to death. Her candy-ness is fine to me. I watched too many k-dramas to accept it as it is.

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Most probably I was too captivated by how gorgeous she looks in her Bulgasal persona. If she and Hwal were the original Bulgasals from eons ago (as speculated by some people), I would say they make a very striking couple.

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Newbie here, delighted to be onboard. Want to thank Miss Victrix for the awesome recap! I, to am a bit confused about whether Ok Eul-tae's brother 1,000 years ago, was Hwal--it was hard to see his face. Was also mystified by who was standing beside Kim Hwa-Yeon/Bulgasal as that attack unfolded. It didn't show that person's face either? Anway I continue to impressed by the many intricate layers of Ok Eul-tae's personality, as revealed by Lee Joon...<3

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Hwal thinks that past characters have the same traits/personality as they do in the present. So following his way of thinking, I could see that with Sang Eon being so selfless and wanting to help others is a bit of a match to her past action of saving the lil boy Hwal.

On the other hand, the concept of reincarnation is still murky to me and how this drama is using it. I think the present characters should have some changes about their traits due to their environment, family setting, time period, or other factors.

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@missvictrix Thank you for another recap! I really couldn't understand why Eul-tae decided that stabbing Do-yoon was his best option. Hwal was already aware of the possibility that he was responsible for the death of his family. What difference would it have made if Do-yoon knew as well? Also, I didn't get the impression that Do-yoon believed what the monster told him.

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If Hwal was told that by someone else, coming from a person close to Eul-tae, he would believe it to be true. He could not take that chance.

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Hi @lixie. I understand what you mean.

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The dramatic twist was nice. The pace is still too slow and repetitive. How many times will they get kidnapped so Hwal can save them? Who hasn't been kidnapped yet?

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I rewatched episode 1 where grown up Hwal was having a dream and it clearly showed Sang sun stabbing Hwal in the hand with a knife. That’s how he got that scar! He is definitely an important figure in this huge mystery surrounding them 2, and he most definitely has a connection to Sang sun in his previous life, but not sure how far back

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@sirena and I also re-watched episode one and made note of many important things, including the dream sequence and the wound to the hand. I am really interested in knowing Hwal's true role in all of this.

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As @peridot mentioned, watching the episodes for a second time I've noticed hints that I definitely missed the first time.

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The slow paced in every past scenes were really nice and drew me into the story rather than the present time in some scenes. This week Ok-Eultae's 1000 years ago story was the highlight of the ep. I didn't see it coming. Good job! Lee Joon still keeps surprising me with his wide range of acting.

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I think Hwal and SE are both bulgasals 1000yrs ago (couple) and ET wants the power(hes a weakling) so he steals hwals by stabbing him in the heart and hwal took ET soul. Then SE curses ET with that black hole thing. Hwals gets reincarnated again and again and is killed by ET most of the time including the family which is ET's original family (father,si ho, do yun) since SE cant stop ET, she took hwals soul so that hwal can defeat ET ( or could defend himself from ET or maybe it was his last reincarnation i dunnoooo!!😂). ET cant kill both of the bulgasals because he was just a copycat thats why he needs hwal to kill SE. hahaha my geezz i hope im right and that hwal and SE could have a happpy ending 😅

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I signed on for a happy ending, but don't think we're going to get it. There were some little provocative hints dropped in Ep 11 that just seemed to indicate that

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