Beanie friends, the following posts are with reference to the extended edition of My Dearest’s last episode, so in fact EP 21 extended.
This programme was aired on Thursday, 23 November, 2023 at 11:55 at night Korean time and was 1h38mn long. Therefore, it is roughly about 9 mn longer than the broadcast episode 21. Apparently the viewership rate was 17.6%! It clears up several loose ends and made timeline and development of the story way clearer, as the production team spent some extra time on better editing.
On the 23rd, MBC also posted on their YouTube channel several new video clips which roughly add up to these 9 minutes. They are under these addresses :
In the extended clip, at position 51’48 mn —Concubine Jo’s horrified and scared face at the discovery of King Injo’s death— there is a commercial break and then the drama continues with clip number one (47 sec long): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr3QvpU1g6w
Then the sequence moves over to Gil Chae’s apathy and deep mourning, sitting in her room, tears streaming down her face (as in EP 21). We hear the voice of Nam Yeon-jun. It is not yet clear if he is the author of the 사초 (sacho) report in question from EP 1, the one the newly appointed Jipyeong, 5th rank inspector 이립 (Yi Rip) is asked to examine by 헌영 (Heon Yeong), the scholar official (sadaebu 士大夫) in light rosé attire, probably a 3rd rank court official, who makes Yi Rip wait for several hours (until the sun is about to set), only then does he address him).
[ NOTE : A sacho is a preliminary record by a royal scribe, not to be included in the official records, and once these were written a 사초 would be destroyed.]
[ NOTE 2 : The «current time» of that part of EP 21 is also the Spring of 1659, i.e. around the time of King Hyojong’s passing (he died in May 1659 / lunar calendar, which is being used here) ; Hyojong being the former Prince Bongrim and brother of former Crown Prince Sohyeon, who also spent eight years in Qing captivity).
[ SPOILER ALERT : If you view this new clip and then go back to the initial scenes from EP 1, you will spot the connection apart from the words …. ]
In the VoiceOver in EP 21 —while we see Gil Chae’s grief— Nam Yeon-jun says : That winter, many people, whose lives were often filled with laughter and tears, died. I ranted about creating a world filled with courtesy and loyalty. But what was I able to protect? He continues (and the viewer sees him standing in a room, that may be some years later, so the «current time» of Spring 1659) : What is the Joseon that I protected like? After all this time, the only thing that I have left, is the sound of their laughter, which I will never get to hear again.
The next sequence of scenes moves to the grey-haired Ryan-eum in the dungeon of the Hyeminseo with tears in his eyes, being questioned by Inspector Yi Rip, who snuffs : Do you expect me to believe that ? Everything that the captives, Lee Jang Hyeon, the late Crown Prince, and Thief Kang, the Crown Princess, did together? Ryan-eum replies : It is all true. So please tell me now. What happened to Lee Yang Hyeon?
At this point, clip number two is inserted (1’57 mn long) ; in the extended version at position 53’45 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hd0_npLcak. This is probably the most important of the four clips for understanding all the plot developments.
(1) We see how Ryan-eum is freed from the prison, having been told by Inspector Yi Rip that Lee Jang Hyeon perished; (2) Yi Rip has a conversation with sadaebu Heon Yeong ; and (3) sadaebu Hoen Yeong having a flashback memory on the information from a conversation between King Hyjong and Kim Ja-jeon, whom Hyjong instructs to keep Ryan-eum alive but in prison (Kim Ja-jeon was chief state counsellor from 1645 to 1650, Prince Bongrim became King in May/June 1649, and ruled for 10 years). So this conversation will have taken place some time after May/June 1649.
Then immediately follows clip number three (2’12 mn long) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_I_vzQ6rM
This is an extended conversation between the two court officials, so I believe this is clearly shortly after Hyjong’s death, June 1659 ; it starts with Yi Rip’s question, who then wrote the 사초 (sacho). With flashbacks on Nam Yeon-jun writing …
Secondly, the former Qing captive, now a Yangban herself, writes to Lady Yoo (Gil Chae), that Ryan-eum (the only know male survivor from that massacre on the beach) was released from prison (a survivor presumably because Jang Hyeon had knocked him unconscious). (The boy in front of her is about 6/7 years old, I would say, which in my book fits the timeline approximately correctly).
[ NOTE : I have not translated this part properly yet (nor the text on the screen), but there are several very meaningful historic-political references in the conversation between the two court officials, in this clip and also some in the previous one. ]
[ NOTE 2 : This letter to Gil-Chae becomes then, I believe, the prompt for her to look for the presumed murderer of her husband, Nam Yeon-jun, and that man’s wife, her best friend, to return to their home, and find him in the process of hanging himself. ] Now this part, which was very abrupt in EP 21, makes sense.
However, before THIS happens, the production team has included clip number four (length of 3’26 mn) into the drama : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U001SoF0_8Q
This beautiful sequence between Gil-Chae and Ryan-eum (in memory of their lover) gives a resolution to their relationship as well, which had been left open because Ryan-eum had disappeared somewhat after being spotted by the viewer in the Hyeminseo. Again, a token and symbol repeatedly representing Jang-Hyun is emphasised here : the fan.
Only at that point the story continues as depicted in EP 21.
Apparently, so @kodra told me, there is some change in the last speech of Jang Hyeon (on the beach with Gil Chae), but I have not compared that as yet.
I will post a wetransfer link to download this extended episode; this link will be available for a week. I shall send an additional notification to all the ones who might want to watch this version in its entirety and want to download it FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. It is not clear, if Kocowa or Viki will pick up this extra episode. Therefore I found a way to have it as it was broadcast in Korea yesterday.
The title of that episode was : 연인 최종회 확장판 — which (apparently) simply means «Yeon-in Final Episode Extended Edition».
You doing this is so cool!
I haven’t been following that show, but how about posting links for these things under the recap of the final – in that way, people who are watching the show later can find it. (Could be me, could be someone else).
I could also be an idea for the link collection under the recaps, but that would involve the admins, and I don’t know how you contact them.
Thank you so much, it makes so much more sense now.
Viewership rate was 17.6%? That is truly incredible, surpased the weekender ratings, which is something very dificult to achieve with so many shows and platforms.
My pleasure. I have to doublecheck that figure again, but that’s what I saw on a Naver site … Also, my Sonix AI transcription and then Google translation gave my quite an amount of gobbledygook, so I need to check the references there again, and come up with a better translation.
It’s the weekend, so maybe tomorrow, after cleaning I’ll do some more work on the computer … Also my comment on the boy, thinking about it again, is not quite correct. He needs to be older, more like 10 or 11 … And the letter to Gil Chae was talking about Jang Hyeon, that she had heard something from her brother (that sadaebu) about «community leader Lee» …
Also, I had started to put all Korean srt (and English in parallel) in an Excel, and then separate out the scenes ; I am quite some way down that path for EP 16. Ultimately I want to see, if I find @sicarius‘ criticisms justified or not. But I can only do that, once I have laid out the whole show. Also, @wonhwa‘s summarising analysis (recap EP 20/21) was well thought out, I found. Want to doublecheck that too.
You know, @kodra, one more thing this quality show is teaching me : wanting to truly understand the Korean broadcasting scene … How come South Korea can churn out so many shows, and most of them quality, some extremely high quality ? It appears to me to be a unique proposition in today’s world, across the globe. C- and J-drama I presume are NOT on that level… so how come? These anniversary sageuks (like Goryeo-Khitan War) seem to be in that vein for sure.
I am still amazed by it all, it’s a well oilled machine. Just think about having to film a 100 minute episode in a week! In that time frame, the original episode was still great and I don’t think that in many countries that level can be achieved. I remember reading a comment one chinese actor made (Chen Kun) a few years ago about how the chinese population is so much bigger than SK and of course it has more talent than them. And I beg to differ, in my opinion SK people have a diferrent soul that cannot be taught or imitated and it pours in almost all the shows I see.
Yes, I completely agree … from my initial fascination for the «otherness» of that Korean world, I am moving swiftly to an admiration of aspects of profoundness of that Korean world (as in world culture profoundness). It is an absolutely unique mix for such an almost peanut sized country (well a bit exaggerated, but you know what I mean … )
Oh, and this context : when in EP 21 Jang Cheol talks about family, society, values etc. etc. (in comparison to the Barbarians he wanted to keep at bay) I find that very, very telling — also for today’s world and Korean reality. This emphasis on family is extraordinary and a Neoconfucian heritage (with both aspects, good and useless ones). To my knowledge, no other world society has kept it that way …
I’d love to hear what you think are the good aspects of Neoconfucianism – and I’m not being sarcastic, I know almost nothing of it except through the distorted lens of Korean dramas, and from that viewpoint it looks like an unmitigated disaster as a set of organizing principles and a source of misery from its inception to modern times. In my *personal* view, most of its precepts are not only useless but also immoral and wrongheaded, but that’s a matter of individual opinion/belief.
@elinor, I only know little about it as yet ; I am working myself into the topic — starting with the Confucian part of it … any belief system (be it societal or spiritual) started off from a very valid point, attempting to change distortions in the world. For now I am assuming that was also so for (Neo)Confucianism, and what I know so far, that is the case. Let’s talk about this (huge) topic in more detail when I get a way more thorough understanding than I have at present. Does that work for you?
@angelshadows50
THANK YOU so much for your detailed explanations! It looks like the extended episode is now on Viki with subs – I checked the first couple of added clips, and the episode length has changed to 1:38. Your descriptions make both the added scenes and the episode overall so much clearer. Fantastic work!
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 3:40 AM
Beanie friends, the following posts are with reference to the extended edition of My Dearest’s last episode, so in fact EP 21 extended.
This programme was aired on Thursday, 23 November, 2023 at 11:55 at night Korean time and was 1h38mn long. Therefore, it is roughly about 9 mn longer than the broadcast episode 21. Apparently the viewership rate was 17.6%! It clears up several loose ends and made timeline and development of the story way clearer, as the production team spent some extra time on better editing.
On the 23rd, MBC also posted on their YouTube channel several new video clips which roughly add up to these 9 minutes. They are under these addresses :
In the extended clip, at position 51’48 mn —Concubine Jo’s horrified and scared face at the discovery of King Injo’s death— there is a commercial break and then the drama continues with clip number one (47 sec long): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr3QvpU1g6w
Then the sequence moves over to Gil Chae’s apathy and deep mourning, sitting in her room, tears streaming down her face (as in EP 21). We hear the voice of Nam Yeon-jun. It is not yet clear if he is the author of the 사초 (sacho) report in question from EP 1, the one the newly appointed Jipyeong, 5th rank inspector 이립 (Yi Rip) is asked to examine by 헌영 (Heon Yeong), the scholar official (sadaebu 士大夫) in light rosé attire, probably a 3rd rank court official, who makes Yi Rip wait for several hours (until the sun is about to set), only then does he address him).
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 3:41 AM
[ NOTE : A sacho is a preliminary record by a royal scribe, not to be included in the official records, and once these were written a 사초 would be destroyed.]
[ NOTE 2 : The «current time» of that part of EP 21 is also the Spring of 1659, i.e. around the time of King Hyojong’s passing (he died in May 1659 / lunar calendar, which is being used here) ; Hyojong being the former Prince Bongrim and brother of former Crown Prince Sohyeon, who also spent eight years in Qing captivity).
[ SPOILER ALERT : If you view this new clip and then go back to the initial scenes from EP 1, you will spot the connection apart from the words …. ]
In the VoiceOver in EP 21 —while we see Gil Chae’s grief— Nam Yeon-jun says : That winter, many people, whose lives were often filled with laughter and tears, died. I ranted about creating a world filled with courtesy and loyalty. But what was I able to protect? He continues (and the viewer sees him standing in a room, that may be some years later, so the «current time» of Spring 1659) : What is the Joseon that I protected like? After all this time, the only thing that I have left, is the sound of their laughter, which I will never get to hear again.
The next sequence of scenes moves to the grey-haired Ryan-eum in the dungeon of the Hyeminseo with tears in his eyes, being questioned by Inspector Yi Rip, who snuffs : Do you expect me to believe that ? Everything that the captives, Lee Jang Hyeon, the late Crown Prince, and Thief Kang, the Crown Princess, did together? Ryan-eum replies : It is all true. So please tell me now. What happened to Lee Yang Hyeon?
At this point, clip number two is inserted (1’57 mn long) ; in the extended version at position 53’45 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hd0_npLcak. This is probably the most important of the four clips for understanding all the plot developments.
(1) We see how Ryan-eum is freed from the prison, having been told by Inspector Yi Rip that Lee Jang Hyeon perished; (2) Yi Rip has a conversation with sadaebu Heon Yeong ; and (3) sadaebu Hoen Yeong having a flashback memory on the information from a conversation between King Hyjong and Kim Ja-jeon, whom Hyjong instructs to keep Ryan-eum alive but in prison (Kim Ja-jeon was chief state counsellor from 1645 to 1650, Prince Bongrim became King in May/June 1649, and ruled for 10 years). So this conversation will have taken place some time after May/June 1649.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 3:42 AM
Then immediately follows clip number three (2’12 mn long) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_I_vzQ6rM
This is an extended conversation between the two court officials, so I believe this is clearly shortly after Hyjong’s death, June 1659 ; it starts with Yi Rip’s question, who then wrote the 사초 (sacho). With flashbacks on Nam Yeon-jun writing …
Secondly, the former Qing captive, now a Yangban herself, writes to Lady Yoo (Gil Chae), that Ryan-eum (the only know male survivor from that massacre on the beach) was released from prison (a survivor presumably because Jang Hyeon had knocked him unconscious). (The boy in front of her is about 6/7 years old, I would say, which in my book fits the timeline approximately correctly).
[ NOTE : I have not translated this part properly yet (nor the text on the screen), but there are several very meaningful historic-political references in the conversation between the two court officials, in this clip and also some in the previous one. ]
[ NOTE 2 : This letter to Gil-Chae becomes then, I believe, the prompt for her to look for the presumed murderer of her husband, Nam Yeon-jun, and that man’s wife, her best friend, to return to their home, and find him in the process of hanging himself. ] Now this part, which was very abrupt in EP 21, makes sense.
However, before THIS happens, the production team has included clip number four (length of 3’26 mn) into the drama :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U001SoF0_8Q
This beautiful sequence between Gil-Chae and Ryan-eum (in memory of their lover) gives a resolution to their relationship as well, which had been left open because Ryan-eum had disappeared somewhat after being spotted by the viewer in the Hyeminseo. Again, a token and symbol repeatedly representing Jang-Hyun is emphasised here : the fan.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 3:42 AM
Only at that point the story continues as depicted in EP 21.
Apparently, so @kodra told me, there is some change in the last speech of Jang Hyeon (on the beach with Gil Chae), but I have not compared that as yet.
I will post a wetransfer link to download this extended episode; this link will be available for a week. I shall send an additional notification to all the ones who might want to watch this version in its entirety and want to download it FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. It is not clear, if Kocowa or Viki will pick up this extra episode. Therefore I found a way to have it as it was broadcast in Korea yesterday.
The title of that episode was : 연인 최종회 확장판 — which (apparently) simply means «Yeon-in Final Episode Extended Edition».
DK-Drama 🫘🏆Image of drama FL Character Deterioration🚺🍉🌱
November 24, 2023 at 6:03 AM
You doing this is so cool!
I haven’t been following that show, but how about posting links for these things under the recap of the final – in that way, people who are watching the show later can find it. (Could be me, could be someone else).
I could also be an idea for the link collection under the recaps, but that would involve the admins, and I don’t know how you contact them.
Kodra aka Qanon something
November 24, 2023 at 8:12 AM
Thank you so much, it makes so much more sense now.
Viewership rate was 17.6%? That is truly incredible, surpased the weekender ratings, which is something very dificult to achieve with so many shows and platforms.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 8:20 AM
My pleasure. I have to doublecheck that figure again, but that’s what I saw on a Naver site … Also, my Sonix AI transcription and then Google translation gave my quite an amount of gobbledygook, so I need to check the references there again, and come up with a better translation.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 8:24 AM
It’s the weekend, so maybe tomorrow, after cleaning I’ll do some more work on the computer … Also my comment on the boy, thinking about it again, is not quite correct. He needs to be older, more like 10 or 11 … And the letter to Gil Chae was talking about Jang Hyeon, that she had heard something from her brother (that sadaebu) about «community leader Lee» …
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 8:42 AM
Also, I had started to put all Korean srt (and English in parallel) in an Excel, and then separate out the scenes ; I am quite some way down that path for EP 16. Ultimately I want to see, if I find @sicarius‘ criticisms justified or not. But I can only do that, once I have laid out the whole show. Also, @wonhwa‘s summarising analysis (recap EP 20/21) was well thought out, I found. Want to doublecheck that too.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 9:10 AM
You know, @kodra, one more thing this quality show is teaching me : wanting to truly understand the Korean broadcasting scene … How come South Korea can churn out so many shows, and most of them quality, some extremely high quality ? It appears to me to be a unique proposition in today’s world, across the globe. C- and J-drama I presume are NOT on that level… so how come? These anniversary sageuks (like Goryeo-Khitan War) seem to be in that vein for sure.
Kodra aka Qanon something
November 24, 2023 at 10:08 AM
I am still amazed by it all, it’s a well oilled machine. Just think about having to film a 100 minute episode in a week! In that time frame, the original episode was still great and I don’t think that in many countries that level can be achieved. I remember reading a comment one chinese actor made (Chen Kun) a few years ago about how the chinese population is so much bigger than SK and of course it has more talent than them. And I beg to differ, in my opinion SK people have a diferrent soul that cannot be taught or imitated and it pours in almost all the shows I see.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 10:17 AM
Yes, I completely agree … from my initial fascination for the «otherness» of that Korean world, I am moving swiftly to an admiration of aspects of profoundness of that Korean world (as in world culture profoundness). It is an absolutely unique mix for such an almost peanut sized country (well a bit exaggerated, but you know what I mean … )
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 10:23 AM
Oh, and this context : when in EP 21 Jang Cheol talks about family, society, values etc. etc. (in comparison to the Barbarians he wanted to keep at bay) I find that very, very telling — also for today’s world and Korean reality. This emphasis on family is extraordinary and a Neoconfucian heritage (with both aspects, good and useless ones). To my knowledge, no other world society has kept it that way …
Elinor is trapped in the timeslip
November 24, 2023 at 11:15 AM
I’d love to hear what you think are the good aspects of Neoconfucianism – and I’m not being sarcastic, I know almost nothing of it except through the distorted lens of Korean dramas, and from that viewpoint it looks like an unmitigated disaster as a set of organizing principles and a source of misery from its inception to modern times. In my *personal* view, most of its precepts are not only useless but also immoral and wrongheaded, but that’s a matter of individual opinion/belief.
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 11:34 AM
@elinor, I only know little about it as yet ; I am working myself into the topic — starting with the Confucian part of it … any belief system (be it societal or spiritual) started off from a very valid point, attempting to change distortions in the world. For now I am assuming that was also so for (Neo)Confucianism, and what I know so far, that is the case. Let’s talk about this (huge) topic in more detail when I get a way more thorough understanding than I have at present. Does that work for you?
Elinor is trapped in the timeslip
November 24, 2023 at 9:06 AM
@angelshadows50
THANK YOU so much for your detailed explanations! It looks like the extended episode is now on Viki with subs – I checked the first couple of added clips, and the episode length has changed to 1:38. Your descriptions make both the added scenes and the episode overall so much clearer. Fantastic work!
angelshadows50
November 24, 2023 at 9:12 AM
Yeah, great !! Thanks for the info.
loveblossom🌸
November 24, 2023 at 11:04 AM
Thanks for the info!!
Snow Flower
November 24, 2023 at 5:39 PM
Thank you for this! I just finished Episode 20, so your notes on the extended scenes in the final episode will be very useful.