Gu Family Book ep 13 & 14 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

Here we go another couple of reviews...

Recap: 

• Papa G is awake & probably grouchy, even though he had a long nap.

• Seo Hwa, all grown up, is back, & looks to be the head of the Japanese merchants, although at this point, in my watching, it was just my suspicion that it's Seo Hwa.

{{aka Kang Chi's mom, you know the one who tried to kill him as a baby & then abandoned him...or did she?!?!}}

• Kang Chi is going to continue his training, w Yeo Wool AND Gon. How many beans are in the bag? {{If you guess correctly you get a gift cert for more beans.}} >.< {{Not really.}}

• Cheong Jo is no longer innocent, she's off to be a real Gisaeng. And she doesn't deserve Kang Chi, just my humble opinion. But she's human so imperfect by definition.

• Tae Seo is an idiot & a betrayer. But sigh he's human, so he's imperfect by definition, like his sister.

Brother & sister strike me as just completely clueless, mildly selfish & naive.  But then as they are nobility & therefore have been sheltered from real suffering their entire lives up to this point I guess I should cut them slack.  But I have to say as they are supposedly the good guys & are supposed to be of noble birth that they would have more class & dignity when facing their challenges.  But again maybe I just expect too much form them.  What do you guys think?  Did the wonder twins bug you too?

• Gon still loves Yeo Wool, quietly & from afar. But he's starting to thaw out to Kang Chi. Thank goodness I didn't want to hate him.

• Jo Kwan Woong has figured out who Kang Chi is & who his parents were/are.

•  And the good guys are a lot like the Scoobies.    {{at least to me they are}}

In this episode not a lot happens & yet a lot happens, does that make sense? Sigh... how to figure it all out. 

Hmmm... Once Papa G awakens he starts on a killing spree, stealing souls of the innocent to ... {{What do I call it? Regenerate? Recharge? Build strength?}}...  anyway people are dropping like flies, & he leaves behind a string of grayed out, mummy looking corpses.  But his killing spree is also affecting Kang Chi, who is the only one who can sense something is "disturbing the force", so to speak.  {{Come on I had to go there!}} And as a result people are starting to lay the blame for the deaths at his, KC's, feet as these are definitely not what you could call, 'natural' deaths. But in particular the other trainees at the academy are getting upset with him & as a result he is being ostracized more & more.  They're kind of bullying him, which ticked me off to no end.

Gon & Tae Seo know what Kang Chi is doing, when he disappears at night, but he swears them to secrecy.  Alas Gon, who crushes on Yeo Wool, spills the beans when she confronts him.  *giggle poor Gon*  They still keep his nightly protection & searching of the forest, for whatever evil force it is he is sensing, a secret from the rest of the trainees, which is lame in my opinion but whatevs.   Master Jook Dal is on Kang Chi's side though & that made me happy, cos I adore Master Jook Dal.  Who calls out the trainees by telling them until they bring definitive proof of Kang Chi killing people they need to leave him alone.  Technically he said bring me proof & I'll kick him out but the other is automatically implied.

Meanwhile Tae Seo is asked by Master Dam & by the Admiral to be their spy, for a change, to JKW.  He makes this announcement & Kang Chi protests & all I could think is really?!?!  You are a far better person than I am, if someone I had thought of as a brother had tried to kill me & had betrayed me, I would have a hard time forgiving & forgetting.  But then Kang Chi is a sweet, loving soul.  Obviously I am not, oh well.

I have to say that whole ominous music, light & scary music playing when we finally get to see Papa G is pretty awesome.  A little trite but I loved it nonetheless.  And in reference to Papa G (as the Gumiho part of him & of Kang Chi for that matter) I do have one question that throughout the series has bugged me.  At this point they start using it more & more & so I have to ask...  Is it a "lost in translation" thing that I am confused by their usage of the phrase, "Divine Creature" when referring to Papa G & Kang Chi & then turn around & call them a "Monster"?  This is just one of those things that kind of made me raise my quizzical eyebrow.  In my brain a "Divine Creature" is someone you revere & are in awe of certainly, but you don't really fear them.  Okay, maybe you fear their judgement of your soul, but you don't fear that they'll kill you & you certainly don't treat them as monsters.  They're "Divine", which to me translates as Heavenly or godlike.  IDK if this is all in my own weird brain, or it's lost in translation because there just isn't a word close enough, other than 'Divine', to what they were saying in Korean.  But I am curious & perplexed by the juxtaposition of Divine Creature vs Monster when talking about the same character(s).  Maybe it's just me.

Now I will admit that once Cheong Jo decides to become a gisaeng, a performing gisaeng no less, the Drum Dance is sincerely so beautiful to watch, I actually had a little more respect for her.  She finally is starting to wake up to her situation & realizes that nothing can be done, she's starting to show regret for her fear of Kang Chi.  Now she still has a ways to go as she still wants Kang Chi for herself, selfishly.  Rather than wanting him to be with the one will love him unselfishly the best.  Watching her prep for her gisaeng registration/becoming the Flower Giseang was interesting, so much work goes into beautifying her.  And I really did LOVE watching her usurp the role of "Flower Gisaeng" for the Lantern Festival, not to mention the specialized training from Head Gisaeng to be able to perform the Drum Dance, from Wol Sun, aka 'little witch gisaeng'.

And it was so sweet when YW asked Kang Chi to meet her at the Lantern Festival so they could see it together.  She was so cute when she opened the box w the brand new pretty hanbok inside.  I got all misty & squee like for her.  There is nothing as exciting to a young girl than the first time she gets to dress up & feel pretty for the boy she likes.   Awwww....   And she waits for Kang Chi for a really long time all pretty while he goes off to see Cheong Jo's arrival as Flower Gisaeng at the 100 Year Inn, where the Japanese Merchants have requested a Drum Dance from Head Gisaeng.  Kang Chi's in shock at Cheong Jo's gisaeng appearance & kind of forgets about Yeo Wool.

Episode 14
In this episode we get to see the meeting that took place between Papa G & Monk more in depth.  Obviously if Kang Chi can sense something amiss w Papa G, even without knowing who he is, then Papa G can tell something is amiss w Kang Chi.  So he goes to the monk w the express purpose in finding out who & what Kang Chi is.  As he can also sense he isn't completely "Divine Creature" & he isn't completely human.  He seems confused, shocked, perplexed & all sorts of other emotions when Monk tells him that KC is his & Seo Hwa's son.  Not that I blame him...I'd be all of that & then some too.

So we go back to Japanese Merchants (SH & her peeps) at the 100 Year Inn, where Head Gisaeng is performing the Drum Dance, at the request of SH, something she hasn't done in 10 years.  I though & Cheong Jo thought Head Gisaeng did an amazing job but SH was unimpressed & found flaw, which ticked off CJ, who then launched into a tirade against her better.  Which enraged JKW & embarrassed Head Gisaeng.  But gave little witch gisaeng a smile.  *That little Witch!  I just so badly want to smack the smug off her!!*

Meanwhile, YW has just encountered KC, who didn't recognize her all pretty & girlie at first.  Awww so sweet.  I love the look of shock on his face.  I love that she smiles playfully at him when she realizes she's just wowed him into stunned silence.  {{Have any of you ever stunned the crush of your youth into stunned silence?  Sadly I never did.  I was an awkward little geek girl, who has morphed into an awkward geek woman.  *SMH sadly*  Just once I would like to be able to do that too.  Sigh.}}  They spend a good time wandering & enjoying & flirting & then {{dang it all to heck}} they bump into CJ, who then gets accosted by another Lantern Festival participant, who has had way too much to drink.  Of course KC, being the good  soul he is, he leaves the always capable YW at the festival & escorts CJ back to the gisaeng house.  Sigh...boys!  He does go back to YW, who has been waiting for what seems all night long for him & they get breakfast.  I LOVED Gon & Seong & Master Jook Dal's reaction to the knowledge that *GASP* YW & KC stayed out together ALL NIGHT LONG!  But even more I love that they protected her from her father.  

Before we get back tot he serious part of the episode I have to say how much I LOVED LOVED LOVED how Ma Bong Chul went from being KC's annoying little thug enemy to being his "Hyung".  Omo the wink & smile when he told KC that if he needed him to just call him over & he'd be there for him. And how he kept calling him Dongsaeng.  Oh I was crying I was laughing so hard, mostly at the look of revulsion on KC's face.  So awesome!!!  Who else was cracking up laughing?  Come on I know that some of you had to be dying w laughter.

Okay back to the serious parts.  Can I just say that Papa G evil is seriously so much sexier {{which I didn't think was possible}} than Papa G nice?!?!  Anybody else with me?  He stalks YW & KC through the lantern festival, he stalks KC at the academy & then he sends a message {{or is it an invitation to KC to get him to come out & play}} by killing one of the academy trainees & placing his body right next to the academy.  Then later the villagers try ganging up on KC but YW stands up for him as does his Hyung....giggle...Bong Chul.  Tae Seo finally goes back to JKW.  BUT before he goes Master Dam announces that when this is all over YW & TS will be getting married, which was always planned between their two fathers.  That YW needs to stop being a soldier & start learning to be a woman.  This is greeted w shock, well duh, but even TS is shocked at this announcement. & gives him the information he told him to get...false information...about what the silver was going to be spent on.  He gives them the real info but just enough to seem legit.  After the failed Drum Dance JKW ordered Head Gisaeng to go back to the Japanese Merchants & apologize for her performance but also for CJ speaking out of turn.  While there, SH, who does not yet confess as to who she really is, tells HG that she actually liked her performance & but needed HG to come to her, like she is doing so they could talk in private.  Which we have already seen it is her by the tattoo & the claw marks on her shoulders.

JKW visits the gisaeng house & delivers CJ's handmaid Gop Dan to CJ.  She says she'll be on his side BUT he has to get rid of all the other women, especially Wol Sun, at which point I said, out loud to my computer screen, "MERONG!"  Then she tells him, she plans to be the one to kill him as soon as she can.  And he believes her.  Back to YW & KC, he has been testing repeatedly her ability to help him control his monster w out the aid of his bracelet.  He doesn't understand how she does it but she does.  And finally ALL 4 masters for the Academy are revealed to the Admiral.  Gon, Jook Dal, Tae Seo (whom I assume took over for his dad) & Head Gisaeng.  I LIKED THAT PART.  I had my suspicions but wasn't sure they would give a woman, especially during Joseon time period, that kind of strength & power.

At the end YW goes to speak to KC but cannot find him.  He's gone tot see the monk since he saw Papa G in person that day & is worried.  She of course decides to go out looking for him & runs from & then into Papa G.  Just as Monk is informing KC that he needs to run.  I'm sorry make that RUN!  Because Papa G intends to kill him Oh & yeah he's your dad too.  RUN!!  Just as Papa G catches YW, she mentally reaches out to KC, who miraculously hears her inner cry for help & begins his run to her.

It was a really intense episode!  Hope you're still out there reading these reviews & for those that are, I really am so sorry that I am so far behind.   My family leaves town tomorrow & so I should be able to just start mass producing a couple of these reviews a day.  As soon as I post this one I will be getting out my notes for ep 15 & 16 & starting on that review as well. It probably won't be ready today as I have an appt this afternoon so I will have to stop in the middle of writing & get ready for that appt.  BUt I will get it up tomorrow morning.  Hope you have a great day.  Don't forget to check out Dongsaeng's Monday Morning Therapy.  It was great!  She shares 2NE1's newest MV/song.  Tell her what you thought.  And please feel free to talk about GFB even though it's been forever since it finished! ^_-

Saranghmanida,