Official Posters for Scholar Who Walks the Night

It's drama poster time! New official posters have been released for upcoming vamp historical drama, Scholar Who Walks the Night. Check 'em out - hot off the presses!

Hey, hey, the gang's all here.

More Stills from Scholar Who Walks the Night

New stills from on set of Scholar Who Walks the Night have been released and they're worth checking out. In them, we get a sneak peek at our vampire/cross-dressing Joseon couple, played by Lee Joon Gi and Lee Yoo Bi (even their names are kinda cute when put together).

Kmuse Top 5 Kdrama Countdown - Most Memorable Fashion

Whether it is good or bad we all focus in on the wardrobes and style (hair & makeup) while watching a drama.  We discuss it with other kdrama enthusiasts ( I made the mistake of trying to explain the many male hairstyles and their significance to a non kdrama friend.  I received some very very weird looks, so now I usually just discuss with others who understand my obsession) and squee at mid-drama hairstyle changes.  So come join me as I countdown the good and the bad of drama fashion.  Also, as usual, feel free to let us know your favorites that I might have missed in the comments or topics for future top 5's.  We at TCA love hearing from the readers.

#5 The Night Watchman's Journal

Oh Night Watchman's Journal, you are as crazy with your fashion as you are with your plot line.  All in all we love you, but sometimes you just don't make sense.  This is the case with several characters (we will never forget the dream induced outfit that SiDam wore during the sacrificial ceremony in episode 1) but the one that drives me crazy is the Pocahontas themed mini skirt of our leading lady Do Ha.  Why?  Why are you going around with your midriff peaking out and your skirt high up your leg?  Even for a fusion Saguek it just does not make sense.  You might give the excuse, "Kmuse, it is the outfit of her tribe." to which I reply.............are you kidding me?  No one else (including her sister) was sporting that much leg so how could this be a traditional dress.  And why does it look like an outfit you would see a hostess at an Indian Casino Bar wearing?  And even though I was not a fan of the Pocahontas dress, I did not wish the ugly outfit she replaced it with.  Her pants and shirt combo are ill fitting and make her look kind of frumpy.  Not a look you really want your leading lady to have.  I guess we will have to leave it to Jung Il Woo to be the fashionista of the drama.

#4 Winter the Wind Blows

When I could take my attention away from Jo In Sung's beautiful face, my eye was caught by his extremely stylish wardrobe.  Full of textured sweaters, colorful coats, and my all time favorite use of suspenders, he brought an old world charm into a modern drama.

#3 Secret Garden

Anyone who has watched this drama, and even many of those that have not, probably know why Joo Won's wardrobe made it on to my memorable fashion list.  Unfortunately, it was not for good fashion, but for a series of truly horribly beaded tracksuits.  These clothes will be imprinted in your mind after watching the drama, and you will now understand the many inside jokes in other dramas (Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Greatest Love).  One of my favorite moments from the whole show was when the lead, Joo Won, found that his tracksuit was being used by the promoters of a hostess bar.  Truly a fun and ridiculous fashion.

#2 City Hunter

For a show about revenge, murder, and intrigue, there sure was a whole lot of fashion going on with the male lead.  Most of my time was spent ogling Lee Min Ho in his tight pink pants and those deep, deep, deep, V t-shirts.  What cracked me up the most was the fact that he wore this sexy chest showing clothing to work (the Blue House, no less) and even acted like all that naked chest was completely normal.  Why can't my workplace be like that......on second thought, I would hate to see most of the men I know showing more cleavage then me. 

#1 Lee Joon Gi

I have yet to see Lee Joon Gi look unfashionable in anything he has done.  Whether it is Sageuk (historical) or a modern drama, he makes his clothes his own and owns his style.  That is why Lee Joon Gi has earned his place on the most memorable fashion list.  If I had to pick my favorite it would have to be the many styles from his most recent drama "The Joseon Gunman".  While the drama itself lost some of its luster, Lee Joon Gi shined from start to finish in his suits and vigilante garb.

Honorable Mentions 

The following were also fashion that came to mind but just did not hit my top 5.  But since they are so distinctive I thought they deserved a quick mention.

Yoo Seung Ho's Mane of Glory

I consider Yoo Seung Ho to be one of the best actors (only 6 more months til he is out of military!) and always a memorable leader of fashion.  But one of his best features, is the fact that he can really rock the sageuk "mane of glory".  As the hot genius assassin in Warrior Baek Dong Soo or as the Jade Emperor (totally stole the show with his scenes) in Arang and the Magistrate, his hair was truly something to behold.  Let's hope that Yoo Seung Ho and his hair have a long career ahead of him upon his release.

Hotel King

Lee Da Hae was the queen of bringing high fashion to the small screen as her character Ah Mo-Ne worked her way through same crazy wardrobe changes.  I remember rolling my eyes at the start of the drama, but by the finale I was sad to see Mo Ne and her memorable style go.

This concludes my Fashion countdown.  Unfortunately there are so many looks that could be discussed but only a limited amount of time to blog.  I am also hoping to be doing another recap soon if any of the new dramas coming out tickle my fancy.  So be sure to check back soon.

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The Joseon Gunman Episodes 15 & 16 - Rioting and Regrets

Episode 15

I remember hearing somewhere that when people attempt suicide by jumping off bridges, it is not necessarily the drowning that kills you, but the impact on the water from such a high starting point.  In other words, the water impact is the same as hitting cement and then after the initial impact the body sinks into the water and you drown if you are already not dead.  Obviously this does not matter from the Korean cliff of death, where everyone (seriously I do mean everyone) somehow manages to survive regardless of previous injuries (such as gun or knife wounds), blood loss, or lack of swimming skills.  I am pretty sure that no one EVER dies from this cliff face.  You can add one more survivor to that list as Merchant Choi manages to escape deaths grasp by wearing a historic bullet proof vest, protecting his heart from the final gunshot fired by Yoon Kang.  Of course we will just ignore the other two bullet wounds, the blood loss, and the massive fall since they don't really count.  On one hand, YAY!  Merchant Choi is alive and has a chance for redemption or mayhem (fine with either).  But on the other, boo for the writers not jumping outside of the box and surprising us with a mid drama character death.  Sometimes I would really welcome the surprise. 

The slap of finality has occurred and Hye Won and Soo In's friendship is officially over.  This is no surprise to me the viewer. I think we saw the writing on the wall back when Hye Won oh so subtly told Soo In to back off her guy, although I am pretty sure that Soo In did not notice the warning signs.  So it comes as a huge shock when she gets slapped for not knowing/admitting where her boyfriend is when confronted by a distraught Hye Won.  What did she expect?  Tea and crumpets with her friend who's father just got murdered by her boyfriend due to revenge over the father killing boyfriends father?   Oh and let's not forget the attempted murder of Soo In's own father by said father Choi.  Let's just call this friendship DOA and move on with the fallout from the cliff.

Yoon Kang is starting to feel some regret over his murdering Merchant Choi moment.  Not sure if it was for the actual murder itself, or more for the need for the murder.  Either way the writers are starting to give us a less hot headed lead as he goes forth with a less shoot first and think later revenge plan for the Creepy Political Ahjussi.  He pretends to be Yamoto and goes to Creepy Ahjussi's house to get some recon on both the layout of his home as well as trying to see into CA's psyche.  I personally think that this scene was put in so the stylists could yet again give Lee Joon Gi another makeover (he even looks good in a pervestache.) Or the director wanted to bring back the terminator vibe as Merchant Choi goes all crazy eyed and wakes from his "coma" when he hears Yoon Kang's voice.  Either way, all the evil players in our political board game have finally met Yoon Kang so that is progress right?

Oh Vanilla Boy why are you just so, well, vanilla.  Even being put in charge of the cities militia does nothing for your sexy romantic lead level.  You are just the vanilla wafer of the combo pack, perfectly adequate, yet always picked last.  I did have one surprise regarding his storyline.  When Soo In found out who his father was she was actually pissed off and treated him poorly.  REALLY?  You are willing to be Besties Forever with Hye Won whose father is a known murderer (and attempted to kill your father), but you condemn Vanilla his parentage when all he has done is actually support you and your father, even when it puts him at odds from his own?  Lets work on our character consistency Soo In.

Soo In continues to be a burden when it comes to Yoon Kang's safety.  It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you want to find Yoon Kang then just follow an oblivious Soo In to his "secret" hideout.   This is exactly how Hye Won finds him........twice...........unfortunately just as I was starting to think that Hye Won is the perfectly developed character, the writers start to write her as a Bond Villain.  You know the kind, the one's that spend more time telling you they are going to kill you, then actually killing you.  I don't know if it is the extension curse coming into play or just the writers have run out of plot and need to drag things out, but two scenes with Hye Won staring crazy eyed and telling Yoon Kang why he needs to die was overkill.

Episode 16

I am sure that it will not come as a surprise that no one dies after episode 15's cliffhanger.  Lots of posturing, threats, and tears ensued ended in a stalemate, as Yoon Kang and Soo In escape after disarming the gun toting duo.  Although I would like to point out that if you are going to disarm your opponent, then don't leave the guns on the ground for them to recover. Smart villains would have picked up those guns quickly and shot the couple in the back.  However no one is accusing the 2nd in command gunman of being smart.  How many times has he been between by Yoon Kang so far?  At some point you would think he would be smart and take a step back when pointing a gun at our hero.

In despair over her failure in the revenge department, Hye Won raises her derringer (that she recovered from the ground where it had been thrown) and attempts to kill herself...........again......... this girl really is wanting to die over any failure. At the last moment her father, who of course is alive, stops her hand and tells her that even if he had died she must go on and be strong.  YAY the Choi's are reunited and are also united in their hatred of Yoon Kang.  Hye Won was just not pulling her weight as the big bad without the support of her father.

We finally begin to focus on the political aspects of the drama.  I am so happy since I feel that we have been going in circles for a while now.  The conservative faction lead by Creepy Political Ahjussi come together in a historical version of a frat initiation ceremony.  Their plan?  To displace the king and kill off the Queen and her family who were sprinkled strategically throughout the government.  An ambitious plan that actually is overshadowed by their need to put it in writing, not only in writing, but in a cute visually stunning way that is oh so fancy.  I was amused and thought it ended up looking kind of like a flower.  Hiding in the shadows, lurks Yoon Kang in his gunman garb (how did he get in there without anyone noticing?) and as soon as everyone leaves he confronts Creepy Ahjussi and steels the damning document.  

Yoon Kang quickly races it to the king, but it is too late as the conservatives start their rioting ahead of schedule and start butchering all the progressive leaders and queens family members.  Luckily the queen is smuggled outside of the palace thanks to the quick thinking of Yoon Kang and Soo In.  At least someone noticed the stupidity of escaping in a slow moving carrier, although escaping with a massive entourage in tow is still really dumb.  And could you have not thought of somewhere safer than a known relatives house?  Pick a random shack, is it more important to be comfortable or alive?

So here we stand.  Bad guys trying to kill the queen, Yoon Kang trying to use justice to imprison Creepy Political Ahjussi, Soo In and Vanilla boy being kind of pointlessly thrown into the action.  What will happen?  Will Vanilla lead become interesting?  Will Yoon Kang receive justice?  Will the plot start moving faster (luckily I have it on good authority that the next several episodes are exciting, so I have high hopes)? Stay tuned and check back soon for my next recap.
Kmuse

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The Joseon Gunman Episode 13 & 14 -Double Crossed and Death

Slowly but surely I am catching up with "The Joseon Gunman".  Political intrigues are heating up and everyone is shifting alliances trying to get one up in this horrible battle over power and enlightenment.  Who will win?  And who is going to end up being the visionary that will shape the face of Korean politics.  If nothing else it is a topic which is more engaging than how many times Soo In going to be either crying or need saving this week.

Episode 13

Do you know where your daughter is? I am pretty sure that Soo In's parents would have to answer this question in the negative.  Soo In sure seems to have a lot of free time to roam about with single men.  And she is still oh so boring, so at least for now we are going to skip the reunion and the mediocre kiss to go on to more important plot points.

Is it just me, or does Yoon Kang seem to constantly forget that his nemesis (Merchant Choi) has a bunch of gun toting minions at his disposal. This is the 2nd time that he acts like he is facing only one person and is caught in a trap by a 2nd (or more) gunman taking him out.  And why is there not more outside interest about all the gunshots going on in the merchants house. It is not like that is a common sound in that time period, or that it can be explained away as a car backfiring.  I think if i was a policeman looking for random gunman, I would follow the sound of guns.  

Yoon Kang manages to fight his way to victory and is finally able to confront his fathers killer.  However before he kills him Hye Won rushes between her father and Yoon Kang's gun.  Pleading for her fathers life, Hye Won tells Yoon Kang that her father will go confess to the police if he spares his life.  Yoon Kang being the softy he is (and might I add, extremely naive about politics) agrees and hands Merchant Choi off to the police.  But judging from the knowing looks being thrown right and left as he is brought in, our 2nd favorite gunman will not be incarcerated for long.

Sure enough he is taken from police custody and an arrest warrant is sent out for Park Yoon Kang.  Rolling my eyes at how totally lacking in street smarts our heroes/heroines are in thinking that everything was over.  Luckily Yoon Kang is able to think fast once he is incarcerated and devises a plan to get confessions from the lackeys that framed his father.  But in true idealistic annoying hero fashion he again underestimates his opponents.  Yada....yada....yada.... and in the end he is the one who is accused of high treason and sentenced to a speedy beheading.   

It always amazes me when they just expect the bad guys to admit their guilt, or even more unbelievable, that Hye Won would willingly condemn her father to death.  The looks of disbelief she received made me chuckle, because you were a twit if you thought she would turn on her dad for a man she is not even married to.  

Episode 14

We sure get a lot of jail cell hand holding scenes between this OTP (One True Pairing).  They can't seem to stay out of trouble and out of prison.  I am sure I should feel more emotions when watching them, but it was just not meant to be.  As a couple they continue to bore me and the Lee Joon Gi costar curse continues.  Why does such a sexy leading man have such a hard time really connecting in with his costars?  It is a kdrama mystery.

Super hot sword wielding mystery assassins are always a good addition when you need some excitement added into a plot.  While being taken to some mystery location to be beheaded (why was he being moved in the open roads anyway?) the guards are attacked by a band of unknown swordsmen dressed all in black.  I was always curious, why would you dress all in black during the middle of the day?  Isn't it slightly conspicuous?  I can understand the blending benefits of the clothing during nighttime, but during the day you just stick out as a band of bad guys or men on a revenge/secret mission.  Those are pretty much the only two options within a Saguek.

This time the dark clothed saviors were the good guys, led by the head guardsman and the king.  YAY! I like the king, even though he seems to be very ineffective in getting anything accomplished against his political foes.  He requests that Yoon Kang help him in stopping the people that framed his father and I begin to think that an alliance is in the making.  That is, until Yoon Kang throws it back into their faces asking them how he can trust them when he is the one sentenced to death and the man who murdered his father is let free with his pride intact.  Yoon Kang tells them to kill him now because otherwise he will simply go and kill the guilty party ASAP.   The king lets him leave with the words that "he will continue to try and avenge Yoon Kang's father, and that if Yoon Kang changes his mind, come find him at any time".  YAY, the alliance is probably back on once Yoon Kang learns some more life lessons!  Hopefully they will come quickly since I need my political intrigue fix.

A mysterious (that seems to be my word of the day in describing this episode) man arrives in Joseon asking for Hanjo/Yoon Kang.  When he is told by spunky maid that he has dies, it is interesting that he replies that Yoon Kang is not the type of person to perish so easily and if he shows up to tell him that his friend from Japan has arrived (loving this character already).  Catching sight of Yoon Kang sneaking back into his room, his friend (still nameless) admonishes him on his revenge plans that will only lead to more blood shed and more people looking for revenge.  Zen teacher then states that for things to change, the world must change.  We need to look at the big picture and not at our anger.  Yoon Kang is not any more receptive now than when being told similar things by the king.  He is done with forgiveness and is going to try doing things a different way.

Hye Won is just having a really really crappy week.  First she must betray the man she has feelings for to save her father (completely understandable), then when she finds out he is still alive and tries to apologize, Yoon Kang brutally shuts her down and even the happy moments she thought she had had with him are crushed.  Then finally she finishes out her trifecta of suckage by upsetting the merchant company and losing all of her stock.  Poor Hye Won is done and the horrible events lead her to attempt to take her own life by wading into the river.  Her father ( I still love him even though he is a murderer) rushes out of his house despite the threat of Yoon Kang and frantically looks for his daughter.  Merchant Choi finds Hye Won just as her head goes under and is able to fish her out of the river.  Desperately yelling at her to live and go on, Merchant Choi is able to save her and gives her a fatherly lecture on how life will never be fair to them, but they must go on and give up on things like pride and love.  It is fascinating how I am responding to this pairs trials more than the majority of the other characters in the drama.  I actually care what happens to them and want them to come forth and step on all those nobleman who treat them so poorly.  I really do enjoy Yoon Kang's character, but when it comes to who I really want to watch, it is definitely the Choi's.

However, it looks like Merchant Choi's time might be up.  He is chased by Yoon Kang and sent to a familiar cliff (I am pretty sure it is the only cliff in all of Korea where a person can die).  Merchant Choi begs for his life (yet again), but this time Yoon Kang will not be swayed.  He shoots Merchant Choi first in the leg for his father, in his left arm for his sister, and then finally in his chest for himself.  Merchant Choi lifts his arm as he falls backward off the cliff into the river below.  Well that was unexpected.  I was really enjoying the two men's skirmishes and now all I am left with is the boring romance.  Of course the whole falling to one's death off a cliff into a river usually indicates that the person is not dead yet so there is a good chance we will see Merchant Choi resurrected soon.  If nothing else this might inspire Hye Won to find her evil side (a side that has been surprisingly absent so far) and do a little bit of revenge of her own.

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The Joseon Gunman Episode 11 & 12 - Everyone's Secrets are Revealed.....More or Less.

Hello my dear readers!  I know that you probably were wondering what happened to me and my Joseon Gunman recaps and I would just like to apologize for my tardiness.  Due to life and KCON (mostly KCON) I fell behind in not only watching all my dramas, but also my recapping so I will be frantically watching and blogging this week so I can be caught up. 

Episode 11

I will be discussing the episodes in separate sections rather than a whole since I watched one two weeks ago and then the 2nd one today.  Unfortunately that leaves a lot of time for my mind to get hazy about episode 11 so my thoughts might be brief.

Let's first discuss Soo In who truly must be one of the densest woman ever.  How does she not realize that Ho Kyung is eying her as a potential wife.  Especially when he is hanging on her every word and trying to fulfill her every whim.  Guys don't do that just for fun and not expect more than mere friendship.  Of course she might be slightly distracted by the beauty that is Park Yoon Kang who possesses all of the flashy qualities sure to attract a girl.  He is equal parts bad boy revolutionary and sweet caring brother.  What is not to like?  Poor vanilla 2nd lead does not stand a chance.

Poor Yoon Kang has a boss who is maybe going to ruin his plans of revenge and mayhem.  Don't know why, but that just cracked me up.  Yoon Kang has to put his revenge plot on the back burner and quickly make some connections with the local tradesman or it sounds like he is going to be in some trouble.

His boss might not need to ruin his revenge plans since his annoying little sister is doing a fine and dandy job all on her own.  Hearing rumors about a gunman's death, she runs straight to her brothers house (the brother who is supposedly dead and please recall that she is a wanted fugitive as well as an escaped slave).  After verifying that Yoon Kang is OK, she is almost caught (lets just admit that she was caught and just not captured since her quick about face was fooling no one) by Merchant Choi and his daughter.  Yet another nail in the, is he or isn't he Yoon Kang, coffin.

It seems like Merchant Choi is having his own problems as he attempts to start making deals with exiled Kim Byung Je.  It seems that creepy politician ahjussi has tried to mess with him one too many times and plans are in the works to throw off the creepy ahjussi's yoke.  I for one would love to see the old man get what is coming to him.  Yet again I would like to say how sad I am that Yoon Kang and Merchant Choi could never become allies (because of the whole, I killed your father, issue.).  They are both such amazingly well developed characters.

Episode 12

Stepping up his "who killed my father search" as Yoon Kang just starts kidnapping the next link in the chain pointing towards the big bad political ahjussi.  He sends a note stating to send the man who shot his father to a preset location and sat there waiting.......Yup, no hidden plan, just waiting, which is slightly simple minded in my opinion. It is no wonder that he gets caught and his identity confirmed by Merchant Choi.  It is only luck that allows him to escape death, and even then he is also identified by the head of the police (his dads previous 2nd in command). His secret is firmly out of the box.

As I continue watching the drama I am getting more and more of a feeling that the story is really about two gunman, not just Yoon Kang.  You have to wonder how narcissistic these nobleman are to think that they can continue to treat a trained warrior like a slave without having to face the piper.  Merchant Choi practically oozes menace when he is in the gunman persona and yet they think nothing of insulting and slapping him.  Half the time I expect them to suddenly show up dead with a gunshot as the cause of death.    And just as I finished writing the above paragraph Merchant Choi turns on the stupid noble jerk and shoots him.  It looks like the hunting dog is officially off its leash.

Choi Hye-Won continues to be one of my favorite female characters as she discovers the truth about her father and his identity as the gunman.  You could see the conflict within her as she realizes that he had murdered the father of the man she loves, as well as attempted to kill her best friends father.  Her resolve strengthens as she informs her father that even if Hanjo is Park Yoon Kang he needs to leave him alone.  "The day you kill him is the day you lose a daughter".  WOW!  She is one tough as nails heroine and yet again I am left wishing that she was the lead in the drama. 

Even with his daughters threat hanging over his head Merchant Choi continues to plan Yoon Kang's death, just not before he gets the connections with the Japanese company first.  Yoon Kang also plans his eventual confrontation with Merchant Choi (aka The head gunman) but decides he needs to get evidence first before he has his gunman showdown.

Hye Won makes her decision on where her loyalties lie and goes to visit Yoon Kang where she declares her love and asks Yoon Kang to let Soo In go from his heart and let her stay by his side and protect him instead.  Hye Won tells him that she has known his secret for a while (worst kept secret EVER) and that it is her desire to have Park Yoon Kang for her own.  Well that is one way to confess to a guy.  You have to give her props for being direct and knowing her own mind.  Hye Won then goes and has a nice and subtle girl talk with Soo In where she tells her bestie to forget Yoon Kang and settle for Vanilla Boy.  I am just taking a wild guess that Hye Won is not going to handle rejection well and at some point in the future that aggressive one track mind is going to be turned against Park Yoon Kang.

It amazes me how long the writers have had Yoon Kang and Soo In circle around the "secret identity" that is no longer a secret.  I am just thankful that we finally have the OTP (One True Pairing) just come out and say that they know that each other knows and where do we go from here?  I think we have reached the point when it starts to become stagnant when nothing changes.  There is only so much noble "I am saving you by keeping silent" idiocy that one can take.  After being faced with the proof that Soo In does indeed know his secret, Yoon Kang once again tries to force her away for her own good.  Of course that only lasts for about 10 seconds before he runs after her and embraces her tightly.   Can I just pray for some plot movement between these two next week because so far they are coming in a close second to vanilla boy as the most boring part of the drama.

The episode ended with a great scene between our two antagonists Yoon Kang and Merchant Choi.  It was pretty much a who's cojones are bigger contest between the two as the match wits in a I know and am going to take you down, but not yet verbal contest.  Each ends up grabbing the others shoulder (right where the identifying wounds reside) as the spout verbal "hypothetical" threats. HAHAHA.  I could watch these two go up against each other for the rest of the drama.  It is a fact that they have more chemistry and interest with their relationship then Yoon Kang has with our leading lady.  I can't wait to see what happens when they take off the gloves and really start to fight.

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The Joseon Gunman Episode 9 & 10 - Suffering and Secrets.

This week we played more of  the "I know who you are, and I know that you know I know" game.  We of course still got some misleading tricks thrown in to create doubt, since Yoon Kang is toying with his prey, but for the most part the secret is out.  I feel that we have been going in circles the last few episodes, but at least we get to watch Lee Joon Gi do his trademarked, I just outwitted you, smirk which is always a pleasure.  But what I am really waiting for is seeing Yoon Kang enter into the political arena which was the real killer of his father.  We are slowly (very very slowly) getting there, but I am starting to get impatient for the payoff. 

The big bad conservative faction is laying low as the fallout from the death of one of their members is felt.  Merchant Choi is reprimanded for moving his gunman without direct permission from the creepy Noble Ahjussi.  He is told that he is nothing but a "hunting dog" who follows commands and does not think for himself.  Merchant Choi is obviously pissed off but backs off, although I notice that he doesn't mention his concerns about Yoon Kang's identity.  Obviously this "hunting dog" has ideas of his own that do not include being under the Noble Ahjussi's thumb forever.  We also learn that not only was Hye Won a former slave (until this week I was under the impression that maybe she was an adoptive daughter of some sort, or a illegitimate child), but her father also was a slave until he was raised up by creepy ahjussi to become his hidden mercenary.  A lot of the threat against them, and the reason he is following the conservative party's orders, is due to the fact that he could be dragged down (along with his daughter) back to the rank of a slave.  It is an interesting dynamic which makes the whole situation much more interesting.  Not to mention the writers have really done a good job of not making me detest the Choi's.  They are boxed in by outside forces, just like Yoon Kang.  It is tragic that Merchant Choi was the actual killer of Yoon Kang's father, or else I would be thrilled to see these two team up and kick some creepy nobleman's butt.

Soo In finally was able to really shine this week.  All I can say is "THANK GOODNESS!" and "It is about time."  I was really starting to worry that they were going to keep her in the cute true love bubble that held her personality in check.  The added depth and strength to Soo In's character is greatly appreciated.  

 Being the daughter of a politician and the true love of a traitor can really suck sometimes.  Especially if different factions want to use your identity to further their political agenda.  Just as Soo In finally confirms Yoon Kang's identity, she is arrested for the production of gunpowder which was used in last weeks murder.  Realizing that Yoon Kang must be the gunman, Soo In refuses to say anything in order to protect him.  It probably would not have gone very far but Kim Byung-Je (hmmm need to think of a nickname for him.  He is usually the creepy nobleman ahjussi in Sageuks, but has been supplanted by an even more annoying creepy voiced character.  Maybe Political Ahjussi?) finds out that she is the daughter of his political rival and decides that this is the leverage he needed to destroy him.  He actually takes great pleasure in torturing her (Kudos on the director for once actually making it look like the girl was being tortured.  Usually I have noticed that directors tend to sprinkle some pink kool-aid on the white dress, make the girls grunt a bit, and it ends up having them look more constipated than in pain) and arrests her father on grounds of a conspiracy against the opposing political party.  Then takes turn torturing them in front of each other until they "confess" to their supposed crimes. 

If Soo in had not already figured out Yoon Kang's identity, I think that his reaction to her incarceration would have been a huge giveaway.  To say he loses it is an understatement, as he fights policeman, officials, and pretty much anyone he can, trying to take responsibility for the gunpowder.  To put it in perspective you have to realize that Yoon Kang is pretending to be a Japanese citizen (a country that is only grudgingly accepted in a commerce only capacity).  If Yoon Kang, as Hanjo, was found guilty of a crime he would immediately be sentenced to death.  Yet he was willing to chance that outcome to save Soo In from suffering on his behalf.  Unfortunately for our wannabe hero, political ahjussi was determined to use Soo In as leverage so his claims of guilt were immediately ignored.  It is only due to the actions of Kim Ho-Kyung (our vanilla second leading male) stepping up and going toe to toe with his father, that Yoon Kang is able to save Soo In and her father.

I find it fascinating how the writers return again and again to the theme of children (our 4 leads) being shaped and molded by their father's actions.  Whether it is for the best, like in the case of Yoon Kang and his father, or in rebellion like Ho Kyung and Political Ahjussi, all of the younger cast are moved through the fated lines that were created before they were old enough to choose their own destinies.   There is no better way of showing this than between Ho Kyung and his father.  Not only are they on opposite sides of the ideological debate, but morally neither is able to understand the other.  Political Ahjussi sees nothing wrong in framing Soo In's father (and Soo In is thrown in as collateral damage) and looks at the world through jaded eyes.  Ho Kyung on the other hand is young and filled with ideals of the new era and refuses to compromise those ideals.  When he finds out that his father is framing Soo In and his mentor, he goes over his father's head and informs the king.  When the king finds out what is going on, and that there is a witness (Yoon Kang) who provided an alibi for Soo In, he reigns down kingly hellfire on Political Ahjussi.  Not only does the king openly berates him, but he frees Soo In and her father, and orders Political Ahjussi to be imprisoned for falsely trying to get rid of his political rivals.  This was obviously not what Ho Kyung had in mind and he is obviously upset to see his father's fall from power.  It will be interesting to see if Ho Kyung continues on his path, or if filial duty will eventually chip away at his will. 

With the conclusion of this episode we finally see all the pieces begin to come together for Yoon Kang's move towards justice for his father.  He is now tentatively on the radar of not only the king, but of the political bad guys.  He also will have a new goal of keeping Soo In's father safe from the same factions that killed his own father which will provide some forward movement plot wise.  And while we still have no open confession between our two lovebirds, it is pretty obvious that each of them realizes that the secret is out of the bag and is just being kept silent because of some idea that by not saying anything out loud they will be protecting the other.  It will be interesting how long this vow of silence will last.  If i had to make a prediction, I would guess that it is not going to be long since we are due some uber romantic gazing at the least and more then likely Soo In will not be able to resist in helping Yoon Kang with his quest of vengeance.

Random Thoughts:
Is anyone else amused that the conservatives enforce their anti-gun and anti-army stand point by a secret militia of gunman.  A little bit of a hypocritical moment there. 

I am really starting to enjoy Yoon Kang's cooky maid.  The girl has a thing for the bad boys and accidentally getting to the bottom of the households secrets (even if she is not aware she came across them).

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