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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