Gu Family Book epiodes 23 & 24 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

This is it guys, once again we come to the part of reviewing that I like & dislike at the same time.  I'm excited to move on but I'm so sad to say goodbye to much loved characters.  I hope my reviews weren't too painful.  ;)  Well, thanks for joining me on this ride.  I hope you come back for more TCA fun.  Don't forget Dongsaeng is reviewing I Hear Your Voice in her DFR's. so check out her reviews, she's way awesome at this reviewing thing.  Here we go...

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In Episode 23 so much action, betrayal, kidnapping, heartbreak & yes even shocks!  Hang on to your hats AddiKts.

Our Extended Cast...an amazing bunch of actors.

Kang Chi's last wish if you remember is that they break up at the end of 22.  Leaving Yeo Wool heart broken & confused but Kang Chi is determined not to hurt her, physically.  He's not thinking about anything but her living.  He especially doesn't want to be the reason she dies, as the prophecy says she will.  He goes to the Admiral & gets to go on a long walk with him & asks for advice.  He asks KC, what does the person you love fear most?  While they are out walking the Japanese Ninjas w Kageshima arrive  & KC goes on high alert but you see the Admiral invited them there...that was the message that was delivered the night they broke into the Inn & YW was injured.  The Admiral warns the Goon Bon Merchants they have 3 days to get out of town or they won't be leaving alive.  He also tells them take your spies & stay out of my territory.  Of course the head Merchant refuses to leave, personally I think he should listen tot eh Admiral.  Lee Soon Shin is not someone to trifle with.  After they leave the Admiral turns to KC & tells him, he isn't afraid of dying, but of making a mistake that hurts others while he is alive.  It's at this point KC remembers that YW's biggest fear is losing him.  Oops, didn't think that through all the way did ya sweetie.  So he runs back to the Academy & to her.

Just at this point is where we discover there is a traitor among the Academy students.  Remember Yoon, the guy that hated KC because of his gumiho half?  Well, he's working for JKW now.  Like the little chicken that he is.  {{Slime bag.  My actual word while watching the scene.}}  He appears in front of YW, but she still thinks he's one of them, a Scooby.  And he tells her that he needs to talk to her.  And he takes her to JKW. Shortly after this Teacher comes out looking for Gon, tells him Student Yoon asked to speak with her but that was a while ago & she's worried. So off Gon goes to follow their trail & intercepts them just as YW is captured. Before he figures out that Yoon is working for the bad guys though Yoon stabs Gon from behind & then Gon is outnumbered & I was screaming in my head, because my bestie was with me & watching & I didn't want her to know how big of a freak I really am, "GON BEHIND YOU!!!  LOOK BEHIND YOU!!!!  He's a TRAITOR!!"  KC arrives after Gon has been mortally wounded but he does that Gumiho Voodoo he does so well, slices open his hand & gives Gon's wound some of his blood & he is saved.  What does JKW want from KC in return for YW's life?  Oh nothing much, just kill the Admiral or tomorrow night your woman is dead.  But it won't just save YW.  JKW has his father, as well as Oh Man.  All will perish if KC doesn't deliver.

At this point I was worried, I won't lie, that KC would give in to JKW, because it's the people he loves most in the world, who wouldn't be tempted?  But he is awesome & he goes straight to Master Dam & the Admiral.  Bong Chul arrives at this point & reveals that, though he was drunk the night before, he saw where they took her, sort of.  YW has been placed in a storage bldg, inside a box, w incense burning to hide her scent from KC's super gumiho sense of smell.  Then Master Dam ticked me off.  He was resigned & told the guys he wanted to let YW go, he was sure she was already dead & that the Admiral's safety was more important.  He just gave up.  After everything they had been through & how close they were he wanted to just let go of his daughter & it ticked me off!  I was so disappointed in Master Dam right there.  YW would never give up on her dad.  Thankfully the guys, all of them, TS, Gon, & KC, disagreed & refused to give up.  Cheong Jo overhears all of this & I started to wonder if she was going to make some grand sacrifice to save YW?  She doesn't but I can see she is starting to mature some more & is letting KC go.  Although she is the one who lets the guys know what their next step should be to rescue YW, when they can't figure out more than she is in the 100 Year Inn.  FINALLY!  I get so sick of the female that won't let go when it's time story.

They finally get to the 100 Year Inn, and with Bong Chul's help they start searching the storage buildings.  Meanwhile the Admiral has walked through the front door of the Inn, seemingly alone & unarmed, to confront JKW about kidnapping YW & his traitorous ways & all the murders he ordered of the government officials.  Basically it's time to stop all this & turn yourself in but JKW believes he has the upper hand & won't go easily & in fact believes he is going to win so he admits everything to the Admiral in front of everyone.  Kang Chi & the guys finally find YW & the others.  KC rescues her just before a giant ball of spikey death is about to fall on her.  That's my name for it & I am sticking to it.  Spikey Ball of Death.  And what is his reward after he saves her life?  She kicks him in the face & then hugs him & bursts into tears calling him a jerk.  Yup female histrionics are awesome.  Kang Chi begs her to go back to the Academy where it will be safe but she refuses & they arrive to surround the Admiral on all sides.  And we see Deputy Seo off to the side, hiding w the musket aimed at the Admiral.  After a bunch of talking the henchman aims the gun & fires & the show ended & we all went ... O.O WHO DID HE HIT?!?!?!  Was it the Admiral, Kang Chi or Yeo Wool??  I was pretty sure Yeo Wool was about to fulfill her prophecy.

And at the beginning of last episode we find out it was YW that got shot.  My bestie & her daughter who were watching with me were not happy.  I wasn't either but I was waiting to see how they were going to tie it all up.  I will say it took her a surprisingly long time to die.  I thought she died very quickly but she just passed out, not that I wouldn't but I really thought she was gone.  And so did Kang Chi, who goes off & is ready to kill Henchman but the Admiral stops him because he made Kang Chi promise to never kill for revenge.  To not let that anger & hurt turn him into the monster he is trying to so hard to not become.  They start to leave but JKW, in a last ditch effort to regain control, tries to stop them.  At this point however, the Admiral has had it & he signals ALL of his men to attack & puts JKW into custody.  OH YEAH YOU GOING DOWN JKW YOU NASTY PIECE OF....  {{I won't finish that thought, I am a lady after all.}}  Besides he got away thanks to the help of his men.  He's fleeing into the forest.  The Japanese Merchants witness all of this & wisely decide to heed the Admiral's advice & withdraw as quickly as possible from the situation & from the territory.  Smart guys.    Master Dam takes his own men into the forest w the intent to kill JKW & KC arrives to stop Master Dam or to kill JKW himself I wasn't sure.  But during the fight against JKW KC controls himself & instead of killing JKW he uses his gumiho claws to cut off Jo Kwan Woong's hand.

Now it's time for YW to get her 3 wishes granted.  First she wants a dinner w everyone.  But remember she is still dying.  Very slowly & painfully.  In fact, 1/2 way through the dinner her wound reopens & she starts dripping blood.  Then I started to cry when she apologized to her dad.  Especially when he turned to her & told her she was his utmost joy.  Her 2nd wish is to go for a "walk" with KC.  And then there were more tears when during their walk he asks her to marry him.  She tells him she can't cook or sew very well. SO sweet.  He proposes 3 more times & he's crying & she holds his face in her hands & says, "Don't cry.  To you, I don't want to be a sad memory, but a happy one.  I don't want to be your tears, I want to be your smile."  That's her 3rd wish...  He says, "Let's meet again."  She agrees & finally we hear finally hear saranghae.  I had been waiting for an I love you, for a long time.  Blue fairies fill the air around them & She tells him, "I will meet you again.  And then we'll live happily ever after."  During their final kiss she dies.  Sobbing & crying KC holds her in his arms. Later KC wonders, to TS if he hadn't been there if she'd still be alive?  Tae Seo says, "100 days w love is better than a lifetime w/out love."

And now we come to the end.  YW has died, Papa G is at peace, KC knows who he is & has found peace with it.  He has stopped the baddest of the bad guys & now it's time for him to leave.  But he has decided he doesn't want to find the Gu Family Book.  His intention is to live until they meet again, the reincarnation ending.  Will he look for it then they never say, I like to think he does & this time he finds it & he gets to live a mortal life with the woman he loves & they grow old together & have that happily ever after they so longed for & deserved.  What happens to JKW?  He's beaten, lost a limb & pathetic in the jail.  But there is one person to whom this will never be enough.  He gets a visit from Cheong Jo.  She pours him a drink of Chihun Wine.  Then looks him in the eyes & tells him, "Now end your filthy life."  He looks at her & after everything he put people through he says, "It was a really boring life.  It wasn't greed that pushed me, I just wanted to feel alive."  And for the first time I realize he was truly born without any kind of humanly feelings in him & I felt a smidgen of sorrow for a life wasted on him.

It's 422 years later & we see a very sexy, modernized version of Kang Chi, getting dressed for a night out.  Looks like gumiho has done well for himself in his fancy apartment, clothes & car.  And we see he is surrounded by the old Scooby gang in his new life but only he knows who they once were.  He hears the scream of a woman calling for help, in his head, he sighs as he heads off to rescue her... Teacher is the woman in peril & once again Bong Chul is the thug. LOL   KC flashes his eyes green, as he laughs at fate, & he beats up the bad guys.  Just then a female voice tells him to freeze, mistaking him for the bad guy, & we see her gun & then her face.  YW is now a police officer!  How apropos.  And we hear KC's voice over as he says to her, "When we meet again, I'll know you & love you first."  And at the very end we see Gon & the Admiral show up & flash badges of their own too.  Fade to black.

The Scoobies live on folks & there will be a happily ever after, you just have to believe, I do.

Once again thank you so much for joining me on my gumiho journey w Dimple & the rest of the Scoobies.  I hope you enjoyed the ride.  I did.  I look forward to more fun w you all in the next review.  But it's going to be a while before I pick a show.  So until I pick one show in particular my future DFRs will cover all the shows I am watching.  Expect lots of squees.  Have a wonderful weekend AddiKts.

Saranghamnida,

Gu Family Book episodes 21 & 22 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

*Warning:* These 2 episodes were full of sadness.  They had cute too & even funny but mostly just sadness & some of you if not all know I don't do sad, so there isn't a whole lot of smart aleck like commentary from me this review.  More review than anything commentary like. Sorry if that disappoints.


Kang Chi has just stepped between his parents & is advising his dad that he will not allow him to kill anymore people, that he is going to be the one to stop him.  They start fighting each other & Seo Hwa screams out to Papa G just as he is about to strike Kang Chi, "No!  Wol Ryung!  He's our son!"  This stops Papa G in his tracks he looks back & forth & in the meantime JKW soldiers have arrived & are hiding in the bushes pulling out their arrows to shoot into Papa G's back.  Kang Chi sees this, screams his own NO! And then grabs his father & turns him & takes all 4 arrows in his own back instead.  The soldiers aim again & Papa G sweeps into motion killing all of them, then he disappears into the forest.  YW, Gon & TS arrive & Gon, w YW & TS holding KC still, remove the 4 arrows from KC's back & we watch as the Blue Fairies arrive & heal KC.    They take SH back to the Academy where she sits down & gives out all the names of the Joseon traitors in the government that have been in league w the Goon Bon Merchants.  And then asks the Admiral to grant her one request.  Which we find out later was that he stop KC from interfering when she goes to stop Wol Ryung from his killing spree.  This is the one thing she can do to make it all okay again.

Afterwards Seo Hwa & Kang Chi finally get their mother son bonding time & she tells him how proud she is of him & how grateful she is he got to have a good life.  She then admits she went back for him.  For a solid month she tried to find her way back to the moonlight garden & to find her son but the mountain blocked her & protected itself magically from her re-entry.  That she regretted letting him go almost immediately but it was too late & as penance for her sin of abandoning her baby she never let herself enjoy life, even going so far as not allowing herself to sleep laying down.  Basically she's telling him she loved him so much & still does & always will & how proud she is of the man he has become.  She's telling him goodbye.  Meanwhile Wol Ryung, the demon, is on a major killing spree.  3 whole villages slaughtered & now he's on his way to the 100 Year Inn.  It's at this point that we see the new toy that JKW has received.  A musket.  And he is going to use it to stop Wol Ryung himself.  But Seo Hwa shows up too.  She confronts Wol Ryung, crying & begging him to stop.  He remembers her.  Her face & her name & this gives him pause.  JKW aims & fires the gun & Wol Ryung, like his son & the arrows, screams, "NO!" And then turns Seo Hwa so that he takes the bullet.  Which goes through his torso & slices through edge of her upper shoulder too.  She sobs & grabs his wound & he grabs her & then they disappear, leaving behind a frustrated JKW & a confused group of soldiers.

In the Moonlight Garden she tells Wol Ryung how sorry she is for her fear & her lack of heart & that the only thing she can do now for him is to finish what should have been finished 20 years ago after she betrayed him.  She pulls out the wooden dagger & then stabs herself in the heart.  She dies in his arms as he is transformed back into the good person he once was.  {{So here I admit, as I skimmed through the ep this morning for screenshots I re-watched this scene in it's entirety & cried along with Wol Ryung.  They never had more than a few beautiful moments together, it was so unfair & so I cried for them.}}  On his way to the village to stop his mom from her sacrifice, he runs right into the Admiral, who stops him & tells him his mother's last request that morning.  {{Poor Kang Chi.  He finally gets his mom back & now he loses her.  I cried again.  Seriously this ep was hard to watch for this mommy.}}  At the end of this painful, beautiful episode Kang Chi has figured out Head Gisaeng's challenge as what is His root or "essence", his mother.  He walks back tot he Academy in the rain, where YW has been told now that the gumiho/demon rampage is over & now that Kang Chi has learned control, you have to let him go.  You can't hold on to him if you want him to find the Gu Family Book.  She waits for him in the rain & the episode ends with lots of Kang Chi crying on YW's shoulder & YW crying because {{I think}} of his pain & the fact that she knows she has to let him go soon.

In Episode 22...
KC wakes up the next morning to find a sleeping YW next to him, (See pic above).  It was so sweet.  He turns & watches her sleep & asks why she's there & she says he was crying so much last night she couldn't leave him.  He tells her it's morning now & she wakes right up & panicked because sleeping in a man's room that is not your husband is a big no no.  But he calms her down.  I loved how he teased her w his dang it we finally spend the night together but we missed by just sleeping, what a waste huh? {{paraphrased of course}}  Then she asks him to give her 3 Wishes, to help him feel better, but it's really her way to let him go.  His first wish is rice.  He wants her to make him rice.  {{She's a much better soldier than a cook}}  Then Gon knocks on the door to KC's bedroom, that YW shouldn't be in & there is a little panic.  Until they hide her.  When Gon opens the door he sees a still sleeping KC.  That's it.  Until he notices her umbrella in his room.  We all know she's actually hiding under the covers in KC's bed, w KC!  {{Giggle, naughty}}  They think the coast is clear & then Gon opens the door & tries to kill KC, a midst the wrestling & yelling, YW's Teacher walks in & I love the look on her face when she sees Gon on top of a half dressed KC.  So awesome!  It was so good to see the Dimple appear again in KC's cheek.  ^_^

The monk eventually brings Wol Ryung, good Wol Ryung btw, to the Academy.  He tells KC that Seo Hwa is with him & will always be with him from now on.  This is definitely another good bye speech.  He explains that it was his own fear that betrayed him, not SH.  The opposite of trust is not doubt, it's fear.  Don't let your fear control you & don't fear your truth.  He goes back to the Moonlight Garden in the mountain & lays down w SH on the stone.  And the blur fairies & the branches & vines cover & protect them in their eternal slumber.  Beautiful but oh so sad.

Tae Seo meantime has been captured by the Japanese ninjas while spying on JKW & his men.  He's been taken to JKW where he reveals some important info from the good guys.  That the Admiral has the list of all the names in government & he's going to arrest them & question them, which means JKW needs to kill all of them himself before they ruin everything.  And Kang Chi goes tot he Monk to find out what he needs to do find the Gu Family Book.  Which includes all the same rules that were given to Wol Ryung.  This is where he finds out he has to leave YW & everyone behind while he goes on his quest.  He also learns about YW's prophecy & that she may very well die because of their fate of meeting under the peach tree in the moonlight.  As well as informing him that once he has used his gumiho blood to save a person he cannot save that person again.  They are immune to the healing properties & the blue fairies will not save them a second time.

That night JKW arrives at the gisaeng house where the remaining 3 living government officials from the list have met, the Admiral is on his way there now & JKW & his henchman, Deputy Seo kill the men.  When the Admiral arrives JKW looks superior but the Admiral reveals that JKW fell for his Two Tigers Strategy.  That in fact he gave JKW that info so that he would take care of the officials himself.   but the Scoobies have to break in to the 100 year Inn & deliver a message, as they arrive KC gives YW is 2nd wish...for her to stay there & stay safe.  She isn't happy but she agrees, until a ninja shows up & she has no choice.  She goes in to the Inn & in the middle of the heat of battle, and because she isn't supposed to be there, she gets sliced by KC's gumiho claws.  They deliver their message to Kageshima, whom I thought this meant he was on their side, he's not, he just took the message, and they leave.  YW lies to her dad about the wound on her arm, saying it wasn't KC, that he tried to get her stay away but she didn't listen, KC meanwhile is feeling lots of guilt, especially after hearing the prophecy & well... basically he breaks up with her & tells her this is his 3rd wish.

WOW!!  Big breath in guys, only one more review (2 episodes) to go, ya still with me?  Well, it's Friday here & I am off for an evening w my family.  See you tomorrow guys.

Saranghamnida,

Gu Family Book episodes 19 & 20 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

Who wants to dive right in to the nitty gritty of the review?  Well alrighty then.

My first comment has to be that Seo Hwa, when facing off against JKW over the pain & suffering he is putting her boy through, needs to get a better poker face.  One minute she looks like she is ready to run & release him & then the next she is claiming she wants nothing to do with a monster & do what you want with him.  Not really believable sweetie.  Just sayin.  JKW's sole purpose for this whole show in front of her is strictly to get her to reveal who she really is but for some unfathomable reason she decides to stick to her, "I don't who this kid is do what you will", persona, but her face gives away all of her angst.  So while she & JKW are facing off, we get the 411 on what the big deal is with the poisonous wine.  Wol Sun, if you remember, used illusion trickery to get KC to go see Cheong Jo, well we find out that she bullied & threatened Gop Dan into tricking KC into going to Cheong Jo.  Then she gave him 5 cups of wine, a wine so poisonous that more than 1 cup is deadly to the average human, but KC as we all know is not fully human.  Head Gisaeng finds an antidote for KC though.  BUT he has to ingest this rock like thing within 24 hours of having drank the poisonous wine, that seriously reminded me of the bezoar given to Ron, in Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince, to counter the love potion he'd accidentally ingested that had been meant for Harry.  

{{BTW I did remember all of this on my own, yes I am that geeky}}

Anyway a plan is hatching, they make food for the prisoner & his adopted dad sneaks it in to him, but his jailers are cruel men who kick it far away from him so he can't reach it w his chains on.  Eventually he manages to grab the bezoar {{That's what it reminded me of & so that is what I am sticking too}} & swallows it, thanks to the big fight between YW & the guards.  Then JKW comes in dragging a very beat up Ma Bong Chul, who serves as distraction for YW to enter.  I really grew to love this thug.  He is a heartwarming & fiercely loyal friend, if you get past his tendency to steal & bully the poor.  I was so happy when KC helped turn him around with his good example.  JKW has him dragged to the center of 100 Year Inn where everyone can watch his abuse.  In fact JKW wants the townspeople to stone him, he is a monster after all.   He's stronger now but he drank a lot of poison & the bezoar hasn't fully healed him yet.  Then JKW makes a dumb move.  His men once again start pouncing on his father, who had the audacity to beg for his son's life, the fool!  KC has already watched his father get dragged away, YW get smacked by & tied up by JKW & now this?  I don't think so.  Just as KC is about to kill JKW, Seo Hwa's men arrive & stop him.  Wearing Joseon clothes & hair style, she demands everyone stop, KC passes out from the poison & pain & finally she admits to being his mother, Seo Hwa, in front of everyone.  And uses her position of power with the Goon Bon Merchants to set KC free. 

Meanwhile the monk has warned Master Dam that Kang Chi is the only who can kill/stop Papa G, who is now a fully transformed 1000 year Demon & happens to be on a killing spree.  SH goes to TS & demands he swear his allegiance to Goon Bon, rather than the Admiral.  Of course this offends him & SH gets angry too.  She swears in return for his allegiance she will end all of this, including JKW & get the 100 Year Inn back for him.  Of course the Goon Bon Merchants need JKW alive, he has the info & power they need.  It'll be years before TS can fulfill JKW's place & they aren't sure they can trust him yet.  After KC wakes up all healthy again he realizes that YW & Bong Chul have been in JKW hands this whole time & he goes & rescues them.  After which he gets a really nice hug from YW, which Bong Chul witnesses & turns away from & then begins to believe KC is gay as he thinks YW is a boy. LOL  I was cracking up at that!

 He also faces his mother & asks her if she really hated him so much.  To which she says nothing.  But Cheong Jo finally shows me she can rock when she wants to. She goes to Little Witch Gisaeng (Wol Sun) claiming she wants to make amends & serves Wol Sun some wine.  But in the end she explains that Wol Sun had better never mess w her, again! Next time she won't give Wol Sun wine, she'll pour the poison right down her throat herself!  Oh & just so you know, you won't get this antidote until tomorrow, you should suffer & fear as much as KC had to.  Boo-yah!  

Back at the Academy KC tells Gon he is ready to start serious training to which Gon tells him, "Getting stronger means carrying more responsibilities."  Kang Chi has accepted his fate & knows he is the one who has to kill his father.  So Gon takes him to Master Dam, who hands him a sword & demands that this training be taken seriously.  If Kang Chi can get his control & kill master Dam then he will be ready to kill his father.  This is training to the death.  And Master Dam wants KC to take off his bracelet & face him as a gumiho.  Papa G arrives at the 100 Year Inn he really wants to know who called him.  And eventually aligns w JKW.  And at the end of the day JKW's guards are all dead & a ninja assassin has been sent to kill JKW, at the last minute he is saved. 

In episode 20 we discover JKW's savior is his Henchman, Deputy Seo.  Dang it!  I was really hoping he'd die in the forest from the wounds Papa G gave him.  Things are really heating up now guys.  Action is picking up story line is picking up & it gets really interesting at the end of this episode.  Papa G & JKW meet & JKW tries bribing Papa G to be on his side.  {{And here I am, sitting there watching this like, o.O Really?  You're going to try & bribe a 1000 year Demon, who could eat you in a second without thinking about it?  REALLY?  JKW, you're kind of stupid.}}  YW gets back to the Academy after a sit down w SH, where she asked SH to just be a mom to KC, he's been through so much. And what does she find?  Her dad & boyfriend fighting to the death.  Oh just your average day at the Academy.  Master Dam so far is kicking KC's butt & eventually stabs him in the stomach.  He tells him to do your gumiho voodoo & heal & then be back here at 3pm & we'll keep going.  

*Warning scene w Dimple abs is ahead*  {{Note pics in title pic up there ^ & You're Welcome! (^_-)}}

So KC goes off to heal & YWshows up w a change of shirt.  But hearing him say he is all healed isn't enough, YW practically rips his shirt open to see for herself & DANG DIMPLE NICE SHOULDERS< CHEST & ABS!    Sorry got away from myself there.  Ahem...but he's so cute & embarrassed & asks her to turn around & finally she catches on, giggles & turns.  They both reach back & OMG THEIR HANDS AREA TOUCHING!!!!  Sorry guys I can't seem to help myself!  Ahem... And then he grabs her cute widdle face & HE KISSES HER, fast & sweet.  Awwwwww....dang it my heart melted all over the desk again.  I really do love these 2 as a cute little couple.  Shippers agree with me?

CJ arrives & informs everyone of the breaking news from the 100 Year Inn.  SH was betrayed by her men to JKW.  And is now being forced back to her home.  When does she leave? 3 pm.  YW wants KC to rescue her but he's a little bitter & plans to meet Master Dam instead.  This time, KC manages to control his monster & he wins, without killing Master Dam.  Master Dam concedes because he actually witnessed the moment when KC gained control over the gumiho.  After he wins, KC, Gon & YW rush off to save SH.  Who had originally planned on being rescued by TS & his men at a certain point.  But her men turn on her once again & intercept them on the road with the intent to kill her then & there.  But our fearless heroes arrive & YW shoots an arrow straight & true & kills off the guy about to kill SH.  Gon & YW tell KC to take his mom & get her out of there.  But don't worry they'll be okay because eventually TS & his men arrive on scene & help beat off the bad guys.  Papa G arrives a little later & sees the carnage.  He follows KC & SH off into the mountain & witnesses a touching scene of mother & son reconciliation.  KC looks at his mom & says, "Do you see me?"  He wants her to stop trying to kill JKW & just be his mom.  It was such a sweet moment & I got all teary eyed & then Papa G arrives & he & SH face each other & then Kang Chi steps between the two of them & informs Wol Ryung that he will stop him from killing anymore.  The End.

Whoa seriously intense eh?  I will see you guys tomorrow for the next installment of this, so far, awesome drama!  

Saranghamnida,

Gu Family Book episodes 17 & 18 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

So I go to write the review for episodes 17 & 18 & look over my notes first, as I usually do.  And lo & behold I cannot understand anything that I wrote.  o.O  Not just the fact that my handwriting resembles chicken scratch when I'm taking notes, because I don't know shorthand & can't write that fast, but also because I watched these two episodes really late at night.  Actually REALLY early in the morning.  Never try to take notes at 1 am, it just doesn't work like you think it will work.  *SMH*  So this morning I threw those notes away & re-watched both of these episodes & took new notes.  Now I don't promise this will make my writing any better but hopefully it'll at least make sense. ^^

Yeo Wool has been snatched & all of the circumstantial evidence is pointing to Papa G.  So Kang Chi removes his bracelet...sets it down in front of Master Dam & swears he is going to bring her back or he won't be returning himself.  But when we see YW in the forest bound & blindfolded, which I don't believe Papa G would need to do, we see she is not alone w Papa G, it's a group of Ninjas & JKW's right hand man.  He orders them to chop off her head, stick the head on a pole outside the academy & leave her body in the forest for the animals to eat. Wow, talk about "Over Kill"!  But our Yeo Wool she ain't no wuss!  She kicks some serious butt even with her hands bound & blindfolded.  I LOVED watching her kick A.  {{Gasp!! Yes, I swore...in my head.  However, all they had tied were her hands together in front of her body, so why she couldn't just reach up to pull down the blindfold I don't know, except it was way cooler & tougher to do it with the blindfold in place.}}  But just when the bad guys think they've got her beat, a rescuer shows up.  Not Kang Chi though.  Papa G FTW!!  So she runs off into the forest & Papa G gives chase, you know after he killed all those "so called" Ninjas.  I knew he was not helping her so much as grabbing her to use against KC.  However, KC arrives & there is an epic battle of Hawtness, yeah, yeah, yeah, & fists too.  but dang was that fight scene, between the two hot gumihos, Hawt!  Kang Chi gives a good fight but he is just no match for the older more experienced gumiho turned 1000 year Demon.  Papa G still wants KC to walk away from his humanity, YW tells him he can't give up on that no matter what.  And just as Papa G makes another dash for her, KC jumps between them & screams out, "Yeo Wool is my woman!" and then begs, "Don't touch my woman."  Which triggers Papa G's own memories of that same sentence leaving his mouth for Seo Hwa.  but the memories are just flashes, he is turning demon after all, & he can't remember all the deets.  Eventually a big wind comes up, KC protects YW from it & Papa G disappears into the night.

Now comes the part I have been waiting for...  The 'supposed' great kiss scene that my bestie told me about.  And boy was she right!  Remember when YW asked KC if Cheong Jo would always be the most important person to him?  Okay good, you need to know that part.  So he grabs YW by the arms & looks into her eyes & expresses how terrified he was when he thought he lost her.  Then we hear his voice over say, "Actually YW you are the most important person in my life."  Then he kisses her, full on the mouth, her eyes closed, there were 4 arms wrapped around each other & 4 lips actively participating in a deep beautifully romantic & passionate kiss.  That went on & on & on.  Really great kiss, imho.  Met all my criteria for a great K Drama kiss.  And after it ended she leaned up & kissed him again just like the previous kiss.  Now you know I watched closely again & again & again & again!  I felt it my duty to re-watch that scene for all of you!  In fact I may have to go watch it a few more times to make sure I gave it an apt description.

Seriously this episode pretty much stopped right there for me, I really didn't want to go on after that.  The rest of the episode blurred by.  Something about SH telling JKW she wanted to buy TS's freedom, that he owed the Goon Bon Merchants for all he had so he shouldn't refuse or he'd lose it all.  Which of course he didn't like so he tried to see behind the curtain but her goon stopped him, good goon.  And then more cuteness w KC & YW faking a fight in front of her dad so he'd release her from being a lock in.  Then TS finding out, through eavesdrop, that JKW wants to be governor of the southern provinces & that's why he's selling off his country to the bad guys, which all gets related to the Admiral & master Dam.  So they decide to orchestrate a reconnaissance mission that night & sneak in to the 100 year Inn.  But of course the plan didn't include YW or KC so they have to sneak in on the sneak in.  *giggle - dang I'm clever* ^_^  Meanwhile Head Gisaeng is just as curious as to who SH really is & so she suggests a party be given at her place but no girls allowed except more gisaengs so they hold it at 100 year Inn & while the Scoobies are sneaking, JKW is asking for SH to show her face, they are business partners after all blah blah blah...ending with he'd sell her TS IF she showed her face.  He REALLY likes the sound of his own voice.  Anyway, she shows her face BUT it isn't the woman we've all come to know.  It's her double, a fake, a phony.  The real Sh is hiding out in her room.  KC stumbles upon the ninjas & sees this huge very detailed map (In 8 pieces) on the table & gets discovered but he escapes, with gumiho prowess.  He ends up in SH's room & she is demanding to know who he is.  Best part, aside form the kiss was watching KC fake like he knew Japanese by following YW's advice on how to answer.  If it's a command say, "Hai!" If you aren't sure, put your hand to your chin, cock your head cutely & say, "Ano..."  Which he does so adorkably well.  Oh Dimple how I adore you!

Now in ep 18 SH finally finds out that he is KC, but still doesn't know he's her son...yet.  {{oooh foreshadowing you love that...well you would if you hadn't already watched the whole series, let alone the episode}}  He does the "Ano..." thing to SH, who then asks in Korean if he is Joseon?  Which surprises him, she's seen his face, finds out his name & still she helps protect him from her men, because she has no idea what is going on.  But before he goes he tells her the 3 best meals to have at the 100 Year Inn, LOL {{Oh Kang Chi-ah.  You're so cute!}} then he leaves & she finds that he dropped one of the pieces of map behind him & suddenly she sees what's going on & is furious.  At the dinner though, the Japanese guests are leaving but Head Gisaeng still hasn't seen enough proof, so her girls "accidentally' spill drink on fake SH's kimono & then "accidentally" pull it off her one shoulder while trying to clean it.  No tattoo, so now she knows this SH is a fake.  And she makes sure to tell JKW that too.  Okay that part I'm befuddled by.  Why tell him when you aren't on his side either?  Just seemed weird to me.

So now that the Japanese ninjas are on to them, they've sealed off the Inn's exits.  Only way out is for KC, YW & Gon to dress in Hanboks & try to blend in with the all the gisaengs.  Seriously Gon & KC in Hanboks is awesome!!!  They then get to spend the night in the gisaeng house in Cheong Jo's room.  And boy howdy is CJ a real B with an itch to YW.  She rejected KC, cause he was a monster, realized her mistake, can't have him because she's a state gisaeng but darned if she'll let him find happiness w another, especially YW.  So in the town before the mission she pulls YW aside & points out that KC is still hers, all she has to do is ask for him  & he'll come to her.  And her nastiness is not over with that.  Just wait.  First though, KC has to give up his evidence to the Admiral & Master Dam.  And I love their reactions when he reveals, he left evidence behind with the woman he showed his face to & gave his name too.  He's so very stealthy right?  NOT!  Right after he talks about how nice the woman was who protected him we see SH order her men to find KC & get back the map even if they have to kill him.  Yup she's a real sweetheart.

Head gisaeng then reveals to KC that she is the last of the 4 masters & gives him a challenge too.  She also reveals that she knew his mother when she tells him his eyes look just like hers.  Its after this that he gets to overhear Cheong Jo being a B with an Itch again to YW.  She triumphantly shows YW that she knows even more about KC than YW does & that she knows that her father killed his father.  YW walks away because this isn't something that they should be talking about & turns & opens the door to find sweet, shocked KC on the other side of the door.  Now he knows his mom was a gisaeng, his dad a gumiho & that his dad was killed by the love of his life's dad.  That is a lot to process.  CJ does have the decency to look nonplussed that he overheard it all so abruptly.  But too little too late imho.  For those of you who haven't watched the whole series...yet, I won't reveal whether CJ redeems herself or not.  You'll have to see for yourselves.  But I am pretty sure at this point you wanted to smack her through the screen.  Am I right?

How does KC react & what does he do when he learns the truth of his father's death?  I was so worried it would get all dark & depressing & all bent on revenge but then I underestimated the goodness that is KC.  He confronts Master Dam, hears the story, takes the sword Master Dam used & breaks it in half.  He then tells Master Dam that the elders need to deal with their own problems & stop putting all the problems in the laps of the children.  In other words this ends w the breaking of this sword.  No more revenge, no more death.  And eventually KC & YW are all back together & happy amid back hugs, front hugs & KC's confessions to YW of "I like you.  I really like you a lot", when she tells him she was afraid this information lost him to her forever.  {{I admit I was hoping for another epic kiss but it's a saeguk so I wasn't surprised it didn't happen.}}

The rest goes by fast.  Eventually SH reveals her real face to JKW & he of course recognizes her but she continues to claim to not be SH.  He knows it's KC that stole the maps & that SH has no idea he's her son.  With the help of Wol Sun, another B with an Itch gisaeng I want to smack around, he captures KC.  And then takes his bracelet off in front of SH, which reveals to her that he is her son.  Now what SH?  Ball is in your court...will you save the son you've been searching for & give up your dreams of revenge or will you play it cold & only take care of yourself?

And that is that.  If I keep this up I will be all caught up by Saturday.  This btw will be taking place of my WWU this week.  One review a day, I kind of hate my computer a lot right now.  And I have a splitting headache.  Have a great night, see you sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Saranghamnida,

Gu Family Book episodes 15 & 16 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

So I wasn't able to get this out yesterday as I had planned, as life once again required my presence.  But as of this morning I am family free.  I mean extra family free.  So, I can now try to get as many of these deliciously entertaining GFB reviews out as possible this week.  I'd really like to move on by sometime next week.  (fingers crossed)

Can I just say I loved marathoning this show so much.  It has been a while since I have had the time & opportunity to marathon a K-Drama.  It was awesome & I caught up just in time to watch the last 2 eps with my bestie who had traveled up here for a week w her kids.  Made the show even more fun! I highly recommend converting a bestie to love K Dramas as much as you do, asap, if you haven't already.  Makes it so much more satisfying to fan girl w a friend. ^_-

So...

{{Insert awkward segue into review here}}

Papa G has Yeo Wool in his hands...quite literally & Kang Chi has heard her mental cry for help & is on his way to try & save YW.  During their brief moments together Papa G fills YW in on the family history.  In particular that he is Kang Chi's dad & it was her dad that killed Papa G 20 years ago.  Wow the stark look of shock on her face.  But then it would be hard for any daughter, who also happens to worship their dad, to find out dad spilled the blood of the innocent & that the innocent blood is the father of the guy with whom you are in love.  But what Papa G wants from YW is whether or not it's true that KC is oblivious to her father's role in his lack of parents?  This gives her big pause.  UH-OH, she has to be thinking what will KC think of me, us if/when he finds out that my dad killed his dad?  It will be over for me!  He'll never love me now!  After KC rescues her they have a tender, STOP TEASING US W THE ALMOST KISS, moment where he basically confesses to her.  I have serious like for the super good guy Kang Chi.  According to my friend, who was happily marathoning with me, the upcoming kiss is a good kiss.  {{Squeeee a good kiss is coming up soon, I CANNOT WAIT!!}}  I loved how after she is safe, her ankle twisted {{Of course it's a KDrama}} he offers her a piggy back & she refuses him.  So what does he do?  The even more intimate carry her in his arms carry!  OMO!  So romantic.

But their happy little sweet moment is interrupted by the arrival Gon & Master Dam, who is less than pleased to see his daughter being carried in KC's arms.  YW confronts her dad, a little later about KC's dad & her dad's role in his death.  Then Master Dam being the ever paranoid dad type who feels he has to try & stop their fate, even though the Admiral & the Monk have BOTH told him not to interfere, decides he is going to put on Gon on YW duty.  His job to keep KC & YW apart at all costs.  I really liked Master Dam up to this point.  I get the fear he is feeling, I DO!  I get the protective dad vibe, I'm a parent too.  BUT oh he irritated me to no end over the next couple of eps with his insistence that she has to learn how to act like a girl & keeping them apart.  All these wise men were helping him & he just kept closing his ears to that which he did not want to listen.  I was so frustrated.

Okay that was the best part & worst part of this episode for me.  My favorite comedic bit was the 9 bells that they strapped to KC & said at the end of 3 days if you still have even one bell left you will get to stay.  If not you will be forced to leave the academy.  I loved that Gon was taking his bells.  But even better was KC's reactions every time he lost a bell. We were laughing so hard, & counting them down!.

Bells:
9 Diss Gon? Lose a bell.
8 Doing the gotta poop dance to the bathroom? Lose a bell.
7 Wash your face?  Lose a bell.
6 Fight w Gon? Lose a bell.
Only 5 more bells to go & it's only been 1 day!  Nope it isn't a conspiracy at all.
Honestly I was surprised that just the need to poop & the urgency dance of the poop lost him a bell!  Talk about harsh Gon!  Dang!

By the end of the episode KC & Papa G meet face to face, full of the knowledge of who the other one is & what this means.  Master Dam is willing to sacrifice KC, especially since KC is a possible threat to his daughter.  TS is starting to align himself w the Japanese Merchants (Seo Hwa) in order to get even w JKW... I'm still not 100 % sure whose side he is on.  And KC has developed some of his powers when he removes his bracelet, he's discovered he can control the vegetation w his Gumiho abilities.  Which looked surprisingly like Jedi Mind tricks to me bu whatevs.

Episode 16

In this episode it gets all tense again.  Of course watching Yeo Wool tie up her girl lesson teacher & escape was thoroughly enjoyable for me.  I'm with Yeo Wool, sewing is for the birds.  I have 5 brothers AddiKts, my mom tried to teach me sewing, so not something I enjoy.  Although I do love to cook & bake & create yummy things for our tummies.  But sewing, knitting & crochet can take a running leap.  Blech!  I'd much rather watch a football, soccer, hockey game on TV or play board games w my kids, read a book, watch K Drama, listen to KPop, go to the beach, go for a long drive exploring, then any kind of sitting still crafting thingamabob.  So I enjoyed watching her fight the power of the teacher & her father's oppression a lot in this episode.  Teacher is seriously a good sport.  YW loses KC another bell when Gon catches them together & she tells him he looks more like a man to her.  Jealousy rears it's ugly head & Gon takes another bell.  "Gon you butthead!!"  That is literally what I yelled at the laptop, all while laughing hysterically.

As for the rest?  Well Papa G wants KC to give up being human & immerse himself into full Gumiho life.  KC is all, "No way! I want to be human!"  So Papa G hurts Master Gong Dal & KC takes the blame...again.  This time the other trainees & Master Dam pull swords & put him under lock & key.  Even though KC gave his Gumiho blood to Master Gong  to save his life.  Aigoo!!  So much stress.   Meanwhile, TS & SH are revealing some truths, really they are half truths, to each other as their relationship develops.  Yes she is Korean not Japanese.  Yes he desperately wants the 100 Year Inn back again.  But like I said neither is telling their whole story.  Hmmm... could be these 2 don't trust each other.  Which is funny because at this point I wasn't sure if I trusted either of them myself.

It all boils down to a meeting at High Noon, between the Admiral & JKW regarding Kang Chi's antecedents & whether or not he is human.  Rumors have spread & JKW is using this opportunity to get rid of KC.  But KC has so many good men on his side.  I LOVE THAT!  The underdog for once is not completely alone!  Best part of this scene is when the Admiral quotes Master Yoohak, who once told the Yi Dynasty, this is after JKW accuses the Admiral of harboring a "Monster".  He says, " What you see is what you are."  He then goes on... "The pig only sees the pig, & the Buddha only sees the Buddha.  So if you see a monster you must be the monster."  Oh Boo-Yah BURN!  This is why the Admiral is my hero. He never gets angry in front of JKW, he just puts him neatly in his place, calmly & rationally.  See? My hero!  Then YW & Dimple arrive, here is where they show JKW who Dimple really is.  He removes the bracelet & nothing happens, of course we the audience know this is because YW is with him, but JKW doesn't know this.  Giddy w glee I tell you.  I was Giddy w Glee!!!!

Back at the academy later on, Gon gathers all the academy trainees.  It's been 3 days.  KC has 4 bells.  He asks who still wants KC gone?  Only 2 students.  So 2 more bells are removed.  Seong stands up for him & then Gon takes one more bell away as his opinion that KC should leave. {{See? Gon is such a butthead!  But I still like him.}}  But KC still has one bell left.  Then Master Gong shows up, all healed & better & once again I so love his character.  Between Master Gong & little Seong, the guys are starting to accept KC.  In fact, Seong gives him a big clue as to how that whole "essence of the broom" thing works.  To which KC replies with, "Are you one of the 4 masters?!?!"  I LOL'd all over the place!!  At the end, YW once again ties up her teacher, so she can go meet KC.  I loved her, "I'm so sorry, let me just do this one more time?"  So funny, poor teacher.  She had already been through a lot that day, what with Gon helping to keep her distracted when YW snuck off to help KC & the Admiral against JKW.  He flirted with her & so now teacher thinks Gon has feelings for her. Awww.... poor teacher.

They meet & he shows her proudly he has one bell left & they get all close & hand touchy & then just as we close in on another kiss opportunity a student comes along screaming KC's name.  GRRRRRR....  He goes off to Master Dam & after he leaves Yeo Wool gets snatched.  Dun dun dun......

That's it guys.  Tensions are mounting.  What will hapen?  Who snatched YW?  Was it Papa G?  JKW & his men?  So excited to get out the next review!

Saranghamnida,

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,

Gu Family Book ep 11 & 12 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

I know, you're in shock.  I am posting up another GFB review in one week!  Gasp!!  But since I want to get through these reviews as quickly as possible, so I can enjoy  my parents visit next week, I am going to be trying to get as many out as I can, before they get here.  They are driving from Arizona to Wisconsin after all, they deserve our full attention, right?  But no posts tomorrow... it's Sunday.  So let's dive back in to the mystical, magical, sci-fi world of Gumihos.

At the end of ep 10, Tae Seo was begging Kang Chi to save his sister from the Gisaeng house, as that night JKW was planning on taking her "1st time".  Um..ew!  And I all I could think was I am so glad I was not born in this time period.  When women were treated like baggage.  Ooooh the strong female in me hates this part of Saeguks...no, she hates this part of all historical fiction & non-fiction.  It drives me batty watching Jane Austen movies (which I love), or reading the books, how the girls are always waiting around for some man to make it all okay again.  Whatever!!  Sorry guys moving on.  So Yeo Wool, overhears Tae Seo's plea & seriously that has to be a knife in her heart.  I felt so bad for her but she is a strong girl, I love her character, who refuses to sit back & be ignored.  No instead of saying goodbye to TS & Kang Chi, she is going with them & will help them spring Cheong Jo.  Even though she really suspects that Kang Chi is still in love w Cheong Jo & that this could mean that they will be together, she will help the man she loves.  Wow!  That's love.

While they are working on springing Cheong Jo, Master Dam goes to visit the Monk.  He's really worried that Kang Chi will seek revenge on him, via Yeo Wool, once he finds out that it was Master Dam who killed his father.  But the Monk isn't much help, karma, fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it, is already in motion & you can't stop karma.    Not exactly what master Dam was hoping for.

And the Scooby gang, this is how I've kind of been thinking of the good guys, it's not a perfect match but think about it... Kang Chi is part Gumiho (aka Scooby - of course he could also be the sweet Shaggy too) then there are the brains (Tae Seo, Gon & Yeo Wool) Fred(s) & Velma.  But Yeo Wool kind of doubles as well as the pretty girl in the group...(Daphne) as well...and the whole show is based on supernatural stuffs...so the Scooby Gang are the good guys.  Best part would be, if at the end of the whole show, just before someone kills Jo Kwan Woong, if he were to say, "I would have gotten away with it, gotten all the power, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!"  Right?!?!  Okay I digress.

This episode focuses on trying to break out Cheong Jo from the Gisaeng house & trying to save her from JKW.  Here's the plan, see very Scooby Doo like, Kang Chi will approach the Gisaeng house.  And he will lure all the bad guys away from there, while he is distracting the bad guys, Yeo Wool will also sneak in from another point & escape w Cheong Jo.  How does Kang Chi get away, he gets all the other trainees from the academy to dress as he does & just run off in different directions, thus confusing the bad guy into chasing all the fake Kang Chi's.  BUT here's the best part, none of them, including Kang Chi himself, are to interact, fight or take on the bad guys.  Just run & look away & act innocent.  And it works!  They all rendezvous & Cheong Jo throws her arms around Kang Chi & hugs him.  {{sad feels for Yeo Wool}}  While everybody clears their throats & looks away embarrassed.

Back at the academy, TS & his sister are reunited.  But Master Dam is not happy that they brought so much attention to the academy, which could then be tied to the Admiral.  They were supposed to remain covert.  How can they fix this?  Sigh.  The only way out, that they can see is if Kang Chi & Cheong Jo run away together.  It's at this point that Yeo Wool's feelings are starting to show.

Kang Chi had promised her that IF he decided he had no other choice & had to take Cheong Jo & run away he would tell her first but he didn't he made the announcement to all of them at the same time w no warning to Yeo Wool.  Which crushes her.  He follows her back to her room & she lets her feelings & a couple of tears out before she goes into her room & closes the door between them, at which point Kang Chi is starting to, I think, understand just how much she cares for him & I think he is starting to feel for her too.  Andhe stands there with the door between them & apologizes to her & thanking her for being on his side & supporting him, he could not have gotten trough all of this without her help.  And then tells her he could never forget her. I admit I was all teary eyed & sad & heart broken for both of them.  And had so many feels that hurt.  Really not fair.

But it's another trap!  JKW was expecting all of this, TS thinks he's helping his sister & he acts the part of the back stabbing mole.  He reveals to JKW that KC & CJ are escaping & where they are going first.  JKW then hires that local thug, who hates KC, Ma Bong Chul, to intercept & capture & kill KC, along with Henchman too of course.  Tae Seo shows up, w sword in tow & & tells Kang Chi he has no choice, he is there to kill Kang Chi. At this point KC is remembering earlier when the Master Jook Dal had asked him what he wanted most & he just wants to be at peace w his family again.  CJ & TS at the 100 year Inn living in harmony like before. And then Master Jook Dal reminding him that all 3 of them have been irrevocably changed by all that has happened & what if they don't want you anymore.  His reply is that they would never betray him.  And then when he asks Tae Seo why?  tae Seo says, "Cheong Jo is my only remaining family.  I have no choice. Please forgive me."  Then he walks up to Kang Chi grabs his wrist & removes the bracelet, all while Kang Chi is begging him not to do this.

So now what?!?!

Episode 12 picks up where they left off.

TS shows up & reveals that he is the one who blew their secret escape plan, he did it for his sister.  Henchman is there & ready to remove the bracelet, KC wants to live in peace w CJ & TS.  Henchman breaks the bracelet & he changes & the horror on TS & CJ's faces is heartbreaking.  Tae Seo & KC even have a go at fighting & KC's claws go for TS's chest.  TS is badly injured & CJ is distraught.  And I'm screaming at the screen, this is all your brother's fault!  He's the betrayer!!  He's the idiot!!  Kang Chi is innocent.  Your brother betrayed then attacked KC!!  How on earth, you stupid idiotic twit, is KC supposed to react?!?!  Would it have been better if KC had just let your brother kill him & you in the process?!?!  OMG!!  Even my teenage son, who was watching with me said, "OMG MOM!!  She is a special kind of stupid!!"  And I couldn't argue with him.  So sad.  And at that point I no longer felt sorry for the stupid girl.

KC takes her, she's passed out from all the stress & because she's a wuss, to the gumiho cave.  She comes to & continues to have histrionics.  Eventually she leaves him there alone & gets lost on the mountain, because the mountain protects the gumiho by changing all the pathways & keeping people from finding him.  She's intercepted by JKW, who comes to the mountain too & FINALLY he figures it all out.  Who Kang Chi is & what Kang Chi is & who Kang Chi's parents were.  And then Cheong jo gets to see just who the REAL monster is, when JKW orders the death of all the mercenaries, that Ma Bong Chul hired to kill Kang Chi, including Ma Bong Chul.

But don't worry...Kang Chi is a part of the Scoobies.  He uses his Gumiho blood to save Ma Bong Chul later.  Pity from a good guy to a bad guy, sometimes, if the guy isn't truly evil can turn a bad guy good.  (FORESHADOWING oooooo)

Later Gumiho Kang Chi, lost his bracelet, shows up at the academy, demanding to see Yeo Wool, who isn't there...yet.  Master Dam orders his men to arms & they are about to have an epic battle when Yeo Wool shows up & even without his bracelet on, she manages to help him calm down, & put away the gumiho face. Awww she is his essence!  And boy howdy was I proud of her for standing up to her dad!  You Go Girl!!  The Admiral also sees the Big Picture & calms down Master Dam, who is now very miffed with his daughter.  Um dude, you raised her to be strong & stand up for the little guy, didn't expect that to bite you in the butt so nicely did ya?  As a parent myself, I feel your pain.  Then later after everything is calmed down Yeo Wool basically confesses to Kang Chi.  She tells him, she wants to help him accomplish anything he needs, which is why she is doing everything she can to help him achieve humanity.  Awww heart flutters & melts & it's a big puddle on the floor under my chair now.  I LOVE confessions!!

Now JKW is going to use CJ, whom he has in his possession again, against her brother.  She'll be "With" him, to save her brother or he's dead.  And so she does.  She spends the night w JKW after all.  EW EW EW EW EW EW EW EW EW..... she's a baby you sicko pervert!  Blech!  Seriously made me sick to my stomach.  And the next morning TS arrives, JKW's plan, to witness his sister's shame.  She is now a Gisaeng.  Can't really go back from this, not in Joseon time.  But this helps strengthen her resolve to never let a man have power over her again.  She goes back to the Gisaeng house & tells off Wol Sun, evil little Gisaeng Witch, my official title for her.  Then off to the Head Gisaeng & asks to be trained, since she's ruined already but not just any old Gisaeng.  She wants to be a Gisaeng like Head Gisaeng is, with the drums, a performer.... and she starts her training. Meanwhile JKW is now up to date on this whole "4 Masters" thing, not who they are but that they are there & that they are supporting & backing the Admiral.  Of course he has his own back up.  The Goonbon Merchants from Japan arrive.  Headed up by a lady.  He was not expecting that! After all women are supposed to be used, right?

Back at the academy, Kang Chi, will continue with his training, from BOTH Gon & Yeo Wool.  First task, count the beans in this bag.  One by One.  Which is entirely too fun to watch.  While he is counting, with Yeo Wool by his side, he smells something bad is in the air.  The arrival of the mysterious Japanese Lady Head Merchant has awoken something in the forest.  Papa Gumiho, is awake, but now he's in the process of becoming a 1000 Year Demon...no more Mr Nice Gumiho.  Which makes me believe that Kang Chi's mom, is the mysterious Japanese lady merchant.

And that is the end of this ep.  Good stuffs are coming AddiKts.  Terrible but good!  What will happen to the Scooby Gang in the next episodes?!?!  Squeeee!!!


Saranghamnida,

Gu Family Book: episodes 9 & 10 {{Dramatic Friday Review}}

So wow!  It's been a long, long time hasn't it?  I hope I was missed at least a little.  ;)  Time to break out my notes & start putting down my opinions.  Since I have seen every episode, I am hoping I don't get ahead of myself in these individual reviews.  Wish me luck guys.

So when we left off episode 8 , Tae Seo had just stabbed Kang Chi, right through the stomach & all I could think was, this is more than 8 episodes long, right?  This can't possibly end here, so how are they going to fix that?  o.O

But fix it they did, magically of course.  Helps being half Gumiho, doesn't it?  Now did anybody else think, even covered in blood Lee Seung Gi looks really REALLY good?  {{Thank you Korea for existing!}}

One thing I really liked in this episode is that they had Master Dam figuring out very quickly that Tae Seo was under hypnotic suggestion, they didn't drag any of the story lines out in this drama, that was really nice. Jo Kwan Woong & his henchman thought they were so covert.  Thank goodness Master Dam is smarter than your average bear.  Also at this point we discover that Tae Soo's character is in serious "Like" w Yeo Wool.  Which means that Yeo Wool is liked by Gon, Tae Seo & eventually by Kang Chi too.  I want to have her problems.  Well, okay just her love life problems, am I right?  Must be nice!

Meanwhile, Cheong Jo, who has decided to be a Gisaeng is getting trolled by all the stuck up little witch Gisaeng's in particular by Wol Sun.  Oh how I detest her.  But Head Gisaeng seems to think this is a character builder for Cheong Jo.  Part of me agrees Cheong Jo needs to toughen up & part of me can't help but feel bad, hasn't she been through enough?

Back to Kang Chi who is very ill, what with being stabbed through the stomach & all...well duh.  Yeo Wool, whom we already know is crushing hard on Kang Chi, is in agony sitting next to him, knowing he's probably not going to make it through the night.  Then she remembers that the Monk told her not to interfere in Kang Chi's fate but she of course ignores him, I would have too though.  Heck yeah the guy I like is dying & I know I can save him?  You bet your hiney I'm going to break rules to save his life, if I can.  So she takes off his bracelet, the one that keeps his inner monster in check.  And sure enough the blue fairies arrive & heal his stomach.  Of course this also turns him into the gumiho, who panics upon waking & practically attacks Yeo Wool, slicing open her arm on a candlestick in the process.  So my question was okay, he's healed now.  Ummm how are they going to explain his miracle healing to all the others?  o.O

The next morning dawns & we find out everyone, almost everyone, already knows about Kang Chi so they'll be subtle but they also aren't going to worry about explanations either, that was where the writing got weak, plot hole?  What plot hole?  Just wave away those pesky plot holes, no one really pays attention anyway. Now something I noticed, we all know Lee Seung Gi is an excellent actor, especially if you've watched King 2 Hearts.  But Kang Chi is a terrible actor.  LOL  He can't fake that he's still injured to save his soul.  Anybody that falls for that is nuts!  But he was adrokably sweet, so who cares.  *waves hand in air* would someone give me a swatter for this pesky plot hole?!?!  It keeps buzzing around my head!!  Aish!  

And as we learned watching My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Gumiho's are always hungry & usually its for meat.  Kang Chi is no different.  He wakes up starving, only to find broth waiting for him.  So he goes in search of meat & finds himself in the kitchen of Master Jook Dal.  Whom he mistakes for just your run of the mill old man leaning on a bamboo broom.  Did I mention Master Jook Dal is just about my most favorite character in the whole cast?!?!  He so is!!  Cute, funny, surprisingly agile & incredibly wise.  Like the Admiral, he sees the Big Picture.  Full Unnie Stamp of Approval, addiKts.  Now the rest of the episode is the planning for going after the silver at the 100 year Inn that Lord Park promised the General...hopefully before JKW realizes that it's there.  Best part is they've got the village carpenter on their side & he is already starting the process of redoing the room that sits above the silver.  My favorite scene was when trying to teach Kang Chi a lesson in the kitchen, Master Jook Dal withholds chicken from Kang Chi.  It was so Kung Fu Panda w the dumplings!  Perfect humorous moment!

Okay so it's almost the end, which means, it's time to put the mission to retrieve the silver into action.  Unfortunately, JKW's henchman, is suspicious & he gets in the way & almost ruins the mission.  While Kang Chi & Yeo Wool are trapped behind the door to the secret passage, Yeo Wool loses her balance & falls & Kang Chi HAS to grab her & keep her from falling & making even more noise.  I love the look on his face with his hand pressed to her breast.  Ummm... I'm pretty sure he knows she's a girl now!!!   No way you can misinterpret that kind of curve.  Bahahahahahaha!!!  Oh goodtimes!

At the beginning of episode 10 we get to see Kang Chi does, in fact, figure out that Yeo Wool is a girl...he'd be really stupid if he didn't, after having felt her up like that & all.  Do you think Joseon peeps knew about "bases"?  Cause Kang Chi is already at 2nd.  Can you say, "Awwwwkwaaaard"?  Giggles all over the place from Unnie.

I loved that he just kept staring at the hand that touched her boob!  LOL!!! 

Where is Jo Kwan Woong you ask?  At the Gisaeng house, being all creepy & stalkery w Cheong Jo.  Seriously, he is so gross & creepy.  But I give credit to Cheong Jo, she didn't flinch, even once.  Heanchman arrives & wants to see JKW but Head Gisaeng is a part of the good guys so she orders her servant to give him this really potent liquor & sends henchman away.  Thank goodness!

Kang Chi & Yeo Wool are trapped w the silver, as Henchman put his men in the room to guard against his suspicions.  But all is not well, as Yeo Wool's sliced open arm is infected & she is getting sicker & weaker as they wait.  Kang Chi at this point remembers the little girl he saved from the dog & realizes that Yeo Wool is her.  His first love.

Awww so sweet.  

He's scared & knows if he doesn't do something soon she may die.  So he decides to try using his magic blood to save her.  He slices open his palm & drips his blood on her arm & almost immediately the blue fairies arrive to save her.

I apologize for it's blurriness but didn't you just LOVE how when she faints & falls backward that her hair so perfectly unfurled all straight & beautiful?!?!  Only in K Dramas.  

Thankfully at this point Kang Chi gets Yeo Wool out safely and, with the help of the servants, plans a way to get the money out safely.  It's actually pretty ingenious.  Kang Chi goes back in the little room all night long & hides all the money behind a curtain, the next morning JKW arrives to see the silver & hidden room, but finds it empty.  As they (JKW & Henchman) arrived they saw the servants loading big bulk items of food, into a wagon, to go to the military base.  He realizes as he stares at the empty room, that what he was told was food, was probably all the money.  So he rushes off to the military base to confront the Admiral.  While he is gone Kang Chi & the servants pack up all the money for real this time & take it to the Admiral.  Walking right past JKW & his men.  Well played Kang Chi.  Well played.  I was cracking up laughing & repeating "Neener, Neener, Neener" to my computer screen a lot at this point.  So awesomesauce!  You go Kang Chi-ah!!  Yeah baby!!!

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

But what I didn't talk about was why Kang Chi decided to crash this mission to begin with...for a bet.  He wanted meat, remember?  Master Jook Dal bet him to get something from the Admiral as proof that KC really did know the Admiral, in return he would give Kang Chi some chicken.  So when Kang Chi successfully delivered the silver to the Admiral, the Admiral was duty bound to repay his service & loyalty.  What did Master Jook Dal want?  The Admiral's hat.  Seriously the glee & happiness lit up his face as he put on the Admiral's hat.  He was so stinking cute!  Kang Chi won the bet.  And in return he got his chicken. LOL

Onew better watch out, he may have to fight Dimple for that chicken he loves so dearly.

At the end of this episode our cliffhanger story is the fact, in retribution JKW is going to be WITH (wink/wink, vomit/vomit)  Cheong Jo that night & Kang Chi has to save her from his evil clutches.  And Yeo Wool doesn't know what to think about the 2 very different sides of Kang Chi.  The one who saved her life, using his gumiho blood & the one who wants to risk his life, no matter the cost, to save Cheong Jo.  Who does he love?

You will have to wait until the next review to see what happens.  Have a great night Addikts.

Saranghamnida,