GREAT RECAP! Thanks, hjkomo! ;) It was like watching that episode again (so that makes three times for me!!! :lol:)! Incredible choreography on that fight scene!

^ Jill, only three??? o_O hehe :P

Thanks for helping me edit (and Samsooki, too)! :D

Wonderful recap hjkomo! This was the first episode that completely won me over and it was partially because of the ending fight scene, but also mainly because of all of Hwang Chul-woong's scenes, LJH totally rocked in this episode! The part were he bowed to his mother, I think I saw that like 20 times---wonderfully done. So was the scene b/t him and the actor who played Im Young-ho. It was also nice to get more of Song Tae-ha's past history. I'm still ambivalent about the love triangle, but hopefully that will get interesting soon. Anyways, thanks again for the recap!

LOL. That's supposed to be "posturing" not "postering." :P

...and omg, HOT-Jung Soo looks pretty funny with his torso cut in half, eh? ROFL. :P

OMG I ♥ you hjkomo!!!!!
Made my night lol

@ Samsooki

nah...that would be langdon813. ;)

I hear a pot...with a Jang Nara poster hidden behind the tie rack in the closet...calling a kettle.....hehe... :P

@hjkomo Well, only three SO FAR... :lol:

@samsooki...I need to order one of those posters stat... ;)

hjkomo! Argh! I remember that intensely cruel cliffhanger! I was antsy the whole week because I couldn't get my mind off from what's going to happen next!

Thanks for the wonderful recap! :) And I must agree with samsooki your choice of caps was just brilliant!

I'm getting REALLY annoyed with all the girl characters in this show. I know that we're back in ye olden times but do they really have to be such simpering pansies? UN/HW is grating on my LAST nerve. I don't know if it's something to do with LDH's acting or it's just a poorly written character but I just want a little bit of development and life breathed in to her. I gotta say, that was one AWESOME battle. My brother doesn't watch dramas but I made him watch that one epic battle because it was pretty sweet. Pretty awesome episode, but I feel like the series is slowing down a little bit, hope it doesn't get too bogged down by the story because this drama is awesome.

What bothers me quite a bit with the storyline are these:

1. It's taking FOREVER for Dae gil and Un Nyun/Hae Won to meet. It's dragging in a major way.

2. The tiger shooting gunsman slave and his sidekick girl slave - I can't believe how they smile and nonchalantly talk about killing/ shooting people. Their character portrayals are very odd b/c they don't kill for a living, and yet they totally have no scruples. It's different when you're a soldier or that woman assassin who do that for a living. That woman slave reminds me of Chucky when she smiles about killing.

3. I think they messed up the story by not having a clearly defined male lead. I mean--Who's the good guy we should be cheering for??
Is it Dae Gil or Tae Ha? The writers made them both 'good' guys, both have the affection of Un Nyun... This storyline is messed up.

now i see what all the criticism is about. not a single speck of dirt on LDH. wait, wait, wait!...is that a smudge?? oh, no, just my screen. great recap! lol, you're such a fangirl. "hotness overload"

ya, I read in Chuno soompi-the writer already clarified HW character is supposed to be lifeless and there will be character development for her later.

Yes, what a very fair complexion, never reliazed LDH is sooo white until Chuno.

Btw, thank hjkomo for the recaps, CHUNO is indeed SPECTACULAR, what a masterpiece.

OMG!! Are they gonna meet at the intersection!!!

I like the part where Hye won got Tae Ha telling her if he was a slave on the run. Then the surprise smile & laughter when Tae gets defensive when she teased him if soldiers get lost. Maybe she's beginning to shed off some burden of her long term grief(& lifelessness) after seeing her tease & smile.
The fight scenes were awesome!!!
I think some nit pickers would like to kill Hye won. Maybe she can come back as a ghost...animated form!!! LDH would be less intimidating that way to some!!
I like LDH as Un yun/Hye won. I look forward to her change as she sheds off her grief & pain & fear.
I like the way Tae ha cares & protects Hae won. Why not! She's not a Damo.Tae ha is more than just a soldier... he protects Hye won without being asked.

The recap quadruples my enjoyment of Chuno!!! THANK YOU!

Wow, you gotta really respect those choreographers. Amazing fight scene there at the end =]
It kind of reminds me of one of Patricia Wrede's childrens' books, one where in the end we have all the characters in a room and a ten-way argument/conversation/discussion =]

Thanks for the recap hjkomo !

The fighting scene and the chased was really spectacular
Dae Gil ran like a Ninja with his sword by his side but when he paused and then decide to change direction, we said no! no! don't stopped just go! go ! and my heart was pounding very fast !!. and also with tears because I was hoping DG(after ten years wait) will meet Hye Won at the intersection.

Yes Hye Won character is stil shallow, hope for further developments.

Agreed about the tiger hunting slave hunting for human instead.
They are a new formed faction to free themselves from being slaves and aspire to become yangbans and making the yangbans turn into slaves.
But one thing is very clear they are illiterate except for the slave girl.
I wonder who is the master mind behind it.

Guys, thanks for the recap. It was wonderful. It made me LOL ("because Dae-gil’s ears have a special GPS-navigational system with audio recognition software. LOL.") and smile.

Re: the library scene. I thought it was great: from Choi and Daegil brainstorming and trying to figure things out (smart is sexy, imho) to the comic elements (so many *g* Oh God, Wang-son drool was horrifying and distracting!)

The 3-way fight was hot, zomg! @hjkomo There was another great 3-way fight in Return of Iljimae and that one was also good, but it wasn't among 3 main characters.

I don't know what to make of Chul-woong, either. As much as I dislike him for how he treats his wife and for all the bad things he's doing, I can't bring myself to hate him...yet. Am I too soft?

Re:Hye-won/Un-nyu. Gah, I really hope to see some major character development, otherwise I might end up rolling my eyes whenever she's on screen. I sympathize with her, but the minute she part ways with Tae-ha, what does she do? Exactly the opposite of what he suggests. You'd think she'd listen to him or at least TRY to do what he suggests, if only for the fact that he's supposed to be someone who can make it no matter how sticky the situation gets, but nooo. I'm not a hater, I actually like her and I really get it, she panicked, but still. She had the guts to leave her husband, yeah? I'd like to see more of that braveness. I guess the scene irked me because I figured she'd try to follow Taeha's advise, but she didn't even attempt to be brave. As I said, I like her. When Tae-ha was lost and she smiled, that was great, I loved that scene.

I can't help but agree with some of you guys about UN/HW character.

I really hope there soon will be some kind of development in her and that I won't be disappointed with that progress.

This is my first time seeing LDH acting and I have to say I'm not gettin good impression of her acting skills.

I realize it all has to do with how her character is written but she's not impressing me with her facial expressions either. Imo some of her awe/fear/surprise -faces look very fake.

Any LDH recommendations for me?

@ Soobi, looks like u are new to kdrama world, so not blaming u. To me LDH is a very special actress and her fans I found are among professional group and also men (based on their comments in this blog or other blog as well), and she also got very passionate and rare antis who really follow her career development even faster then her true fans.
There are lots of review on her previous acting from journalist, writer and movie/drama critics-my favourite is from MR X-quite eye opening.

@23 Soobit
My girl? Green Rose?

The three slave hunters are savvy with their arms and their technical navigation, - very impressed with their dedication to their work.
They are kind and very funny too! and to me they are more than Hyungs.

@#23 Soobi Watch her interact with Jang Hyuk in Robbers (title in Soompi thread), which is also entitled Bulhandong/Robber. She was outstanding, hence his recommendation that she be cast in Chuno. He knew what he was talking about...and the rest of the cast agree! So give her a chance and please don't prejudge. :) The writer has very precise plans for her character's development. We haven't even seen half the drama yet! ;)

Hjkomo,

You are hilarious! I nearly spat out my milk when reading about "Choco" hahahaha. So far I've just been reading the recaps, but now you've really whetted my appetite... I think I'll check Chuno out in the holidays when I actually have that elusive quantity known as time....
@23 Soobit: I've only watched Lee Da Hae in My Girl, but I really loved her character in that drama, so don't give up on her just yet! I agree that the UN character is really underwritten and really blah, but the way I see it, that will just make her (hoped-for) character transformation even more surprising.
@ writer of Chuno drama: Please infuse some reality into UN! And continue on with the great fight scenes, swords and hot guys will never fail to have their fangairls :)

@mimi I agree about the slave who used to be a tiger hunter, and his slave girlfriend. It's frightening how nonchalantly they kill or attempt to kill. And as Mathew Kraft mentioned, I'm wondering who is behind this slave revolt.

I guess I wasn't following the subtitles closely enough. When Song Tae Ha leads Hye Won to that isolated mountain top with a view, I thought he had done it deliberately, just to show her a beautiful view. And then I assumed her laughter was at this bit of surreptitious friendliness/love. Guess I got that wrong.

In the scene where the slave hunters enter the library for information, and they lie to the librarian about who they are, Seol-hwa made me laugh when she said: "Brothers, did you just pull a fast one?"

Chul-woong is the one who really puzzles me. After showing strength and integrity in refusing to go kill the retired minister for the current minister, he suddenly caves in and does his bidding. And I'm still not sure if he hates his wife, or loves her. The scene where he bows to his mother, perhaps, indicates that he has sacrificed his own honor---in becoming a hired assassin---in order to help his mother, somehow? Although how she would be helped by having a son who turns evil is beyond me.

As for Hye Won's helplessness, compare to her strength when she ran away from her husband-to-be, I think that is logical. She is strong in one thing only---her love for Dae Gil. When that is threatened, she can be fearless. In all other situations, she is as helpless as a rabbit.

@Samsooki

"you still treat her with a good deal of dignity and respect."

That really depends, I suppose. Her husband could have been worse, treated her in harsher ways, if we consider the mentality of the time. She could have had it much, much worse, I get it, but honestly? Whether he chose to marry her knowing she was sick or not, he still *chose* to marry. You can argue he didn't have much of a choice, really, but I don't really care for which reason he did it. I'm kinda disappointed in him and how he treats her. For some reason, I was expecting more from him, which doesn't make any sense considering his previous actions. I figured he'd be...oh idk, kinder with his wife since he's so sweet with him mother. BTW, it's highly possible I'm projecting, ok? I know how much it sucks when you try to say/do something and your body just doesn't cooperate /TMI I know

He's complex, alright. I can't believe he betrayed Tae-ha just because of a promotion and that decision triggered a chain of events he can't control. Maybe he's working for someone else besides Minister Lee and the only way to not expose this other "someone else" is by doing Lee's bidding? This theory would explain why he was so reluctant to go after Tae-Ha in the first place as Tae-ha saved his life and, if I'm not much mistaken, they were close. He could sacrifice men he doesn't know for the "greater good" or whatever, but not Tae-ha, but if it was necessary and Tae-ha was getting in the way, he'd have to kill him...aaaaand IDEK what I'm saying. Who this "someone else" could be? I'm rambling.

I really hope Chul-Woong is not A villain, you know? I want to believe there's something good in him.

No wonder I hadn't seen LDH anywhere before since I admit I tend to like watching k-movies more than dramas. (And it seems she hasn't filmed a movie before right...?)

Thanks for recommendations guys I won't give up on her.
^^

Do we really think chul woong love his wife? I dont think so.
Look at his body language - didn't even come near to his wife, did not eat together with his wife, didn't even help his wife to hold her hand while she is trying to write something for him, no touching, no kissing, didn't even sleep with his wife.
No conversation with her , What kind of a man is he? except loving and respecting his mother.
There was one tiny moment he smile to his wife.

Great recap! I love the style and format in which you've presented it. Good choice of screencaps and I like the way you put it in blocks of 4.
And your running commentary about the hot guys makes me laugh cos I thought the exact same things when I watched it.

Im only at eppy 3, but thanks for the recaps!!! anyway, im not sure why but it could be because this is my first time watching the 'olden' era of kdrama, i find it hard to catch the storyline, but i must say the acting is impressive, its like i am right there at that era...lol passing through and watching it come alive...one thing that i feel a bit funny and cant stand is the music...haha i get that the director wants us to feel the "intensity" of the particular fighting scene...but the music...eishhhh, lol, to me its way overboard, but anyway good drama to catch :), looking forward to ur next recap!

I agree HCW is a villain but not just simply evil and heartless. Which makes his character one of the most interesting ones in Chuno. He made a mistake when he succumbed under LGS's power. Now he has to deal with it whether he likes it or not.

What comes to his wife, I think he probably finds her repulsive and he doesn't love her but he doesn't hate her either. She's just there. He's cold towards her but I also see disappointment in his eyes in the scenes with his wife. Disappointment with himself.

Thank you so much for yet another great recap. Sometimes the yours and Samsooki's recaps are even more enjoyable than the episodes themselves!

I have watched up until this episode. Love everything about the drama except Un Nyun. It seems like everything about Lee Dae Hee's character and acting is starting to irritate me. Uninteresting character development, wooden acting and it doesn't help that she is still so clean, wearing lip gloss, even her nails are manicured - it's starting to annoy me. Too bad, everything else is great! Come on, this is more than 300 years ago, and she is on the run!

thanks for the recaps JB :)

@34 samsooki
I know. You do not sugar-coat the pill, do you? What I meant to say is that I don't want him to be evil through and through. I know he's done bad things and he should pay for them. Um, I think I need to see more.

BTW, how many (major) characters do you guys think TPTB will kill off at the end of the drama?

@Samsooki
6. Seol-Hwa (mom turns out to be the gi-saeng to Minister Lee???????)

Omg, I hadn't considered this. I love how your brain works.

You know, I have no idea, either. Reading netizens' speculations, Tae-ha seemed to be the most quoted "he-who-must-die" I really hope he makes it though. I don't want to see Daegil die *stomps foot*

Out of the 3 slave hunters, Wang-son seem the most likely to die soon.

Gah, I really don't know. The more I think about it, the less certain I am.

@samsooki

"6. Seol-Hwa (mom turns out to be the gi-saeng to Minister Lee???????)"

Episode 7 makes me suspect something else about that gi-saeng.

ohhh the Furious Angel's track sounds very very similar to the song "clubbed to death" on the Matrix soundtrack.

likes thanks:)

Wonderful recaps, again :) Squee-ing is much needed in such times of manly hotness duking it out amongst each other ^_^

I dunno if it's just cuz of your selection of pictures but don't you think LDH looks a little TOO serene while running from her enemies? I mean...maybe it's b/c I'm out of shape, but I tend to have a scrunched-up face, sweat running down my face, etc. while I'm running.

@ #44 Anonymous

Furious Angels is on the Matrix Reloaded soundtrack. PD Kwak Jung Hwan used it in the first previews for the drama and seems to like fusion music (I personally love his choice of music - here and in Conspiracy in the Court). And if you listen to The Matrix trilogy soundtracks, there's a lot of this melding of different music styles. Fantastic. :D

^ thats exactly my point. she looks so stiff in this drama. her emotion too, looks like fake. let see, running from enemies but she still looks so serene and calm. even when sword is right at her neck, she still try to be pretty. not to mentioned about her useless character.... i can understand she cant do anything about her character, but atleast show some emotion while acting???? i get really irritated with UN/HW. i seriously believed LDH is a talented actress, but here in this drama, it just so hard to agree about her acting.

and, i'm not her antis. anybody is free to express their opinion. when i criticized someone doesnt mean i'm an anti. i have no interest in following her just to find her flaw. i just watched chuno last week. aside from her, everything about chuno is superb.

See, if I consider UN a cipher, a mirage, a figurehead, a "purpose" so to speak, then her character and LDH's portrayal of UN doesn't bother me one bit with the lack of realism or grittiness in a drama where everyone else is bathing in dirt and sweat. I hereby dub UN "The Protected."

She is a purpose, a goal for DG, and TH has become her protector and she has become the protected.

And with that, this was a mighty fine Chuno cake you prepared for us, hjkomo-sis. Absolutely loved every slice you wrote and every screencap you gifted us with.

The final three-way to four-way battle was brilliantly choreographed for a k-drama, really top-notch and I didn't mind the excessive slow mo posturing at all. And each episode thus far has ended on the right note of OMG tension, can't wait to see how Chuno develops!

hahaha choco.