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Six Flying Dragons: Episode 14

Unconventional love and unconventional confessions go hand in hand this hour, but it’s never just about the two people in the relationship, is it? Rejection drives Bang-won to make some really daring choices that he still probably would’ve made anyway, Bang-ji finds himself stuck in the past, and Jung Do-jeon continues to have his hands full with all the wayward youths he’s surrounded himself with. Social change with a side of emotional healing, anyone?

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EPISODE 14 RECAP

Despite Yeon-hee calling him out on his hypocrisy, Bang-ji still pleads with her to stop doing such dangerous work—she’s not that kind of person. Yeon-hee bristles at this, and quickly returns that he’s talking like he knows her, which he doesn’t. And besides, people change.

“In life, many things happen, and the choices you make in those events eventually become part of who you are,” she reasons. “Like you, I’ve made my choice, and this is who I am now. Even now… I can’t even stand to see you. Leave.” Bang-ji cries some manly tears after she’s gone.

Lee Seong-gye seems doubtful when Jung Do-jeon claims his new plan is to bring the Haedong Gapjok onto their side, since he feels that the family he comes from is too lowborn for such a noble clan to even pay attention to. I love how Jung Do-jeon is all, “Gee, that does sound like a pickle. If only someone hadn’t broken off a certain alliance…”

“Are you blaming me?” Lee Seong-gye asks, all business. “Why wouldn’t I?” Jung Do-jeon returns, adding that he’ll probably blame him for a lot of things in the future, and he’ll just have to deal with it. His surly attitude causes the stoned-face Lee Seong-gye to break into a hearty laugh, which causes him to chuckle too. This is going to be fun.

Jung Do-jeon tasks old friend Jung Mong-joo with helping them get the Haedong Gapjok on Lee Seong-gye’s side, even though Jung Mong-joo has his doubts that they’ll risk making an enemy out of Minister Hong in the process. Jung Do-jeon isn’t concerned, and knows he’ll be able to convince them to make the right decision.

He then holds a meeting for his closest supporters in the New Joseon Cave, reminding the stately men (and Bang-won) gathered that the most important thing in creating a new nation is to never lose sight of what they want that nation to be.

It’s all quite formal until Boon-yi enters, causing Bang-won’s expression to sour ever so slightly. Jung Do-jeon introduces her as one of the two women fundamental to their cause.

And no sooner does Jung Mong-joo arrive for his preliminary persuasion meeting with the leader of Haedong Gapjok does Cho-young arrive with tidings from Minister Hong, who also seeks to curry the clan’s favor. Specifically, he sent his son’s Sajoo, or Four Pillars of Destiny (the year, month, day, and hour he was born), which symbolizes his desire to cement their alliance through an advantageous marriage.

Min Jae only has one daughter, the clever Min Da-kyung we met last hour, and it certainly seems like it’d be hell on earth for her to have Minister Hong as an in-law. Hopefully that won’t happen, since Jung Do-jeon lays out the compelling reasons why the Haedong Gapjok will choose Lee Seong-gye over the despicable Minister Hong. One of the biggest being that they’ll underestimate the great general, which will work to Team Lee’s advantage.

In a pleasantly surprising move, Daddy Min asks his daughter what she thinks about the options presented to them—who would she pick out of Minister Hong or Lee Seong-gye? Knowing, of course, that marrying into Hong’s family would make their family enemies of the public and Lee Seong-gye.

But Da-kyung thinks he’s asking the wrong question, since it’s really a choice between General Choi or Lee Seong-gye. She believes that there’ll be a revolt soon, and that General Choi will use the absence of Lee In-gyeom to push out both Minister Hong and Gil Tae-mi. Hanging on her every word, her father asks who she’d choose between the two great generals then, and without hesitation, she names Lee Seong-gye.

Unfortunately, Jung Mong-joo doesn’t think it’ll be that simple, as he explains the situation and marriage proposal to Team Lee. He worries that Daddy Min won’t be able to decline Minister Hong’s offer, which means…

“Can’t we just send a marriage request from our side?” Moo-hyul asks in the mess hall. It’s not like Lee Seong-gye doesn’t have any eligible sons, but old Master Hong explains why the highly noble and influential Haedong Gapjok wouldn’t want a marriage with the Lee family, despite the general’s great prestige and land. He still lacks power, which is what they’re really after.

Bang-won listens to the exchange in contemplative silence, while even Grandma gives her two cents on the issue by noting that if they were to send a marriage proposal, they’d be declaring open war on Minister Hong.

Da-kyung stresses to her father that a marriage with Minister Hong’s family will be fruitless when he won’t stay in power long, but they don’t have an official reason to decline. And that’s what Team Hong is banking on.

It’s only after lots of thought that Bang-won approaches Jung Do-jeon, looking nervously away from Boon-yi as he does so. He knows of a way to ensure Minister Hong won’t ally himself with Haedong Gapjok through a marriage.

We don’t need to hear it to know what he said, especially since Boon-yi follows him outside to praise him for his plan. Bang-won asks her if it really doesn’t matter to her if he goes through with it, and she has absolutely no problem with telling him it means nothing to her.

He lets out a cry of frustration, “It doesn’t matter at all to you, so I’m the only one going crazy worrying about you?” For every notch up the emotional ladder Bang-won climbs, Boon-yi turns that much colder as she flatly says he’s not the type to rescind a plan just because he’s worried about her.

And he doesn’t deny that she’s right about that, which just proves her point. “So stop whining just because you were worried about me for a while,” she adds, and Bang-won bristles at that. There are a lot of things he doesn’t understand in Goryeo, he says, but he doesn’t understand why he is the way he is to her the most.

But Boon-yi stifles a rueful laugh when he confesses that her rejection is driving him mad, and she shows him not even a shred of pity or understanding. If this is in a bid to get him to hate her and get over her, it doesn’t seem to be working.

Similarly, Gab-boon doesn’t understand why Bang-ji’s suddenly changed his mind about leaving, and he’s not offering much in the way of explanation other than saying he’s sorry.

Gab-boon storms off and sings the sad lament of the Green Mountain Special Tune, the same song that Bang-ji sang to move a whole crowd to tears. His voice joins hers in the song, and it’s quite beautiful to listen to. (Hurry up and get together, you two!)

Bang-won pays an unannounced visit to Daddy Min’s house, and Da-kyung goes to greet him instead of her father, planning to deny whatever request he has for an alliance.

Meanwhile, Moo-hyul innocently follows Boon-yi to the taffy stand where she exchanges secret messages, and tries to strike up a conversation with the pretty girl by talking about where Bang-won could’ve gone all dressed up.

He doesn’t know what a sore topic he’s hitting on, and he just makes it worse when he tells her that she shouldn’t speak so informally to Bang-won. “He’s a nobleman. He’s different from us,” Moo-hyul says, and Boon-yi says to herself more than him, “That’s right.”

But Moo-hyul just wants to get closer to her, and means well when he’s all, “You can say anything you want to me, just not him! You’ll get in trouble!” He doesn’t know what a chord this hits, and thinks that Boon-yi’s crying just because she’s worried about getting in trouble. “You can just do well from now on!” he offers lamely. Aww.

Back with Bang-won and Da-kyung, she formally declines his offer to join hands with his family, citing legitimate concerns with the possible benefits he listed. It’s only when the situation seems desperate that Bang-won wonders if her family is that scared of Minister Hong, and whether they can’t see that the tide of power is moving away from him. Which is exactly what Da-kyung has seen.

Then, in an unwavering voice, Bang-won adds, “Marry me.” Now he’s gone over the line, Da-kyung claims, but Bang-won persists and asks her again to marry him. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t reject the marriage proposal from Minister Hong’s family.

So Bang-won proposes that if there was a way to make Minister Hong’s proposal disappear like it never happened, would she marry him? Da-kyung allows herself a glimmer of hope as she asks, “Is there such a way?”

Bang-won returns to the New Joseon Cave with a smile on his face, and Jung Do-jeon knows that it means he must’ve been successful. Bang-won catches up to Boon-yi when she excuses herself, and she instantly switches into the much more formal jondaemal. It doesn’t make sense for her to speak informally to him when he’ll soon be the husband of a noblewoman.

Now it’s Bang-won’s turn to be dead serious as he tells her that he figured out why he was so angry—it wasn’t because she rejected him, but because her reason for doing so is a lie. He calls her out on the hypocrisy of slapping him even when she knew he was a nobleman, and her fearlessness in setting fire to the grain storage building.

She wasn’t afraid of power then, nor did she care about their social statuses. So how can she use that as an excuse now? “Those lies upset me,” he admits. “What is the real reason? You like me, so why do you tell me that you don’t?”

“I love you,” Boon-yi says suddenly, instantly taking all the angry wind out of Bang-won’s sails. “I think I do love you,” she clarifies, and she’s so calm about it that Bang-won’s first assumption is that she’s pulling his leg.

“You… you!” he points at her, trying to save face but failing. “I really love you. I won’t be able to help loving you until the day I die.” This has to be one of the more unique confessions I’ve ever seen, so devoid is it of the usual sentimentality. I like it.

When Minister Hong pays a visit to Daddy Min’s household, he witnesses him chastising his daughter over seeing a man in secret. The disgrace of it all gives Da-kyung an easy out when it comes to the marriage proposal from Hong, thus freeing her up to accept Bang-won’s proposal.

This is all business to her, and she stresses that her father shouldn’t hesitate to abandon her should everything go south with her soon-to-be new family. But she doesn’t think it will.

After reporting to Cho-young that Jung Do-jeon is running a secret organization (which is just enough information to make it seem like she’s doing her job), Yeon-hee realizes she’s being followed and confronts one of the men.

It’s Officer Nam, which causes her to drop her guard. But she still gets thrown in a burlap sack (“Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?”) and taken to Jung Do-jeon, while Bang-ji follows from a safe distance.

Officer Nam thinks he’s caught her spying for Cho-young, but Jung Do-jeon tells him that he already knew that, and has been using her as a double agent for a while now. But when Officer Nam doesn’t see her as someone to be trusted, it only takes Jung’s assurance that she has his full trust for Nam to back down.

Once he’s gone, Jung Do-jeon frees Yeon-hee from her bindings, apologizing for not telling Officer Nam sooner. “Do you… really trust me?” she asks uncertainly, only for Jung to amicably reply that he can’t help but trust her. It’s an unusually tender moment for them, and one that Bang-ji is sad to have witnessed.

He confronts her afterward, again about why she’s putting herself in danger and why she shouldn’t. Does she trust Jung Do-jeon that much? (Asks the man who trusted him enough to kill someone based on an overheard remark.) But it’s not Jung she trusts, she claims. It’s the world he’s trying to create that she’s put all her faith in.

“You are not that kind of person, Yeon-hee,” Bang-ji stresses. Again. It’s clear he’s still stuck in the past, since he refuses to believe that Yeon-hee is any different from the girl he once knew.

Yeon-hee: “Yes, I was a young girl. What does it mean to live in turbulent times? It’s hell for the weak. Turbulent times exist in different forms for the weak. The weak that never get left out… are the women and children. That’s right, while I was a child, I was also a woman and a young girl. I had no power as a child, and as a woman… there was something [those men] desired. So that’s how I got stepped on in that brutal period of chaos.”

Bang-ji looks desperate for her to stop now and say no more, but she continues: “Why must I be in this line of work, you ask? Because I, who was a victim as a young girl in those turbulent times… rather than running away, do you think that I don’t have a reason to step up and fight? The ‘us’ that we once knew… no longer exists anywhere in this world.” Ouch. Well, she’s not lying—he did run away.

Despite the tears streaming down both their faces, Yeon-hee tells him that while it’s too late for her, he can still save his sister from going down the same path. Bang-ji thought his sister was dead, so imagine his shock when Yeon-hee tells him that she’s alive and in the same organization. “So take her and leave. I beg of you.”

Minister Hong and Gil Tae-mi find Lee In-gyeom and General Choi (I know, so many names) in the gibang, and though Lee may have stepped down, he’s not about to start bowing his head.

He even laughs when he realizes that Hong has no idea he’s been made a fool of regarding the marriage proposal, and he’s not the first person to tell him so. It was obvious to everyone else but Hong, so he has to ask Jukryong to find out just who Da-kyung was supposedly in love with.

While in training, Moo-hyul almost forgets that the whole reason he left home was to fight the Viper and gain credibility, but he’s not exactly upset about not achieving that goal when he got to meet Boon-yi.

Little does he know that the man who suddenly appears before him is the Viper, though he does grow suspicious when Bang-ji asks after Boon-yi. In lieu of seeing her, Bang-ji leaves a letter.

When Minister Hong finds out that he was duped, and that Lee Bang-won was the man behind Da-kyung’s profession of love, he knows it’s all because of Jung Do-jeon. And he wants him dead.

Moo-hyul tells Bang-won about the shady looking dude that came looking for Boon-yi the night before, and gives him the letter he left for her. Bang-won takes one look at it before telling Moo-hyul to keep it a secret from Boon-yi, and to follow him outside.

Bang-won heads to the meeting place Bang-ji set out in the letter, which he signed as her orabeoni. He’s suspicious only because Boon-yi told him her brother was dead, and is more than surprised when he recognizes Bang-ji as the Viper.

Moo-hyul has only to hear his name before he attacks Bang-ji, and throws him backward with the force of one blow. He’s determined to defeat the Viper in order to gain recognition, and tells the protesting Bang-won that this is the only time he won’t listen to him.

But all that determination melts the instant Bang-won yells, “He’s Boon-yi’s older brother!” Which leaves Moo-hyul to pout that the man he wants to badly to defeat happens to be the older brother of the girl he likes. (He doesn’t say that last part, but we all know it’s true.)

Looking at him now, Bang-won can see the boy he snuck into Lee In-gyeom’s manor with as a child. Bang-ji isn’t interested in reminiscing, and only wants to take his sister away from all this—he’s not going to stand back and let his sister be manipulated.

Bang-won understands where he’s coming from just as much as he knows Bang-ji doesn’t know his own sister. Boon-yi will never leave because she believes in what they’re doing more than anyone, Bang-won says, which only riles Bang-ji more.

He thinks Bang-won and Boon-yi have bought into an illusion, but Bang-won corrects him: “Everything made by man in this world was once considered an illusion created in his mind. But when people gather around it and pour their blood, sweat, and tears into the idea… it becomes truth. We’re striving to create a truth that has not yet been seen in this land.”

This is a speech he’s heard some of before, since he remembers all Bang-won’s high talk in the New Joseon Cave. Bang-ji knows how much blood will need to be spilled in order for Jung Do-jeon to carry out his grand plan, and Bang-won had been completely fine with the idea of sacrificing whoever and whatever was necessary for the cause.

Now, Bang-won clarifies that statement, because everyone is included as a possible sacrifice in the times they live in. “We’re going to create a world where people are not helplessly sacrificed,” he claims, but again, Bang-ji doesn’t buy it. Even if he were to create that world, it wouldn’t be one he or Boon-yi would ever see, because nobles like him always use people like his sister before casting them aside.

Even if that’s so, Boon-yi won’t ever leave, and there’s nothing either of them can do about that. She’ll never give up on the world Jung Do-jeon hopes to establish. So the only solution Bang-ji can think of to free both Yeon-hee and Boon-yi… is to kill Jung Do-jeon.

Speaking of, Yeon-hee recognizes an assassin wandering through town, and finds out pretty easily that he was sent by Jukryong’s temple and plans to be at the spot where Jung Do-jeon and Lee Seong-gye are set to meet. Ruh roh.

Bang-ji goes to the same spot for possibly the same purpose, but is welcomed by Jung Do-jeon with open arms. Though Yeon-hee and Bang-won have never met, she knows who he is and runs to him for help and men—she’s worried that Minister Hong has sent an assassin to kill Jung Do-jeon.

Meanwhile, Bang-ji tells Jung Do-jeon that the only reason he clung to life after multiple chances to die was because he believed in what Jung had said about killing Baek Yoon and bringing an end to corruption. And then he did that, and everything got worse.

Now, Bang-ji doesn’t care about whatever Jung Do-jeon wants to do, he just wants his people—Yeon-hee and Boon-yi—out of it. “If they do not leave your side… then I will make it so you leave this world.”

Jung Do-jeon just nods at his threat, because he understands him. He knows what it’s like to feel guilt over being unable to protect someone, because he wasn’t able to protect those children in the cave. He went so crazy with guilt that he turned the sword he’d pointed at himself out toward the world, out at Goryeo.

“And that’s when I realized… that I was not responsible for those children. That this truly was not my burden to bear. It wasn’t an excuse, that I truly couldn’t protect them. That it was not me who wasn’t able to protect them!

I will take that responsibility to those who couldn’t protect those children, to that world. I don’t need anyone! If one has killed, one must repay with their life! I… will put an end to Goryeo!”

He tries to comfort Bang-ji in the same way he comforted himself, by telling him that whatever happened likely wasn’t his fault. A bit petulantly, Bang-ji says that he never said it was, which Jung Do-jeon knows is a lie. Laying a comforting hand on Bang-ji’s shoulder, he simply says, “Forgive yourself.”

Bang-ji lets out an anguished cry and draws his sword—he won’t be fooled by him anymore. Then, as formally as he can, he begs Jung to leave Yeon-hee and Boon-yi out of his plans.

And then, when he’s far enough away, Bang-ji allows himself to break down. That’s when he seems to suspect something, just as the assassin draws closer to Jung Do-jeon.

Everyone starts running for him at the same time—Boon-yi on her own, then Bang-won and Moo-hyul. Even Lee Seong-gye is ready to drop everything and rush to Jung Do-jeon’s defense.

But Bang-ji is the closest, and senses the whiff of bloodthirstiness and murder in the air. He draws his sword…

 
COMMENTS

I’m really glad we got that shot of Bang-ji to think over for the next week, since he needed to go out on more of a positive note. Working out how to feel about him can be tough sometimes, and while it’s an enjoyable conflict to have, it does leave me feeling a bit stranded sometimes. I want to get him, and there’s always a part of me that does, but he sure doesn’t make it easy.

And when it comes down to it, he’s actually one of the least complicated of the six dragons when it comes down to baseline motivations. No one can beat Moo-hyul in terms of derpish and completely lovable simplicity, but Bang-ji occupies a different space entirely by paring down complex concepts into either one shade of black or one shade of white, with very little room for grey areas in between.

He’s the kind of person that’s all in until he isn’t, and that mindset tends to change easier than you’d think for someone who shows so much determination when he sets his mind to it. He spent six years believing in Jung Do-jeon’s plan, enough to kill someone for it, but the second that didn’t yield nation-changing results was the second he was out. Now he acts as though he never believed in that cause in the first place, and that anyone who does (Yeon-hee, Boon-yi) are just brainwashed sheeple. And he used to be one of them! Unofficially, at least.

Which isn’t to say that he can’t amend his viewpoints or find meaning elsewhere, only that he’s just so very, very lost. The one thing he’d chosen to believe in for the sake of having a reason to live is gone, and though he tries to fight the forces pulling him back into Jung Do-jeon’s orbit, he’s filling the void now left in his life with outdated notions about the people he wants so desperately to keep close to him. No one knows better than him how much six years can change someone, so why does he act like he doesn’t understand how the passage of time could’ve affected Yeon-hee or Boon-yi?

In fact, it was when Yeon-hee called Bang-ji out for his hypocrisy that I sat up and started paying more attention when it came to her, since she understood how to put her life experiences into perspective. Because however much the world they live in has beaten her down for reasons unfortunately still relevant today, she’s choosing to face her fears head on, much the same way Boon-yi and the other dragons are doing. Bang-ji just has to learn how to forgive himself, like Jung Do-jeon so wisely said, and to find hope again. Luckily, he’ll have plenty of time to do just that.

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Thanks HeadsNo2 ! Off to watch ! :D

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Come oooooooooon, Bang-ji. Save Ansony! You're the only dragon left out of the loop.

(Also bravo to Yeon-hee, really. If that was me, I would've kicked Bang-ji's butt for refusing to see past what happened to her and actually look at how strong she's become and what she's working towards.)

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He needs his sister and maybe Jung Do-jeon as his therapist, poor guy.

I think Bang-ji will save Jung Do-jeon and will join the rest of the Goryeo traitors in the next episodes.

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Thanks for the recap, Heads!

This is probably the lift-off platform that will propel Byeon Yo Han into stardom. I totally love Bang Ji and that stoic principal he holds on to. He might be a tortured bull head but his devotion towards Yeon Hee (however skewed it is) is just gut-wrenching to behold in a good way.

And i absolutely love how smart, singular and badass Yeon Hee is. She's street-wise and firm, willy and trusting. She's focused and devious at the same time. She doesnt allow herself to continue to be victimised and takes an active role in trying to change the world. She's not afraid to get her hands blood-soaked (read that as dirty) to achieve her goal. Got to give props to her for being so awesome in everyway.

These two really is the ultimate OTP for me in this drama.

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yeah i forgot to give credits to Yeon Hee's character, I agree she is badass and I want to be like her lol.

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my OTP for this drama is Mu Hyul and Bang Won hahahaha

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Moo-hyul and Bang-won, yes lol.

Moo-hyul and King Sejong's pro-mance in TWDR was the best. I am going to remain loyal to Warrior Moo-hyul even though he is rather naive and a bit of a man-child lol. Warriors are not the smartest but they are fiercely loyal.

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I love Yeon Hee character, too. Despite the tragedy happened to her younger self, she grows up to be so awesome. The more I watch, the more I wish she was written to be one of the dragon in stead of Moo Hyul. I love Moo Hyul for being such a fun and comedy source in this drama, but IMO Yeon Hee character has much more gravita and layers than Moo Hyul's.

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(Spoiler)

We can't really judge Moo-hyul at this current state. He is a dragon for a reason. He became the royal guard for 2 kings and died for one of them.

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"So the only solution Bang-won can think of to free both Yeon-hee and Boon-yi… is to kill Jung Do-jeon."

Heads, do you mean Bang-ji here?

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I'm sure she meant Bang-ji. I feel like his character is not as well-thought out as other characters. I've read a lot of posts not being happy with his character elsewhere, because, like Heads said, his chain of thoughts reflects stupidity on a whole another level than that of Mu Hyul.

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Although Bang Yi, as an adult is hot and broody and is a skilled swordsman, as a child, he was not actually very smart. The one with the wits and gumption was Boon yi, while he was rather slow on the take and cautious. Like Boon yi herself said, he was rather weak and she didn't think that he would have survived the difficult times.

He also probably feels guilty at not coming to Yeonhee's rescue and also for not being able to protect his little sister all the years that he was away. Hence, he thinks that the he has to protect them now, to make up for the lost years, not realising that they have changed a lot through what they had gone through and actually don't need his protection.

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HeadsNo2 again another great recap and your comment makes sense of bang ji's character.

I agree that Bang Ji's character is simple yet hard to grasp.
Maybe if I'm in his shoes I'll be like him. :(

I love the soon to be Queen character her mind is amazing, I just hope that her shrewdness will shine in the upcoming episode. She's a character i love to hate and love at the same time (lol not making sense there hahaha)

Moo Hyul is just adorable as always.
Boon Yi, now here's a girl whose character is so strong she can make the world bend to her if she have the power to do so. (i love her character.)

Bang Won- a always his the star...applause for YAI for portraying this character. I love his honesty is directness and his shrewdness. I hope he will show some love for his Queen and appreciate her shrewdness too hahaha.

Thanks HeadsNo2 your the best!!

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Can I just say that the forest where they're shooting is absolutely gorgeous? It's crazy, it's like a fairy tale scenery.
Does anyone know where they're shooting? The colors are breathtaking.
I love Mu Hyul. Once he found out about Bang Ji being Viper, he's all like: aishh, what's guy to do to get fame and the girl around hereee aiyooo why must life be so hard?

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You can see the county name on the rolling credit. There like 3-4 different county or place that they use. One of the place the mountain actually at Jeongseon, where the popular show 3 Meals A Day farm located.

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I have the map of Goryeo in my head and when I see these beautiful trees I'm thinking, dang Gaegyeong is gorgeous.

Now I'm all confused lol.

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Thanks :)

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That forest is absolutely gorgeous!

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Moo-hyul has the strength of a giant. I was laughing when he hit Bang-ji with his sword and he flew off like he's been caught in a tornado.
I think Bang-ji would've kick his butt if he wasn't caught off guard.

(Spoiler from Tree)

When Bang-won gave Moo-hyul to his son King Sejong (in Tree) he told him that Moo-hyul can single handedly fight off a hundred soldiers.

As much as I love Moo-hyul I wouldn't mind seeing more Bang-ji because his screen-time in TWDR was really short. I didn't even remember him from Tree.

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Moo hyul must be crazy strong. That scene of Banji flying after Moo hyul hit him was hilarious. In a fight between technique and brute strength, I wonder which one will win?

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Moo-hyul hasn't been trained properly like Bang-ji so I think technique will win here.
Maybe Bang-woo will train Moo-hyul at some point. He is the only other skilled swordsman with a reputation in the family.

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In Tree Bang-ji beat Moo Hyul so technique wins. ;)

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I don't remember them fighting over who is best. Was it just word of mouth?

According to King Taejong (Bang-won), Moo-hyul was the best swordsman in Joseon.

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@Kiara

http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/10/tree-with-deep-roots-episode-5/

Moo-hyul himself said he's not the best swordsman of Joseon (according to Tree) since Bang-ji beat him once. :)

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Thanks for the flash back :).
He's talking about being beaten about 20yrs ago. So to Moo-hyul he is not the best regardless of what everyone else said.

I think we'll get to see that in this drama.

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Beautiful scenery, especially with the autumn leaves.

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so amazed from very begining episodes! just wondering why never seen that beautiful forest in any kdrama before

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Lee Seong Gye: so have you come up with a plan?
Jung Do Jeon: ho ho indeed I have, but all must be revealed in time. Let's leave this to the young ones, while we sit here in our glorious beard and laugh our manly laugh ho ho ho

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I love that scene. A beginning of a great friendship between them.

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ROFL! You should write a complete SFD script in your version ;p

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♥ this. Thanks for your insights. So hilarious!

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algggggg
why? why bang-won? why did you have to get married to anybody that wasn't Boon-yi?

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WOW very hard working heads thanx
im in awe of BY she is so cool and logical and strong
she grasp reality faster than anyone less JDJ probably
she understands bf BW says the words what he is to say therefor not surprised and even supportive of his decision
as if she had prepared herself
she is not motivated by power or revenge but still is very determined and strong
her waepons are words alone and by them alone she can change the ppl around her for the better
lest her brother which i hope will change from the next episode when they meet
JDJ is considered the mind controller
but BY has also such a talent

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Bong Yi was always the one with the brain. That's why his brother is lost without her.

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so all we need is just meet them together rigt? and our sick dragon wouldn't thinking about killing people in every problem he want to resolve anymore.

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She knows him better and loves him more than anyone. She is his only family left. Heck the girl he loves is not going to help him. She has her own issues to deal with.

Who else is out there that he can go to but Bong Yi.

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and i think he really trust her with his life
she had shown she can get him out of prison when he was sure he would die
and he has no problems with her being in the middle of danger by being the messenger and an integral part of the revolution
- unlike DS who sees how capable YH is legendary in fact but still seem to think she needs protection - BW have no such feeling regarding BY he saw her get out of trouble a couple of times already with her wits alone
and non of the others belittle her she is treated by everyone with the most respect as an equal comrade

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i meant BW not DS
DS doesnt really know actually remembers how his sister is just as she remembers him as weak he assumes she is one bc she is a female
i hope she can relieve him and herself from their guilt
and if he becomes LSG man (given a new name and such)
i do think BY is a part of this change since no one else changed him bf
in fact YH only made him seek revenge or the death of JDJ as a way of releasing YH & BY and JDJ & BW he treated as crazy so i think BY might have something to do with this change
but most of all i hope they become a normal supportive family (for now)

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I loved the confession, but I'm scared about where BW and BY's relationship is going and where this show is going and scared for where I'm headed with this show (but in a totally good way ahh!) I also really liked the future queen, I love all these badass intelligent girls of SFD. This episode (both eps this week actually) seemed to slow down a bit with the romance focus, I feel like it lulled us into this false sense of calm and then BAM you hit us with that cliffhanger!! I mean, I know he's going to survive (this episode at least) but show, you leave us on the brink of one crazy action sequence and all that potential emotional payoff..? So mean -.-

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Yoo Ah In has made Bang Won a character that has many layers. Props to his acting.

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I have a slightly diff view about Bangji.

Bangji firmly believes that he should die. He never believes in the new world JDJ want to create. Bangji only able to let himself lives for a singular purpose, and since he thought the world is so corrupted he wants to destroy it. That purpose, for him is his penance.

Unlike the rest, he never know of the world JDJ wants to create. Initially he thought JDJ prediction will come to pass and Goryeo will crumble, he became disillusioned because his one purpose has failed.

Now he is flailing around. Unable to find a purpose for his live because both Yeonhee and Boonyi doesn't need or want his protection.

Isn't it ironic how the 2 girls he wants to protects are 2 of the strongest ones here, they are so fearless despite their status and their gender. Bangji on the other hand, strong physically but mentally he hasn't grow at all from DdangSe that wants to die.

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Agree with your analysis, especially your last paragraph.

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Agreed! He's mentally still the weak younger Ddang Se.

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Another wonderful episode!
So many things I like:

1) Heads' comment: "and Jung Do-jeon continues to have his hands full with all the wayward youths he’s surrounded himself with." Lol! So true, so true.
They are kinda like replaced the children who died in the cave.

2) I love love love the all the characters in the drama - even the baddies. And now we have a new character to add to the list - Min Da kyung. She's one smart and sassy cookie! Even though I badly want Bangwon to marry Boon Yi, she is BW's match for intelligence.

3) BW - he's ruthlessly genius.

4) BW's confession is refreshingly frank and to the point! And I feel his frustration!

5) Moo hyul - he's like that court jester - in his case, he brings in the much needed humour into an intense drama. I love his clueless naivety and sincere loyalty.

6) the song that Gab Boon sang - it was so beautifully sung and I was hoping that BY would join in... so, I was glad that they blended his voice with hers. Very haunting and lovely song. It has been in my head for the last 2 days.

7) The women in this drama - Boonyi, Dakyung, Yeon Hee
and even grandma. Yeon Hee's and Boon yi's strong characters were seen in this episode!

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@crazyahjummafan

"6) the song that Gab Boon sang – it was so beautifully sung and I was hoping that BY would join in… so, I was glad that they blended his voice with hers. Very haunting and lovely song. It has been in my head for the last 2 days."

This.

You can just feel their sorrow, hopelessness, pain and despair in that one song. Wounds that haven't been healed, and may never heal. It's so simple, but so hauntingly brilliant.

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That song really needs to be released digitally.

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Totally agree! Was wondering if it is part of the OST.

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Does anyone else ship Gab Boon and Ddang Sae? BECAUSE I DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

As much history that Yeon Hee and Ddang Sae have with one another, it seems like (at this point) what happened in the past is coming a bit harder for them to get past. I think Ddang Sae will always feel some sort of guilt about what happened to Yeon Hee. And Yeon Hee finds it hard to look at Ddang Sae without remembering a painful part of her past. I honestly prefer the lighter warmer interactions between Gab Boon and Ddang Sae over the darker more tension infused interactions between Yeon Hee and Ddang Sae. I think I will hold on to this ship for dear life until the drama, obviously, changes my mind.

But Gab Boon-unnie fighting!~~~

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Okay so I really like Boon Yi's and Bang won's confession. It's so matter of fact, how can anyone not take it seriously? It's one of the best kdrama confessions I have seen.

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I totally swooned at their confession~♥♥

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*swoon* Me too! It killed me tbh.
Further, the way the confession being delivered is like a reflection of their personality. It might be said in not-so-romantic way (and I can completely understand where it came from), but it sounds so great and fits with their situation really well.

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I've just remembered, in the ep 13, BY said she didn't like BW. And now in ep 14, she said the reason why she's rejecting him is because she loves BW. Like is < love, so Like =/= love? Haha.

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I died when Bangwon said "Do you want to die?" and she's like "Well, not now." That confession caught me so off guard. It still leaves me breathless until now.

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Ahhh lol here I am wishing I was Boon Yi I so love his confession <3

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Lee In Gyeom is wrong. The credit for the plan to usurp Lady Min's marriage with Hong In Bang's son goes to Lee Bangwon and not Sam Bong. I am pretty sure he came up with the plan to say that Lady Min had a secret lover all on his own. That boy has never stopped scheming or plotting.

And Boon Yi is okay with this. I really fear for the future of their relationship and the fact that her influence on him will start to diminish when there's another woman in the mix. Though who's to say she has much influence on him at all? He does what he does without regarding the consequences on the people he loves. They are both very similar: ruthless when they need to accomplish their goals. It's interesting to see how things will play out.

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I'd give them both credit. One is the brain and the other does the dirty work.

Jung Do-jeon is the brain behind this plan. He'd give a hint in respect to Bong Yi but he won't come right out and say it. If you watch him closely he knows that there is something going on between Bang-won and Bong Yi and there is sadness on his face when he looks at her.

Bang-won makes things happen when he catches on.

I think Lady Min came up with the secret love idea. She knows Hong wouldn't last long as the head of Dadong and she wants out of the marriage proposal so she can marry Bang-won for her family's security. She probably coach her father in what to say. Hong totally fell for their little performance.

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I'm with Adal on this one,it was Lee Bang-won who came up with the plan about Lady Min's "secret lover." It's probably the plan that LBW told both Jung Doo-jeon and Lady Min which we did not get to hear.

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You could be right :).

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Bang won is a crafty one!

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I also believe adal is right bang won is the one who came up with this plan after he heard what muyul grand mother and teacher have to say. It was a crafty plan. Bang won is a crafty one. After he came up with the plan he talked to his father and jong do jong before he execute it .

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Oh I get it now after watching it. I guess it helps to watch the whole episode instead of FF through it.

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i believe the secret love idea came from bang won . Lady min did not know how to reject hong in bang and they were planing to accept the marriage but bang won came up with the idea of marrying lady min and the lover idea, he talk to his teacher and father about it , he was at first hesitant to say it because bonyi was there he knew she wouldn't have liked because she liked him and then she approved of his plan . Later one he talked to lady min who was planning to reject the alliance with him and his father because she could not break the marriage proposal from hong in bang even through she knows hong in bang wouldn't last long and then he told her his plan

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In Gyeom gave credit to Jung Do-jeon because he is the brain behind this group. No one would think of an alliance with the Mins if he didn't already calculated it. They all sit there and wait for him to lay out the plan and then they go from there.

(Spoiler)

It's very obvious that the writers are inserting Bang-won in every situation because he is going to come back and claim that Jung Do-jeon did nothing. He (Bang-won) did it all. He built this new nation bla bla bla.

This is part of his justification for killing Jung Do-jeon.

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Yes its one of his justification for having kill jeong do jeong. As I read on wiki , jeong do jeong also wanted to kill yi bang won. Yi bang won knew that and was the first one to rebel. I also watch the great seer where lady kang and jeong do jeong tried to have yi bang won killed because she fear for her son and she start plotting against him . Ji sang warn her not to plot against bang won but she did anyway. As i mention before lee seong gye is the only one to be blamed for the tragedy taht occur , i can understand him not picking bang won as the crown prince but there is bang wa there but he chose not too , the other princes felt threatened. The rebellion against jeong do jeong and the second wife princes was led with by yi bang won but also with all the first wive princes

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"Tears of the Dragon" and "Jeong Do Jeon" are two authentic sageuks of this era. The writers did extensive research on the history and the cast were put on 4 months history class before they started shooting.
Great Seer was a hot fusion mess.

Wiki has gotten better but I'd take the history there with a grain of salt. Scroll down to the original source and decide if it's legit or not.

Obviously Jung Do-jeon and Bang-won were not the best of friends after Joseon was established. They both disagree on how to run the country. Jung was the Prime Minister and Bang-won was the 5th prince so one of them had more authority over state matters than the other.

It's possible that Jung wanted to kill Bang-won, influenced by his friend's wife beside he was also the youngest's prince teacher by Seong-gye's request.

It is also possible that he stood between Bang-won and the throne and he needed to be eliminated (Bang-won's method of solving problems). Since, he's the dead guy why not blame him for everything else even though daddy made the decision to crown the youngest.

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i agree with you completely
also as history goes - there was no such alliance as we have here between LBW & JDJ
as far as we know BW never share the same philosophical view as JDJ
he believed in absolute ruling by him and anyone else was in his way
of course he did make a great tyrant but still a tyrant

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@sam I totally agree with you about Lee seong-gye.

This father and king made a bad decision. Seong-gye could've easily avoid this if he put Bang-gwa on the throne first and not after the young crown prince was killed.

Instead of being a father and king he went into retirement. It would been great if he tried to settle the disputes between his sons first so it won't happen again.

There is probably a reason why the writers started off the show with him being a weak father that Bang-won will undermine and over-ride.

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yes you are right kiara lee seong gye made a mistake , he let his second wife manipulated him into chosing her son as crown prince . All of this could have been avoided if bang wa was chosen as a crown prince . I am not even saying he should chose bang won as crown prince even through they say among the prince he contributed the most . But to skip over all over his first wife sons is just not right . They even mentioned that bang gwa have gone to many battles with their father. We know how princes in history have always been greedy for power and the throne imagine how all they may have felt , they contributed a lot in their father rise to the throne and he just pass them over for a prince who have done practically nothing. It does not take a genius to know that they will all rebel against his decision at some point. In six flying dragon they said lady kang is able to manipulate lee seong gye with one simple word. She may start the conflict between father and son because of her greed

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What was really sad about the older boys is that their mother died before Seong-gye became king and she wasn't there to fight for their rights to rule. All of them were legitimate heirs to the throne.
I believe that if she was alive she would not let the 2nd wife's son became the crown prince over her sons. That was unfair especially when her boys were older and they helped built their new nation.

Lady Min (Bang-won's wife) fought for her boys until King Sejong sat on the throne.
Bang-won and his favorite concubine Hyo had a son together. She had ambitions for her son and she thought that she had an advantage because Bang-won was in love with her.
Thankfully Bang-won loved his Joseon more than his women and he did the right thing after his older boys stepped aside to let their more capable younger brother Sejong rule the country.

I can't wait to see this lady Kang and how she is going to be portrayed here.

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yes what you said is so true i watch king sejong the great . It is true that taejong favor his concubine hyo more than the queen but that did not sway his mind from choosing yi do as crown prince. If taejo have done the same may be they would not have been that much blood shed from taejong. Anyhow the Taejong they portray so far is not so different from the taejong we have seen in dramas so far, he is smart , cunning and ruthless . As a young child to be able to kill three scholars(even through they were bad ) without remorse says a lot about him. He is willing to do anything to accomplish his goals (the end result justify the mean to him ) , he even told ddangse that great cause requires sacrifices :) even bonyi have noticed that about him , She knows that even through he loved her nothing will stop him from accomplishing his goal example marrying lady min and forging his dad seal .

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i read somewhere that King taejo was going to choose bang won cause he knew he will become a great king... but jeong do jeon stopped him and advised him to choose his who he loves most than the son he felt the best.. well you see, for JDJ, Bang won was a threat to the way he rule the country.. he didn't like bang won.. so of course the father will chose his advisor since JDJ had the authority to do what he wanted for the country..

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Bangwon's confession just tugs at my heartstrings. His hard look just crumbles when he looks at Boonyi with that vulnerability. I know this ship is sinking but still..otp all the way.

Plus Idk why, I just laughed aloud suddenly at this scene:

Boonyi: I think I love you.
Bangwon: Hey, you wanna die? (flustered)
BY: (stoic) no, not yet.

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"Hey, you wanna die?" LoL what a response to a confession. And he followed that with "I really love you, and I think I'll love you until the day I die" which just killed me. I loved that scene & the straighforward Boonyi. ^^

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Boon Yi's 'not yet' is a scary statement. For now, I haven't been paying to any foreshadowing the show has made (if there are) so I can't say for sure if it is. (I hope it isn't.)

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oh gosh, that just hit me. Noooo ㅠㅠ

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Yeah, the foreshadowings, also, in the first few adult episdes, boonyi, in almost all scenes she always had to have a sword on her neck, like she was always questioned with a sword on her neck, it was a lil bit annoying.. but the show grew out of it and now this statement of hers. I really hate her dying, but i also dont want her to become just a concubine.. she should just go out with cute moohyul or something, but then again in tree moohyul doesn't have a wife or something like that so....... her options are be a concubine and die?? But well, though the makers of tree and this are the same this isn't a direct prequel to it, is it?? It is also by different networks

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This is a prequel to tree but not 100% and that's why we have 6 dragons instead of just 3. There are also a lot more characters based on the actual history.

Dragon 1-3: Historical figures- Lee Seong-gye, Jung Do-jeon, Bang-won.
Dragon 4-6: Fictional characters- based on Lee Jung-myung's novel (Tree with deep root). Bang-ji, Bong Yi, Moo-hyul.
This is the same author of (Painter of the Winds).

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Oh.....so she really isn't atleast going to moohyul, her only choice is to die or become a concubine, or both, though i don't like any of those to happen to her, i think i would somewhat fine just dies, as long as her death is worth.. but i think the show is going to make her concubine, because we still 36 more episodes left, bangwon going to marry in the next episode and they have to have a story.. i dont really really want her to be a concubine though

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We don't know what is going to happen to Bong Yi. She wasn't even mention in Tree. We are just assuming that she will die since her story will end here.

Maybe she'll go back to her home town away from politics and spend the rest of her life there. Maybe she found her mother and will live with her. No one in the new Joseon will care about what she did in the past especially with Jung Do-jeon as the new law maker.

"Even if he were to create that world, it wouldn’t be one he or Boon-yi would ever see, because nobles like him always use people like his sister before casting them aside."

What Bang-ji said to Bang-won makes more sense than anything that came out of Bang-won's mouth.
Who is really going to benefit from this new world? The nobles, the peasants, the slaves, the poor?
There is a possibility that Bong Yi will be used then cast aside at the end.

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!
Now that you've said this, I'm thinking if Boonyi really dies (prepare for the worst, guys) it may be the reason why Bangwon becomes a cold-blooded king. I may be wrong tho.

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That could be a possibility. Anyway, I just can't imagine Boon Yi being alive at the end, even though I love her characterization so much.

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(This BoonYi-going-to-die-talk hasn't been ended yet tho. I thought it would not be mentioned again in the next recaps lol)

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ngl, these two episodes i've took a liking to lady min. while i know lee bang won might only have boon yi in his heart, i hope he will still develop a good friendship with his future queen. knowing history though, and how the actual queen has had a difficult life with king taejong, i'm not sure how that'll turn out in the drama but she was vital to his rise to power. i hope they don't make her evil and in love, just in love and hopeless (for him to return the feelings).

anyway, i sometimes have to scoff at bang ji when he decided for himself that yeon hee and boon yi shouldn't be involved in taking down goryeo for joseon when he hasn't interacted with them in years. they've grown and left him far behind in the past.

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In the character introductions(which aren't always being strictly followed in kdramas) her character is that a ver smart girl that even debates with scholars and even though she knows shes in a hopeless one sided love with bangwon, what drives is her ambition, and hunger for power. Which would be very essential to the rise of power

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They are totally going for dramatic purposes with Lady Min then. The typical 2nd female lead, one sided love, power hungry etc.

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I hope this is not the case but then they never said that they are going with the actual history.

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looks to me they're going to justify his bloody rise to power by making it /her/ fault first, his second (since he never stopped it either). i would've preferred if they had a good relationship with each other since she's going to be his queen anyway, might as well be friends, if not in love. i just want less enemies, that's all xD lee bang won might as well have an ally in her.

i've read on another forum that supposedly historically she prepared the weapon and soldiers for lee bang won in the first strife of the prince and almost ran to the battlefield in the second when she heard the rumour that her husband died - but i couldn't find any english sources to read up on so that shall remain to be seen if the drama will use this as a storyline.

but with a mother this smart and ambitious and father so cunning and intelligent, no wonder they had future king sejong as son~

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@down67 i also read that LM was the one who supplied LBW weapons in the first strife
and i also read they were - at least at first -comrades and maybe friends
i really hope that not only BW would be friendly to LM - it is BW decision to marry her and not hers according to the drama - but that LM & BY will show some camaraderie since they all share the same goal for now
and i also think that BW mistreating LM will only result in her mistreating BY

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@nara @down67 I really hope Bangwon and Dakyung will become strong allies or even friends. These two make a powerful team.

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Great insight and commentary, esp re Bang Ji.

I went and googled Lee Bang Won. And his 16-18 wives, consorts, and concubines. And about who he murdered later. So I'm suspecting a script that will show us why he became what he became. Will be interesting to see. Am still attempting to figure out who is historical and who isn't.

Gotta say that Gil Tae Mi is one of my favorite characters. An assassin but kind-hearted, practical but a lover of luxuries, faithful to his family but a fearsome enemy. Love the actor who plays him.

Thanks for your recap.

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Gil Mi Tae is so kind. Didn't expect to see him give a piece of jade to the Storyteller after injuring him but he did. He's so different from Hong In Bang who seems to have something to prove to the world. I wish they didn't align themselves together. Big sigh.

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yes, alas.

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Uh, don't think that was an actual piece of jade that he was giving. It was just a regular stone. Didn't you see in the next scene he was throwing the "jade pieces" at two of his minions?

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I think they were jade pieces. After throwing it at the fake story-teller, he said that he could sell it in exchange for money.

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Thats the thing though. Gil Tae Mi was just messing with him. Imagine the fake story-teller trying to exchange it for money. How much do you think he will get for a plain old piece of rock? lol

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Murdererd and murdered? He was no serial killer. JDJ was on the same side as Queen Shinduk the second queen,wife of LSG, her sons which had two Strifes of Princes struggle for the throne with Bang Won over years.
They lost, died along with JDJ. JDJ wanted to rule as a minister and Bang Won wanted the king to rule over the ministers.

Its was a also power struggle between two familes, sons of the two queens of Lee Seong Gye, Bang Won was the powerful of the first queens sons. He exiled his one brother of same mother and Bang Gwa gave the throne to him because Bang Won controlled after he won the war for the throne.

Im a student of military history and what Bang Won did has happened many times in history. He killed of his old ally in JDJ when he was a threat. He killed of his rivals, was loved by the people, reforms that was good for them and lead Sejong having the power to rule as the greatest king of Joseon. He was a tyrant to his enemies that the scholars are clear on. For example he had to kill nobles just so Sejong could become the Crown Prince, survive to become king.

Its a complex history like Octavian killing Ceasars son, old generel Marc Anthony because he wanted to rule alone the Roman Empire.

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That post was a qouta to Carole by the way.

Taejong being the drama villain in dramas like Maids doesnt make him evil tyrant when was just another brutal to enemies, good king to his people. Heck the ministers hated him for he liked hunting which was unseemly for the role expected of a holy king.

Drama fans must remember there is drama versions of real Kings that became huge evil villains in the fiction but in real history they were tyrant only to the nobles who wanted the kings power and he was loved by the people.....

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@Mohammed

Your explanation makes sense. History is always told from the perspective of the reviewer. No one in life is totally black or totally white. Everyone has shades of gray. It would make sense that Lee Bangwon, when viewed from the perspective of the nobles became a killer who decimated his enemies, but while viewed from the eye of the common man he was a hero who gave a lot of rights to the poor. I

I believe Six Flying Dragons is trying to humanize him in a way Tree with Deep Roots didn't. With Tree, all we can see is a monster, a killing machine, they never really did delve deeply into why Taejong had to kill off so many adversaries as he did. But as a student of biblical history, I see some parallels. For King Solomon to have the reign of peace and prosperity that he did, King David had to have very bloody hands. Fighting and winning wars across the region. History repeats itself often, it seems.

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@mohammed im wondering why would LBW is considered brutal but Sejong great?
you as a history of military student when you review history and the kings
do you review it from todays or then perspective?
the regard to Sejong and Taejong is defferent from historians prospective
the historians or like you reviewers of the history are the one who made Sejong a better person than Taejong
regular ppl like me read the history reviews made by student of military such as yourself
and we learn from that that Taejong was a tyrant and Sjong great
therefor it is in fact your predecessors that made us think the way we do about it
im wondering if scholarly something have change
are todays students try to refute their predecessors claim
this is a purely academic question?

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nara

Usually the winners write history, leave writing we can learn, understand who they were. Taejong brutal fame comes from pop culture, literature, films,dramas because Joseon was created in bloody revolution, civil war, princes killing each other for the throne.

Most scholars think he was a great king because he made reforms that made it easier for regular people, strong defense,military. Sejong is greater mostly because to Korean people he gave them most freedom of creating modern script regular people can read, write.

That is class system shattering, hanja, the old script was for the nobles, royals only.

Also Taejong is famous for defending the nation from enemies. Powerful king is loved by historians because the kingdom would become weak, tons of civlian deaths by invasions, Chinese, Japanese before other great kings like Sejong. This is one thing this drama shows, weak kingdom creates death to millions of civilians due to invasions. There would alot more of Boon Yi real versions if there were no powerful kings.

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thanx mohhamed -i was sure that this description of king Taejong came from the academia
now it clarifies things
so since i myself havent read it - about the "king" thing - to me its a matter of interpretation you come of course with more knowledge but this i have to affirm for myself

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Murder is murder, Mohammed. Social power, religion, culture, doesn't make murder less murderous. At least not in my culture.

Also, I don't think I was being ignorant and confusing real life kings with drama kings. I hope you aren't implying I'm so stupid. To me, this is a tale being told and I want to see how the tale connects to history and how it veers away from it. That is all I said. I also do not remember equating anyone with being a serial killer, which is another kind of murderer altogether. So the accusation/assumption of serial killer is entirely yours.

Your recap of Bang Won's historical issues wasn't what I read on wiki or other Korean history sites. And I didn't read that JDJ wanted to rule as a minister. I read several versions but none were like anything you just wrote. I thought JDJ wanted to let the ministers rule with a king as a symbolic head, and Bang Won wanted the king to have absolute power. But I'm not going to argue with you since you're a student of military history. And I feel no need to defend kings or princes. As a student of military history, you're being way too attached to the idea of justifying Bang Won. I should think that a student of military history would see both good and bad in rulers and not try to validate their historical bias.

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historically there is NO alliance between JDJ & LBW
he was too young here the alliance was always with LSG and they had the same vision which is why they wanted LSG favorite son to rule probably sharing the same vision as them
and although LBW is considered a great king
and his way of taking the throne is pretty common in history
a murderer is a murderer
and we have no way of knowing the alternative
i am bias and a JDJ person have to admit

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and JDJ way of ruling is the closest to democracy as we know it today

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That is right there was no alliance so there is nothing for LBW to betray and become evil king later for like the fans expect of this drama.

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Murder is murder sure but some fans make it sounds like BW killed JDJ with a knife on his own. Sure its not nice from our modern POV to kill your political enemies but it was expected those days There is bloody revolution, power struggles.

I would say it is more war, complex simple killing one person. Alot more people than JDJ died.

My bad i didnt mean JDJ wanted to rule himself as a minister but historically he was the most powerful right hand man to Lee Seong Gye, he would be the minister who had political power of the symbolic king. The minister would rule over the king and the king didnt want that like most king was absolute power in the middle ages.

I dont want to defend what Taejong did to his enemies but he was a complex historical person as a king and too many drama fans think he was a real Tyrant to his people just because of the dramas, that has made him one note villains.

The thing i meant about him killing someone is that they were all killing each other for the throne. Why is the good guys of this drama so good in peoples eyes? They kill tons of ministers ke Hong In Bang, Choi Young the great general to create Joseon. Taejong did just the same thing in war for the throne later on.....

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Forgive me but are you talking about Korean history, middle ages, the drama or you are just sharing your own thoughts?

Who are these fans that you are talking about? Are you talking about the commenters here or the fans from Japan, India, North Korea etc ? Are they real? Are they invisible?

Were there different kinds of tyrants in that era?

Help! I'm really confused.

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This is the episode that Jung Do Jeon shows that he has a bit more than just friendly feelings for Yeon hee. The scene where he picks her up from the floor and told her he trusts her implicitly showed me he's a man in love, whether he realizes it or not. He's not a man to trust easily, if at all. Though, I'm quite sure Yeon hee doesn't view him the same way yet. She's still caught up in her feelings for Bangji and in the scars of the past.

I understand from Tree that Jung Do Jeon later marries Yeon hee. Can anyone confirm this?

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oh that would be so heartbreaking for our confused angsty swordsman to lose his beloved to...

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Adal it depends on the translation. Some translation refer to Yeon Hee as Jung Do-jeon's wife and some refer to her as his woman.

(Big Freaking Spoiler)

Heads translation referred to Yeon Hee as JDJ's woman. They could've been married, lovers etc. We don't know for sure.
Scroll down to the black and white caption with Bang-ji and Yeon-hee on the night she and Jung Do-jeon died.

http://www.dramabeans.com/2011/12/tree-with-deep-roots-episode-17/

The fact that her hair is up and she killed herself so Bang-ji can leave and protect JDJ leads me to believe that they were married.

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@Kiara

Thanks for confirming this. Ah it's so sad! Knowing what's going to happen in future, it's a wonder to me that I am so invested in ALL the characters. This drama is seriously good. I intend to watch Tree again when this drama is over.

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Actually it seems fine with this drama storyline so far that YH in the future was acting as JDJ woman/wife. Her love for Bang Ji is clear but its a tragic one. She could have acting like the woman of her master, leader. She doesnt have to love JDJ to follow him as his so called woman.

Its clearly meant to be a lost tragic love both YH, Bang Ji can never get past.

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Maybe she wasn't acting. Maybe she did love Jung Do-jeon. Who wouldn't love a brilliant scholar and talented man like JDJ in that era.

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agree with Kiara, dang sae is yoon hee first love. we all hard to forget our first love aren'we? even it was so childish some time. but not mean that we can't move on.

fyi Mohammed (why you use that name anyway, sigh) a man with leadership and brigt brain is the most sexi man in girl eyes.

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nanachan

I dont know if YH was JDJ wife in TWDR or not or if she will marry him in this drama. What i wonder and hope for poor tragic DS is that she loved him to end despite she married JDJ for her role as his spy,advisor.

I feel bad for the guy. JDJ is not only brilliant he is a alot of charisma thanks to Kim Myung Min.

Jung Yumi and BH has great romantic chemistry so i hope the love of their characters and hope they love each to their deaths.

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nanachan

Whats wrong with Mohammed name? Its my real name and im not even a muslim but my parents gave me the name so i have no choice ;)

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@kiara i dont remember where (i tried finding it)
but i read YH was not JDJ wife
and JDJ history wise - was considered to stoic to have a mistress
so both YH and their relationship are prob fictional

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@nara

We are not talking about history here. We are talking the drama and Yeon Hee is a fictional character. A married woman in Joseon would have her hair up like she is shown in this flash back.
TWDR as you may already know was based on a novel and not the actual history.

If you want history, Jung Do-jeon was actually married to Lady Choi. She is shown in the more historically actually sageuk (Jeong Do Jeon by KBS last year).

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accurate not actually /sigh.

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ah thanx i forgot her name
i some times get confused with the drama and history
sorry

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Obviously Lady Choi is neither in this drama or TWDR.

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I'm so done with that ship. Dammit! Stop playing with my heart, you two. I probably replayed that "You... I really love you" scene a million times. It will stay in my memory for a long long time as one of the best kdrama confessions ever.

The casting for the show is perfect! The Bangji-Yeonhee scenes always make me cry like a baby. Too much pain!

Bangwon's getting married next episode so how do we deal with this pain for 36 more episodes? Logically though, Bangwon and Da Kyung are great for each other. She's smart and she's someone who can go head to head with Bangwon. I do feel bad for her though. The hardships on its way to you, girl.

Finally, all the six dragons in one place! I'm so excited for the next episode. Why can't Monday come soon enough? Thanks for the recaps, Heads!

P.S. I may or may not have shipped Jung Do Jeon and Yeon Hee in that one scene.

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earthna

Da Kyung is an impressive woman who knows this is a political marriage to a future leading powerful family. I think she will be fine with BW having another woman until she starts to follow him because of romantic feelings. When she gets children with him. Not so fine the father of your child have another woman he loves then.

Their first child is a daughter just 1-2 years away from this eps timeline. Will be interesting to how Da Kyung changes with Bang Won as her husband. She could fall for his brilliant political mind.

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In the character intro which arent reliable, her character knows she's in a hopeless, one sided love for bangwon, but what really drives her is her ambition for power.. so, she will fall for him but would know that he doesn't love her back and well, she's fine with it cause what she really want is power.

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i think that since BY is a commoner her would be children have no legitimacy and would never be a threat to LM

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when i watched the preview last week, hoped and anticipated a kiss scene wich YAI never fail.. but this confession scene is waaay better... what a briliant writer!

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I love Yeon-hee! I wish she was a dragon :(

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Me too!

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i think of her as an honorary one
she has more screen time than some of the dragons she is very essential to the development of the story
and even at the end of 14 ep she is the one informing BW and probably on her way over there herself - even if not shown
so she will be - i think - with all the reunited dragons

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Spoiler alert - don't look at wiki. I don't quite see any major character flaws in the kids yet. Idealists to death - yes, I see that. I see pride in Bang Won, but not greed. I'm looking forward to character development.

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the tree bang won watered, is it the " lee in gyom tree"? i believe lee in gyom will come back. he is step down just to enjoy the show betwen jdj and hib. Watcing from out side will make him understand his enemy more deeply. that will make him more dangerous and harder to defeat in the future.

Mo hyul will kill the famous assassin i guest, and get his dragon wings. he is naive and cute, no need a deeper motivation to give him wings, its enough just make him a real worior.

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not only that CY said himself that the current king - king U - doesnt trust anyone but LIG
so when war breaks LIG will take the center again i think

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In the last scene in which all of them are running towards Sambong, I was thinking someone is going to shout "Dragons, unite!" Haha.

Seriously speaking, this show has a lot of chops and it is just so entertaining. Reading more about how the concept was formed made realize that it can be like a prequel to the other drama "Tree with Deep Roots". Amazing! :-)

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"Dragons, unite!" I laughed aloud at this one. :D

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I lurveee this episode! Thanks for the recap, Heads^^

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although not strictly SFD related it is related to the characters here and in TWDR in relation to the written novel
this is by @homura

SBS TV series Tree with Deep Roots (2011) is loosely based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Jung Myung. However, the original novel and its TV drama adaptation are totally different.

Spoiler Alert!!

In the novel, its main characters are Kang Chae-Yoon, So-Yi, and Garion. King Sejong rarely appears. TV writers increased the king's part tremendously.

Yeon-Hee, Yi Bang-Ji, Karpei Temukan do not exist in the novel. They were entirely created by the TV writers. Therefore, there is no mention about Yeon-Hee being Jung Do-Jeon's woman in the novel.

In fact, there is no reference about Jung Do-Jeon and his secret organization in the novel. Milbon (Hidden Roots) organization was created by the TV writers. So, Milbon plots and characters belong to TV writers.

In the novel, Garion is a good guy from beginning to end. No mention about Jung Ki Jun in the novel.

Moo-Hyul is a faithful eunuch to protect King Sejong in the novel. TV drama changed his character into a manly royal guard with a beard.

In the novel, Kang Chae-Yoon and So-Yi are not childhood friends at all. They get to know each other while investigating the serial murder case in the palace.

Kang Chae-Yoon is a naive and cute young investigator in the novel. Totally different from the character that Jang Hyuk played in the TV drama. The whole revenge plot against the king was created by the TV writers.

So-Yi is a palace maid, which means she is basically king's woman that is not allowed to love any other man except for the king. But Chae-Yoon falls in forbidden love with her in the novel.

Basically, the novel is a Korean version of The Da Vinci Code + The Name of the Rose : Investigation of scholars' murder mystery during 7 days. TV drama completely changed the plot and characters of the novel. They became almost separate works.

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I don't think anyone here or back at TWDR thought that Tree was based entirely on the novel. I think kristi explained all that.

I'm glad you post this because I got Yeon Hee and Bang-ji mixed up as characters from the novel instead of just