I appreciate how unflinchingly all of the horrors are portrayed without seeming gratuitous or over-done. It presents the dire conditions realistically but leaves room for hope, so it isn't suffocating to watch.

I'm replying a month later to your comment, but yes, I'm bracing myself for Yi-hyun's descent into darkness. That moment was fundamental. I was horrified even while I was amazed at YSY's acting there.

Teacher Hwang is the classic example of those Joseon scholars who say they want the best for the people but ultimately are too obsessed with their status and privileges. At first I admired his loyalty when he pulled out of the rebellion because it was headed towards treason. But trying to get Yi-hyun killed was a no-no. I hope he gets his just desserts.

I've been really impressed by Yoon Shi-yoon's portrayal of Yi-hyun. He's done such a 180 from the early episodes to now, but it feels organic.

I hadn't made the Gaksital connection, but you're right. I keep meaning to go back and watch that show, as it's one of my all-time favorites, but then I'm like, "am I really ready to put myself through that again?" Haha.

Ohhh... I see the connection you've made there.. Yeah Kangto chose the people while Shunji chose to serve the Japanese..
Somehow we're just in a different era. Maybe that's just how life is--no matter what era we live in. Brothers can fight for different beliefs, different perspectives.
Re YSY: indeed he is amazing here. I'm continually drawn to his character despite its downhill trajectory.

Lol. Let's hope together

I agree except for your thoughts on General Nokdu here and Jeong Do-Jeon as portrayed in Six Flying Dragons. Not that I know anything about Korean history but from these two shows, General Nokdu seems to be of the common people while Jeon Do Jeon was a scholar and politician. So it fits to me that the General would not be as eloquently dpoken in his speeches as a man such as Jeon Do Jeon, who was also a published writer. Feel free to correct my facts as they only come from drama watching and sometimes looking at Wikipedia for a bit more background into the characters.

Episode 13 pseudo-recap PART 2

She grumbles that he’s a rebel, but he’s all “I’m fighting for the welfare of the people”. She asks how is hand is, and he acknowledges that “It is bearable apart from the fact that this glove is not great.” She solemnly thanks him, because she had felt afraid until she saw him. Yi-kang: “Were you only thankful?” She gives him the stink eye, and he mumbles that he was just joking to make her relax. She threatens to hit him if he makes another joke, her old spunk back.

A group of loyal soldiers from Jinsan arrive clamouring for the peddler woman in the tent (cameo by Yoon Kyung-Sang and Lee Joon-Hyuk). With a throwback to their pupil-master relationship in SIX FLYING DRAGONS, Joon-hyuk pulls out the infamous book on the “Eastern Twin Dragon Method” and Kyung-Sang demonstrates a few of the moves, to the bewilderment and amusement of everyone else. Yi-kang hilariously convinces them that the woman in question is Nokdu’s lover and they leave.

Teacher Hwang takes a tray to his sister because she hasn’t been eating, and notices that she’s reading the Geumo Shinwa, a collection of short stories by Kim Si Seub. Myung-Sim perks up and says they are suuuper addictive (the equivalent of Joseon kdramas?). She enthusiastically shows him her favourite story: a romance between an average scholar studying for the civil service exam and a noble lady, who marry despite their families’ objection. She recounts that she cried a lot reading the story (no, don’t say that!). Teacher Hwang looks pensive when she re-affirms that she really likes Yi-hyun. Meanwhile the Baek family discuss the situation, worried because Teacher Hwang keeps postponing the wedding. Baek Ga wonders why Yi-kang joined the rebel Donghak movement, and Yi-hyun coldly replies: “I thought you knew. You pushed him in that direction.” He walks out and heads towards a dark shed, where weasly Hong Ga is tied up. He begs for water, but Yi-hyun doesn’t reply. Chills.

Episode 13 pseudo-recap PART 3

At the Donghak camp, the news spreads that the Joseon government army is coming. The commanders gather to discuss, and they learn that they will be facing an army of 1000 men. That doesn't sound like much, but they are armed with enough gunpowder and machine guns. The Donghak leaders make a plan: rather than fight at Jeonju fortress, they will lure them out. General Nokdu meets with Ja-In, who’s sarcastically asks if they treat innocent civilians like this. Nokdu replies that she is an army supplier, not an innocent civilian, because she takes money from soldiers who might die anytime, plus she is a merchant who got her privilege through bribes. Ja-in retorts that privilege is a right. Nokdu replies: “Privilege is power, not a right.” Nokdu calls her out for landing herself in this mess by volunteering to come to the battlefield to keep her petty rights and gain new privileges. He informs a seething Ja-in that he intends to end the privileges of peddlers, but right now, he needs to negotiate something with her father, and he will use her as collateral.

Cut to Yi-kang disguised with beard and glasses at the gates of Jeonju, and ho-ho laughing at the guards’ amazement that he has such a mature-looking son and a young wife (his two Donghak companions also in disguise), who manage to laugh nervously. They pass the inspection gates while Yi-kang grumbles about their terrible acting skills. They send a message to the Jeonju Inn via flying knife, and then walk through the marketplace. Yi-kang sees his mother and freezes.

END OF EPISODE

Episode 14 pseudo-recap PART 2

Startled by the noise outside, Teacher Hwang and Myung-Sim come to the door, where they find Yi-hyun and his two attendants. Yi-hyun smilingly states that tomorrow is his wedding day. Teacher Hwang has a hard time containing his fury, but he heads inside to chat with Yi-hyun, who pulls out Weasel Hong’s identity tag and says that he will bury what happened. Hwang realizes that Yi-hyun knows he tried to kill him, and yells at him to get out. Yi-hyun just repeats: “Please buy the wedding box.” Myung-Sim and the other nobles rush into the room while Teacher Hwang grabs his sword and confirms that yes, he enlisted Yi-hyun as a local soldier and prayed he would die on the battlefield rather than have to marry into that offensive family. He calls off the wedding. Yi-hyun, still kneeling, looks up and with clenched teeth says “Lord Hwang, you reap what you sow.”

The other nobles drag Yi-hyun outside, beat him up, and kick him out saying he should be grateful they let him live after dishonouring his teacher and a noble, etc. etc. Yi-Kang picks him up and takes him home. The wedding box is left by the door and Myung-Sim sobs inconsolably.

Meanwhile Ja-In and Deok-Ki sit by a fire and she wonders if Yi-kang is safe. Deok-Ki smiles as he tells her that it was not compassion that had clouded her judgement, but love. He laughs and teases her, and she cries in realisation of her feelings.

Back in an ally of Gobu, Yi-hyun and Yi-kang are waylaid by a group of beggars (?), who hold them at knife's edge until Beo-dul and Beon-gae swoop in to save them. They want to leave quickly, but Yi-hyun asks them to wait while he serves his brother some home-cooked food (okay…) Eating together always meant something to the two-half brothers, so Yi-kang can’t refuse. While the young ones dig into the food, Yi-hyun speaks to Yi-kang outside. Essentially, he wants him to leave the Donghak army, because they will lose against the Joseon army, which is better equipped. Yi-hyun says he has seen the might of Western weapons and modern armies in Japan, but Yi-kang counters that ten men cannot defeat one man who fights for his life with fury. The air grows tense as Yi-hyun drily insists “come home, and become an official”. He offers to clear Yi-kang’s name with the magistrate, and as a bonus, to offer the heads of the two young Donghak members eating inside. Frazzled, Yi-kang runs into the room to find his two companions passed out.

Yi-hyun tells him that he will raise up his family again and invites Yi-kang to join him: “Our father’s words were true after all. You have to eat, or you will be eaten.” Yi-kang begs him to stop, but Yi-hyun says it’s too late: soldiers are already on their way to arrest the Donghak members. All Yi-kang has to do is turn a blind eye, says Yi-Hyun. Everyone does it, so he will do it too. Yi-kang stares in amazement at the betrayal and panics.

END OF EPISODE.

Episode 15 pseudo-recap PART 2

General Nokdu receives the goods from Chief Peddler Song, which we finally see: carts full of cotton. He tells his mystified colleagues that they will fight the machine guns with cotton. Yi-kang gets punished for putting his companions in danger: he is no longer part of the Donghak Vanguard and is demoted to spear-man. He apologises to Beo-dul and Beon-gae for his brother’s actions, and Beon-gae hands him a bamboo-spear, telling him to live for a long time so he can torment him. General Nokdu arrives and Yi-kang asks for permission to kill Teacher Hwang, who ruined his little brother. He defends Yi-hyun, who always treated him like a brother in spite of being born from a slave, and who told him to live like a decent human being. Nokdu just tells him that he should kill someone more powerful, and he’ll find out who that is once he becomes a true loyal soldier.

Teacher Hwang visits Yi-hyun in his prison cell, not convinced how the Donghak members under effects of narcotics had been able to escape. Yi-hyun says, with a scary look, that he only knows two things: revenge, and more revenge. Hwang tries to get evidence to incriminate Yi-hyun, but the magistrate confirms that the bullets came from the Mauser rifle of the Donghak rebels. The magistrate asserts that elegant scholar Yi-hyun would never kill anyone (little does he know...).

Yi-hyun is released and tells his parents to forget the wedding and move on, but Baek Ga delivers his kind of wisdom: what goes round will come round; they will just bide their time while the armies fight it out.

A map shows the Donghak and Joseon armies on the move. The chyron says “April 23, 1894, Hwangryonchon, Jangseong, Jeolla Province.” A group of beggars intercept the Joseon army by a river, begging for food. When they look up they see row after row of bamboo spears in front of them. The Joseon army starts firing their cannons, raising clouds of sand while Donghak men fall. Commander Kyung-Sun shouts for them to stand their ground while Nokdu remains silent, but things are not looking good. Then Yi-kang starts to shout the Donghak religious tenet “Serving deity, I am transformed to follow the divine will. Eternally not forgetting, I become aware of all!” This rallies the rest, who take up the chant.

Before the cannons can start firing again, a Donghak troop led by Kim Gae Nam emerge from the tall grass by the river and the battle begins in earnest. Meanwhile the beggars, forgotten by the side, pour water into the cannons and render them useless, after which they are cut down by Joseon soldiers. Kim Gae Nam’s forces retreat to the tall grass with the Joseon infantry after them, and the commander calls for the machine guns. He’s fallen for Nokdu’s trap. The Donghak members roll out bales of cotton wrapped in straw mattresses and get behind them to protect themselves. The machine guns tear into the cotton rolls, setting some of them on fire and killing men like...

Episode 16 pseudo-recap PART 2

At the Donghak camp, Kyung-Sun approaches Yi-kang hesitatingly. Yi-kang’s ear twitches as if hoping to hear what he wants to hear. Kyun-Sun mouths for him to return to the Vanguard and scurries off to avoid Yi-kang’s effusive thanks. Stories about General Nokdu are already circulating around the camp. The Vanguard soldiers listen as the butcher Dong Rok-gae narrates (in a sequence worthy of Chinese wuxia) how Nokdu was shot by five soldiers, but he simply caught all five bullets in his hand and flung them back, knocking out all his enemies. Yi-kang joins them, and Kim Ga hands him a welcoming drink of “water”. Beo-dul sniffs the flask suspiciously. Yi-kang declares he suddenly feels thirty. Soon everyone except a few are drinking merrily.

The leaders are discussing the lack of discipline when a messenger from the King arrives, bearing a yeonum. The messenger orders everyone to kneel before reading the letter, which essentially states that Nokdu should disperse his men or they will be considered traitors. Nokdu declares: “We did not gather to hear a message of the king. We rose up to make sure he heard ours. Tell the king. Until our demands are met, we will not disperse. We have no intention of harming the King.” The messenger flies into a rage ("How dare youuu"), but Nokdu stands up and slashes him across the chest. Everyone stares in shock. Nokdu proclaims that anyone who is not afraid to become a traitor should stay. He points to their banner; all they want is to help the nation and save the people. Yi-kang stutters “General Nokdu, manseh”, then louder. Others take up the cry and finally the whole camp rings with “Long live General Nokdu!” (In a nice touch, magnolia trees are blooming, which is appropriate since we are in early spring). The Donghak army heads to Jeonju, while Dong Rok sings a ditty: Let us go, let us go. Slowly, slowly. We cannot go if we are crippled.

Meanwhile, Jeonju is in disarray. The magistrate almost forgets to change his outfit before escaping through packed streets (pretending to be Kim Gae Nam no less, haha). The posse is led by Yi-hyun’s rotund brother-in-law, who does not see his wife in the crowd and swats her aside. Chief Peddler Song refuses to leave so Deok-Ki carries him out. The Donghak army arrive and the people open the gates. Yi-kang and his mother reunite while Ja-in watches them, smiling.

Over at Gobu, Yi-hyun sits down with the magistrate and Teacher Hwang. The magistrate wants to send the local soldiers to Jeonju but he can’t lead them himself. Yi-hyun agrees and recommends Teacher Hwang for the post, since he has experience as an army leader and he has always taught that one must sacrifice their life for the nation. Teacher Hwang can hardly refuse. He remembers Yi-hyun’s threatening words: “I want revenge, and even more revenge.”

END OF EPISODE

Episode 17PART 2

Yi-hyun offers to take out the gun and asks to borrow a telescope. The commander: “You have a nice rifle. If you miss you will pay for your arrogance.” Yi-hyun weaves his way through the woods until he is near the walls. He hides behind a rock and looks through the telescope, spying Yi-kang. He sees monk Hae Sung manning the gun, takes careful aim, and shoots. The gun breaks with a crack. All that Yi-kang sees is a fleeting white figure.

The commander is impressed by Yi-hyun’s sharp-shooting skills and takes him under his service. Teacher Hwang is indignant but the commander retorts that this is not a village school and he could be punished for not respecting him. Meanwhile, the Donghak leaders discuss how to avoid a long siege at Jeonju so they can go support the troops rising in Chungcheong.

A night, the Donghak vanguard guard the wall. They discuss the boring tactics of the Joseon army, and call the commander a coward because during the rebellion of 1882 he fled with Queen Min instead of fighting (oh, so that explains the queen’s deep resentment of the peasant rebels…) We hear of a Lord Daewon who was sent to China, whom monk Hae-Sung ruefully says would not have let the country come to this. Yi-kang says they should fight harder so the Min family wouldn’t trust Qing China so much.

A man comes to report that the long-distance rifle is broken beyond repair, but he hardly gets his message out when he is shot. It’s Yi-hyun. He picks them off one by one. A second man is shot. A third. A fourth. A fifth. Beo-dul peers into the dark but she only sees a spark every time Yi-hyun fires. Yi-kang finally reacts and orders everyone to put out the fires, and it becomes silent once more.

Back at the Joseon camp, Teacher Hwang confronts Yi-hyun. “Did you learn to kill people in Japan?” he accuses. Yi-hyun repeats his father’s mantra, using “kill” instead of “eat”: “If I do not want to be killed, then I must kill. I have to survive.” Teacher Hwang calls him shameful, since the Donghak members were not attacking him. Yi-hyun states that he is not the shameful one, the war is.

Meanwhile the Donghak vanguard shiver at their posts since they cannot light fires. Yi-kang hugs Beon-gae to keep him warm, but the youngster says he should hug Song Ja-in instead. The whole troop starts teasing him (except Beo-dul, who looks unhappy). He asks if any of them are guaranteed to return home alive, and states that he should not hurt a wonderful woman like Ja-in. At the same time, Ja-in is praying at a make-shift Catholic chapel while a priest recites the Our Father. She begs God to protect Yi-kang.

At early dawn, General Nokdu stands outside his headquarters and observes that the wind is humid, so there will be a thick mist this morning. He gives the order to attack.

END OF EPISODE

Episode 18 PART 1

As Nokdu predicted, a thick mist hangs over the bamboo forests near Jeonju. Teacher Hwang and the Gobu soldiers ready their swords when they see shapes advancing towards them. It’s not a Donghak troop but the provincial army (better late than never). They are led by Yi-hyun’s rotund brother-in-law, who spits when he sees Teacher Hwang.

The Joseon commander orders Yi-hyun to find Nokdu and kill him. In the eerie light of dawn the Donghak peasants creep through the bamboo forest, led by Nokdu himself. Teacher Hwang and his men hear running footsteps, but they don’t see the Donghak members until they are almost upon them. Myung-Sim wakes up from a nightmare. Teacher Hwang fights for his life, unable to see anything that happens around him. Yi-kang runs to the battle from one direction, and Yi-hyun from the other. Yi-hyun somehow recognises Teacher Hwang’s silhouette. He readies his gun and is about to shoot when he remembers Myung Sim’s words: “Please forgive him”. His hands shake. Hwang is wounded by a bamboo-spear, loses his sword, and tumbles to the ground fighting with whatever he can find. He smashes the head of a peasant with a rock until he kills the man, only to find a sword aimed at his neck. It’s General Nokdu. Hwang roars “Kill me!” and Nokdu raises his sword, but just then a bullet grazes his head. Yi-hyun shoots again, wounding Nokdu in the leg. Yi-kang arrives and helps him escape. Yi-hyun steps forward, killing two more Donghak members while Hwang watches.

Daylight arrives. Teacher Hwang is still sitting in a daze, surrounded by corpses. Yi-hyun throws him a bandage for his wound. Hwang asks why he didn’t kill him when it was the perfect chance. Yi-hyun replies: “I saw the look on your face. You looked terrified. I think I wanted to see that look one more time.” (Wait, does he mean that? I thought Myung Sim’s words stopped him!)

Yi-kang bursts into the ex-Peddler’s Inn calling desperately for medicine. Ja-in gives him the supplies. He’s about to rush off but she tells him to stop and breathe. He looks into her eyes and calms down. Heaving, he sobs that the general is severely wounded. Ja-in tells him that what matters is he fought well and came back alive. Throwing her arms around him, she says: “Thank you for breathing next to me. All I can do is pray. But I will pray and pray that you stay alive. Promise you will stay alive.” Yi-kang gently unwraps her arms: “A loyal soldier lives an ephemeral life and dies a brave death. You should not give your heart to me.” Ja-in is left in tears.

Nokdu undergoes rudimentary surgery while Yi-kang’s mother tends to the wounded outside. They receive news of trouble in Naju, where another People’s Army is being raised against them. Nokdu decides to send Kyung Sun there lest this new contingent join the Joseon troops. That means the Donghak Vanguard needs a new boss.

Episode 18 PART 2

Monk Hae-Sung is the eldest but he refuses to lead them, so Dong-Rok offers himself as second-eldest. Kim Ga jokes that the handsomest he should be the leader, and Kyung-Sun nods. Hopeful, Kim Ga asks if he really means it, and Kyung Sun replies: “Yes. Move aside” while the others giggle. “Commander Baek, please look after the general.”

Yoo-Wol finds Ja-in attempting to help out and tells her she might get into trouble. “I might as well become a Donghak member then” says Ja-in. They hear that Yi-kang has been promoted, but neither of the women look happy about it.

Yi-kang walks into Gyeonggijeon Shrine, where he finds Nokdu writing something on the floor. Nokdu asks if he knows what this place is, and Yi-kang recites that it’s where the portrait of King Taejo was. Nokdu explains that this is the heart of the Joseon dynasty, and that at the beginning of the rebellion he had decided to write his Reform Bill in that sacred place. Yi-kang reads the twelve demands, though we only hear a few: “Punish the corrupt officials, punish those who abuse their power, punish those with improper conduct… burn all slave documents.” Nokdu claims he wanted to give the people a beautiful world but already 500 men have died for that. Yi-kang says he will do his best to protect him and thanks him for allowing him to live as a loyal soldier.

A poster appears in Jeonju, offering a reward for anyone who kills Nokdu. Ja-in can see the hand of nobles behind this – now that they think Nokdu is defeated, they are trying to gain the upper hand. Back in her room, she hears a door creak. She she stands up, pistol in hand, but it's only Deok-Ki taking some gold, who reports that her father couldn’t get out of Jeonju. Worried, she visits her father at his abandoned hut hide-out, where he is fuming because Nokdu looked down on peddlers and closed down his inn.

The Donghak vanguard are still guarding the walls of Jeonju night in the dark, in case the “Ogre” comes. Every time the Ogre shoots, someone dies. One man doesn’t take them seriously and tries to light his pipe with flint and stone. Kim Ga wants in too, and disobeys Yi-kang when he tells him to stand down. Yi-hyun sees the sparks and takes aim. Yi-kang pushes Kim Ga down just when the guy holding the flint falls, shot through the head. Yi-kang comes up with a plan. He grabs one of the flint-stones and tosses it into the air. Beon-gae uses his slingshot to hit the other rock and create a spark. Yi-hyun fires, letting Beo-dul know his exact location. She shoots and hits him in the arm. Yi-kang says “Let go get that ogre.” They run down the steps while Yi-hyun grimaces in pain.

END OF EPISODE

Episode 19 PART 2/3

Ja-in looks at Deok-ki accusingly for betraying her crush to her father, and he is all “sorry, I thought your father should know.” Her father isn’t too concerned though, since Yi-kang won’t live long anyway.

Beon-gae lies delirious and badly wounded, mumbling that he was supposed to escape with his brother that night, because “That Man” (Yi-kang’s name during his previous thug life) was after them. Yi-kang can only reassure him that he won’t let go of his hand, and tells him to go in peace. They bury him as the sun rises. Beo-dul promises her dead companion not to worry because she will join him soon (no, don’t say that!). Everyone cries except Yi-kang, who stands still and silent, clutching the bamboo spear that Beon-gae gave him in one hand, and the piece of blood-stained linen that the “Ogre” left behind in the other.

Yi-hyun wakes up in an immaculate white tent. His brother-in-law, a rotund soldier from Gobu, is also there, and gleefully comments that he had no idea the famous sniper was his dainty brother-in-law. Captain Lee Kyu-tae arrives and informs Yi-hyun that he was lucky because no organs were damaged. He asks if studying in Japan made Yi-hyun so cruel, but Yi-hyun hardly bats an eye as he counters that there are no morals left in the world any more.

Teacher Hwang, wounded at the last battle against the Donghak peasants, is on his way back to Gobu in a litter. Yi-hyun is put in charge of the local soldiers, and he comes to bid farewell to his former teacher. If looks could kill, Teacher Hwang would have killed Yi-hyun ten times over. Teacher Hwang calls him an evil spirit and asks why he didn’t kill him during the battle. Yi-hyun smirks that he wanted Teacher Hwang to see for himself... how his sister Myung-Sim becomes an evil spirit’s wife. Teacher Hwang’s face contorts with rage, and he leaves with a parting wish to see Yi-hyun’s dead body torn into pieces. Yi-hun’s face remains unreadable, but as soon as Teacher Hwang disappears around the bend he lets out a sigh.

At that very moment an envoy from Qing China arrives with his entourage. (Wait, what? Why are the Chinese here?) Yi-hyun and Kyu-tae watch as the Chinese envoy steps down from his horse using a Joseon soldier as a footstool. He relocates to a tent, where the Joseon commander Hong Kye-hoon is thrilled to hear that the Qing military support he requested has arrived at Jemulpo port. Lee Kyu-tae stares in shock, while the Joseon commander laughs that the Donghak members will flee merely at the rumour of the arrival of the Chinese. The commander frees some Donghak prisoners so that they will spread the news among the peasants. Indeed, rumours of the might of the Qing army make the rounds of the camp, and the Donghak leaders become concerned about the morale of their army.

Episode 19 PART 3/3

The governor barges into the Joseon camp and flies into a rage at the commander for bringing in a foreign army without consulting him. The commander tosses a scroll onto the table: “Under the royal command, Governor Kim Moon Hyun of the Jeolla Province, will be dismissed and exiled for causing the Donghak conquest.” The governor is dragged away in disgrace. At the same time, the commander receives a report that Donghak members are attacking. He laughs that Nokdu must be in a hurry now that he knows the Chinese are coming.

Wounded Donghak members return to their camp after a failed attempt to defeat the Joseon government army. Yi-kang, sporting a cut arm, tells his mother to stop fussing about him. He bumps into Ja-in, who offers a handkerchief to wrap his arm, but he says he’s okay. She remembers how he rejected her before, claiming that a loyal soldier lives an ephemeral life and that she shouldn’t give her heart to him.

Yi-kang questions two Joseon soldiers captured in the battle: he wants the name and rank of the sniper who terrorized them every night. The soldiers stutter that they don’t know, and Yi-kang grows angry. How could they not know such a skilled shooter? The soldiers replied that they really had no idea, because he wasn’t a soldier from the government army. Yi-kang takes out the blood-stained linen and compares it to the soldier’s coarse uniform, verifying that the cloth is different, so they were telling the truth. But tempers are flying high, so when Yi-kang is gone his men start to beat the two soldiers, demanding they confess the name of the “Ogre”. Kim Ga is the most ferocious, and he is indignant when Yi-kang returns and reminds them to follow military orders. Kim Ga yells at Yi-kang: Why didn’t he give a military order back then? Why didn’t he stop Beon-gae? Yi-kang remains silent but Beo-dul calls this nonsense, since it was Beon-gae’s own fault for being rash. Kim Ga hisses that maybe Beon-gae couldn’t trust his leader. Yi-kang has had enough. He grabs Kim Ga by the throat.

END OF EPISODE 19

Episode 20 Recap PART 2/3

The new governor accuses the commander of creating this mess, but Hong Kye-hoon still has a card up his sleeve: tonight Nokdu will die and the Donghak rebels will be crushed, so the Qing and Japanese will have to leave (um, if you say so?). Ja-in goes to her father’s hideout to report her success in speaking to the Joseon commander. Her father approves of the plan and she reminds him that he promised to spare Yi-kang. Unfortunately for their plans, Yi-kang has followed her and sees her leaving the hut.

Back at Jeonju, Ja-in finds Yoo-wol (Yi-kang’s mom), who is giving rice balls to starving people. She hands one to a beggar woman, who shrieks and lunges at her. It’s Yi-hyun’s sister, Baek Yi-hwa, who was left behind in Jeonju when her husband’s troops left. The woman is hysterical. How dare Ja-in take in her family’s slave? She slaps Yoo Wool’s face and demands that they return to Gobu together. Ja-in rolls up her sleeves to intervene but Yoo Wool slaps Yi-hwa first. Fearless, Yoo-wol exclaims: “I am not a slave! I am the mother of Baek Yi-kang, leader of the Donghak vanguard. I will die with my son when he dies, so I have nothing to fear. Call me a slave once more and I will pull out your tongue and crush it with a hot iron!”

Yoo-wol storms off and packs her things, determined to leave. Ja-in pleads with her to stay, but nothing will dissuade her. At last Ja-in confesses that she loves Yi-kang and wants to protect him. Yoo-wol forgets her plan to leave and holds Ja-in in her motherly arms, pitying her for falling in love with someone who might die any day. Outside, Yi-kang overhears everything, and he looks completely torn.

At the Baek household, Master Baek and his wife hear that Teacher Hwang returned wounded but alive. Master Baek guesses that Yi-hyun must still have feelings for Myung-sim, but his wife viciously says that Teacher Hwang should have been poked in the stomach and not the leg. They also hear that Teacher Hwang called for a matchmaker the minute he returned home. Cut to: Myung-sim roundly refusing to see the matchmaker. Going to her room, she takes out the empty bullet shell that Yi-hyun gave her before he went to war, and remembers that he told her that he was stronger than he looked. At the same time, Yi-hyun looks pensively at the garment that she had embroidered for him, now full of blood stains. He is soon called out of his reverie by the order to attack.

Ja-in prepares to leave her room at the Jeonju inn but Yi-kang steps in and bars the door. At the same time, Donghak soldiers arrive at Chief Peddler Song’s hideout and confront the thugs he just hired. Ja-in is startled to hear gunshots, but Yi-kang grabs her by the arm. “Do not forgive me”, he says heavily.

END OF EPISODE 20

Episode 19-20 Final Comments

Well, things have escalated dramatically with Qing China and Japan entering the scene. Suddenly the scale of the drama went from local uprising to international war. Yi-hyun knew how foolish it was to summon Chinese troops to deal with domestic disputes, and sure enough, Japanese forces sailed in almost on the spot, making Joseon the focus of an international struggle.

There are so many things to unpack every episode, but the MVP of the hour was undoubtedly Yoo-wol, Yi-kang’s mother. She was born a slave, raped by her master when she was still barely a child, and she has always been despised and abused by his wife and daughter. Yet she remained cheerful and kind. Now the Donghak movement has given her purpose and a sense of self-worth. I cheered when she proudly proclaimed that she was not a slave and would not tolerate being called a slave any more.

Yi-kang is facing his own demons. He tries to be a competent leader, but he cares so much about his new-found family that he doesn’t want to risk their lives. Unfortunately, one moment of hesitation meant the death of young Beon-gae and Kim Ga’s desertion. Yi-kang wasn’t entirely to blame, but he feels it deeply. Not only did he have a role in the boy’s death, but he also bullied him when he was the thug “That Man” in Gobu. It’s a tough load to bear, and Nokdu’s advice is just as tough: man up and endure it, because generals see their men die.

Song Ja-in proved once again that she is smart and fearless, even when in love. I am not sure what moved her to turn over Jeonju to the government army, but I think it’s because she wants the war and suffering over as soon as possible, as well as staying loyal to her father. In contrast, Chief Peddler Song’s motives are entirely selfish, so I expect him to clash with his daughter soon.

As for Yi-hyun, I fear he is headed down a dangerous path. This episode witnessed the birth of the “Ogre”, the ghost sniper who never misses his target. Yi-hyun’s justification is that he is following orders and that there are no morals in war. But the thing is, he offered to do it. He is becoming a monster and what’s worse, he realizes it. We know that he loves Myung-sim and that she loves him, but the evil blood between him and Teacher Hwang makes it hard to envision a happy future for them. Does Yi-hyun really mean to force Myung-sim to marry him? I don’t think so, but he might have implied that just to torture Teacher Hwang a bit more.

Thanks for reading! This is as far as I can go. Unfortunately half of the drama remains unrecapped, but trust me, it’s worth watching!)