Island: Episodes 7-8

by solstices

As danger creeps ever closer, our heroes retrace the steps of the past in order to finally put an end to the bloodshed. Significant secrets are brought to light as the present intersects with the past — but there’s always someone scheming in the darkness.

 
EPISODES 7-8

We resume where we left off with an extended flashback that finally gives us the answers to our protagonists’ past. As children, Ban and Goong-tan had been forced to wield mystical daggers and undergo harsh training no child should have to endure, all for the sake of eradicating demons and saving humans.

Needless to say, that stirred Won-jung’s sympathy. Compassionate to the core, she snuck food to the starving boys, eventually freeing them from their cell and aiding their escape. But of course we already know how that ends — Ban returns so that Won-jung can receive treatment for her injured arm, and the brothers are forced back into captivity.

Fifteen years later, Won-jung has finally cultivated the ability to create a barrier. She barters for the brothers’ freedom, but Goong-tan is skeptical. They’ve been used and abused by these humans all their life — what’s to say the monastery won’t get rid of them once they’re no longer needed?

Sure enough, the head monk claims to have prepared a purifying ritual for them — but he actually intends to burn them alive. Blatantly lying that Won-jung approved of this plan, he ushers the brothers into a hut. Then he seals it with locks and talismans, and sets it ablaze.

On the brink of death, Ban and Goong-tan’s demon blood takes over on pure survival instinct. A brutal massacre ensues, and Goong-tan murders the head monk with the very dagger he’d forced him to wield.

Won-jung’s barrier ritual is interrupted by the commotion, and once she sees the state of the two brothers, she’s reluctant to complete it. Erecting the barrier while Ban is still transformed would seal him away too, and she doesn’t want to subject him to such a cruel fate. There has to be a way to bring him back. Hmm, here’s an interesting parallel between her and Yo-han here; both clung onto their faith in the transformed demons’ humanity, only to be hurt by that hope.

The two brothers face off, with one wanting to kill Won-jung and one wanting to protect her. At the end of a ferocious tussle, Goong-tan gains the upper hand over Ban, tossing him over the cliff’s edge. But Won-jung isn’t cowed. Radiating light from within, she tries to purify Goong-tan with her healing powers — except his bloodlust is too strong.

All that talk about sins and karma? Goong-tan scoffs. He and Ban shouldn’t be the ones to bear that weight — it’s the heartless humans who ought to be condemned. Raising his dagger, he advances upon Won-jung.

Ban flies back up just in time, racing forth to stop his brother before it’s too late. But the cunning Goong-tan shoves Won-jung forward, using her as a human shield. Ban’s dagger finds its mark in Won-jung, as we’ve seen before; except now we know he never meant to hurt her.

With her dying breath, Won-jung asks Ban to wait for her, promising to return and save him. Then her life fades out, but her power ignites — with a brilliant burst of light, all the lust demons are forced back into the portal they came from. And that includes Goong-tan.

Centuries later, Goong-tan is inadvertently freed from his underground prison by a shaman hammering a nail in the wrong spot. Goong-tan’s hair has since turned gray, and a cult in white cloaks rescues him and a young Yeom-ji (though we aren’t shown how he ended up with her).

That’s nine years before the present day, and Goong-tan comes face-to-face with the cult leader YUL (Kim Sung-oh). Ominously, Yul reveals that he’d been manipulating the head monk’s mind all this while — creating demon slayers in Ban and Goong-tan had all been part of his plan to get rid of Won-jung.

Taking Goong-tan’s dagger, Yul slices Goong-tan’s arm off so he can collect his blood, which crumbles the ground it’s poured on. Demon leeches crawl out and sinister energy spills forth from the gaping hole, enveloping Goong-tan and regenerating his arm.

Back in the present, Mi-ho resolves not to lose any more people to the lust demons. Determined to become Won-jung so she can fulfill the prophecy and seal the monsters away, she seeks out Granny Geum, who informs her that she’s akin to a bowl. In order to be filled up, it must first be emptied of its contents.

Won-jung bravely accepts, but back in her car, she worries over what kind of person she might become. Then Ban points out that such fretting is uncharacteristic of her — if she doesn’t like what the bowl is filled with, she can just pour it right back out. With that, Mi-ho is back to her usual confidence, and she flounces off, leaving Ban with an amused smile on his face. Aww, cute!

Since she plans to stay with Granny for the time being, Mi-ho packs a suitcase (or should I say, packs several suitcases). Yo-han whines that he’ll be lonely, and Ban counters that he can easily split him into two, LOL. I love that Yo-han actually considers his suggestion — vertical or horizontal bisection? Hilariously, Butler Jang’s extensive list of Mi-ho’s very particular lifestyle requirements has Ban deciding that he’d much rather foist those chores off on Yo-han.

Granny has Mi-ho change into white robes for training, and Ban is visibly affected by her resemblance to Won-jung and her diligent determination to see her rigorous training through. It leads to a cute moment — he hesitates when she extends a hand for him to help her up, then freezes when she grabs his hand to do it herself. Then when she complains about the cold, he immediately shrugs off his coat — and tosses it over her head, walking off without a word. HAHAHA, he’s so tsun!

To minimize distractions, Granny Geum sent Yeom-ji to stay with a friend for the time being. Except she returns one day with a meal for Granny — which turns out to be a distraction tactic, because Goong-tan’s slinking his way over to Won-jung.

Ban and Granny immediately sense Goong-tan’s wrathful energy, and they lower their chopsticks in alarm. Out in the clearing, Mi-ho realizes she’s not alone. Her heart rate quickens, and she fights to keep her breathing even. But before anything can happen, the episode ends.

We don’t get to see much of Yo-han this week, but he does get a heavy question to ponder over. In the wake of his brother’s death, Yo-han finds himself questioning the boundary between good and evil — having killed his brother with his own two hands, he no longer knows if he’s fighting for the righteous side.

Granny Geum puts his dilemma into words: would he rather save the world through sacrifices, or risk it all just to save one person? We’ve seen this play out with Ban and Goong-tan, whom the head monk considered necessary sacrifices for the greater good of humanity. And, well, look where we ended up.

Knowing Mi-ho’s compassionate nature, it’s likely that she won’t stand for anyone else dying for the cause. And that’s what makes Granny’s words to Yo-han so foreboding — she tells him that someone will get hurt in the process of awakening Won-jung.

Now that we’ve seen the full backstory, I’m even more invested in the dynamic between Ban and Goong-tan. There wasn’t a defining moment that made their paths diverge; rather, they found different ways to survive. Ban clung to the last shreds of his empathy and humanity, whereas Goong-tan dove headfirst into his anger and resentment.

That’s what makes me yearn for more scenes with the grown-up brothers that don’t devolve into a physical altercation — yes, the action scenes are cool, but we all know that Kim Nam-gil and Sung Joon are capable of so much more complexity.

 
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