Moon in the Day: Episodes 5-6
by lovepark
Nineteen reincarnations and 1,500 years later, our lingering spirit may finally learn why the love of his life killed him. However, the woman capable of answering his question still remains in the dark, and it may take a while for her memories to return. In the meantime, our resident ghost will have to wait by her side and tamp down his old feelings lest they waver his resolve.
EPISODES 5-6
The reigning question this week for our vengeful ghost is whether Young-hwa remembers her past life unlike the previous eighteen reincarnations. There are hints suggesting that she might, but when Young-hwa, herself, chalks up her memories as wishful dreams, it becomes difficult for Do Ha to parse the details.
In the midst of all this, the kidnappers from before disappear while under police supervision, which puts Min-oh on high alert. He requests Young-hwa to guard his brother around the clock, thus forcing our leads under one roof.
During her first night over, the two of them watch the news about a recently unearthed lotus seed from the Shilla period. It reminds them both of the time Do Ha gave one to Ri-ta as a token to stay strong. She told him that everything rots eventually, but he made a bet with her that the seed would blossom in a thousand years. In the present, Do Ha thinks to himself that he won, and Young-hwa mutters aloud that she lost.
As if there were not enough obstacles in Do Ha’s way, the show makes sure to throw every side character at him to make things difficult. The first of these nuisances is Yi-seul who commences her “in love with Jun-oh” plan. She does everything in her power to get under Young-hwa’s skin, and though she barely registers as a love rival, her presence does make our bodyguard more aware of Do Ha as a man rather than a client.
On a lighter note, Jun-oh’s manager is also a bit of a loose cannon, and while he technically wants to help Do Ha with his mission, the poor fool completely misunderstands the situation. He thinks Do Ha is looking for love and acts as cupid for our couple. Thankfully, Young-hwa is none the wiser and fails to recognize Jun-oh as Do Ha.
However, as the coincidences pile up, even Young-hwa starts to notice the eerie resemblance between past-dream Do Ha and present-day Jun-oh. The two finally address the elephant in the room, and Do Ha asks if she sees him in her dreams. Misunderstanding his intentions, Young-hwa tells him that he simply looks like the lord and nothing more.
Another hurdle appears in Do Ha’s path in the form of the young monk from Young-hwa’s past — the one who gave her the protective artifact as a child. He wants to warn her about the vengeful ghost, but instead of using words, he attacks Do Ha with a talisman to prove his point. Alas, the talisman seems to have no effect, and Young-hwa tosses the monk out for trying to harm Do Ha.
While the monk sighs over his failed attempt, the talisman does, in fact, work, and Do Ha is dispelled from Jun-oh’s body. The effect only lasts for a mere moment but long enough for Young-hwa to see the astral form of Do Ha floating before her eyes. Confused and scared, she tries to discredit what she just witnessed, but then, a memory from her childhood comes back: she has seen Do Ha before.
That night, Young-hwa has another dream about her past. Do Ha’s stepfather framed Ri-ta for stealing from his house, and as punishment, he ordered his men to beat her until she confessed. When Do Ha went to check on her, Ri-ta warned him to stay away since she was just a clumsy assassin trying to take his life – it would be better for him if she died.
Unwilling to let that happen, Do Ha freed Ri-ta, even killing one of his own men in the process. As he took her to safety, she asked why he would go to such lengths to save his enemy, and he reminded her of the promise she made to kill him if he survived. As they shared a tearful goodbye, she vowed to return, and he agreed to wait until that day came.
Back in the present, Young-hwa drowns her worries with alcohol and passes out in a school field. Having been watching her the entire day, Do Ha takes this opportunity to try and kill her, but Young-hwa grabs his arm in her drunken stupor. Waking up, she thinks this is all a dream and addresses him as Do Ha rather than Jun-oh. She grabs his face and tells him to leave, but Do Ha says that he can only go if she lets him. As Young-hwa runs away, a small smile crosses his face, and he puts his plan to end her life on hold.
While they walk home, Young-hwa complains about her dreams and how Do Ha sent her away after telling her to live. He asks if she remembers anything else, but Young-hwa shrugs her shoulders since Ri-ta probably never met Do Ha again after that night. As she continues her rant, Young-hwa trips over herself, and Do Ha catches her by the collar. He pulls her into a hug, but when his heart starts to thump, he pushes her off.
Since Young-hwa called in sick, Min-oh moves in to care for his brother, and his selfless devotion to Jun-oh makes Do Ha wonder why he cares so much for a person with only a month left to live. Min-oh admits that his greatest fear is losing him without getting to say goodbye, so he wants to do everything he can to live without regrets. His words strike a chord with Do Ha, and he decides to trust Min-oh. He hands him the evidence related to Chul-hwan, but unbeknownst to Do Ha, Min-oh has already been looking for the former CEO.
Speaking of Chul-hwan, the other vengeful ghost roaming this world pretends to assist Tae-ju when, in reality, he uses the hapless actor as a pawn in his games. He calls Min-oh’s attorney to meet him, and then springs a trap: orchestrating an accident, Chul-hwan causes the attorney to hit (and kill?) Tae-ju. Looks like this ghost is a lot more bloodthirsty than Do Ha.
Young-hwa distances herself from Do Ha to clear her head, and looks for clues concerning her situation, starting with the strange monk who attacked him. This leads her to a temple where Do Ha also paid a visit earlier. To Do Ha, the head monk advises him that revenge is not always the answer, and to Young-hwa, he tells her that the bracelet protected her from evil spirits. Though the monk seems to know more, he keeps our leads partially in the dark, claiming that it isn’t time yet.
The monk’s words jog Young-hwa’s memories, and she recalls what Do Ha told her when she was drunk: he is borrowing Jun-oh’s body. Still unsure of his meaning, she confronts Do Ha about his confession, so he displays his ghostly powers to convince her. He tells her that he is a 1,500-year-old spirit and needs her to figure out why he died. When she questions his request, he tells her that only she can help him because she was his wife.
The show briefly returns to the past, revealing the moment Do Ha and Ri-ta got married. After the ceremony, he gave her prayer beads made out of lotus seeds to protect her from evil and declared that she shall be his wife forever, even if death tears them apart.
The pacing of the show is really hindering my enjoyment. Some scenes drag on for too long while important emotional beats are rushed. The main issue for me is that the show has too many tertiary plotlines and moving parts without clear motives. Certain characters like Min-oh have potential, but the show underutilizes them. He seems like a caring brother, but he also comes across as a ruthless businessman looking out for his own gain. There’s a duality to his character that the show could explore, but for now, he’s kind of in the background to help move the plot along. Then we have characters like Yi-seul whose only purpose is to create artificial tension. She serves no real purpose to the story, and if all her scenes were cut, I doubt the show would change (in fact, I’d argue that the pacing would improve). The monks are also a bit random, though I hope they’ll be integrated into the story later on, and the cops are ridiculously bad and pointless. I usually love a big cast and a wide-range of characters, but Moon in the Day feels like it bit off more than it could chew.
The show’s charm should be its central love story, but once again, I think the pacing and overall storytelling does a disservice to these two. Do Ha and Ri-ta’s relationship is rushed, and as a result, their attraction feels superficial. The show has done very little to establish an emotional connection between its audience and its characters, so when Do Ha goes above and beyond for Ri-ta, I’m left questioning his motives much like our heroine. I understand that Do Ha thinks she can help him die as a human, but his words and actions don’t match. He claims to want penance but then does nothing to change his behavior. I still don’t understand why he loves Ri-ta to the point of killing people to protect her, and I don’t necessarily understand why Ri-ta seems so interested in him, either. The problem is that the context of their relationship touches on complex topics such as war and trauma, but does nothing to explore them in depth. Hence, I’m left feeling cold when I watch Do Ha and Ri-ta interact, which makes the present-day romance also perplexing.
RELATED POSTS
- Premiere Watch: Moon in the Day
- Kim Young-dae waits a Moon in the Day for revenge
- News bites: October 17, 2023
- Meet the star-crossed lovers from Moon in the Day
- News bites: October 8, 2023
- First teaser for ENA’s time-slip Moon in the Day
- First look at Moon in the Day with Kim Young-dae, Pyo Ye-jin
- News bites: July 19, 2023
- Kim Young-dae
- Pyo Ye-jin
- Ohn Joo-wan
- Jung Woong-in
Tags: Jung Woong-in, Kim Young-dae, Moon in the Day, Ohn Joo-wan, Pyo Ye-jin
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 Kurama
November 18, 2023 at 12:34 AM
I think this drama is suffering a lot from bad acting. None of the actors make me feel the angst and attraction I should feel with their complicated past. Kim Young-Dae lacks energy or vitality, he makes me tired just by watching him.
The choice of the order of flashbacks doesn't help. The scenes are not in a chronologic order and it's quite confusing.
Required fields are marked *
rho
November 18, 2023 at 3:29 AM
Absolutely. I kept thinking that in the hands of a good actor, this drama would not have been so bad. But Kim Young-Dae is just bad in this role. Especially when he has to portray the Silla General.
Dropped it at episode 4
Required fields are marked *
2 angelshadows50
November 18, 2023 at 2:32 AM
@lovepark, thank you very much for your recap! In particular, I very much like your last paragraph of analysis. I felt it to be very thoughtful and well written.
Required fields are marked *
3 LucyM
November 18, 2023 at 3:43 AM
"I usually love a big cast and a wide-range of characters, but Moon in the Day feels like it bit off more than it could chew."
@lovepark is right as usual. Saw a comment somewhere that the FL in the present is living a rom-com, and if it wasn't for ML supposedly dying (yes, that's a big IF), that would be an accurate description. ML, on the other hand is living in an angsty revenge melodrama. Rest of the contemporary cast is living in a showbiz drama. That makes for some overly disconnected dialogs which are confusing for the characters and frustrating for me as a viewer.
Also, someone has to tell ML that not every scene as Do Ha has to be so darn dramatic. He's not the world's greatest actor, but he is capable of having more than one expression.
Thank you @lovepark for the recap!
Required fields are marked *
4 Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
November 18, 2023 at 6:40 AM
Nothing says romance like keeping your girl alive thru lotus seeds and laboured metaphors. But yeah, why is she falling for this stone faced murderer of her family? why is he murdering his own subordinates for her?
That has to be the dumbest criminal... Imagine writing a suicide note and giving it to the guy trying to get rid of the evidence (you are the evidence)
Also wasn't expecting Sigmund Freud to pop up 😭😭 Who knew the Freudster would help a 1500yo toxic couple have a classic kdrama romantic moment
Yes, Yi-seul's character is completely superfluous but I just love this actress. Like, that cannot be the same lady who's the dignified eldest daughter of Scholar Maeng 😭😭
The drama tries to make ghost Doha stalking child Young-hwa look all ominous and angsty, but it just comes off so goofy. Ghost Doha looks like a clothes hanger with a hanbok strung on it. and it's just pathetic that the most he could do for 1500 years is scare little girls via spooky mirrors.
I was so excited for Young-hwa finding out about their shared tragic past, but it just fell so flat for me. That has to be the most anticlimactic and lamest "ML shows his powers" scene in a kdrama thus far.
You do not, under any circumstances, have to hand it to evil stepdad but Seok engineered the main witness' death and essentially turned the lawyer into a double agent in one move. that was kinda clever if executed in a very makjang way.
finally, two things. first, I hope that poor murdered bodyguard of Do-ha's is reborn as a Field Marshal or something in his 19th life. second, is it ethical to make someone sign a NDA when they're inebriated?
Required fields are marked *
ar_arguably romantic
November 18, 2023 at 11:26 AM
Ditto all of this! I also felt bad about the murdered bodyguard. Like couldn't Do-ha have knocked him out instead? Killing him seemed like an overreaction since the bodyguard didn't seem menacing, just inconvenient.
I'm watching Matchmakers too and it's funny seeing Jung Sin-Hye as the strong, cool Maeng Hana with one of the most beautiful speaking voices for two days followed by two days of her being this embarrassingly stuck up and desperate actress.
Required fields are marked *
5 Olivedreams
November 18, 2023 at 7:36 AM
I don’t get the criticism of the acting here. Are these same folks watching A Good Day to be a Dog? The difference in acting ability between Cha Eun Woo and the FL is stark! It’s a bit painful to watch at times and he is extremely lucky to be so good looking.
My critique of the show is I just watched the last 2 episodes and I don’t really feel that the story has gone anywhere. It’s all so inconsequential. I’ll continue to watch for now but if the romance doesn’t significantly progress soon this will be added to my heap of dropped shows this year.
Required fields are marked *
6 ar_arguably romantic
November 18, 2023 at 11:46 AM
Thanks for the recap! I totally agree with you on the pace on hindering the drama. We're 6 episodes in and I feel like nothing much has happened in the present time though our leads are catching feelings. And the past doesn't have enough emotional resonance even though Pyo Ye-jin is emoting the heck out with her eyes.
The writing and directing both seem a little confused. I'm all for dramas serving a multitude of genres, but things don't seem to quite gel here.
The weird vibe for this drama does make it more interesting in that it doesn't resemble most kdramas so you can't quite predict what's next. I do like this air of mystery as Young-hwa is trying to figure out her dreams/visions and Do-ha trying to see if she remembers. And it looks like Doha is pivoting his mission from "MUST KILL HER!" to "Why did she kill me in the first place?" My guess is that they were both going to die and she killed him so that he wouldn't be captured and killed as a traitor. This way, the only bad guy would be her.
I can't remember why the solution has to be to kill Young-hwa? Maybe he should visit some shamans and get a second opinion?
Please don't hurt the young monk! He's only trying to help our heroine.
Required fields are marked *
7 SP2022
November 18, 2023 at 12:09 PM
I know objectively this drama leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm enjoying it while not thinking too hard about any details.
Required fields are marked *
Becky
November 18, 2023 at 12:46 PM
Me too.
Required fields are marked *
DancingEmma
November 18, 2023 at 2:07 PM
@SP2022: I hear you. I am using FFing to block out everything but the main duo but poor KYD is testing my patience no matter how pretty he is at times. He is not a strong actor as has only two modes: goofy and superficial manboy and sullen dude. I really like Pyo Yejin as she is charming, can be moving and her emotional palette has more than 2.
This is my trivial watch.
Required fields are marked *
Diana Hansen
November 19, 2023 at 10:23 AM
Me too. I like it same as you, don't look deep, just enjoy. As a side note, every time I see Kim Young-dae, he reminds me of Kang Dong-won.
Required fields are marked *
8 Becky
November 18, 2023 at 12:51 PM
Funny, these two episodes were better for me. I thought the acting was a tad better (maybe?), and I am now definitely interested in their previous life together, and want to see why she killed him, and why she might have fallen in love with him? The one storyline that I wish was edited out from this drama is the adoptive father story--there is already so much angst, we don't need one more re-incarnated vengeful spirit.
Required fields are marked *
9 tabong is ironing the crosswalk
November 18, 2023 at 2:18 PM
1. I wanted them to keep living together. They're super cute.
2. When hyung told the manager to stay with Joon Oh (Do Ha), the manager's expression was like "not even if you pay me all the money in the world, dude". I love that guy.
3. It was nice seeing Do Ha trust the hyung. I kinda want them to have a good relationship. Idk, but I feel like the hyung did something wrong to Joon Oh in the past and that's why he's so obsessed with him now.
4. I like how the leads keep ignoring the annoying actress and they just do wtv they want. LOL
5. So she finally knows. Our girl is a little slow, but that's ok.
She doesn't remember the most important thing, tho: she (Ri Ta) killed him. Let's see what happens now.
Required fields are marked *
10 Ann-lynnette Lawrence
November 18, 2023 at 8:08 PM
This is a great love story, but as usual the young can only see what they want. After all the killing he has had to do he has trained himself to show no feelings. His eyes say volumes, that’s why I consider Kim young dae one of the future’s greatest actors. The saying little means more is a big factor in this. I think we should see this from the heart not a I am bored look. I will be watching Kim young dad until the day I die.
Required fields are marked *
11 noor
November 19, 2023 at 7:46 AM
I feel sorry for @lovepark and dramabeans for having to recap this drama. You should have a DNF option because this is a bad drama, with one-dimensional scenes, zero romance (1500 years ago and today) and zero actual conflict, and the ML is more wooden than the trees, the FL has been clueless for SIX episodes (whether RT or YH) and it is so damn boring.
For 6 episodes the theme has been this: Doha loves the wife, wants to know why she killed him, kill her while saving her and telling her to live so that he can kill her (RT/YH!) Which we ALL know he won't. Because the drama is about his 'healing' process, his brother (the other vengeful spirit is his older brother not the father), his father, his wife all betrayed him 1500 years ago. So now in the wife's 19th reincarnation, he gets a doting loyal elder brother and a loyal bodyguard 'girl', a loyal assistant and will get recognition even for his 'work' in historical role - he'll be healed and either pass on under the lotus tree to the other life or continue to live in the present as the actor with the reincarnated RT/YH.
There is NO depth anywhere, neither in story or characters.
At this point any reason they give for RT killing Doha seems superficial and ridiculous because it's obvious they fell in love and she gave in to her 'feelings' and he did nothing wrong by killing her family (it was a thing of the times to kill the entire family to teach a lesson! I am sure RT's general father killed many people's families too!!!)
Ridiculous setup by having the actress create 'news' of their love affair which Doha doesn't reject, ridiculous setup of Doha and RT having a forced marriage, love and then death.
Nothing is driving the story forward.
In fact Doha, RT and Younghwa, the temple's shamans (as well as the vengeful spirit brother) all look funny being this serious.
Required fields are marked *
12 Slice-of-Life Dramatics
November 19, 2023 at 5:43 PM
I just don't get the logic behind why Do-ha is SO incensed and betrayed by Ri-ta that he actually harboured this resentment for 1,500 years. Like yes I'll take that both of you fell in love with each other and got married, but Do-ha also knew that he did indeed kill her family. Them falling in love should just make this a tragic love story, not one which then righted his past wrongs (even if he felt guilty and was haunted by his war killings) and then makes him feel all so righteous about her being together with him. And the story keeps reminding us that he WANTED to die, and he KNEW she wanted to kill him (regardless of them falling in love thereafter), so why he is so incensed that she killed him? So unless the story tells me sooner than later why his resentment is so strong, I cannot get the logic of this whole premise. The pacing of the unravelling of the past story could be its downfall.
Required fields are marked *
mom2kidsdog
December 6, 2023 at 9:50 PM
"I just don't get the logic behind why Do-ha is SO incensed and betrayed by Ri-ta that he actually harboured this resentment for 1,500 years."
I always got the sense that both Do Ha and Ri Ta were paying for their past sins ... Do Ha for having killed so many (as in Goblin: Great and Lonely God) and Ri Ta for having been blind to her dad's killing so many and never expecting to have her family suffer for it ... oblivious and spoiled, too ... unbelievable.
Required fields are marked *
13 loveblossom🌸
November 20, 2023 at 12:55 PM
Oh no... the lawyer will be used as an pawn now. I was hoping the actor would play a good person this time.
Still liking this show. It's watchable. Cute leads. No frustrating parts yet. Even the second female lead doesn't bother me. I sorta anticipate Do Ha's reaction whenever she tries something, heh.
I feel like I'm squinting at and scrutinizing Kim Young Dae's face a lot due to the many criticisms I've read here and elsewhere about his acting.
I didn't mind the pace this week. I get that Young Hwa would be weirded out and slow to believe the supernatural elements she has witnessed. I like that she did some digging and looked for answers on her own. Once she fully accepts her situation, then I hope we see more action.
Now that Min Oh is in the house, maybe we'll get more of their scenes and Do Ha can learn from the brotherly love and affection.
Required fields are marked *
14 Toki23
November 22, 2023 at 12:34 PM
Watched today ep 7, the storyline goes downwards , going back in time, many dramabeanies don´t like the acting skills of KYD , but iḿ thinking PYJ is worse, there is no chemistry at all between the two actors.
I want to kill you ,i can´t kill you ,girl make up your mind, watching tomorrow ep 8 ,if it doesn´t get better i drop this one .
PYJ is zero attractive, thats my prejudice .
Required fields are marked *