OUR BLOOMING YOUTH Community Watch – Episodes 7 & 8
Time to kick some chairs!


GIF credit: xiaolanhua

In case you need to jog your memory (like I did): DB recaps of episodes 7 & 8

Well, as much as the CP might regret his decision after reading the suicide note of her supposed lover, the deed is done: Jaeyi has been banned from the Eastern palace. Watching the CP spiral as he loses trust in his sole ally was heartbreaking all over again. For what it’s worth, he realizes soon enough that not having her by his side cannot be a valid solution either. (That little scene where he asked his guard if Jaeyi slept well, and he had to remind him that he locked up the library was some welcome humor!) Jaeyi’s reminder that he cannot build a prospering country (or – basically – do anything) without trusting his people, has given him food for thought. (While I was almost groaning at the screen to “Please make up already!” 😁)

I also loved that Jaeyi, having no place to go, naturally turned up at Myungjin’s place. And Garam, who’s an unwavering friend, giving her much needed comfort when she (upsettingly!) thought she might have been her “adopted brother”s lover after all. I guess you could say that Garam was about the only person (besides the main couple) I had no suspicions about! Plus Myungjin: him wondering on his own how the women on the wanted posters are doing, and how he would help them if he could, was really sweet. If he only knew! 😂

A highlight of these episodes surely was the polo game, and the CP stepping in to play. I was rolling my eyes a bit about how obvious this “solution” to the plot was to show off the supposed jealousy between CP & sergeant, but it was nice to see either way. (Anyone else thought of quidditch? 😂) Also loved how the princess was throwing more than heart eyes at our 2ML. 🤩

Plus that chair scene? 🤣 Really prooves again that kdrama characters have absolutely no peripheral vision! (But I still laughed.)

@minniegupta1 @midnight @seeker @koalatown @nefret @isagc @bebeswtz @claire2009 @skiee @23new2kdrama @jls943

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    Whoops, that link to the recap didn’t work out, so here goes: https://www.dramabeans.com/2023/03/our-blooming-youth-episodes-7-8/

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    Thanks sonai <3 I'm off to make some GIFs. And yes, I thought of quidditch too 😂

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    I remembered being impressed by the actors who really filmed the scene of polo on horses themselves.

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    Thoughts and observations for our Blooming Youth Episode 7

    These two episodes made me laugh and cry, and reminded me why I became so besotted with PHS. Without moving a single muscle in his body (he is so stiff upperlip in this, it’s like an invisible rope binding his hands behind him lol!) the man showed such an incredible range – grief, anger, disbelief, isolation, fear, anxiety, longing, repentance….you could read every emotion without him saying a word.

    In episode 7, we learn more about where his paranoia stems from. Turns out, uri Crown Prince was not always this reticent about sharing his woes. Even though he was afraid, he disregarded the first ghost letter that came the day he was declared the Crown Prince three years earlier. However, the letter changed a year ago, and this time, it said he would become a cripple. Enter: Amur viper’s poison arrow. The anxious son and the dutiful subject immediately took his fear and concern to his father and King.

    What did he get in return? The news that the physician who treated him might have been killed by his father, that he had to survive at all cost, and the way to do it was to retain his position and that he was pretty much on his own to do that. And while he was at it, he could trust no one, not even his own father.

    I seriously worried about the mental health of this weak King who seemed to transfer his neurotic fear to his incredibly gifted son.

    I also did some math. The characters in this show are shown to be in their late teens and barely in their 20s (10 years ago, Jay Yi was about 8, Hwan and Sargent about 11, maybe 12). So here we have a 21 year old Crown Prince who has lost his brother, forced into a role he didn’t want, and is hounded by shadows, a sitting duck for murderers, and has never been outside the Palace to know life any better.

    Hence, in crawled our crown prince into the hole where the only crack he allowed was a light called Jay Yi, and it is all but extinguished now. Or is it….

    With very little life experience to draw from, his knee-jerk reaction to Jay Yi now makes a little more sense, especially given that he is also warring within himself an attraction he seems to have little control over for a woman who has nothing but her own words to prove she is innocent. Guilty or innocent, all he does is think of her. And follows her around the Palace like a lost puppy.

    Episode 7 encapsulates what character growth should look like. It beautifully showcases Hwan’s journey from psychotic paranoia to judicious deliberation.

    This is also where the outside forces start to become interesting. The inn couple becomes a suspect, the royal guard becomes a suspect, and basically, everyone but Ga-ram and Myung Jin is a suspect.

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      This episode also highlights relationships:

      It was very interesting to witness the bond between the inn couple as they added more to the story with the mysterious connection to the entire case.

      Garam starts seeing Myung Jin as something more than an eccentric master.

      The bond between two women who share their deepest fears. I love Pyo Ye Jin here. The way she overcomes fear and is determined to carry on no matter what breaks my heart. Her fear of dead bodies is real and that scene is filled with so much hilarity.

      I was surprised how much humour was packed in such a serious episode.

      Hwan begins to hear Sung On. Even though there is still an air of mistrust, Hwan still relies on his friend, and he instinctively inclines towards doing the right thing. His friend is waiting for his fiancee. For all CP knows, his fiancee is waiting to be declared innocent before returning to him. So Hwan rightfully promises to unite the two if she comes back and proves her innocence.
      However, there is this pesky little heart that still keeps fluttering where it should not…..

      This one has some of my favourite moments of all time in my k-drama watching life:

      # The first one is when Jay Yi gives uri Crown Prince the pig eye when he finally goes to meet her. She squints at him mutinously, judging him for being so cruel and harsh (Jeon So Nee is so good at this one). She does not greet him or bow to him. She just stares at him. And he fidgets. Haha! That was gold. This is a woman being very, very upset with her man, his royal status be damned. These two have already lost the plot when it comes to each other. They just don’t know it yet.

      # When he starts realising that what he hears about her might make her seem guilty, his gut instinct that screams her innocence is authentic. The look he gives her as he follows her around (that was hilarious)—a mixture of intrigue and remorse—is fantastic.

      # The reference to him who resides where the sun rises.

      # When Hwan gets caught by the trio visiting Jay Yi because they think he missed them. Little do they realise Hwan knows Jay Yi has caught him missing her, and I felt his embarrassment. The bombastic side eye that he gives her and Jay Yi’s curiously impassive reactions to his overreaction had me in stitches.

      # That entire tirade of kicking the chair. Boy, I have never been happier that k-drama people neither have peripheral vision nor can they hear bootsteps, hahaha! I have rewatched this scene a million times (did you catch Hwan snarling at her?).The dude takes being name-called personally, lol!

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        Episode 7 serves the feels in dollops of bittersweet coating. Ep 8 observations tomorrow.

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        Someone please make that pig-eye look Jay Yi gives Hwan, tee hee!

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        Hahaha, that chair kick was hilarious! “I’m sorry, pond!” 🤣

        PHS really portrays this character well. It’s one of the reasons why I chose the header GIF: you can already see the difference in gesture between Jaeyi & Hwan. While he is sitting there, upright as if it was a ballet session, she reclines a bit in the chair. I guess if you gave Hwan a comfy couch to sit on, he just wouldn’t know “how to work it”. 😂
        (Sure, you could argue a CP cannot “let go” like this “in public”, but I’ve seen other sageuks where the CP/king wasn’t as “uptight”. See Mr. Queen for example, while this was arguably even less “historically authentic” 🤔👏)

        I also agree on the growth arc on his character. It was done well in these episodes!

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          Haha. I seem to recall hearing/reading somewhere that they hid a chair backing inside the CP’s outfit to help him sit upright when he had all those scenes of him at his floor desk in his chambers. I think PHS may have been complaining about how stiff and uncomfortable it was to sit like that for hours during filming but it made it easier.

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          I guess if you gave Hwan a comfy couch to sit on, he just wouldn’t know “how to work it”. 😂

          hahahaha! Very very true. It’s the way he comports himself, for want of a better word, that is so ingrained that it’s impossible to separate wheat from the chaff.
          “The pond must have been so hurt…” that had to be an adlib hehehe!
          I loved Jay Yi expressions here, as she makes up for her faux pass lol!!

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            🤣🤣🤣 Not sure about ad-lib but definitely didn’t seem to be the writer’s joke …or maybe just one good one. 😊

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          The drama emphasizes how stiff (and still) Lee Hwan is in the initial episodes. That back pillow was a very good *secret* idea. 😂

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        I also love how MJ keeps calling him older brother and trying to hug the CP but he side steps him at first but then later MJ succeeds and CP pushed him away so hard I thought he was going to fall down on his butt.

        Them badmouthing the CP to his face and him basically accepting it and even acknowledging his limitations since “he doesn’t even know how to shovel” was a good illustration of his open mindedness. Granted he is still gets affronted sometimes but at least he’s willing to consider his weakness/errors and accept blame.

        The reunion of the girls was both funny (corpse coming to life!) and heartwarming. GR was really frightened about being caught and branded but after seeing JY and all that she is suffering through, both girls gained strength from each other to continue their path ahead. It was certainly no easy decision to continue to masquerade as men to try to learn the truth and clean JY’s name.

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      Apparently uri Crown Prince’s reaction in Joseon to ghostly interactions is similar to another Prince in Denmark some 200 years later.

      Lee Hwan bears himself up so stiffly, I get a back ache looking at him.

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    Thanks @sonai for a great review. The friendships in this show are precious. The deeper they grow the warmer you feel. This is around the time I started to love the Guard. See my fan wall for his tribute 😃😃. He brings the sarcastic comedy this show needs. CP brings the expressions. He is so good at his facial and physical comedy. It’s definitely a talent. More later as I don’t have my notes with me. I love this show💜💜💜

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    When one’s ears burns.
     

     
    When the FL burns.

     
    When the ML emotes an unspoken gajima.

     
    Who needs a kiss when the very flowers bloom at his merest touch!

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      The burning ears are perfection! 😂 Cracked me up! 🤣🤣🤣
      🙌👏🫰

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      Wait- how did you post pictures here??
      I apologize if you have told me before. I’m terrible at this stuff. I had perfect ones for my post

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      THE EARS! I didn’t notice that.
      But.
      I went to High School (or similar; “Gymnasium” 3 years from people are approximately 16 to 19) with the funniest guy, so talented also, at 15 he was already drawing for the Danish version of the MAD magazine. (And now, a recognized painter).
      We were both in the School Newspaper Group (or Zine, maybe, it was very lo-fi and silly) and … Oh, I could talk about that for a little too long.
      Anyway, one day we were in the yard, and he, very blond and extremely light-skinned, said “Look!” and pulled out his ears, and I tell you, it looked like he had a red bike light on each side of his head. It sounds childish, but at that age, it was more like, he was the kind of person who was not afraid of being ridiculous for a moment because he knew it would be funny, too. Like, he was breaking the glass in the picture of being 17 and cool.
      Okay, now you know about Martin’s ears.

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    Thank you sonai … what a wonderful recap and perfect selection of gif.

    This is perhaps my all time favorite swoony scene.

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      Yes! You live how „orchestrated“ it was, but it felt soooo nice nonetheless!!!

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        *live = know 🙄
        I blame gibberish mobile auto completion.

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        It’s perfect. Thanks for helping out last minute.

        I remember for the Destined finale live watch. Indy gave me a little over have an hour to host it on my Fanwall … and that was my first time hosting! 😅

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    The chair-kicking scene is one of my favourites from this drama.
    When I first watched OBY, I was having a hard time, but this drama was a great way to distract myself and laugh too.

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      I think that the balance of heartfelt vs suspenseful vs funny scenes was done pretty well in this drama! Reading the recaps (and comments on those), I’m quite baffled how it was received very … uh, so-so? For me, it delivered well.

      We surely needed that polo game to balance out that ominous head shaman court scene… 😵‍💫

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        When I love a show so much, as with OBY and SYIM19thL, I’m immuned to the comments that are not in favour of the show. I went through all comments of SYIM19thL recaps and was amused at how different I felt about that show compared to the majority of commenting beanies.

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          Ah! That is always an issue. More so in live watch. Reading now perhaps its easier to ignore but how did you resist the temptation to comment.

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        Haven’t read the recaps … do you recommend it. I may be tempted to comment. Hehe.

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          As you watched SYIM19thL live, I’m sure you read its recaps. Its recaps were beautifully written by Daebakgrits and I wish she had gone one episode by one, so that I had more to read. That’s my impression of SYIM19thL recaps. But I don’t have the same impression about OBY recaps, so I guess imo it wasn’t as interesting. Maybe you don’t need to read it?! Go ahead only when you really have nothing to read?

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      @Nefret The fact that kdramas can be healing is true in more ways than one. This drama changed the way I prioritize things in my life. It’s nothing in the drama that did it, but rather the fact that I connected with characters the way I used to when I read books. They played with my imagination, I got invested in their story, they got a life outside of the screen. It was thrilling and beautiful. And it has stayed on.

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      PMR was my savior last year! Definitely pulled me put of q slump … actually more than the drama the Fanwall challenge and Beanies support. 😊

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    While admittedly scary, Ga-ram’s nightmare of being tattooed with her ears lit up was too funny not to lol.

    I’m not sure at this stage if Myung Jin is truly that clueless or is pretending not to recognize Jae-yi and Ga-ram.

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    Lee Hwan’s real feelings about Jae-yi are exposed only after she has been dismissed from the palace. Awake the whole night he muses that

    I thought the one I could trust finally came to me.

    She is like a ray of light who made me see a new world.

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      It’s sooooo funny to me, that in spite of this being a sageuk and expressing what’s on your heart literally isn’t an option, there are so many so very obvious exclamations of trust, friendship, and love in this drama.

      Even in that polo scene, where sergeant downright pulled the trigger on Jaeyi telling her “You cheered for my team, yet you only had eyes for him” – bang on, dude. You just spelled out what was obvious for everyone, yet – addressing it in conversation was pretty bold.

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        It was. Agree. But then he thought he was speaking to an eunuch; A very smart, clever, talented one, favoured by CP, but a eunuch nevertheless. I wonder what his tone would have been if he had any inclination that this eunuch was the one he was pining for……she is so far removed from his ideal imaginary image of that awfully inaccurate sketch that in a way it is funny.

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    Ahhh I hate that I can’t post pictures in this. I have perfect ones for my posts. Will put on my fan wall if you want to see💜

    Ep. 7- Ray of Light
    Yes, I have decided to name my episodes.
    CP is looking distraught. And he is- because he reads the will. He doesn’t really understand his feelings for Jae Yi, but feeling betrayed may show him how much he cares for her. I am glad she had the chance to explain. I will say it in every blog, This show is so special because CP knows who she is! Of course anger wins and he makes a bad decision- out she goes. And of course he regrets it almost immediately. His Ray of light is out.
    Another envelope is opened- this time from Sergeant showing his marriage contract. What a sweet guy he is. So loving and forgiving, to someone he doesn’t even know. I love his heart. It is so pure. And then CP makes a promise he can not keep. Big mistake.
    The supporting cast is really starting to shine. Such good friends. And so much laughter.
    Why do I love the fact that strong women drink and swear? Queen Cheorin from Mr. Queen was a perfect example of this but now we have our great Jae Yi who isn’t afraid to tell how she is feeling. And of course that is why these men fall for these strong women- they say what they mean. Love the chair conversation, love the falling trope and really love the flowers blooming when it happens. Perfect!!!

    Ep. 8- Why Does He Have to Be So Cool???
    Cool while listening to her swear at him.
    “Cool when she is “”teaching”” him about trust”
    Cool at catching her
    Cool at polo- Min Yi can’t take her eyes off CP- as Sergeant points out
    Cool at riding a horse
    Cool at apologizing
    Cool at talking to her when she isn’t there- yes this is one of my favorite tropes
    Cool when he commands Tae Kang to go and get her when everything was falling apart. Was it because he needed her to see the tree that was burning, or because he was worried that she was safe???

    Yes this is my week for a huge fan post for Park Hyung-Sik. There has to be at least one. He is such a versatile actor. HIs expressions, emotions, and smile is so impressive. One of my favorite actors for sure.

    Thanks for reading. I love seeing your comments also. I have finished this show-ahhhhh- but I am ok because I know I will be rewatching 2 episodes a week and chatting with you all.
    I need a new Sageuk. Any suggestions?

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      For a new Saguek that won’t clash with your OBY watch would be The Matchmakers if you have not watched it. It’s clever, hilarious and has an equally impressive ensemble cast. I fell with all the side characters and it’s on my rewatch list. The King’s Affection is another one. Check it out for the powerhouse Park Eun Bin. In this I did develop a mild case of SML as well.

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        Grr..hit reply before I finished my post.

        Your review is supercool!! I love how it succinctly puts everything so flavourfully.

        Was it because he needed her to see the tree that was burning, or because he was worried that she was safe???

        He wanted her by his side. He had been trying to keep her away because of Sargent – the way he kept reminding himself of the letter and her words about going back to her fiance was clear indication that he was too aware of how forbidden his growing attraction and need for this woman was. His jealousy at her siding with Sargent is so cool too haha! He says all the right things, but inside he is all mush. I think it also speaks about his high moral compass. In Joseon, the royals had the first dibs on all unmarried women in the country. Hwan’s interest in Jay Yi would automatically supersede anyone else’s in the country, consent letter or not, and everyone would be aware of that. The woman technically would have no say. Yet he never once dwells on that and makes it about Jay Yi’s choice (he is backing their union right now because that’s what he thinks Jay Yi wants).

        He also now knows she could be a target too if discovered, so safety would also be foremost in his mind. Plus she is his chief detective. But I think this was more of an excuse to finally get her back, because he was now doing it for a valid reason (in his mind) and not just because he missed her.

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        Thanks for your response. The Kings Affection was my first Sageuk and will always have my heart. OBY is coming in right after- interesting the similarities right? SML❤️❤️❤️ stole the show. And in this show it was necessary for him not to know about the CP right away. I feel the opposite in OBY.
        Liked Matchmakers, didn’t love. Just didn’t think it was Rowoon’s best.
        Have you seen Moon Embracing the Sun?

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          Yes I have, Moon Embracing the Sun was one of my earliest watch. I watched a lot of Sagueks only because a) love historicals b) hubby loves watching them.

          Have you watched My Dearest?

          I didn’t like the main couple in Matchmakers at all, I used to FF many of their scenes with each other to be honest. I am not a Rowoon fan, though I will watch him in something that interests me.

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            What’s your feeling about My Dearest? Did you watch both parts? People seemed to love the first part but not the second.
            I loved Rowoon in Kings Affection but not as much in others

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            @23new2kdrama I loved the entirety of My Dearest. It was beautiful. The ending was less than stellar, I admit, but it was also an extended episode and my guess is they changed the ending, so it was a bit out of joint. But honestly it takes away nothing. Cinematography was outstanding, acting was sublime, and characters were consistent. In short, My Dearest is an experience. It’s a bit slow ,but evocative and has some of the most beautiful scenes I have ever watched. Emotionally rich, and historically substantive, if you love Sagueks, it’s a must watch.

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        Good suggestion any other traditional / tragic sageuk might be a bit heavy. But try what works for you. 😊

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      23new2kdrama, if you have time, please go through this post. It’ll show you how to do certain things on the fanwall and comment section.

      https://www.dramabeans.com/members/claire2009/activity/1505918/

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      But of course you can post pictures … Claire’s tutorial to the rescue!!

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    My most favorite parts of these two episodes were the interrogation, and the part they were running after the two masked men. That part was very beautifully shot, though it ended weirdly anti-climatic.

    I’m apparently the only beanie who didn’t like the polo match. That scene was actually the reason I called this show a campus romcom set in Joseon, because to me the sparks of feelings and jealousy flying around were completely unearned at that point, and most like confused young people, which actually they are! They are all probably very very young by today’s standards. I prefer the fantasy and mystery parts to the half-hearted romance parts.

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      I hear you about the romance part! Not gonna lie, I love seeing the CP and Jaeyi together, petty jealousy and all. (I also don’t mind “campus romcoms”! 😂) What I don’t really get though is the supposed “love triangle”, because I don’t understand the level of sergeant’s devotion. (After all, he never met his betrothed in person. As far as I remember they only exchanged some letters/presents. I guess from today’s point of view his deep attachment is baffling, but maybe made a little more sense in that historical context? I’m not sure. Youth definitely also plays a role there 😉)

      But the good thing is that the drama really delivers on the mystery part, too! So I also enjoyed these scenes. Until the very end I didn’t foresee the solution to that plot line, as well as who is really a suspect and who isn’t. I also like the Joseon investigation techniques of our crime solving squad. 😆

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        My problem isn’t the sergeant’s devotion to an unknown betrothed. I could actually get completely behind that, considering the traditions of those times.

        My problem is the weird constant teasing attention he gives to a eunuch. These people have grown up being so used to eunuchs always standing silently in the background. They are never meant to be interacted with to such an extent. The amount of thought and attention he gives to the supposed eunuch is what takes me out of the story. If he too knew she was a girl, even not knowing which girl , the sparks and attentions would have been waaay more palatable to me.

        Anyway, as always, in this for MJ, the directing, and the mystery ✌️✌️

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          I agree. I also watched this drama (which I finished last week) for MJ, the directing and the mystery (even though I didn’t like everything about the mystery. But that part will come later).

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          The amount of thought and attention he gives to the supposed eunuch is what takes me out of the story.

          I took it as him being interested in the eunuch as a person for three reasons:
          a) he might be feeling a little uneasy about how he had initially treated the eunuch.
          b) the eunuch turns out to be a very interesting person – extremely smart, and has qualities that other eunuchs do not – he can horse ride, solve cases, fight and put themselves in danger if needed. At the point of this particular interaction they have a shared history of going into a hand to hand combat where they both fought together. They also had a that conversation at the shaman’s house.
          c) It’s now widely known how much weightage the CP gives to this eunuch. Anyone who is given preference by the royals is automatically elevated in the eyes of others and in the wider circle (case in point – the eunuch in the Clowned Crown or the CP eunuch in My Dearest).
          And as I mentioned somewhere, these were very very young people by today’s standards – late teens to very early twenties, and hence more malleable and open minded to lower rung people than the wispy bearded annoying oldies.

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        That one really baffled me too

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          @sonai @skiee

          What I don’t really get though is the supposed “love triangle”, because I don’t understand the level of sergeant’s devotion. (After all, he never met his betrothed in person. As far as I remember they only exchanged some letters/presents. I guess from today’s point of view his deep attachment is baffling, but maybe made a little more sense in that historical context? I’m not sure. Youth definitely also plays a role there

          I posted a full length essay on arranged marriages on my wall if you want to check that out. It’s mostly the mindset that goes with this kind of marriage. These young men and women seldom, if ever, met anyone from the opposite genders. Marrying for love was practically unheard of.
          This meant that ‘falling in love’ with a person their families selected for them would be the closest they would get to experiencing the emotion. However, since they would not even meet each other before marriage, they attached their hopes and aspiration to their betrothed and projected their imagined virtue on that person. That’s where Sargent Sung On was coming from. Hid devotion stemmed from convention rather than an actual emotion. However, though what he felt was real, the person he felt for was mostly his imagination (much like what a BTS fan feels for their idols).

          The same would have been true for Jay Yi, as evidenced by the letters and shoes scene earlier. But unlike Sargent, she underwent a metamorphosis. She lost everything – family, reputation, identity, and she was now close to losing her life. She came to know both men fairly well. With nothing more to lose, she allowed her heart to make a choice.

          Episode 10 explains this part of ‘training the mind to marry’ really well, through Jay Yi.

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    I feel sad and hurt for Jae-yi right this moment. Although she had to dig the grave and do other things for the CP, he considered her intellect equal to his. But right this instant, the power imbalance between them showed by him throwing things to her face, especially when looking at his daily gestures, he is a truly gentle master to his people.

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    Tae-kang didn’t wait until the CP finished his sentence 😂😂

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    “I do not even know how to shovel. What do I know?” 😂


     
     
     

     
     
     

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    One thing special about this show is that although it is a sageuk, the romance vibe somehow feels modern, like in this scene, my heart fluttered because the unspoken feeling between Hwan and Jae-yi is so relatable. We’ve all been there when we love someone.

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    Oh the dialogue “The pond must have gotten so hurt” 🤣🤣


     
     
     

    Jae-yi be like “Don’t blame me, you asked” 😂


     
     
     

     
     
     

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    “I’m mean to you because you’re mean to me” spirit 🤣


     
     
     

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    I remember in The red sleeve, Yi San said something to Deok-im along the line of “I can never say sorry because I’m King, but I love you”, and I was like “why can’t you say sorry to the one you love?”.

    Needless to say, I loved it when Hwan apologised for his action.

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      Yi San is a character I hate to love (but love I do). OBY in the hands of The Red Sleeve scriptwriter would have been a kohinoor.

      I too loved how he apologises 😍😍😍😍😍 And you can see it was very very hard for him because he has never done it before. I am surprised he can actually pronounce the word lol!

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    LOL

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    I realised I haven’t penned my thoughts for episode 8, but the beanies here have already covered most of the things. Episode 8 stood out to me for three reasons:

    a) Jay Yi and Hwan’s relationship: We already know CP is floored with this girl and crushing hard.
    I remember reading elsewhere (not on DB, as I wasn’t a member then) that people could not see her feelings for Hwan. For me, this episode pretty much sealed the deal. Besides the pig-eye she gave the CP in episode 7, she almost breaks down when she begs him to allow her back into the EP, or at least the library. That kick to the chair was personal (both of them nailed this scene; it was so delightful), as was Hwan’s response to the challenge Jay Yi threw at him by betting on the army. He is so upset and so cutely jealous, lol! Poor guy. Now, they are both in a zone where both are flirting without being flirty.

    b) The Polo Game: Darn! The amount of testosterone flying around was no joke. And for the fan girl in me, this is also the episode where I realised that – Oh! My! God! PHS was just not handsome. He was beautiful. Like, truly, truly, truly beautiful. I never thought that for anyone, not even for Shahrukh Khan, my first and last celebrity crush back when I was a teen.
    I have no intention of losing this game – I swooned and died and permanently became a “Piggyback PHS and run” kind of a fangirl.

    c) The mystery plot: When I first watched it, every scene without the leads was a hurried, impatient watch. The subsequent watches have increased my appreciation for the scenes that unfolded in this episode. The shaman’s interrogation was no joke. The villain now has a villain in his life! What a delightful twist.

    Both women trying to make MJ feel better were so funny. (I love how GR is always in character; her first instinct is to hover protectively over Jay Yi.) Jay Yi giving badass chase to the assassins, accompanied by a foever goofy MJ and a smart GR, was funny and well done.

    Jay Yi wins back Hwan’s trust and support, and she is the first person he thinks of when in turmoil.

    The episode was fast, adrenalin pumping and left more questions than answers.

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      Your (c) is also my reaction the first time around. I couldn’t care less about the palace politics then, I just wanted to see our gang. But upon my 2nd watch, I paid full attention to those scenes, and appreciated them much more. That was when I realised the politics in OBY made sense and wasn’t as bad as many viewers thought it was.

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      The polo scene was just chef’s kiss. When the CP’s eyes bear a bullet-shape, there’s no chance for Sergeant 😂

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    Hi Everyone, a bit late to the party, but stopping in to say how much I am appreciating PHS. I am happy to see him do comedy anytime, I have thought it was a strength ever since I saw SWBS. (Some of the physical comedy in Dr Slump was misplaced, but he is so good at it I understood why the Director put it in) . But watching OBY- of course someone with those physical comedy skills of timing and proprioception, and good core strength would be excellent at fighting and horse riding as well. I should have expected it, but actually I just sat there and admired.
    Story is interesting, but I think I will be like a lot of you- It’s going to be better on a rewatch, once I have a complete idea of where its going and what is happening, and the narrative jumps are not as jarring.
    Anyway, Hi everyone, thanks for letting me read your comments!

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      Please join in our discussions any time. The more the merrier. We may be hesitant to tag beanies for fear that would bother anyone not interested. But everyone is most welcome.

      Yes, OBY is much better on a binge (re)watch. I am so happy I picked it up again. It gained 2 of my beans last year, but if my feeling was like right now, it would have gained more beans.

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      Welcome @Mazarin Neolttwigi! It’s an absolute pleasure to have you on board. Like Claire says, more the merrier truly. Your observations about Doctor Slump is on point. I think the director there did get carried away, especially in the last few episodes. Just because he is good at it does not mean we should have been hammered with it. His range is so spectacular yet he missed out on picking up prizes just because of that.

      Him in OBY is a different matter all together. This should have put him as a front runner in the award brackets last year.

      I rewatched it several times last year and picked up every liltle thing I had missed in my first watch so you are right. On the first watch the mystery might feel not solved to satisfaction, but on a rewatch, it’s clear all motivations and the reasons had been interspersed right from the first episode.

      I am going to post this on Open Thread again in case more beanies want to join.

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