Writer:
Ju Ae Ryung
Editors: Val Kaye Taozen and Tabby
Picture Credits: SBS
Summary:
The
thoroughly enjoyable Episode 10 begins where we left off—Dae Gil meets Jin Ki, the
adversary of his master Kim Chae Gun.
This
episode develops the post-assassination attempt on the King’s life, Dam Seo’s
escape from the palace guards, and the final stage of training and growth of
Dae Gil with his master Kim Chae Gun. We also begin to see some cracks
appearing in Yi In Jwa’s grand plan to capture the throne.
Among
my favorite scenes are Dae Gil and Prince Yeoning’s little banter and exchange
in the woods after rescuing Dam Seo. Yeoning tries to be haughty prince, and
Dae Gil, totally unruffled by the Prince’s royal status, treats him as a
younger friend and jokes with him. I enjoy that Dae Gil, despite all the
challenges he endures, still exhibits a glimpse of the happy, carefree boy that
he was, making us viewers smile at his cajoling or silly jokes.
I
also enjoy the King’s performance when he had Dam Seo captured, and proceeds to
tell her the truth about her father’s death. He is regal and splendid, to say
the least, and dramatically shot.
Not
least of my favorite scenes are those of Dae Gil with his master Kim Chae Gun.
It is moving to see that the two have developed a respect and love for each
other, almost like a father-son relationship, both caring deeply for the other,
although not always expressed in words. The time and effort put into training
the young and impetuous Dae Gil, now a mature young man of great skill and
strong character, finally pays off. Dae Gil completes all the challenges set to
him by Chae Gun, and it’s time for him to leave and strike out on his own. The
goodbye scene touches a chord thanks to the great acting of Jang Keun Suk. He
is at his very best when allowed to fully emote and play out his character’s
feelings and situation, then his talent shines through for all to see and
admire.
The
white mask he wears towards the end of the episode, and the cheeky smile coming
through behind the mask, is so Dae Gil, and also Jang Keun Suk, bravo!
Recap begins:
Dae
Gil, while escaping from the palace guards on the night of the assassination
attempt, runs right into Jin Ki, who was once a close associate of his master
Kim Chae Gun. Jin Ki confronts him regarding the prized sword and demands to
know where he got it (the King himself). Then it dawns on him that this is the
‘kid’ Chae Gun took in. He attacks Dae Gil, knocking him to the ground, but
just in the nick of time, like a good master, Chae Gun arrives and saves him.
He tells Dae Gil to leave, and in a nice parting shot at Jin Ki, Dae Gil tells
him, “Get out of this alive, so I can fight you one day”.
The
sword fight between Jin Ki and Chae Gun is cut short at the arrival of palace
guards, but not before Chae Gun draws blood. They agree to take this up another
day.
Meanwhile,
the all-conniving and scheming Yi In Jwa asks Hong Mae to take a black garment
and meet with Ghost of Six (or Yook Gwi Shin).
After
escaping on horseback from the palace, Prince Yeoning takes Dam Seo into the
safety of the woods. Unconscious, she murmurs the name of Baek Dae Gil. The
Prince notices and seems a little disconcerted but proceeds to stoke the fire
he builds. Dam Seo wakes and wishes to leave, but the Prince persuades her to
tarry a little, for the warmth of the fire, and also to tend to her wound. Dam
Seo is confused at Prince Yeoning’s care for her, stating that they are enemies
and that she cannot receive his help. She advises him “not to do it, whatever
it is he is going to do.” He assures her he’s only going to look for herbs to
help her wound. He walks off leaving her to rest and sees Dae Gil approaching,
who hands him a string of water jade leaves for Dam Seo’s wound. The Prince
realizes the trouble Dae Gil went to and sulkily tells Dae Gil to give it to
her himself. Dae Gil reads his emotions, and asks, “Why, is your pride
wounded?” The two brothers (their relationship still unknown to them) bicker as
Yeoning complains that Dae Gil always talks like he is younger (when he is
Prince!). Dae Gil retorts that the Prince is indeed younger, not to mention, he
has no friends. Dae Gil offers to be his
friend, but the Prince, in a pompous tone, announces that a prince of his
stature does not need a friend like him! Banter over, Dae Gil turns away and in
a serious tone, tells Yeoning to look after Dam Seo, adding that he is too busy
to do so. He turns to leave so his emotions can be hidden from view, as both of
them care very much for the girl.
Yeoning
returns to Dam Seo to pound the herbs and dress her wound. He tells her to
close her eyes and count to 100 and it’ll be done. By 67, he stops her, teasing
that it was long done and she must have enjoyed his touch. She tells him to
stop! He replies that he wishes he could
stop and the only way would be to die. He then asks her to kill him to which
she says, “Don’t think I can’t do it.” She takes out her dagger and moves to
plunge it into his heart but stops, unable to do it. “You cannot kill either,”
he says and holds her close to comfort her as tears stream down her face.
Unknown to them, Dae Gil sees this from a distance. He is pained, but also
resigned, after what he had told the Prince. As he leaves, the Prince and Dam
Seo drift to sleep, his arms protectively about her.
In
the morning, Prince Yeoning wakes in the woods alone to find Dam Seo gone. She
left a note for him saying, “It warmed me, but I do not deserve this. Please
forget it all, this is my request,” referring to his care and love for her.
As
Dam Seo walks on alone in the woods, the King’s two eunuchs approach and take
her away. They take her blindfolded to
an unknown place, where her blindfold is removed. She comes face-to-face with
none other than the King. He reassures her he is not there to take her life.
He, instead, asks if she has ever really opened her eyes and seen the truth? He
urges her to open her eyes and proceeds to tell her that this is place where he
last saw her father, Yi Soo, alive. The person she trusts and serves, Yi In
Jwa, a lunatic with wild ambition, is her father's real killer. Dam Seo visibly
shakes while hearing this information. The King assures her “a King doesn’t
lie” and that it's time to stop being In Jwa's puppet, to open her eyes.
Leaving the palace, Dam Seo sees Prince Yeoning striding across the palace
courtyard although he doesn’t see her.
In
the King’s private chambers, Prince Yeoning readies himself to accept whatever
punishment the King metes out to him, as he has failed in capturing the
assassin. The King tells him the assassin has been captured and killed. He then
asks the Prince pointedly where he had been all night, knowing full well he was
with Dam Seo.
We
then cut to a forward-flash scene of the Prince running to check on the body of
the captured assassin. He sees that she has
been knife branded with the Ghost of Six on the arm. The scene returns to the
present time as the King tells Yeoning he has given Yi In Jwa a present, and
that he should forget about Dam Seo. Prince Yeoning suddenly realizes the King
knows all.
Yi
In Jwa, Jin Ki and Moo Myung are having a chat when Dam Seo walks in, pale but
calm. Once she and Yi In Jwa are alone, he takes out an arrow with no point and
shows it to her. Using a dud arrow in the duel as proof, he explains that her
father ‘chose’ to die that day. Dam Seo is not having any of that. She tells
her master she no longer serves him, bows her respect, and leaves. Upset and
angry, Yi In Jwa breaks the arrow with a howl, “the King,” realizing he lost
this battle as well as his long-groomed disciple, a main pawn in his grand
plan. Dam Seo, in the meantime, takes her leave of Moo Myung and Jin Ki, who
gives her a carved statue of Buddha. Moo Myung demands to know if Dam Seo was
the sacrifice In Jwa was willing to make for the King’s life. But now with the
King still alive, and Dam Seo gone, he has lost. In Jwa, unyielding, replies
that Dam Seo will learn that in the world there are no eternal friends or
enemies.
Moving
back to matters in the Palace, a gathering of high-level ministers of the
court, including Minister Kim Chang Jib of the Noron faction, offers Prince
Yeoning their support. This comes after seeing Prince Yeoning’s handle the
assassination attempt as well as the King’s seeming preference over Crown
Prince Yoon.
As
Minister Kim Chang Jib settles into his abode, the merchants bring him gifts.
Minister Kim, well aware that this is their way of bribing him, tells them to
take the gifts back. With the support of the court now behind Prince Yeoning,
the merchants of the city follow suit and change camps from Yi In Jwa and the
Crown Prince. Word gets around quickly, forcing Yi In Jwa to make his next
move. He invites himself to the merchants’ gathering at a gyobang and tells
them he knows of their plan to support the Noron camp and Prince Yeoning. He
reminds them that they are prosperous and live good lives due to his help and
generosity and that they still owe him. The Chief Merchant, not cowed by the
threats, tells In Jwa in no uncertain terms that they will support Prince
Yeoning and not the ailing Crown Prince. In Jwa angrily bangs the table with
his fist. As the Chief Merchant tries to leave, In Jwa’s aide stabs him. In Jwa
gives the final fatal knife thrust.
Prince
Yeoning’s guard informs him of the disappearance of the Chief Merchant
whereupon he proceeds with his men to the gyobang to investigate. He pieces
together what might have happened, even finding bloodstains on the floor. He
rushes to the King to ask permission to investigate this murder, but the King adamantly
refuses, saying the Prince should not take this matter up as his duties lie
with Internal Inspection. The King explains he is well aware of the current
court sentiments, towards both princes, and how this plays out with the
merchants.
Meanwhile,
Dae Gil is back in the forest chopping wood, having flashbacks of his
conversations and time with Dam Seo. It hangs heavy on his heart. He takes out
his emotions and frustration on the wood he chops while his master watches. The
seasons pass (beautifully filmed to show the passage of time), and a year
later, we see a mature and skilled Dae Gil in the final stage of training with
his master. He now ably swings his sword and cuts a falling petal into two. He now
shoots his arrow straight into the center of a nyang and nails it. And his
sensory skills are now so sharp he can stop flying arrows with his sword, and
even catch an arrow with his bare hand, inches from his face. All this in one of
the most picturesque scenes in the drama so far, complete with cherry blossoms,
green woods and a stunning waterfall—beautiful cinematography.
As
they sit together for a meal, Chae Gun tells Dae Gil that he took him on
because he reminds him of someone he knew long ago, when they were Dae Gil’s
age – a tiger of tigers, a king of the mountains. Dae Gil jokes that the person
must have been a great and handsome man, and that he will be like him.
Chae
Gun, then, surprises Dae Gil by suggesting that he has outgrown this place. It
is time for him to leave. In a very moving scene, with tears streaming down his
face, Dae Gil bows in deep respect and, dare I say, love to Chae Gun saying
thank you and goodbye. He promises he will never forget his master and he will
serve him with his very life. Chae Gun, fighting back tears, tells Dae Gil not
to forget his meals, not to get into fights, and to watch out for swords. He
also tells him grown men should not cry, even though they are both crying.
Yi
In Jwa, meantime, tries to consult the fortune teller on what she can see, but
she replies that she cannot see or foretell anything: the energy of Dae Gil is
too powerful—Dae Gil is now like In Jwa in that regard.
Towards
the end of the episode, Yi In Jwa instructs Hong Mae to gather three people for
him namely – the infamous Hwanghae Cutter, Golsa the forger, and Ghost of Six.
All three are gamblers who stop at nothing. They are each introduced with
scenes of how they use their skills and mean bullying tactics into cheating
people of their money and belongings. (The Gang of Bad is how I see them!) In
Jwa begins briefing them. There is a white-masked gambler going around the
eight cities’ gambling dens and wiping out 30% of the dens, winning and taking
the earnings of the dens. He has to be stopped. In Jwa also mentions Baek Man
Geum, whom the motley crew remembers, and that this gambler is none other than
his son. As In Jwa speaks, White Mask arrives in Hanyang and comes to the very
den and place where they are.
Simultaneously,
the White Mask also arrives at another den, this time seeking out an old man.
However, when his mask is removed, it is not Dae Gil, but Prince Yeoning. He
tells the old man that he seeks to destroy Yi In Jwa, aka the scholar Baek
Myun.
Back
with In Jwa, the motley crew meets Dae Gil face-to-face. He and In Jwa exchange
threats with In Jwa asking tauntingly, “Are you a tiger now?” Dae Gil
confidently and impudently replies, “I’m not an animal. I’m a human being…I
will cut off your limbs one by one, and finally I will have your head.” The
episode ends with In Jwa laughing evilly.
Meanwhile,
we wait in suspense to see what happens next, as we approach the middle of the
drama series.
Closing thoughts:
It
was interesting to see how in those days too, Court and Palace matters impacted
the commercial and economic sectors. The favor of the King toward Prince
Yeoning leads to the shift of the Noron faction to him from Crown Prince and
the merchants aligning their support.
It’s
also intriguing for me to see both Prince Yeoning and Dae Gil simultaneously
don the White Mask in their common pursuit of Yi In Jwa's destruction. Why?
How? It’s left to be seen in the coming episodes, so keep watching! Daebak!
___________________________
FS
Thank you for a thorough and detailed recap and summary!
ReplyDeleteTHAT WAS AN AWESOME SUMMATION OF EP 10 ! Thank You Aileene!!
ReplyDeleteI love your thoughts in this recap!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a thorough, well written recap of a very content-packed episode! As with all of the recaps, thank you for your clear explanations because they helped clarify a few occurrences that I didn't quite understand. I continue to be extremely impressed by the wonderful acting skills of this cast. The older actors completely inhabit their characters and the younger actors are conveying a lovely sense of uncertainty and discovery. I have to put JKS into a category by himself because he's a veteran actor and yet he's still young. I'm immensely enjoying what he's giving us - his journey through naive child, endurance of his trials, understanding that he needs to focus on his goals, and his final calm confidence in his power and skill. He's Daegil and he's Suk, powered by unrestrained overt emotional energy in his youth, and now growing into a man who knows and controls the skills he needs too achieve his goals.
ReplyDeleteSo that's why the mask was played by the drama team. Yi In Jwa and his mask, the persona. Dae Gil and Yeoning has known his mask. Good symbol, seemed little bit theatrical, to give a glimpse to audience that this two brothers will break Yi In Jwa persona, to make him to open his real face, with different way. Dae Gil takes way to directly confront his enemy, meanwhile Yeoning looks for the fact and weakness in more law-ly manner.
ReplyDelete"It’s also intriguing for me to see both Prince Yeoning and Dae Gil simultaneously don the White Mask in their common pursuit of Yi In Jwa's destruction." Yes, I agree and wonder how it will be.
Thank you for the recap TEF!