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dangermousieNone of the dramas I am watching atm are period dramas and I cannot go too long without watching one. So I made the sensible decision to rewatch Hong Gil Dong, i.e., the drama that tore my heart out and danced on its remains. I am so very smart...
Hong Sisters are very uneven writers for me - I love some of their stuff and cannot stand the others. But while I immensely enjoy and love Delightful Girl Chungyang and My Girl, Hong Gil Dong is the only one of their dramas that made my top 10 kdrama list, the only one that I think tries to address more than the usual romcom 'when will they and how?' trope. I have not been able to truly love any of their dramas since HGD (though I did enjoy Gumiho Girlfriend) but what a way to go out! HGD is a fusion sageuk, a smart take on a Robin Hood story, very dark underneath its initially wacky exterior. They have never tried anything like this before or since, but I will always love them for doing this once.
A lot of dramas I love pale on rewatches, or even if not right away, pale once a few years have passed and my tastes mutate. This is not true with HGD. I rewatched some bits of ep 24 before settling down to a rewatch proper and it's still as good, as moving, and as cool as ever.
Gil Dong/Yi Nok are probably one of my favorite ships, because they don't just love each other - they need each other. And I love how fierce Yi Nok is in protecting her man. Gil Dong tries to protect the whole world but she is the one protecting him. The scene when she comes back to him in the middle of the battle and tells the King's flunkie, with her sword at his throat, that she's come to protect Gil Dong.
And he sees her, and the world stops for a millisecond in the middle of battle but not for longer...
Afterwards. They just kill me. Especially how vulnerable he is with her because she is the only person he can be human with, in front of whom he has no shields whatsoever...
Her fixing his wounds and crying over them. And then this conversation ensues...
GD: Your tears are making it sting. It hurts too.
YN: Of course it hurts. You made me cry, so it has to hurt.
GD: I'm sorry.
YN: We'll do this together. This is where I want to be. So don't stop me from fighting to
protect this place. And you can't live without me. You'll keep fighting and you'll keep getting hurt. How will you survive without a medicine peddler?
GD: I was going to pretend it didn't hurt because I was Chief.
YN: That's why I have to stay with you. Even if you pretend it doesn't hurt, I'll know where it hurts, even if you don't say it. I'm going to stay with you and keep an eye on you.
GD: Thank you for staying with me.
And ah the layers - because by letting her stay, by allowing her choice, they both know he is signing her death warrant because they can fight royal might for a short while but they are certain to be wiped out. And he fought it so hard but he is all out of defenses...
Not related, but I've been binging on Joe Dassin's songs. Bringing you my current favorite:
Hong Sisters are very uneven writers for me - I love some of their stuff and cannot stand the others. But while I immensely enjoy and love Delightful Girl Chungyang and My Girl, Hong Gil Dong is the only one of their dramas that made my top 10 kdrama list, the only one that I think tries to address more than the usual romcom 'when will they and how?' trope. I have not been able to truly love any of their dramas since HGD (though I did enjoy Gumiho Girlfriend) but what a way to go out! HGD is a fusion sageuk, a smart take on a Robin Hood story, very dark underneath its initially wacky exterior. They have never tried anything like this before or since, but I will always love them for doing this once.
A lot of dramas I love pale on rewatches, or even if not right away, pale once a few years have passed and my tastes mutate. This is not true with HGD. I rewatched some bits of ep 24 before settling down to a rewatch proper and it's still as good, as moving, and as cool as ever.
Gil Dong/Yi Nok are probably one of my favorite ships, because they don't just love each other - they need each other. And I love how fierce Yi Nok is in protecting her man. Gil Dong tries to protect the whole world but she is the one protecting him. The scene when she comes back to him in the middle of the battle and tells the King's flunkie, with her sword at his throat, that she's come to protect Gil Dong.
And he sees her, and the world stops for a millisecond in the middle of battle but not for longer...
Afterwards. They just kill me. Especially how vulnerable he is with her because she is the only person he can be human with, in front of whom he has no shields whatsoever...
Her fixing his wounds and crying over them. And then this conversation ensues...
GD: Your tears are making it sting. It hurts too.
YN: Of course it hurts. You made me cry, so it has to hurt.
GD: I'm sorry.
YN: We'll do this together. This is where I want to be. So don't stop me from fighting to
protect this place. And you can't live without me. You'll keep fighting and you'll keep getting hurt. How will you survive without a medicine peddler?
GD: I was going to pretend it didn't hurt because I was Chief.
YN: That's why I have to stay with you. Even if you pretend it doesn't hurt, I'll know where it hurts, even if you don't say it. I'm going to stay with you and keep an eye on you.
GD: Thank you for staying with me.
And ah the layers - because by letting her stay, by allowing her choice, they both know he is signing her death warrant because they can fight royal might for a short while but they are certain to be wiped out. And he fought it so hard but he is all out of defenses...
Not related, but I've been binging on Joe Dassin's songs. Bringing you my current favorite:
