Omo, a show dripping with romance and a huge dose of screen time for a handsome face! Hong-jo (Cho Bo-ah) and Shin-yoo (Rowoon) are very cute and sweet, and their past-life relationship is intense and moving.
People and praises
I saw many comments praising Rowoon to the skies. Fandom can be amusing. He was fine, but I don’t think it was all that difficult to stand around looking handsome and aloof, or speak coldly to people. It was nice to see him come to some life when Shin-yoo is with Hong-jo. There were also comments praising his comedic timing. Errr… it is all scripted, right? He just needs to follow the script properly. We don’t know how much they practised, or how many takes it took to get a scene just right. I think it is more the script, characterisation and juxtaposition of his character with others that do the job. Thank you, scriptwriter, for giving him those hilarious post-Love Spell lines! His most impressive scene was when Hong-jo is poisoned – he does the distraught, miserable, crying Shin-yoo very well, his dishevelled hair being particularly striking. With all his sulky, pouting, jealous faces, he is suitable for rom-coms. In the singer-acting scheme of things, I’d say he is average to above average – he trumps Ahn Hyo-seop, Cha Eun-woo, Soo-young, Song Ji-eun and Joy, but is quite some way away from the loftier levels of Kim Sejeong, Kim Min-jae, D.O. and Im Siwan.
Her best parts were in the sageuk sections. My, Aeng-cho’s shaman aura is really something, and Bo-ah is so stately, graceful and lightly reserved in the manner of respectable Joseon ladies (you just want to give Mu-jin’s father a big kick for calling her “lowlife”). Victory to Aeng-cho in the torture scene, where she firmly denies her part in the curse and speaks powerfully to the king with those fierce eyes.
Their young versions are endearing – young Aeng-cho is cutely wise and Mu-jin is cute, especially with his rosy cheeks (and Hong-jo becomes the one with red cheeks!). I loved the parallel scenes from their childhood – Aeng-cho/Hong-jo wrapped up and semi-conscious on the ground of the shrine on a rainy day, Mu-jin/Shin-yoo trotting after the dismissive Aeng-cho/Hong-jo. Also liked how the modern-day incidents re-cast the old scenes, such as the rescue from the pit, abdomen-stabbing-cum-red-hand-on-face (role switch!), Hong-jo constantly being pursued and Shin-yoo coming to the rescue, court/police interrogation and so on.
Some Ladies
Miss Ma (Lee Bong-ryun; getting typecast, are we?) is a wonderful boss, immediately standing up for Hong-jo when she meets her and always looking out for her. A smart lady who can tell a good worker when she sees one (maybe it is too obvious in an office filled with lazy people), she’s wasted with Mr Gong, who isn’t a very engaging character. Perhaps pair her with Kwon?! That would be far more interesting!
I saw gripes about the two man-crazy girls being unnecessary characters. I think they are needed here as the contrasts to Hong-jo and I just want to give a special mention to Miram (playing Soo-jeong). After being the horrible girlfriend in Be Melodramatic, she turns up here with a completely different persona, as Sae-byeol's (played by Park Kyung-hye) annoying and silly sidekick I was surprised to see her cast in a rom-com! May she improve in her craft and become a stronger contender for roles!
Na-yeon (played by Yura) is a worthy representative of the long tradition of detestable first/original girlfriends of male leads. Apparently, in their two-year relationship, they never held hands (I’ll bet they never kissed either, though this is not mentioned). Shin-yoo treats her in a most unloving manner but everyone ignores the lack of connection and the parents are discussing their marriage? Absurd. Presumably, if he never meets Hong-jo, they would be destined for the kind of odd and unequal marriage his parents have. Thankfully, he has a brighter destiny!
The Fathers
Shin-yoo’s (Lee Pil-mo, whom I still haven’t forgiven for wanting baby Park Eun-bin dead), Mu-jin’s and Kwon’s dads are awful. We can understand Mu-jin’s dad’s attitude since he lives in a hierarchical era but Shin-yoo’s dad talking about Hong-jo and his own wife as “lowlife” is totally inexcusable. What a childish, mean and petty man.
In the opposing team, we have the strong, supportive ladies– Ms Ma, Shin-yoo’s mum and Hong-jo’s landlady. I see them as the ones destined to protect Hong-jo in this life, Aeng-cho and Mu-jin’s reward for being good people.
Scene Stealers
Gi-dong (Lim Hyeon-soo) – with his funny faces and lines, sealing his comic value in all his scenes. My favourites were the chair-pushing scenes and chicken-eating scene. I was smiling even watching him help to clear the accursed plant in Shin-yoo's office (plant is never explained but we assume it is some kind of curse thing). This is the guy with the strong comedic turn!
Almost scene stealer
Kim Wook (played by Lee Tae-ri) – as Shin-yoo’s best friend, I don’t know why he is sidelined when he could have been woven more closely into the plot. For example, he hardly meets Hong-jo. He is a kind and funny guy, and should have been given more attention than the colleauges! Him trying to help Shin-yoo patch up with Hong-jo and later venturing into acting happen so late in the show, when you no longer really care about what happens to him. Still, we did need him there to state that he'd never heard Shin-yoo say he loved anyone before till he fell for Hong-jo!
Favourite scenes
meeting on the bridge scene – lovely fireworks and pretty lights as the two come together amongst the crowd, morphing into their sageuk selves
karaoke scene – Shin-yoo mortified by the girls and then nervous about his song that is secretly addressed to Hong-jo (saw another amusing comment about how his wonderful singing matches his handsome face!) (he does sing very well) -- that was funny and charming. They should have shown more of his song, less of the girls’ ‘performance’ (internal eye roll) and more of the colleagues being overwhelmed by his singing, dabbing their eyes with tissue and all!
the beach scenes – where Hong-jo cries over her father and Shin-yoo watches from a distance looking sad himself, then the proposal scene when he asks her dad for his approval
high bridge scene - apparently Rowoon has a real fear of heights and octopuses
Do the spells work?
Love spell
Those who drank the love potion:
- Shin-yoo – due to their “inseverable destinies”, he would have loved her with or without the spell, so he doesn’t count
- Mr Gong (Hyeon Bong-shik) – does not fall for her and begins to pay greater attention to Ms Ma (the woman for him!)
- Landscape guy (Ahn Sang-woo) – becomes obsessive and possessive of her
Why do people help themselves to the contents of an unknown tumbler?! I wouldn’t even touch one that isn’t mine, let alone drink from it!
did not drink:
- Kwon – but he begins to like her… well, he did touch the glass…
Fair skin spell
- Hong-jo is said to look prettier
- she says it cured her blushing problem!
- thought Ms Ma begins to look more fair-skinned, though she had nothing to do with it
Cure disease spell
- Shin-yoo is suffering because of the curse and not a disease so it wasn’t actually needed
Avert disaster spell
- wrongly cast but we could say some disasters were averted
Pregnancy spell
- not cast but Shin-yoo’s mum is pregnant!
Shaggy dog to riches spell
- not cast but Kwon, who volunteers at the dog (shaggy and other types) shelter, goes into politics and will likely get rich!
I think these results show:
- the spells have different/limited efficacy in the modern world
- a person’s decisions and actions can shape his/her destiny
- you can’t stand in destiny’s way!
The sageuk segments and the past rolling around to the present!!
It is tempting to say that the sageuk part could easily become a drama series on its own. It could. Easily. However, it would probably get dragged out, so let’s be contented with it as the story within this story. It sure was compelling.
Mu-jin stabbing Aeng-cho to protect her from inevitable dismemberment by bulls, and “gladly accepting” the curse by doing so – awww... so tragically heroic. And so, Shin-yoo gets stabbed protecting her…
I didn’t think Aeng-cho cursed him. Already in an earlier scene, she tells the king that anyone who kills her is cursed. I don’t know where the curse came from but it seemed to me that she is reminding him about it rather than casting it, as she does when she tells Mu-jin that whoever kills her is cursed. Aeng-cho does not do curses.
The old shaman tells her that as a shaman, she is to protect life. Very aptly, she becomes Hong-jo who loves plants and dogs, tries to protect Ms Ma, and herself gets protected by others.
So who put the curse on the crown prince, then? I assume it was the concubine and henchman (Landscape guy), though how were they skilful enough to do it?
How did Kwon get reborn right? He didn't have any qualms wanting to deliver Aeng-cho to be dismembered (aside: he suddenly lightens up in the wedding scene and Sae-byeol takes the chance to grab Kwon's arm when Shin-yoo jumps to catch the bouquet!). We don’t know how he gained merit, and obviously, henchman/Landscape guy did not chalk up enough points since he becomes even more evil!
Now, shaman Eun-wol. I didn’t like her and her skills are dodgy. Shin-yoo is right that she gets so many things wrong! She is right about the “inseverable destinies” but I’m not sure she is right to tell him it is okay to demolish the shrine now that the owner of the box has returned. Mu-jin had instructed that they were not to destroy the shrine but to take care of it, and they really should abide by his words.
Two nagging puzzles – (a) how does the curse get lifted? Where does it say that someone has to die for it to get nulled? Eun-wol says that it ends when Hong-jo’s life ends but Shin-yoo says it is because he “died” – does it mean he is taking on the suffering/death on her behalf? I'm glad they solved the Red Hand business but I'm not sure how it was done.
(b) Eun-wol tells Shin-yoo that another person remembers the past, so who is it? (bet she doesn’t know!!)
All my suspicious turned out wrong – Ms Ma because she protects Hong-jo, Mr Gong because he mentions “1000-year love” in his proposal-presentation, Kwon since he is from the past and now pursues Hong-jo, just in a different way, plus is such a civil service chap, Landscape guy since he is from the past and is into spells himself (how did he get those spell/curse books? how did he know they were going to the mountain to search for the herbs when he hung the curse-doll?), Wook because I was waiting for a stronger reason for his character’s existence, Na-yeon because Shin-yoo couldn’t get rid of her, she wants Hong-jo harmed and there’s the historical baggage-blighted relationship with Hong-jo (turns out the history goes no further back than their high school days; or she could be the reincarnation of Mu-jin’s dad since she’s always saying Hong-jo is a “nobody”?) (did not bother to consider Shin-yoo's dad with his "lowlife" references as didn't want him to be more significant). However, none of them shows any memory or says anything of the past. Why aren’t we told who it is?! Who is it??!!
Lastly, the ending scene where Mu-jin takes the spell book is a final puzzle (alongside: what did Shin-yoo save Hong-jo's name as on his phone?) ! I read some interpretations that it is meant to show he was the one who buried the spell book but he is walking away with the book and not burying it, no? Why does he hold the book and where is he going? To the future?
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| love the bear jacket he got her! |
"You're too tall and handsome" (we agree, Hong-jo!)
16 episodes, JTBC
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