Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! Thanks for joining this group watch! ❤️
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ZERO SPOILER POLICY
Only events that occur in the episodes discussed here may be referenced.
No future developments, relationship outcomes, mythology reveals, major twists, or “just wait…” hints — even vague foreshadowing can affect first-time viewers.
If you’re ahead of the group watch, please keep that knowledge to yourself. Let’s protect the innocent! 😉
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Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes. Have fun in the comments! ❤️
My thoughts
Episode 3
E3. Y’know, when I’d realized that Show was switching actresses for our female lead for Season 2, I honestly hadn’t been sure how to feel about it.
On the one hand, I understood that it was necessitated by the story, because Mu Deok was always a borrowed body, for Naksu. It made sense, that we would somehow finish our story with Naksu finally wearing her own face, instead of someone else’s.
On the other hand, I had personally grown so fond of Jung So Min as Mu Deok, that I wasn’t sure that I would be able to take to someone else as our female lead, particularly since Season 2 is so much shorter – which meant that I would have less time to warm up to her, than if Season 2 had been 16 episodes, like Season 1.
Now, just 3 episodes in, I am so pleasantly surprised to say that I am taking to Go Yoon Jung as Bu Yeon, very well indeed.
First of all, I think it’s pretty brilliant of Show to give us the explanation, that because Naksu is in Bu Yeon’s body, her build is different than her original body.
She’s supposed to be smaller and more delicate, and in terms of story logic, I can see why this would contribute to people like Park Jin and Master Heo not being able to recognize Bu Yeon as Naksu.
Plus, there’s the thing where Go Yoon Jung appears to have put on some weight for the role. With her resulting softer, fuller features, it also contributes to why people how had seen Naksu’s body, would be unable to place her in her new body, despite her having the same face.
Also, the different hairstyle, clothes and makeup add to it as well.
In fact, just a few weeks ago, an old friend whom I hadn’t seen in several years, couldn’t recognize me because I’d cut off my long hair since I last saw her.
With just that making someone unable to recognize me in real life, I can more than buy the idea that with all these factors at play, folks like Park Jin and Master Heo would be unable to place Naksu as Bu Yeon, even though they find her familiar looking.
And of course, there’s the thing where the Naksu that they’d seen, had been dead, and, if memory serves, at least partially petrified?
I put Jin Mu’s ability to place her, down to how he’d spent years looking at her face, as he’d brainwashed her to be his assassin tool.
I don’t know if it had been on purpose, but I do find that Go Yoon Jung’s softer features in Season 2, make it easier for me to connect her with Jung So Min’s Mu Deok, since Jung So Min also has rather soft, rounded features.
Additionally, I do feel like Go Yoon Jung’s giving us a similar energy to what we’d seen in Mu Deok, so I’m pleasantly surprised to find that I’m taking to Go Yoon Jung as our female lead, very well indeed.
There’s a guileless, earnest vibe about Bu Yeon, that I enjoy very much.
She may not remember her past; she may not be strong, or have any other power than to see energy; she may not consider herself very smart. But, she doesn’t let that get her down, and she’s just so honest, wide-eyed and earnest in how she approaches the world, that I can’t help but love her.
So THIS is what Naksu is like, when she hasn’t been brainwashed for years, to be an assassin.
Why, I rather do think that I might be somewhat smitten with her, honestly. 😍
Which is a great thing, because then I can fully and easily root for Uk to become smitten with her too, heh.
Speaking of which, I find myself really liking the idea that Season 2 is basically our OTP love story, redux.
As some viewers have pointed out, there are some similarities between this love story and the first love story, like in the way Uk forms an alliance with our female lead, only because of the power he believes she has, which he thinks will help him achieve his goals.
There’s also the thing, where, as Uk roots for his ally to regain her powers, they start to grow closer, thanks to sharing these moments.
And, I find myself thinking that the things that Bu Yeon says and does, aren’t too different from the things that I can believe Mu Deok would do.
For example, I can totally believe that if Mu Deok had been in the same situation as Bu Yeon, that she would have faked a pregnancy too, in order to get them through the moment – never mind the implications and consequences. 😁
I do like this same-same-but-different treatment of the love story, because it reinforces that Uk has history with Bu Yeon, even as Show builds a new love story between them.
At the same time, I like how Show appears to be moving along at a pretty brisk pace, ie, we’re not fudging along for too long, with Bu Yeon not remembering anything about being Naksu.
Instead, as soon as she and Uk establish publicly that they are married, Bu Yeon gets a memory flash, when she touches Uk’s sword – which is Naksu’s sword.
Nice, nice. I like that this makes things move along at a faster pace, because I am really curious to see how Uk will react, when he realizes that he’s gone and married the person he misses most in the world – his Naksu. 🥹
In the meantime, though, I find myself nicely amused by how Bu Yeon is showing signs of sincerely liking Uk, and wanting to make that baby with him, hee.
Of course, Uk’s keeping Bu Yeon at arm’s length – for now! Because he has no idea who she is! – but it’s still nice to see him softening towards Bu Yeon, in small degrees.
Like when she’s in deep pain because of the tracking thread that Madam Jin’s sewn into her shoulder, I love how Uk basically storms Jinyowon like the badass that he is, and destroys the tracking thread – while casually explaining to Madam Jin that it’s preventing his wife from sleeping well, which is not cool, especially when they’re newlyweds and all. Tee hee!
I very much relished that look of consternation and shock on Madam Jin’s face. 😁
As much as I’m enjoying the idea of Uk falling for Bu Yeon, it makes me sad to realize that he still thinks that he’s going to use Bu Yeon’s power to remove the ice stone from within him, and die.
That scene where he tells Maidservant Kim to have the peace of mind to marry Park Jin, because he’s now married and both he and Bu Yeon will be free, is such a suckerpunch to the heart. I mean, that freedom that he’s referring to, for himself, is death, ok? 😭
That is NOT ok, and I can only hope that Show will allow Uk to learn the truth about Bu Yeon sooner rather than later, so that he won’t be so tortured. 😭
And Show’s doing a great job of letting us get a sense of just how tortured Uk is.
That forest, where he builds all those stone towers, in memory of each soul shifter that he’s killed, feels filled with sadness.
And the fact that Uk spends so much time dwelling among the stone towers, lost in his thoughts, already makes my heart go out to him – and that’s not even counting the way those wraiths, on a daily basis.
What an interesting development, that Dang Gu tells Bu Yeon about the Dark Forest, and she goes there, and gets a memory flash of Uk giving the blue egg to her, even as the blue egg reveals itself to her, in Naksu’s stone tower.
I’m going to put it down to the egg being able to sense the energy of its owner, and that’s why it reveals itself to her like that.
I’m bummed that So-I is still at Jin Mu’s mercy, because she needs the medicine to deal with the blood parasite within her body – which is how she ends up trying to lure Bu Yeon to Cheonbugwan, because Jin Mu orders it.
I can only imagine bad things happening to Bu Yeon if she falls into Jin Mu’s hands, so I’m hugely relieved that she’s smart enough to keep herself safe, until she runs into Yul, who then takes it upon himself to keep her safe.
What an echo of Season 1, where Yul gets all flustered by Bu Yeon, and that manifests as him losing his composure and his sense of direction, heh.
I can see the skeleton of the love triangle getting ready to rise from the dead, y’all. 😅
On a tangent, I’m beginning to get the idea that the reason Yul is sick, is because So-I had put that blood parasite in him, in Season 1, in a bid to save him, when he’d been seriously hurt.
Ohhh. No wonder he needs the medicine that So-I sends him. Would that be the same medicine that she gets from Jin Mu? I guess it would be? But then how would that be enough for two people, when Jin Mu only sends enough for one person?
Does that mean that So-I’s skimping on her own medicine, in order to keep Yul safe?
But.. how has Yul been alright for the past 3 years, when he’s been back at Seoho Fortress..? Did she send the medicine all the way to Seoho Fortress, then..? 🤔
Back on the topic of Bu Yeon, I actually do relish the idea that she’s consistent in the way she interacts with the Crown Prince, when she eventually runs into him at the marketplace.
The way she talks to him, assuming he’s a eunuch, is so much like the way Mu Deok had used to talk to the Crown Prince. I like that.
And, I can’t help but wonder how long it’ll take for the Crown Prince to find her familiar. 😁
Finally, at the close of the episode, it feels like a pretty organic moment in coming, with Bu Yeon finally putting the blue egg to the test.
All episode long, she’s had people say things to the effect of being shocked that Uk would think about marriage again, and how she must not know anything about him at all.
And, she’d overheard Uk talking about the eggs with Maidservant Kim as well, which would definitely add to the mystery.
I can see why she would take Yun Ok’s suggestion, and put energy into the egg, to see what would happen.
When Uk comes running into the forest, in response, I could barely breathe, I was so curious to see how he would react to the fact that it had been Bu Yeon calling him through the egg.
As one might expect, Uk does start to get upset – but then, Bu Yeon drops that bombshell, that she’s regained another memory fragment, and in that memory fragment, she and Uk had liked each other, and for a long time at that.
Ooohhh. Is this the beginning of Uk finding out the truth about Bu Yeon??? I actually hope so! 🤩🥹
Episode 4
E4. Well. I guess this being the moment Uk finds out the truth about Bu Yeon would be just too easy; I should’ve known. 😅
It’s quite clever, actually, the way Show makes it such that Uk and Bu Yeon come to the conclusion that those memory flashes aren’t of Bu Yeon’s memories, but Naksu’s memories, triggered by the fact that Bu Yeon has the blue egg in her possession.
I mean, it really does make some kind of sense, put that way, so I can’t blame Bu Yeon for believing that, even though it does perplex me a little, that she’s remembering stuff about her own life, and doesn’t even realize it. 😩
It bums me out that Uk gets all upset with Bu Yeon, and it also bums me out that when the tower collapses, almost like in response to Bu Yeon’s presence, Uk doesn’t actually believe Bu Yeon, when she says that she didn’t touch it.
Aw. The way this turns into a thing that drives a wedge between Uk and Bu Yeon, instead of drawing them together, does bum me out.
BUT. There’s the thing, where Uk comes back and watches over Bu Yeon, and sends fireflies to light her path (which look positively magical, really 🤩), when he sees that she’s frightened, being alone in the dark forest at night.
Aw. Uk isn’t as hardhearted as he’d like Bu Yeon to believe.
I don’t think Uk likes Bu Yeon per se, at this time, because his devotion is to Naksu, but I do think that this is him softening towards Bu Yeon a bit, and showing some care and compassion.
I’m glad that Bu Yeon at least manages to catch a glimpse of his shadow, so that she has an inkling that he’d been the one to light her path. 🥹
Speaking of softening towards Bu Yeon, I am suitably amused at the Crown Prince and his decided affection towards the turtle that Bu Yeon had asked him to take home with him.
He honestly looks so pleased with himself, when he decides that the turtle listens to him, and is a very clever turtle indeed, hee. 😁
This dorky side of the Crown Prince, is precisely why I’m looking forward to his future interactions with Bu Yeon.
And, I do like this sense of consistency, that our female protagonist has the same effect on the people around her, whether she’s Naksu, or Mu Deok, or Bu Yeon.
This episode, I’m really enjoying the glimpses of friendship and brotherhood that we see between Uk and Yul.
That scene, where Yul goes to see Uk at Jeongjingak, and shows concern that Uk must feel so cold all the time, when Uk reveals that the cold energy in Jeongjingak is because of the wraiths that follow him each time he uses the power of the ice stone, lands as unexpectedly poignant and heartfelt, to me.
The genuine concern in Yul’s eyes, and the slight discombobulation in Uk’s expression, as he reacts to someone actually empathizing with him and showing care for his wellbeing, are what make this scene as heartfelt as it is, for me, and I suddenly want to see more of this friendship on my screen, please.
And so, when Uk asks Yul about his health, I wish that Yul would tell Uk the truth, but Yul is as evasive as ever, and it is perplexing to me.
Like, seriously, why does Yul seem determined to die?? Why won’t he be more proactive about managing his condition, or, y’know, finding a cure for it?
Is it because he feels that he’d failed to protect Naksu, whom he’d loved, and therefore, he might as well join her in death? Is that it?
I’m slightly glad that at least Bu Yeon asks him about it, point-blank, this episode, because she’s able to see people’s energy, and she can see that there’s something weird going on, in Yul’s body.
Yul’s not taking her advice right now, but it just gives me a small sense of security, to know that someone knows about Yul’s condition, and might be able to do something to either help him, or force him to get help? 😅
Later in the episode, we see him tell So-I that he hasn’t been taking the medicine that she’s been sending him (just, whyyyy, Yul?? 😩), and again, it feels like he’s determined to embrace death.
I just.. I need to understand why Yul is acting this way. Like he says, he’s usually quite smart. So why is he allowing himself to die, without even trying to live?
This episode, I’m low-key pleasantly surprised that Park Jin’s lesson via the rice cakes, turns into a legit life lesson for our boys.
Although I’m sure Park Jin means that object lesson to be for Uk’s benefit, even Dang Gu learns something from it, and decides to bite the bullet and express his feelings for Cho Yeon, even if it means taking the risk that she might turn him down.
Like Park Jin teaches, you won’t know what’s inside the rice cake unless you bite into it. 😁
I’m glad that the Crown Prince runs into Bu Yeon a second time this episode, at Chwiseonru.
The misunderstanding around each other’s identities continues, but what I like about this scene, is that the Crown Prince inadvertently gives Bu Yeon food for thought, when he talks about being reluctant to take the turtle home, because he already has other pets that he likes.
It”s a slightly bizarre comparison, but it does allow Bu Yeon to see that it must be hard for Uk to accept her as a wife, when he’d already given his heart to someone else, and feel a sense of understanding, for Uk.
This episode, the big thing is Jin Mu instigating that rumor that Naksu’s alive, and is threatening to come back, after soul-shifting into a new body.
It’s a devious plan that really sounds quite out there, but it does make some kind of sense, within the context of our drama world. And also, the more Jin Mu repeats the plan to the various people in our drama world, the more it sounds, well, logical?
I’m glad that Uk manages to figure it out, and get the right people on board to help him not only save Bu Yeon, but also, kill the soul-shifter, so that the rumor gets put to rest.
And, in the process, we do get a few small moments between Uk and Bu Yeon, where he appears softer, and less distant.
Like when he walks in to see Bu Yeon trying on a new outfit, and tells her that she looks pretty, before telling her that she must ask Maidservant Kim to trim her nails for her.
Also, the way he says yes to Bu Yeon’s various questions – about whether she can wear the family crest, whether she can tell people that they’re getting along well, and whether she can boast about him lighting up the dark path for her – is gentle and accommodating, which I find vicariously comforting, from Bu Yeon’s point of view.
I mean, Uk’s been so absent and distant, and she’s been missing him so much, that this must be such a refreshing, comforting change for her.
Later, when she’s talking with Maidservant Kim, and thinks about Uk pretty much admitting to sending her the fireflies that night, she positively glows, and y’know, seeing her so happy makes me happy. 🥰
Also, even though it comes as a shock to Bu Yeon, when Uk shows up at the banquet and tells her that Naksu’s coming back and therefore she’ll have to die that night, I’m glad that Uk is, in fact, explaining the situation to her, and asking for her cooperation, so that he can put Naksu to rest.
That feels like an important and significant step in the right direction, and also, I just like the idea that Uk is taking Bu Yeon into his confidence, in a manner of speaking.
Later that night, as Uk drinks to ward off the cold from the wraiths as he always does, there seems to be an extra heaviness about him, as he tries to lay down Naksu’s memory.
I can’t help but feel a bit of the heart flutters, when he holds Bu Yeon’s hand as she touches his cheek, but I also can’t help but register that he’s seeing her as Naksu / Mu Deok, in this moment.
I don’t know if it’s the alcohol allowing him to see her in her true energy form, or if he’s just being plain tipsy and seeing things, but it’s a raw, emotional moment where he’s being vulnerable, and therefore, it feels precious, even though I don’t fully understand what this means, to Uk.
And what is this, that when he wakes up from his slumber, he reaches out to kiss Bu Yeon???
I mean, it’s a pretty melty, swoony sort of kiss, because he’s kissing her with feeling, like he really means it (and I can’t help but feel the feels 🥰🫠), but.. I need to know: Does he still think that he’s with Naksu / Mu Deok, right now??? 😱😅
