Um, because the show causes me to think furiously. 
(Also have realized am unconsciously putting off watching BV, because god, that show kills the creative juices.)
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS UP TILL EP8. FEEL WARNED.
There’s the relationship stuff going on, which is particularly interesting and hard to tangle, as well as some speculation. Just a note, Shin Yoon Bok’s real name in the drama is actually Seo Yoon, so I may interchangeably use this one, don’t get confused. Although I think if I use cutiepie everyone would get it anyway, so…
My short analysis on each person who is really important in Yoon Bok’s life right now, with added random rambling, because, goodness, this is my blog, if I can’t ramble here then I can’t anywhere.
Kim Hong Do
Eh. He’s actually the most boring/stereotypical one of the list. Whatevs. Also, his constant shouting gets annoying, but on the other hand he’s kind of a father figure to her right now. (Which makes their impending romance even more squicky, eurgh.) Just to get this out of the way, a part of me is beyond annoyed by the whole Hong-Do-is-having-feelings-for-his-male-student-ohnoes – and Shy Exposition Girl’s (um, sister to the colleague) conspiratorial-homg-gossip whispering on how this one guy got his legs broken for ‘consorting’ with another male. God, I am so glad I did not live then, I would have died a quick death for my liberal thinking. Or possibly killed them all.
Also, does no one find it disturbing that Hong Do held little Yoon in his lap at one point and fed her candy, much like a benevolent uncle? Add that to the teacher thing, and we’ve got an abuse of authority situation coming up. Though it comforts me that Yoon Bok is such a prickly blossom (much like how she says Jeong Hyang is, lol) even at 18 that she doesn’t take Hong Do’s crap and talks back.
Um, so, episode 7 and 8 has him all flustered and stuff around Yoon Bok, though he’s doing a good job of keeping it to just glancing and random spaciness. (That’s how you can tell it’s love – he’s totally rude to other people.) Other than that, people, it’s just romance, nothing to see here, move along.
I wonder when the student will surpass the master (some argue that it’s already happened, but there’s so much she hasn’t learned yet). Also, when he will find out she is a girl, just because I want to see the look on his face.
Jeong Hyang
Omm, I love this girl. People went all crazy about how Yoon Bok was a lesbian and stuff, but as the girl says herself (with the clarity only alcohol brings, *cackle*), Jeong Hyang is more than a mere lover, she is someone who is in tune with Yoon Bok – and whom Yoon Bok sees as a representation of her other self. It is probable, given that if she hadn’t been taken in by Shin, she would have been sold to a gisaeng house.
She’s not in love – Jeong Hyang’s more important than that, which gives me hope for the future, because had it been purely romantic love, dearest Hyang would have been axed so Hong Do could make an entrance. (Though Yoon Bok is in considerable danger from the evil merchant dude – doubly so, since he killed her parents and wants to kill Jeong Hyang’s ‘lover’.)
Jeong Hyang’s loveliness and the entire motif of the butterfly thing is a reference to the cocoon process. Yoon Bok came out as an artist (no pun intended), and male, while Jeong Hyang became a beautiful, graceful gisaeng.
Current speculation about if she finds out splits in four ways:
1) She doesn’t find out and goes to her grave loving the boy. (Ze most likely atm.)
2) She finds out and the two become artistic buddies. (Or soulmates, if you’re mushy.)
3) She finds out and things take on a distinctly lesbian tone, can be one-sided or mutual, I guess. (Aha, if only.)
4) She goes all crazy with vengeance. (Doubt that would happen.)
It’s a shame they won’t take the lesbian theme and run with it, but then S.K. society is highly conservative and heads would have rolled, so not that surprising…
Young Bok
See, the thing is, usually we have a brother-like figure who also likes the heroine, but because he is a nice guy (and not a Nice Guy), he doesn’t get the girl. I think Young Bok is more than that. Really – his own father only adopted Yoon the girl and turned her into Yoon Bok the boy because he saw her enormous potential and promptly got greedy for his own family and fortune. With a dad like that, who knew Yoon’s father’s fate and how unjust it was – their relationship is not going to end happily, and will stay one-sided forever. He might even die and concrete his status as a martyr on the brick road of success.
On the other hand, since Young Bok is written as a fairly nice guy, he doesn’t really get the Evil Character Chopping Block, and is given a relatively important supporting role. (He even gets his own peppery girl person! Who crushes on him and actively pursuits him!) However, his big losses (painting privilege and YB’s romantic love) are a form of repentance for the wrongs his father committed towards Yoon Bok. They’re big on fate and karma and stuff like that in sageuk writing, I believe, or I seriously will go over to S.K. and take a chunk out of those Legend scriptwriters.
Stuff I’m just throwing in for the heck of it:
- They mentioned in passing that Seo painter dude, Yoon Bok’s dad, married a kaya-expert gisaeng. It would then be kind of scary possible that Jeong Hyang’s teacher was Yoon Bok’s mother, thus deepening their already quite intense connection with each other.
- I swear to god, that Sasuke!Assassin woman is in love with her sleazy master. Poor thing has the same ill-placed loyalty thing going on as the other similarly-dressed assassin person in Iljimae. Remember how choked up she was when sleazy merchant dude told her to guard Jeong Hyang’s courtyard really well? I. AM. VINDICATED.
- Also, I love the motif that Jeong Hyang is associated with a caged bird – because as a gisaeng, of course she’s a kept woman. Yoon Bok’s mother was lucky enough to have escaped that fate, but then got knifed by evil bastards with agendas. *sigh* If only there weren’t so many of them out there.
- I love the soundtrack. I know I say this about almost all the sageuks, but this is one of the best I’ve heard out of even a sageuk for a long time. Repeat button, how I love you, let me count the ways…
- The king, people, is full of subtle hotness. Also, he and his gran are seriously so much love! While we’re on that topic, who thinks Moon Chae Won is one hot chick? Also, speaking of kings, the king in Dae Jang Geum is the snotty painter competitor person. (Who also acts like he’s better than the others because he’s been to China, omg, writers, please stop. It’s obviously self-deprecating and not good for you. Fucking let this go.)
- Um, dammit, when did this get so long?!
Sevenses
Why We Won’t Get Lesbian Loving in Painter and Other Things
Um, because the show causes me to think furiously.
(Also have realized am unconsciously putting off watching BV, because god, that show kills the creative juices.)
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS UP TILL EP8. FEEL WARNED.
There’s the relationship stuff going on, which is particularly interesting and hard to tangle, as well as some speculation. Just a note, Shin Yoon Bok’s real name in the drama is actually Seo Yoon, so I may interchangeably use this one, don’t get confused. Although I think if I use cutiepie everyone would get it anyway, so…
My short analysis on each person who is really important in Yoon Bok’s life right now, with added random rambling, because, goodness, this is my blog, if I can’t ramble here then I can’t anywhere.
Kim Hong Do
Eh. He’s actually the most boring/stereotypical one of the list. Whatevs. Also, his constant shouting gets annoying, but on the other hand he’s kind of a father figure to her right now. (Which makes their impending romance even more squicky, eurgh.) Just to get this out of the way, a part of me is beyond annoyed by the whole Hong-Do-is-having-feelings-for-his-male-student-ohnoes – and Shy Exposition Girl’s (um, sister to the colleague) conspiratorial-homg-gossip whispering on how this one guy got his legs broken for ‘consorting’ with another male. God, I am so glad I did not live then, I would have died a quick death for my liberal thinking. Or possibly killed them all.
Also, does no one find it disturbing that Hong Do held little Yoon in his lap at one point and fed her candy, much like a benevolent uncle? Add that to the teacher thing, and we’ve got an abuse of authority situation coming up. Though it comforts me that Yoon Bok is such a prickly blossom (much like how she says Jeong Hyang is, lol) even at 18 that she doesn’t take Hong Do’s crap and talks back.
Um, so, episode 7 and 8 has him all flustered and stuff around Yoon Bok, though he’s doing a good job of keeping it to just glancing and random spaciness. (That’s how you can tell it’s love – he’s totally rude to other people.) Other than that, people, it’s just romance, nothing to see here, move along.
I wonder when the student will surpass the master (some argue that it’s already happened, but there’s so much she hasn’t learned yet). Also, when he will find out she is a girl, just because I want to see the look on his face.
Jeong Hyang
Omm, I love this girl. People went all crazy about how Yoon Bok was a lesbian and stuff, but as the girl says herself (with the clarity only alcohol brings, *cackle*), Jeong Hyang is more than a mere lover, she is someone who is in tune with Yoon Bok – and whom Yoon Bok sees as a representation of her other self. It is probable, given that if she hadn’t been taken in by Shin, she would have been sold to a gisaeng house.
She’s not in love – Jeong Hyang’s more important than that, which gives me hope for the future, because had it been purely romantic love, dearest Hyang would have been axed so Hong Do could make an entrance. (Though Yoon Bok is in considerable danger from the evil merchant dude – doubly so, since he killed her parents and wants to kill Jeong Hyang’s ‘lover’.)
Jeong Hyang’s loveliness and the entire motif of the butterfly thing is a reference to the cocoon process. Yoon Bok came out as an artist (no pun intended), and male, while Jeong Hyang became a beautiful, graceful gisaeng.
Current speculation about if she finds out splits in four ways:
1) She doesn’t find out and goes to her grave loving the boy. (Ze most likely atm.)
2) She finds out and the two become artistic buddies. (Or soulmates, if you’re mushy.)
3) She finds out and things take on a distinctly lesbian tone, can be one-sided or mutual, I guess. (Aha, if only.)
4) She goes all crazy with vengeance. (Doubt that would happen.)
It’s a shame they won’t take the lesbian theme and run with it, but then S.K. society is highly conservative and heads would have rolled, so not that surprising…
Young Bok
See, the thing is, usually we have a brother-like figure who also likes the heroine, but because he is a nice guy (and not a Nice Guy), he doesn’t get the girl. I think Young Bok is more than that. Really – his own father only adopted Yoon the girl and turned her into Yoon Bok the boy because he saw her enormous potential and promptly got greedy for his own family and fortune. With a dad like that, who knew Yoon’s father’s fate and how unjust it was – their relationship is not going to end happily, and will stay one-sided forever. He might even die and concrete his status as a martyr on the brick road of success.
On the other hand, since Young Bok is written as a fairly nice guy, he doesn’t really get the Evil Character Chopping Block, and is given a relatively important supporting role. (He even gets his own peppery girl person! Who crushes on him and actively pursuits him!) However, his big losses (painting privilege and YB’s romantic love) are a form of repentance for the wrongs his father committed towards Yoon Bok. They’re big on fate and karma and stuff like that in sageuk writing, I believe, or I seriously will go over to S.K. and take a chunk out of those Legend scriptwriters.
Stuff I’m just throwing in for the heck of it:
- They mentioned in passing that Seo painter dude, Yoon Bok’s dad, married a kaya-expert gisaeng. It would then be kind of scary possible that Jeong Hyang’s teacher was Yoon Bok’s mother, thus deepening their already quite intense connection with each other.
- I swear to god, that Sasuke!Assassin woman is in love with her sleazy master. Poor thing has the same ill-placed loyalty thing going on as the other similarly-dressed assassin person in Iljimae. Remember how choked up she was when sleazy merchant dude told her to guard Jeong Hyang’s courtyard really well? I. AM. VINDICATED.
- Also, I love the motif that Jeong Hyang is associated with a caged bird – because as a gisaeng, of course she’s a kept woman. Yoon Bok’s mother was lucky enough to have escaped that fate, but then got knifed by evil bastards with agendas. *sigh* If only there weren’t so many of them out there.
- I love the soundtrack. I know I say this about almost all the sageuks, but this is one of the best I’ve heard out of even a sageuk for a long time. Repeat button, how I love you, let me count the ways…
- The king, people, is full of subtle hotness. Also, he and his gran are seriously so much love! While we’re on that topic, who thinks Moon Chae Won is one hot chick? Also, speaking of kings, the king in Dae Jang Geum is the snotty painter competitor person. (Who also acts like he’s better than the others because he’s been to China, omg, writers, please stop. It’s obviously self-deprecating and not good for you. Fucking let this go.)
- Um, dammit, when did this get so long?!
Sevenses