Iljimae Episode 14, recap

Can barely prop eyelids open, but here’s the recap. Still working 12+ hours a day, so prease to be forgiving all spelling mistakes. Also, fangirlism abounds.

Love you all, and hope you found this episode as good as I did. (Actually, you better had, because I did, and I was super tired to boot!)

Oh! One last thing (don’t kill me, lol, you can just scroll down) everyone go over and wish flyingcrispi a good time in Greece!

Episode 14

Aww. Everyone is still holding firm in front of the palace gates, to the point of working out a food distribution system. Byun Shik and the ambassador dude look over at the assembled peasants… and the ambassador goes to the king. He demands that the king solve the problem.

When the king suggests (not demand, mind you) that the ambassador’s son might be slightly responsible, the guy puffs up like one of those fish and brings the king’s own son into the fray, hinting that the crown prince might find China less than hospitable if the king doesn’t make Mr. Ambassador happy. What a toad.

(Btw, the guy’s wearing the wrong clothes for the Qing dynasty, and even wronger clothes for the Choseon… I would lol, but I’m tired of evil Chinese people showing up all the time. If you’re going to impugn, at least do it accurately. Otherwise check your intentions. So fucking tired of propaganda.)

The king must have watched Hong Gil Dong, because he’s doing the Chang-Hui-is-pained thing. He’s weak so he obeys the ambassador’s wishes, and calls Byun Shik over.

Eun Chae’s mom is super worried at her not coming home, and sends the family servants to search.

Once he’s received the king’s orders, Shi Wan hands the faked results of the investigation exonerating Zheng over to Shi Hoo, who doesn’t like giving lies to the people, but has to do it. He reads it out loud to the crowd. Dani, Swe Dol, Eun Chae and co are disappointed. Bong Soon is furious.

Yong rushes into the crowd of protesting people, and does his thoughtless street boy thing by chatting Eun Chae up, earning absolutely no points with Eun Chae and making Bong Soon sad.

Lols, the people are planning to use wet horse manure to bombard wossface. The king gathers his ministers and does his fake good guy thing, but Byun Shik mentions the use of dry manure as an explosive (when mixed with things that will explode, you idiot). The ministers fall for it. Pre-emptive measures, anyone?

Kunghe monk goes to visit Bong Soon’s family’s grave markers (the real bodies are elsewhere). He offers them the proper mourning. (Noo, don’t go away, we need you to explain all the plot threads to Yong at the 11th hour!) This is an annual expedition for the monk.

Yang Soon’s mother is hanging on after not eating for about three days. The others prepare to throw manure at the palace door.

Shi Wan has received orders to shoot everyone at the gates, and after seeing Yong, warns him away. (Awwwwww. Starting to warm to him.) Then, gazing after Yong, he spots Eun Chae, and both brothers come and run for their little sis, knowing that being a second late would mean her being killed. She’s dragged away under protest.

The soldiers come out as the protesters move forward. Swe Dol and Dani realize that Yong is missing and look for him.

OMG, THEY’RE SERIOUS ABOUT THE ARROWS. WTF, KING. SHOOTING INNOCENT PEOPLE?! I KEEEEEEL YOU WITH MY BASEBALL BAT!

Just as the guard in charge gives orders for the soldiers to shoot, Iljimae appears and shouts “Wait!”

He’s got Zheng by the scruff of the neck and tied up too. The people cheer really hard, and the archers readjust their aim. But Byun Shik tells them to put their arrows down, as the ambassador’s son is in his hands.

Eun Chae gazes up with admiration, sparking jealousy in Shi Hoo, but then she notices an assassin archer climbing up to the roof. She grabs Shi Hoo’s bow and shoots the guy (astonishing all with her good aim, but then, archery is easy). Iljimae sees her and acknowledges her help by nodding, and she nods back.

About five million soldiers come for Iljimae, but the staircase is super narrow so we get a few moments of LJK showing off his martial arts skills instead. Zheng aka wossface is trying to get away, and ends up falling outside the castle wall. But he’s tied to a post, so he’s fine, atm.

Iljimae fights the soldiers with his dull blade and some sticks, not killing anyone. Which backfires on him because the others recover and surround him. But good on him for obeying the Do Not Kill rule.

Anyway, he fires an escape arrow to a distant roof and gets away with Zheng, but not before Swe Dol sees the pink ribbon tied to his wrist. There is astonishment, and some good fighting.

The next morning, Zheng is hanging from a gate somewhere, being bombarded by horse manure. He confesses to everything. The parents, surprisingly, don’t demand his life in return. The people are unhappy, and know that the king planned to kill them. In the heat of fury and enthusiasm, they support Iljimae as king. The ministers urge the king to calm the people down or risk a revolution in his hands.

He gives a decree awarding some stuff to Yang Soon’s parents and spouts some BS about being sorry. However, mostly everyone is more intelligent than that, and refuse his lies for what they are.

Swe Dol totally knows that Yong is Iljimae now and has the shell-shocked expression of someone who survived a war. He runs to his abandoned mountain workshop, and discovers the hidden mechanism that allows him to enter Iljimae’s lair. I must say, very nicely constructed pulley/trapdoor system.

Meanwhile, everyone else gathers at the bay to send Yang Soon off. Yong is given the honour of setting her coffin on fire, which they then send drifting down a river. (Kleenex moment.) Yong throws the pink ribbon after her coffin. Bong Soon watches him cry and cries herself.

Swe Dol makes his way inside the lair and sees all the maps and plans of the noble residences. He imagines Yong (very handsomely, zomg he is so cute in this episode!!) drawing scenes of his former family life while crying. (But Yong would never cry like that… too girly.) Swe Dol then sees the painting Yong’s done of his courtyard full of plum blossoms with his family there.

Swe Dol sees Iljimae’s armour and doesn’t know what to do with his knowledge. He’s sad that Yong’s recovered his memory, then panicked at his own and Shi Hoo’s role in the events, should they become clear. He sobs on the floor and still has time to hide when Iljimae enters and sees the paper slips announcing three new targets on the wall.

I bet the targets are the ones currently dining with the ambassador, each trying to out-brownnose each other. (Lords Kim, Cheong and Oh, I think.)

Swe Dol gets out and copies the three names, because he can’t read them. (You think Iljimae’s not going to notice someone’s been using his paper, pen and ink?)

Btw, Iljimae’s getting more and more popular, with people recognizing him as far more kinglier than the current one. The nobles squabble amongst themselves to avoid blame, which makes the king angry.

(Lol, Byun Shik calls Iljimae a black shadowed bat. 😀 )

The king indulges in a moment of anger and throws an inkstand at the assassin’s head. The guy ends up bleeding, and the nobles quiet down, as they are scared by the man’s blatant cheery manner while BEATING ON HIS OWN SERVANT. (The guy has his blind spots, but he is very loyal to his king. I’d tell him to leave his job.) What a sick power hog.

If he wanted their attention, honestly, he could have just told the guy to shout.

Anyway, his orders are to capture Iljimae alive and bring him to see the king. (Which sets up a convenient plot device to allow him to survive.)

Byun Shik goes home and tries to scold and beat Eun Chae with his shoe in hand, but her glare makes him drop his shoe. He denies that he gave the orders to shoot the protesters. (Lol, Shi Wan tried to shield his baby sister.) Shi Hoo and Byun Shik discuss the details, with Shi Wan listening on.

Swe Dol gets Mr. Leatherworker to read the names he’s copied down, and it is indeed the three (Kim, Oh and Cheong) nobles we met earlier.

Uh oh. Swe Dol is going to do something stupid, isn’t he?

Yup. His newly invented lock is unopenable, besides being super pretty and shiny. He even installs them all for free (which, I think, is going to get him in trouble later).

The soldiers get ready for another night stationed outside noble houses that belong to members of Friends of Heaven.

AHAHAHA. DED OF LAUGHING, ZOMG.

Swe Dol is determined to sleep with Yong and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere during the night, thus sparking the reaction: This is Yongi here! Not Dani! Nooooooo!

The performance is kind of scary, actually. Swe Dol ends up sleeping on Yong, with his arms around his waist (lol now I envy Swe Dol) and their feet tied together. Yong escapes anyway.

Shi Hoo’s super alert. (It has occured to me that the new Iljimae costume, being a lot shinier and floofy and skirty with red silk sashes… is rather conspicuous and not really suited for a night cat-theif, you know. Plus, air drag.)

Iljimae indeed cannot get into the door that his father locked. But he has more than one trick up his sleeve and gets in by the roof. After stealing the ginseng (which he mysterious could pinpoint as 300 year old ones), he makes to climb back out, but someone comes!

Our thief has no choice but to burn up the rope. Um. That’s really fast. Must have been alcohol assisted burning.

The lord of the house comes in to make sure nothing is amiss and goes out again, not having noticed anything wrong.

Now Iljimae’s locked in. By his own father. Wtf, Swe Dol.

And more WTF for Swe Dol, because the door actually opens on the side, as in, he sawed a part of the door off the hinges, so it opens if it actually is leaned on. *sigh* Swe Dol, why go to so much trouble?

(Aww, he just doesn’t want his son to also be a thief.)

Iljimae moves on to the next noble house, which is being patrolled by Shi Hoo. Who, being possessed of a fine radar and new skills, can see him as soon as he appeared. Or not. A cat jumps out and Shi Hoo is disappointed.

Iljimae’s ambushed anyway, by household guards. Another action sequence with lots of spinning and totally impossible odds, lalala.

He gets away in the nick of time in the rain (his armour doesn’t rust? Oh good.) and perches triumphantly on the roof.

End episode.

Commentary/Rambling:

– No preview again. Either they’re really pressed for time on this scripting/filming thing, or that was an annoying mixup.

– Yang Soon! 白菜妹!! Rest in peace, baby girl.

– And now Swe Dol knows. Well… we know from episode one that Hwa Bong, Daeshi and Hyeun Kyeong know and help him. There’s all these issues to be resolved and there’s only 6 episodes left! (Confirmed that no extensions will be made for this wildly popular show.)

– Am too tired to do anything so strenuous as thinking, so will leave off speculating to the happy folks over at baidu. I want my romantic progression, darn it.

Sevenses

ETA: I think I managed to mess up the time siggy on this thing. Oh well. Enjoy reading.