It is finally the end of Scarlet Heart.  Did we love it?  Did we hate it? Did all of our favorite characters have gorgeous hair to the bitter end?  Come join The Fangirls as we discuss the finale two episodes and what we feel now that the drama has concluded.  Also a bonus discussion on the Hwarang Posters.  Will we be checking this drama out for future Mane of Glory recaps?

Holy Crap He Married His Mother.

KMUSE: Not only did he marry his sister, but she ends up being a carbon copy of So’s mother.  There is no amount of saying “ew” that will get me past this.

CLKYTTA: I really, really hoped that this would not happen. I thought they weren’t going to  follow history exactly!  How can he even think about having babies with her? Ewwwww!!!

Drama Geek: She looks almost as gorgeous in this bath as the late queen. Almost. That is all I’m going to say. Fighting for the next drama with this actress in it. 🙂

Was There A Point to Woo Hee?

KMUSE: I get why Wook wants Baek Ah to be separated from So.  What I don’t get is the whole specifics behind Woo Hee deciding to commit suicide.  Did she make a deal with someone?  Was she overcome with guilt?  Yet another example of the writer and director not communicating well with the viewer.

CLKYTTA: Nobody gets to be happy, so Woo Hee had to go.  I’m not sure what her sin was really, I mean she just wanted justice for her people.  I never really understood her character in the first place, I feel like we missed a lot of scenes with her or something.

Drama Geek: I didn’t mind this character, but was pretty confused as to what she hoped to accomplish with her death. It did get Baek Ah to leave the palace and the King so I guess it served its purpose.

She Loved Who?

KMUSE: Poor So.  Finding out that his nemesis was the first love of his soulmate must really suck.  However I do wonder how he didn’t figure this out way before now.  So knew Su had a relationship with one of his brothers.  It was dumb that it never came up before now.

CLKYTTA: Hold on, hold on, Hold On! How did he not know?  We had that whole tug of war scene way back when Wook told him nothing was his. I mean, Wook did everything but light up synchronized lanterns that said Wook and Su. So knew, you can’t tell me he didn’t know.  He was there every time Wook broke her heart.

Drama Geek: This is the biggest case of denial I’ve ever seen. There is no way he didn’t already know this deep down.

KMUSE: At least the big reveal resulted in So letting Su go and marry yet another brother.  She really worked her way through the family didn’t she?

CLKYTTA: Dumbest thing ever.  He’s all upset she had Wook as a first love and she’s supposed to be ok with him marrying Incest Princess?  He lets her go because of she had Wook as a first love? I’m calling total shenanigans on this.

Drama Geek: Insert plot device here. LOL. But at least it got her out of the palace and to the best prince of them all.

The Separation of the OTP

KMUSE: I had almost forgotten that Prince Ji Soo had asked his dad to marry Su way back when.  That was a great way to get Su out of the palace legally. I also understood why she was so desperate to leave.  I wouldn’t want my child raised in that cesspool either.  You know Incest Queen would have the child killed ASAP.

CLKYTTA: I should have bet on Prince Ji Soo in the beginning.  Note to self, Ji Soo is always the right choice. He’s very good Daddy material, I love how he’s not judgmental about her being pregnant.

Drama Geek: This was epic storytelling fail. Why keep the audience in the dark about her pregnancy? To make it a surprise later? To make most of the viewers think the Su is flaky and ditches So as easily as Wook ditched her? To help us so that we may never understand our lead girl no matter how many times she looks surprised into the camera?

Drama Geek: I would have been creating my own plans to get her out of the palace had I known she was with child. That is the LAST place I’d ever want my child raised. That’s if I was able to give birth before someone killed the baby.

Tragic Ji Soo is the Best Kind of Ji Soo

KMUSE: Yet again, Ji Soo is the scene stealer of a show.  To bad it is only the last two episodes.  His angsty one sided love scenes are always amazing.

CLKYTTA: I love Ji Soo.  Seriously, someone give this boy a lead role right now!

Drama Geek: I feel robbed. Why did they focus so much on EXO’s Prince’s crush for her when we could have watched Ji Soo love her from a far. I’m glad that he was the brother that was with her because he took care of her and gave her exactly what she needed. With getting nothing in return.

CLKYTTA: This is where I lost it. This totally Ji Soo moment where he’s full of love and regret and angst.  He broke my heart with his broken heart.

Drama Geek: I actually cried more for Ji Soo in this scene and then in the next where Baek Ah finally realizes he actually loved Hae Soo. Not that Jun Ki can’t move me, but his entrance and grief was filmed kind of weird.

A Letter Lost in Translation

KMUSE: I don’t understand why Prince Ji Soo felt the need to put Su’s letters into new envelopes because of the matching penmenship **Cough Cough… Lazy Writing** but it was all so truly tragic.  So thinking that Su had fallen in love with his brother and Su waiting for a response as she whithers away from whatever illness she had.  Just so very tragic.  I might have been crying at this point.

CLKYTTA: I think Prince Ji Soo may have also tried to protect Su.  Think about it, Incest Princess would have tried to block any communication.  If only So hadn’t been so thick headed and had just opened the letters.

Drama Geek: A note here on the writing thing. Ji Soo was doing it to protect the King and Su. If anyone found out how close their penmanship was they could have accused the King of having Su write decrees in his stead. Everything the King had ever done could be in question.

I Cried

KMUSE: And later as the brothers dealt with the realization that Su was gone.  So’s meltdown just broke my heart.

CLKYTTA: This was so heartbreaking.  My heart broke for both of them.  I was torn between wanting So to take her urn and thinking that Ji Soo should have it. The truth was that Su would have wanted to be with So though.

Drama Geek: It really was tragic that So never got to see her again. So many tears.

KMUSE: And I cried yet again when So discovered his daughter and lifted Prince Ji Soo’s exile so he could occasionally see her at the palace.

CLKYTTA: The way Prince Ji Soo was trying to hide her was almost as much of a giveaway as the hair ornament.  This was so sad because he knows she’s his daughter and he knows that no one can ever know except him and Ji Soo. This little girl was totally adorable too.

Drama Geek: Again, this was so tragic. Seeing So with her makes you want them together (Jun Ki has always given off a super great dad vibe, probably because of Two Weeks). But you could also tell Ji Soo was such a doting father. I’m glad So realized what was best for everyone.

KMUSE: I even cried when Prince Wook was obviously ill, older, and filled with regrets.  Just such a tragic life due to his horrible family.

CLKYTTA: I felt a huge sense of sadness for Wook.  I liked that his memories went to his happy times with Lady Hae.  Who knew that his mom was worse than So’s mom?  None of her children or grandchildren are safe, she’s moving them all around like chess pieces for the throne.

Drama Geek: Kang Ha Neul did a fabulous job here. He really did seem older and full of deep regrets. Now get the to your agent and get a lead part!

It Was All A Dream?

KMUSE: Since I had watched the CVersion I was totally expecting her to be transported back to the future.  I even was OK with them explaining that she was in a coma for a year.  What I wasn’t OK with was the astronomer showing up in the present as a historian and not a hobo.  A historian who was throwing out tons of suggestions that he knew about her past.  What?  Is he supposed to be the Korean Merlin?  Does he not age?  What is going on?

CLKYTTA: I was a little confused about that too, Kmuse.  Did she change history so much that even the astronomer’s future changed?  Speaking of the future, let’s talk about her hair. Since it’s a mane of glory post, I have to mention how much I like her modern hair.  It’s really got a lot of body and it suits her face so much more than that weird hunk of braid on the back of her head.

Drama Geek: I think they always implied the Astronomer had been transported to the past when he was a child and then he leaves that palace at the eclipse and presumably goes back to the future when she does. And he remembers their past while she still needs her memory jogged. I do agree that her hair was glorious.

 

A Painting Says A Thousand Words…….or Not

KMUSE: And then we have the mysterious paintings that somehow managed to draw all of Su’s experiences while she was in Goryeo.  Even those that she had absolutely nothing to do with?  I could handle one or two clicking her memory of events, but not the scenes involving Wook and Ji Soo.  It just got too silly.

CLKYTTA: Who painted all this? One or two paintings would have made sense, but the whole panorama of her former life was a bit much. Was there some scribe who was like a creepy stalker capturing all these moments?

Drama Geek: Again, lazy storytelling. The rain picture, his profile, and him standing alone in front of the palace would have sufficed.

KMUSE: At least I appreciated the scene of So standing alone at the palace mourning over Su’s loss and vowing to find her in this other world.  If anyone would be stubborn enough to go past time and space to get to the woman he loves, it would be Prince So.  But then we get ……..nothing.  I was at least expecting a scene of Su and So’s future reincarnation in the present.  Especially since that is how the Chinese drama and novel end.  Instead we just have a flashback to happier times between our OTP. WHAT THE FUDGE?

CLKYTTA: I don’t know if they are going to do a teaser epilogue or if they are trying to set us up for a season 2.  It really seemed discombobulated at the end though, we were all ready for some kind of a modern face to face and all we got was memories.

Drama Geek: WHAT??? No present day hot Su? But… your source material had it. And the Chinese drama had it. And it’s the only comfort your fan base could get after So is left without his astronomer bestie, without Baek Ah, without his adorable daughter, without Hae Su. He’s ALONE until he dies and they couldn’t show him bumping into her in the gallery?

Final Thoughts:

CLKYTTA: I feel like I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster.  I need these characters to have a happy ending and I need some real resolution, but I think the happy memories at the end is all I’m going to get.  I have to admit that I am ready to move on to new manes of glory though.

Drama Geek: In the end I think the story could have been epic, but due to horrible directing, not so great writing, and chaos in the editing department it was a hot mess. I’m thankful that most of the cast was eventually able to rise above bad directing (and had Jun Ki to help direct once he was on set more. Watch the bts if you don’t believe me) and became characters I did indeed wish happiness to, even if none of them got it.

In my mind she did bump into present day So and eventually had a cute little girl and lived happily ever after… with his 12 brothers in a rooftop apartment. 🙂

KMUSE: I really enjoyed this drama.  A lot of issues I had were skipped since I had the Chinese source to fill in the blanks of the plot.  That said, the director and writer should be shot for screwing up what could have been a truly epic story.  They were pretty much given the show and they somehow managed to mess things up.  For shame.

 

Hwarang Official Posters

KMUSE: It looks like they had a buy one wig get 5 free sale.  All of the hair is so similar it is distracting.  Not to mention that the posters look extremely touched up and fake.  I really hope the actual drama is better since I have been waiting for Hwajang for months.

CLKYTTA: I’m not sold on the posters, I can’t tell who’s who with the universal wig thing they have going on.  I’ve been waiting for this one too, so I’m hoping it’s not quite so cheesy when the drama actually begins.

Drama Geek: I’m totally not digging this poster and hope someone just accidentally approved the wrong one.

KMUSE: Also, what the heck is going on with V’s poster?  I get he is supposedly the playful puppy character of the group, but this is just odd.

CLKYTTA: They all look a little weird to me.  I don’t know if it’s the hair or the wide eyed look Go Ah Ra is sporting, or whatever that is on V.  It’s all just weird.

Drama Geek: Oh V. I will watch it no matter how bad you are, but please talk in your deep voice. No kid puppy voices for you. Got that? I’m really hoping that it’s just whoever they got to do the promo stuff and not the actual drama itself. Here’s crossing my fingers.

That is all for us for a while.  Sadly, we can’t do Mane of Glory posts without any manes of glory.  But don’t fear.  We will be back as a group recapping upcoming drama Legend of the Blue Sea.  Be sure to check it out as we discuss funny leads, our love of mermaids, and hopefully tons of creative plot!

Til next time,

The Fangirls

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